Best Books I Read in 2018

2018 was a busy year with all my traveling, hiking, moving and career changes. Yet, I still found time to read over 30 books this year. Many of the books I read were entertaining or insightful, others were just ways to pass the time and a few were so bad that I stopped part way through. But there were 10 books in 2018 that stood out as really great reads.

Looking back over all the books I read in 2018 here are my 10 favorite books, in no particular order:

 

Alexander Hamilton

by Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton is one of the best biographies I have ever read. It is long and dense, but full of compelling details and fantastic anecdotes from Hamilton’s hectic and eclectic life. Chernow tells the story of not only Hamilton, but of America’s beginnings through one of the most proactive and important of the founding fathers. Hamilton is an amazing character and Chernow’s portrait of him made me think critically of many American ideals and institutions, while at times making me laugh out loud and also cry a tear or two.

This book should be considered mandatory reading for anyone who has any interest in history, politics, economics or human folly. I knew little of Hamilton before reading this book. I came away from it in awe of Hamilton as a genius and polymath who was afflicted by the common faults of man while dedicating his life as a true patriot to fighting for the future of America. Set aside a month or two next year to read Alexander Hamilton, it will be worth it!

A Movable Feast

by Ernest Hemingway

A couple years ago I read The Sun Also Rises (another Paris ensemble book by Hemingway) and I loved it. Midnight in Paris is a favorite movie of mine, which is inspired by this book. So it was about time that I read A Movable Feast!

I was lucky enough to see it in a random bookstore in Amsterdam and I was able read it while I was actually in Paris. It is an intriguing read as a posthumously published memoir of Hemingway’s years as a young writer in Paris in the 1920’s. It was especially awesome to read while in Paris, sitting in a cafe and seeing a bar across the street that he mentions in the book. Or laying in the grass in a park on a street Hemingway mentions walking down daily.

I read the updated edition that had additional unfinished stories and notes along with writings by Hemingway’s nephew and son. The book was an awesome insight into the early life and thoughts of Hemingway. Personally it was quite an experience to read about exploring Paris in the 1920’s, while I myself was exploring Paris for the first time.

Dragon Teeth: A Novel

by Michael Crichton

I have always been a big Michael Crichton fan, so I was excited when I stumbled upon this newly published book available for free on kindle from my library. The story is typically Crichton, simply told but thrilling at the same time. It tells an exaggerated story of two real life paleontologists in the 1870’s American West, who were actually involved in what became known as the Bone Wars (wikipedia link). I found it to be a unique and enthralling story that really captured my imagination. Hard not to when you combine old western times with dinosaurs in a crime thriller.

The book itself also has a fascinating backstory. It was actually written in 1974, before Jurassic Park was written. Michael Crichton never published this story and it sat in a finished, but unedited state until his wife discovered it sometime after his death in 2008. She found it to be such a fascinating tale that she got the book edited and published it for him posthumously.  It was finally released in 2017, 43 years after it was first written. I am glad this story was eventually unearthed as I found it to be such a captivating tale.

Another Crichton book that I read in January, Prey, almost made this list, but was edged out by Dragon Teeth. Prey is a sci-fi thriller based on a rouge Artificial Intelligent Nanotechnology. It is an older book, at least in technology years, which makes it really interesting as a window back in time to what people thought about these two technologies and the popular fears associated with them. Interesting what has changed and what has not since the early 2000s. Its a super intense page turner and another great Crichton novel.

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

by Ashlee Vance

Elon Musk’s biography was a book that I have owned for about 5 years. I started to read it when I first bought it, but my reading routine at the time meant that most of my reading happened at night right before I’d try to go to sleep. Reading about an amazing inventor/entrepreneur and all his cool ideas and businesses had my mind racing with my own ideas. This was not ideal for trying to get to sleep. So I tabled the Elon Musk book for another time.

This year was that another time. I finally got back to reading Musk’s biography and really enjoyed it. Ashlee Vance did an amazing job digging deep into the history and lore surrounding Musk and brought some really fascinating stories to light. Musk is the most  successful serial inventor of our day and Vance’s biography of him is an amazing insight into his businesses and his inner drives.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is another book I have meant to read for a long time. It is such a cult classic and is referred to so often in pop culture. Not only is it a famous book, but I found it to be wildly entertaining as well. Yes it is weird and it  definitely oozes with a quintessential British brand of humor, but it is such a great piece of fiction that really allows you to escape into the odd world of Douglas Adams. I loved all the puns and the hilariously ironic situations. I read it right before I started my new job, which was perfect timing as references to this book are commonly made in my office and seemingly at Amazon in general. Hitchhiker’s Guide is a fun and engaging piece of fiction that was long overdue on my reading list.

Half a Yellow Sun

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Half a Yellow Sun was a wonderful recommendation from Alena, as were a few other good books I read this year including the above mentioned A Movable Feast and Between the World and Me. The book is historical fiction, set in Nigeria in the late 1960’s. It tells the fictionalized story of 5 character’s intertwined lives while navigating the real life turmoil in Nigeria during the Biafran War. I was so moved by this book while I was reading it. Looking back I also learned so much about this tremendously important moment in modern African history as well as about the various cultures of Nigeria at the time. Half a Yellow Sun’s story-line and point of view are both superbly compelling, making for a not always fun, but deeply engaging novel. Adichie blends fact and fiction into an amazing story of love, loss, war and survival that always kept me wanting to read more.

I want to watch the movie too!

The Einstein Prophecy

by Robert Mastello

Another amazing piece of fiction, The Einstein Prophecy was a thrilling page turner about history, science and magic set during WWII. I really enjoyed how Mastello was able to blend the book’s mystical and science elements into an exciting story that never strayed too far from its historical setting. Plus the fictionalized character of Einstein was a joy to read. This is a guilty pleasure book that kept me excited to read a few more chapters every night and I was a bit sad when it was all over. I am definitely going to explore what Mastello’s other novels have in store, with The Jekyll Revelation on my list to read next year. 

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is the best. I seem to enjoy everything he puts out. His podcast – Revisionist History  –  is amazing! And I have enjoyed reading many of his articles. So I expected I would enjoy his books as well and I was not wrong. I ended up reading 4 of Malcom Gladwell’s books this year: Outliers, David and Goliath, Blink, and The Tipping Point. I am planning to read “What the Dog Saw“, the only Gladwell book I have yet to read, in 2019.

I really enjoyed all of them, but I think David and Goliath and The Tipping Point were my favorites; with Gladwell’s first book, The Tipping Point, edging out for first place. All the books focus on something that people take for granted or think they know is true and dives deep into reasons why that may not be the case. The Tipping Point explores that awesome moment when small changes or nudges can lead to giant outcomes. Pick up any of Gladwell’s books and get ready to push your preconceived notions and learn some fun facts through compelling anecdotes.

Bandwidth

by Eliot Peper

I knew nothing about this book and only decided to read it because it was free at the time on my Kindle. I was immediately hooked by Eliot Peper’s fascinating tech thriller about a “consultant” in a future technology dystopian world set in the San Francisco Bay Area. I enjoyed reading this book so much I finished it in two days. I could not put it down. This book had all the elements that captivate my mind: political intrigue,  fantastical technology, secret agents, business, ethics, environmentalism and romance. It seemed like an adult version of “Homeland“. (a fantastic book I read last year and I highly recommend also!) I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an exciting read.

A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea

by Masaji Ishikawa and Risa Kobayashi.

This is a true story of Masaji Ishikawa, who’s family moved from Japan to North Korea when he was a child, searching for new opportunities and a better life. You learn of the early days of the North Korea experiment and how it quickly failed its citizens. His is a shocking and gritty story of life inside North Korea and what it takes to survive and escape that terrible world. I found this book extremely informative, insightful and haunting at the same time. It really put my life into context as a stark reminder of how privileged I am. It is a book I highly recommend for those who can take on a soulfully difficult read. Amazingly it is only $2 on Amazon as a Kindle book!

Thanks for checking out my 10 favorite books in 2018! Please feel free to click through my links to amazon.com to buy the books listed (or anything else for that matter). This helps support my blog as I get a small cut of the sales price. As much as I hope you do purchase a book through my blog links, don’t forget to see if you local library carries these books, its free! Better yet see if you can get digital versions for your Kindle or free Kindle App through your library. That is what I do, I read about half my books in 2018 for free on my Kindle from the library, which is awesome! Here is a link to a page that tells you how to get free digital books and audio books from your local library through the Overdrive app! The app is free too!

Link to instructions for getting library books on Kindle

I am excited to find some great new books in 2019. Please leave a comment with any good suggestions you have!

Alan Evans favorite reads from 2018.