It's being hailed as the book of the year, and I wouldn't really argue with that. It is that good.
One of my very, very favorite biographies not only of the year but of all time. I knew very little about Betty Ford before reading this, and now I'm a huge fan.
It doesn't matter that you don't know who Bunny Mellon is (I didn't), you can still enjoy this book. It's a great biography.
This would have been on my list even if we wouldn't have lost President Bush in 2018. This is a great biography of a great man. Jon Meacham was one of President Bush's eulogizers, though this book was not a gushing tribute.
I've read a couple of books by Christopher Andersen now, and I'm a fan. This one is the examination of the relationship between Jackie Kennedy Onassis and JFK Jr. It was very well done.
Stunningly good. It's been said to be an explanation on why certain flyover folks voted for President Trump in 2016, but that characterization limits a seriously brilliant appraisal of current America.
This book made me a Tana French fan. I was afraid it would be too intense, and it was a bit intense in parts, but it was so well-written, so well-reasoned, and the characters were so well-fleshed, that I was stunned.
I've read another of Taraborrelli's books about the Kennedy family, and his newest was as good as it was. I just found out he has another coming out in June. His books are big and meaty and a little gossipy. A fun combination.
This one really is as good as the hype. It's hard to describe the plot, but it doesn't matter. Go into it blind and let it take you where it does. I loved this book. One of my favorite fiction reads of the year.
This book was just plain fun. I challenged myself to read it because it was two things I never read: YA and magical realism. I loved this book. It was funny and imaginative and clean. A wonderful adventure.
Many of my favorite Billy Collins poems come from this collection. I marked so many poems here, I would have been better off marking the poems I didn't like.
I loved this book so much. It had a depth to it that I didn't find in a lot of fiction this year. Some folks will likely find it boring due to its thin plot, but I thought it was simply stunning.
The Reckoning, John Grisham
This is the last book I finished in 2018, and I haven't reviewed it yet. It's also my first John Grisham book. It isn't very well reviewed, and I get the impression it's unlike his previous work, so I'd like to try more of his books to find out. I really was impressed with this one. It's not a happy book, but it was very good.
I read bother of Eowyn Ivey's books this year, and they were both excellent. This one was so charming and poignant and wonderful. Its plot contains magical realism, which I've found I have a tolerance for.
Ted Kennedy's memoir was an example of what an elder statesman's memoir should be. It was well-balanced and honest, comprehensive but never boring.
I'd had this book for ages before I finally sat down to read it, and I fell head over heels with it. West's account of the first ladies he served is honest yet respectful, and his tact is impeccable. It is easily one of my favorite books about the White House.
This follow-up to his smash-hit Beartown, takes you right back to the action. Calling Backman brilliant is not hyperbole. It's fact.
I love stumbling upon a new series at the beginning, and I think the Mystery of 1920s India series is going to be one for me to stick with. I loved the first book, and I can't wait for the second, due out in May.
Bonus: some favorite re-reads
Each of these would have ended up on my best of list if I allowed re-reads. Angela's Ashes was every bit as good as the first time I read it in about 1997. I loved Montana 1948 on re-read; I hadn't liked it much the first time around. And I loved, loved, loved Where The Red Fern Grows.
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