45. Everything's Perfect When You're a Liar by Kelly Oxford*- There are really no bad books on this list, just a lot that I didn't care for. Except this one. This book was so bad.
44. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan- Movie > book.
43. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng*
42. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid*- A lot of unnecessary narration. Tried too hard to be a lyrical masterpiece and it just wasn't.
41. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
40. Educated by Tara Westover- Most overrated book of 2018 in my opinion.
39. Black Swans by Eve Babitz- Bad Joan Didion. The short story about spending a week at the Chateau Marmont during the Rodney King trial was written from a place of such privilege and ignorance, it made me sick.
38. After Claude by Iris Owens- This was one of the strangest books I've read this year. At first, I liked Harriet's bitchy tone but it wore on me and after a while, I really couldn't blame Claude for wanting her out of his life. The ending is bizarre and I'm still not sure what actually happened.
37. Ghost Of by Diana Khoi Nguyen- Poetry is so hard to review because sometimes it speaks very deeply to you or not at all. I thought this collection relied too heavily on visual gimmicks (poems in the shape of photo cut-out) and the actual words were inconsequential.
36. Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss- I'm fascinated by Nicole Krauss's personal life, so it was interesting to read the parts that were obviously about her and her writing process. I love reading books about writing. Jules Epstein, the other main character in this novel is interesting and I enjoyed reading about his life in Manhattan and Tel Aviv.
35. Something Bright Then Holes by Maggie Nelson*- My least favorite Maggie Nelson I've read so far, but still Maggie Nelson who I have grown to love with each new book.
34. Nora Ephron: The Last Interview: And Other Conversations*- This series features a number of well-known authors and interviews with them about their lives and writing. I've never read Nora Ephron, but this was a good intro into her personality and style. I hope to read more of her work in 2019.
33. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner- Read like an episode of Orange is the New Black, which sadly remains the most vivid image in my mind whenever I read about incarceration. This book was a real downer. Some of the language was powerful and I liked the changing tones of the different characters, but initially it was difficult to keep track of.
32. Speedboat by Renata Adler- I'm going to be completely honest, I have no recollection of this book and chose it because it was a staff recommendation at Mcnally Jackson stating "the best book about New York City" or something along those lines. I need to re-read it : /
31. The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett- This is the second Ann Patchett book I've read and reminded me of Commonwealth in the sense that it is a lovely novel that is enjoyable to read, easily forgotten, but a pleasant journey from start to finish.
30. Autumn by Ali Smith- There is a description of autumn in this book that is one of the best I've ever read.
29. The Power by Naomi Alderman*- What a fascinating read this was for 2018 at the height of #MeToo. My favorite part about this book was the discussion that followed with my book club after.
28. Beautiful Boy by David Sheff*- A heartbreaking, honest, and frustrating story of a father's life with his drug addicted son.
27. Motherhood by Sheila Heti*- Reading this book at a time when I thought I would be ready to start a family made it a much more emotional and meaningful read. Heti does get annoying though and her whole "I'm-bored-maybe-I-should-be-a-mom" philosophy that is the basis of the book is horribly privileged and annoying, however there were still parts that struck me to my core.
26. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood*- This was the first book I read in 2018 and it was a mind bend of reality versus imagination.
25. Sapiens by Noah Harari*- Informative and entertaining
24. Dark Money by Jane Meyer*- Really wild read. Now any time the Koch brothers are mentioned I hiss "dark money!"
23. Transit by Rachel Cusk- Book 2 in the Outline trilogy and not as strong as the first in the series, but wonderfully unique. Less writing about writing and more writing about family drama.
22. Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman*- You've probably seen the movie so I recommend reading this, then watching the movie again. All the scenes without dialogue between Elio and Oliver will be replaced by Aciman's words depicting Elio's thoughts. It's enchanting.
21. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf- My first Virginia Woolf and I am ready for more!
20. Jane: A Murder by Maggie Nelson*- My book club hated this book and if you've never read Maggie Nelson, I can understand the frustration. It's very fragmented and artistically styled, but I thought it was a beautiful reflection on the death of a family member as well as a literary example of an author's unique grieving process.
19. The End: My Struggle #6 by Karl Ove Knausgaard- Did you ever want to read a 400 page biography about Adolf Hitler? I didn't, but that's what I got plus an additional 700 pages of KOK's life story. Could've done without the Hitler bio. Book 6 was fascinating because you learned how his family and friends reacted to how they were portrayed in books 1-5. You got the daily minutiae of the Knausgaard family and somehow I was still riveted by every meal description and trip to the grocery story, which is the reason I fell in love with Karl Ove in the first place- daily rituals made beautiful through words.
17. Eye Level by Jenny Xie- My favorite poetry I read this year. Gorgeous lines about Cambodia, Vietnam, and New York that were crowded and quiet at the same time.
16. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight- A great memoir about an incredible company. My favorite anecdotes were found in the last 30 pages or so when Knight reflected on the different relationships he had with Nike athletes and how respected he is in the sports world. Even with his gargantuan success, the book is written very humbly and thoughtfully.
15. Outline by Rachel Cusk- A collection of conversations the author has while traveling to Greece to teach a writing course. One of the most unique novels I've read this year. It was quietly remarkable.
14. Winter by Karl Ove Knausgaard*- More writing about writing. More mundane topics described perfectly. This man is so talented.
13. What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky*- An essay collection I'm still thinking about. Millennial topics discussed in a non-condescending way. So acute and really well-done. You will probably relate to at least 75% of this book, if not all of it.
12. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson*- A devastating, but hopeful look at the broken criminal justice system of our country.
11. The Importance of Being Iceland by Eileen Myles*- One of the most aesthetically pleasing books I read this year and it was a great essay collection. The first essay will hook you, you'll laugh a lot, and you'll have to look up a lot of contemporary art, unless that is your area of expertise, in which case I highly recommend this. But still read if you're not an art major.
10. Early Work by Andrew Martin*- All of the characters in this book were people I know or my close friends. I've overheard the same conversations and attended the same parties. There were a lot of pretentious literary references that I loved. I can't wait to read more from Andrew Martin.
9. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin*- This book was the inspiration for Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. If Coates has pierced your heart with his essay writing, you must read his predecessor.
8. The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee*- Dr. Mukherjee has the talent of making you forget you're reading an informative, scientific collection of research because his writing is so lyrical. I also recommend The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.
7. Mumbai New York Scranton by Tamara Shopsin*- Succinct sentences complete with illustrations and photographs of the author's love story between her husband. This book is beautifully simple. I also read it while Preston was in India and I felt like I was traveling with him.
6. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh*- Darkly funny and deeply sad: my favorite combination.
5. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin*- This is a beautiful love story written by someone who has mastered putting the most precise human emotions on paper.
4. The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante*- Elena Ferrante has peered into the deepest corners or my soul, extracted my most extreme fears of marriage, and written an entire novel about it. Fuck anyone who says Ferrante is actually a man. No man could write this.
3. The New York Stories by Edith Wharton*- If you couldn't tell, I am obsessed with writing about New York City. When I picked this out in a Seattle book store, Preston warned me, "That's just going to make you sad." It did make me yearn for the city, but it also made me laugh and I was constantly impressed with Edith Wharton's wit. I know it's kind of late in life to discover Edith, but I'm so glad I did.
2. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy*- Sally Jay Gorce may be my favorite character I met in 2018. This book is unabashedly feminine and tells the story of an American girl in Paris. It's hilarious and makes you want to invite Sally over for Thai food and Sex and the City reruns.
1. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace*- I read this in 2015 and it went completely over my head. It was my first attempt at DFW and a pitiful one. I vowed to read it again. This summer I did and it was frustrating, difficult, confusing, hilarious, heartbreaking, horrifying, and the best contemporary literature ever written. Another reader said it much better: the language is so rich and original that you just feel enveloped in a complete world that wasn't even built for you as a reader, but is real and heartbreaking and so incredibly clever... I sense DFW chose to leave the novel 'open ended' in order to provide years of discussion for readers... i.e. infinite jest.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for the messages telling me you were looking forward to this list. I'm so happy that you guys have grown as excited to read this as I am to share it. If nothing on this list spoke to you I feel bad for you and there are 177 other books I've written a little bit about on this thing. So maybe look at those before you ask me for a recommendation with no context :) Just kidding, but actually I at least need a genre. Anyways. I hope 2019 brings many new books that you fall in love with and feel sad to be done with. Happy new year!
