I have been a member of my book club, A Novel Sisterhood, since it started on June 28, 2001, and it has been going strong ever since.  At our last gathering, I asked the ladies to give me their best books of 2018 to share them with you.

(For an easy reference and printout to the books, go to my resources page.  Subscribe to Living Marvelously for the password!)

But, before I do that, let me share a little bit about us and how we run our book club.

We are a group of 9 women who love to read, eat, drink, and laugh!  Eight of those nine have been with the book club since the beginning.  The ninth isn’t too far behind that.

Our members are teachers, professors, librarians, business people, and artists.

At each book club, the next host up brings 4 choices for the next book to read.  After they are presented, we all vote for the book we want.  The one with the most votes wins!

Each book club consists of food, drink, and conversation about the book.  Some of us are more culinary inclined than others.  We once had gum for dessert! (No judgment, but guess what category she fell into.)

We get together about every six weeks.

Book club has mostly been hosted at our homes, but we have also met at cabins, restaurants, movie theaters, apple orchards, pizza farms, vineyards, at the hospital after the birth of a baby, and on boats.

Our book clubs are recorded in a beautiful scribe designed by one of the members.  We always sign in, and when I say sign in, we each literally sign our names in the book.  We then give the book we read a grade and record any comments we have about the book.  Some of our favorite comments are, “A light summer read” and “The ending tied everything up in a bow.”

One of the first books we read when I hosted, was “We Were the Mulvaneys.”  To this day, it is the standard for our most hated book.  It took me a while to remember they didn’t hate me; they hated the book?.   A good reminder for us when we disagree on our book choices!

We usually pass around the books when deciding on our next one, and font and book covers are a big deal.  No sticky hands, please!

We always have a great time and have become great friends.  We have been through a lot together.  Graduations, marriages, funerals, children, and grandchildren.

Ok, enough about A Novel Sisterhood, on with the Best Books of 2018.

I asked my friends to tell me their favorite book and give me a little blurb about it.  Here they are. Enjoy!

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

I loved the story, the characters, and a glimpse inside the life of a political prisoner who still embodies what it means to be a true Gentleman. Moscow was so eloquently written and had such a beautiful story. It was a welcome respite from my usual reads, and I’ve recommended it to many.

 

 

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Light and funny with awesome characters, plus who doesn’t enjoy a good pirate book?  All of the additional characters were so thought out and amazing.

 

 

 The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

A must-read to give you some insight into a world different from your own.  Aligns closely with real life headlines about police involved shootings.

 

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

A beautiful and, at times, funny story about the importance of friendship and human connection. A soon to be movie produced by Reese Witherspoon.

 

 

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

It’s one of my favorites this time of year, and I have recommended it and given it as gifts to many over the years. I just started listening to it on Audible again, and I’m enjoying it all over again. Is there anything more enjoyable than hearing a story that is just right?

 

 

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Since I am a fan of historical fiction, I really liked this one.  Although the premise was dark at times, the characters were endearing, and I liked how it wrapped up the loose ends nicely in the end.

 

 

Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson

An eerie and totally engrossing detective mystery. Great characters that you loved and loathed.

 

 

 

 Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom

It is a sequel of sorts to The Kitchen House. It is an amazing tale of endurance of the human spirit and compassion amid the deep divide plaguing our country in 1830. The amazing thing about this book was I had read the Kitchen House 10 years ago, and the mention of certain characters from that book still brought up such strong emotional responses it was as if I’d read it just last week. Amazing, powerful writing.

 

Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde

A beautiful story of a strange group put together under even stranger terms. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once—a beautiful, inspiring book.

 

 

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

The strength and will of the main character was so inspiring.  What she lived through and eventually lived for made for an incredible journey.   I love how the author brings the characters to life; you feel like you are part of the story.  I would recommend this one to anyone too.

 

 My Own Devices by Dessa

Whether rapping or writing, Dessa has a way with words. Her brilliant memoir masterfully blends personal experience, art, philosophy, and science. Marked by Dessa’s sharp wit and keen insight, her series of candid essays make for an entertaining and thought-provoking read.

 

 

 The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

I read this book in early January and, at that time, boldly proclaimed it my favorite of the year. It’s a charming and delightful mix of friendship, love, music, and quirky, endearing characters. The ending left me in such an emotional puddle that I was glad I was reading in the privacy of my own home. Yup, still my favorite!

 

I hope you were able to find your next read from this list!  The Novel Sisterhood will continue to meet, drink wine, eat good food, laugh, and find great books so we can provide a new list of best books for you next year.

Do you have any books to add to the best books of 2018?  I’d love to hear about them. Write the titles in the comments below!

Here are a couple more links to book recommendations! Drop Everything and Read Day and Best Books of 2019 and Best Books of 2020.

Try Apple Books, Audible, or Amazon to download books to your phone or tablet.