My Favourites <2018

Having published all my previous reviews to date I thought I’d give you a quick overview of my favourite books I have discovered on my journey so far. I haven’t included books which I have read this year as they will be going into future posts. All of the books I’m going to mention can be found in my favourites folder on Goodreads, and I will also give links directly to the books. I haven’t given 5 stars to all these books, as some have their flaws, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them all nonetheless.

I will kick off with Eeny Meeny, written by M.J. Arlidge. This book really helped me rediscover reading and encouraged me to look at a variety of new books in the genre.

Next is Good Morning, Midnight, written by Lily Brooks-Dalton. I read this book in 2017 and its been on my favourites list ever since! I really reached this book when I needed it. It helped me to mature my tastes and allowed me to find a new appreciation for slower paced books which revel in atmosphere and character development.

Another book which helped me rediscover reading was The Miniaturist, written by Jessie Burton. This book allowed me to start exploring historical fiction, which is a genre I never thought I’d enjoy!

Next is two books in one, the first two books in the Wayfarers series, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and A Closed and Common Orbit, both written by Becky Chambers. This is a book series you will find on many people’s favourites, I am sure! Since its release, its reviews have remained high and they are greatly deserved.

The Enchanted, by Rene Denfield was also among the books which helped me to discover the reader I am today. It is very accessible and allowed me to explore different areas within the fiction genre.

Another book which opened my eyes up to different genres is Truthwitch, written by Susan Dennard. This book is also an example of reading the right book at the right time, I may have been drawn in by the stunning cover, but it really struck a chord with me on a deeper level.

The first non-fiction book on this list is The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, written by Michael Finkel. This book gave me a new found love for non-fiction and I have since discovered many great books because of this  story.

My first true reintroduction back into reading was through the author, Gillian Flynn. I found her books truly fascinating, each character is flawed and this allows you delve into the characters psyche. My favourites include Sharp Objects and Dark Places.

One book which I found inspiring last year was Swimming Lessons, written by Claire Fuller. She managed to capture the mood of the story perfectly and was exactly what I needed at the time.

Illuminae, written by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, as I mentioned in a previous post, holds a dear place for me. It was my first successful foray into young adult literature and I have since dipped my toes back into this genre several times.

Along with other books previously mentioned, Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel, allowed me to further develop my reading tastes. The Watcher in the Shadows, written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon was also among these initial books.

Next up is The Trees, written by Ali Shaw. If I had to create a favourites list, within my favourites, this would definitely make the cut. This book really opened up my eyes to books based in a natural environment. Since reading this book I have looked more closely at books with a similar setting. I have previously written a post focused on this book.

Another book which would definitely be on my top favourites list would be Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy, or just Jeff Vandemeer’s writing in general! The trilogy starts off with Annihilation, but the world is just too strong to leave there. A film has since been produced to represent Annihilation, which just goes to show how good this trilogy really is.

Aquarium, written by David Vann, is also way up there on this list. I have previously written a post about this book talking about how much I truly enjoyed it, which you should definitely check out if you are interested.

My final author spotlight is for the work of Andy Weir. Having thoroughly enjoyed The Martian, I decided to have a look at his back catalogue. I discovered what I now consider my favourite short story, The Egg. Weir’s writing really opened my eyes to the amount of scientific content a book of fiction can really hold.

I hope this post will help you to discover some new books which you have not previously read, or maybe even heard of. I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed each book on this list and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending every single one of them.