These top 20 books released between January and June of 2018 were hand-selected by Amazon book editors and represent a range of genres, including drama, true crime, and fantasy. They named Tara Westover's memoir "Educated" as its top pick, calling it their "hands-down favorite."
Top Books of 2018
Amazon has released its annual list of the best books of the year so far.
"Educated" by Tara Westover
Tara Westover didn't see the inside of a classroom until she was seventeen, but it was an experience that dramatically changed the trajectory of her life. This stirring memoir chronicles how she survived her survivalist upbringing, eventually earning a PhD from Cambridge University. It's a rousing reminder that knowledge is, indeed, power.
"The Great Alone" by Kristin Hannah
In this pressure cooker of a page-turner, a damaged Vietnam vet moves his family to the wilds of Alaska. Initially it's a welcome change, but as winter approaches, and his mental state deteriorates, his wife and daughter find themselves in an increasingly precarious position. Like her mega-bestselling "The Nightingale", Kristin Hannah's "The Great Alone" highlights the heroics of everyday people, especially women.
"The Feather Thief" by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Clever, informative, and sometimes endearingly bumbling, this mix of natural history and crime opens up new worlds. Readers will never look at an old stuffed bird or an elaborately tied fishing fly the same way again.
"The Woman in the Window" by A.J. Finn
"The Woman in the Window" is a seductive and unpredictable novel about an agoraphobic woman with a tricky past who witnesses a murder. Or does she? With twists that will have you gasping out loud, this Hitchcockian noir thriller is the book to read if you've been waiting (too long) for the next "Gone Girl."
"Girls Burn Brighter" by Shobha Rao
This emotionally ungentle novel of two very different young women in modern-day India will prompt both outrage and hope as the girls separately traverse perilous paths to find each other again.
"The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border" by Francisco Cantú
The son of a park ranger, Francisco Cantú grew up in the southwest. When he joined the Border Patrol, he became witness to the stark realities of illegal immigration, and the obligations of his job weighed heavy against his sense of humanity. With its direct, stoic prose, "The Line Becomes a River" is a weighty and timely document on one of our most divisive arguments.
"The Electric Woman" by Tessa Fontaine
Many people say they'd like to join the circus, not many people actually do. Having difficulty coming to terms with her mother's imminent passing, Tessa Fontaine joined The World of Wonders, the last touring sideshow in America. "The Electric Woman" is a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek at carnival life, and an ode to unconditional love.
"Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha)" by Tomi Adeyemi
Here is a fresh take on young adult fantasy. With West African-inspired characters, magic, and setting, "Children of Blood and Bone" is non-stop action, enriched with themes that resonate in today's social and political landscape: injustice, discrimination, and a struggle for change. Author Tomi Adeyemi's debut novel is the start of what promises to be an epic, addictive new series.
"The Immortalists" by Chloe Benjamin
In this ambitious and deeply moving novel, Chloe Benjamin imagines how the lives of four siblings might be warped by a fortuneteller's prediction of the dates of their deaths. While recounting their stories, Benjamin poses intriguing questions about the value of longevity and whether we are victims, or perpetrators, of our own fates.
"There There" by Tommy Orange
What does it really mean to be an Indian/Native American/American Indian/Native? Orange's vivid debut novel allows a unique cast of characters — ranging from teenagers to elders living in Oakland, California — to pull this question apart for themselves as they live within an urban ecosystem.
"I'll Be Gone in the Dark" by Michelle McNamara
"I'll Be Gone in the Dark"— the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death — offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman's obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it has been hailed as a modern true crime classic — one which fulfilled Michelle's dream: helping unmask the Golden State Killer.
"You Think It, I'll Say It" by Curtis Sittenfeld
A suburban mother of two fantasizes about the downfall of an old friend whose wholesome lifestyle empire may or may not be built on a lie. A high-powered lawyer honeymooning with her husband is caught off guard by the appearance of the girl who tormented her in high school. A shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmate's seemingly enviable life. Throughout the ten stories, Sittenfeld upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided. https://speakerdeck.com/m5stuur831
"Circe" by Madeline Miller
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child — not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power — the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
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