A Year In Reading 2018

Its time to reflect on my year in books for 2018. This is my favorite annual blog post. It has become my annual tradition to spotlight my noteable reads for the past year. I think its a more realistic way to reflect on the best material I've had the honor of reading instead of making some inaccurate, ever changing and God forbid, controversial ranked list.

I like to present those books that really stood out to me in the past year. I managed to ready forty books this year and the following are the books that have left and impact for one reason or another. They are presented in chronological order as I read throughout the year. I hope you will be inspired to check out any on this list that you haven't and discover those you wouldn't have ever considered.

And now, my most notable reads of 2018:

• IN THE COMPANY OF OGRES by A. Lee Martinez (2007) Tor Books: The first book I awarded five stars in 2018. In The Company Of Ogres was my return to A. Lee Martinez, a writer whose work is near and dear to me. Style-wise, my own writing most closely resembles his work. It had been a few years since I read any of his books and I was not disappointed by this comic fantasy gem. 

• BUYING ILLEGAL BUGS WITH BITCOIN by George Billions (2017) George Billions: I picked up this book because I have a mild obsession with Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. I was happy to find a fiction book based around the subject matter. I was blown away by the story itself. George Billions is the writer I am most excited about in 2018. This book is brilliant, if you read no other book on this list, read BUYING ILLEGAL BUGS WITH BITCOIN. For those who want to keep score, this is my favorite read of all in 2018.

•  CRAWLSPACE by Dan Padavona (2016) Dan Padavona: Crawlspace was my early pick for best horror read of the year. Though, in the end, it didn't top my list, it's still a solid, creepy horror story with an 80's throwback feel. The titular crawlspace in the book was a creepy area I could relate all too well to as I once lived in an apartment building with a very similar artitecture. This was my first dive into Dan Padavona's work and I look forward to more creeps and chills when I dive back into his work again.

• CYCLOPS ROAD by Jeff Strand (2016) Jeff Strand:  There were three strong contenders for my favorite read of 2018. Cyclops Road was one of those three. This my my first experience with a full-on Jeff Strand novel and it was glorious. Its fantastic, funny and captivating. An honest-to-God page turner of a book that will not let you put it down until you find out if there is a cyclops at the end of the road. A must read book no matter what your taste in reading.

• DIE EMPTY by Kirk Jones (2017) Atlatl Press:  Die Empty was a book I knew I wanted to read as soon as I read the synopsis. This is the third of three books that were far and away my favorite reads of 2018. Die Empty shines in its ability to pull off the 2nd person point of view, only one other book that I've read has accomplished that feat and Kirk Jones may have just done a better job. If you've lived some life and can appreciate the ups and downs it throws at you, you need to experience Die Empty.

• OUT BEHIND THE BARN by John Boden & Chad Lutzke (2018) Boden/Lutzke:  One of the few books I read that was published in the current year. This little book packs a powerful wallop. It is my pick for favorite horror read in 2018. A genuine page turner that you will plow through to get to the shocking conclusion. It has one of those Sixth Sense type endings that will take your breath away. Gorgeous horror.

•  COME HOME, WE STILL LOVE YOU by Justin Grimbol (2017) Atlatl Press: Justin Grimbol makes back to back appearances on my year end list. Come Home, We Still Love You is poetry told in prose. It is signature Grimbol. There is charm, discomfort, humor and hefty doses of reality in these little vignettes from snippets of Justin's life and relationships. It's beautifully real even when it's (maybe) not. Justin Grimbol is a man who can wield words like a gentleman caller with a box of long-stem roses. You will melt.

•  PERSON by Sam Pink (2010) Eraserhead Press:  A sleeper hit, for me. This book had sat for a year and more unread. I was inspired by a facebook post to reexamine my desire to read it. Though the opening chapter made me want to close it and put it back on the shelf, I read forward and from chapter 2 through to the end, Person was glorious. It was everything I enjoy about bizarro fiction and is exemplary of the genre during is golden era. 

•  SKULLFACE BOY by Chad Lutzke (2017) Static Age Books:  Skullface Boy had all the buzz through 2018 in the horror circles. After falling in love with Lutzke's collaboration with Joh Boden, I knew I had to read Skullface Boy. It is equal parts horror, coming of age, bizarre and road trip. But what makes it truely work is just how real the inprobable character Skullface Boy is. Skullface Boy is an adventure full of trials and tribulations that we all wish we could face, it would give us as much character as he has. You must read this book in 2019 if you haven't in 2018.

There they are, the cream of the crop for 2018. A few honorable mentions that didn't make the list are: AUNT POSTER by John Wayne Comunale, THE MORBIDLY OBESE NINJA by Carlton Mellick III, Ray Bradbury's SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (my first read of the classic) and TEXAS CHAINSAW MANTIS by Kevin Strange. 

My To Be Read pile for 2019 is already threatening to topple over. I'm sure I will get derailed along the way, as I always do, with an array of simply-must-read work that will debut in 2019.

You can check out the complete list of the forty books I read on Goodreads.
You can check out my notable books read from 2017 HERE.