Goodreads Staffers' Top Three Books of the Year

Posted by Cybil on December 17, 2018
This post is sponsored by Becoming: An Inspirational Memoir by Michelle Obama.


As we wrap up our 2018 Reading Challenge, we decided to ask our Goodreads coworkers a simple yet tough question: What were the top three books you read this year?

Oh, the angst we caused among our well-read colleagues as they whittled down their lists to just their top few books! But hopefully our picks will inspire additions to your Want to Read Shelf.

You'll notice that our reading habits run the gamut. But if you look carefully, you can see some office favorites emerge, including multiple picks of the true-crime page-turner I'll Be Gone in the Dark; Naomi Novik's fantasy retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, Spinning Silver; and Angie Thomas' bestselling young adult debut, The Hate U Give.

Now it's your turn! What are your top three books of the year? Share them with us in the comments!


Tomas Batalla, Senior Software Development Engineer



Dana Epstein, Ad Sales Executive



Brooke Ginnard, Visual Designer



Marie Pabelonio, Associate Editor



Emily Fortner, Community Manager



Elizabeth Khuri Chandler, Cofounder & Editor in Chief



Mariana Gamboa Aguilar, Goodreads Expert



Jeff Wong, Software Development Engineer



Joseph Soltzberg, Software Development Engineer



William Cline, Senior Software Development Engineer



Brian Percival, Software Architect



Caroline Moeller, Account Executive



Meg McGill, Experts Quality Program Manager



Zoe Wheeler, Software Development Engineer



William DePhillips, Senior Software Development Engineer



Lisset Cruz, Account Management Manager



Sam Julian, UX Designer



Sofia Chavez, Goodreads Expert



Katie Boyer, Account Manager



Danny Feekes, Managing Editor



Carmen Marks, Goodreads Expert



Jaclyn Woods, Community Content Expert



Stephanie Watson, Goodreads Expert



Emily Pardoe-Wessels, Goodreads Expert Lead



Lisa Jablonsky, Sales Director



Cybil Wallace, Senior Editor



Emily Finley, Director of Operations



Alex Lewis, Program Manager



Dan Lopez, Account Manager



Eric Asuncion, Account Manager



Veronica Moss, VP Revenue & Operations



William Siu, Ad Operations



Tristan Leigh, Software Development Engineer



Shaun Ponting, Goodreads Expert



Margo Throckmorton, Senior Account Manager



Heino Colyn, Customer Service Manager



Jamay Lau, Senior Product Manager



Hayley Igarashi, Editor



Nimmy Mathew, Software Development Manager



Monique Galvin, Goodreads Expert



Amy Bickerton, Designer



Karen Bezuidenhout, Goodreads Expert



Corin Carper, Software Development Manager



Bryce Weitzel, Head of Sales Marketing & Development



Joe Thomas, Software Development Engineer



Michael Sewell, VP of Engineering



Lauren Deyce, Experts Learning Coordinator



Aditi Sharma, Software Development Engineer



Dany Avila, Goodreads Community Expert



Otis Chandler, Cofounder & CEO



Justine Wheeler, Goodreads Expert



Roslyn Bristow, Goodreads Expert



Robin-Lee Moos, Goodreads Expert



Rory Crane, Goodreads Expert Manager



Amanda Cooper, Goodreads Quality Specialist



Mimi Chan, Senior Marketing Manager



Brian Colombini, Software Development Engineer



David Wong, Software Development Engineer



Erin-Mari Kelsey, Account Manager



Suzanne Skyvara, VP Communications



Sarah Chang, Program Manager



What are your three favorite books you read in 2018? Share them with us in the comments!

Check out more recent articles:
Catch Up Now: These Big Series All Have Books Coming Out in 2019
Celebrate Your 2018 Year in Books!
The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Trends of 2018

Comments Showing 251-300 of 373 (373 new)


message 251: by Smoogill (new)

Smoogill Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
The Other Mrs Walker - Mary Paulson-Ellis


message 252: by Steph (new)

Steph Beverly wrote: "Before They Were Yours, Whisling Past the Graveyard, When the Crawdads Sing."


Who wrote Whisling Past The Graveyard?


message 253: by Marion (new)

Marion The Graveyard is written by Neil Gaiman, very good!


message 254: by Marianne (new)

Marianne So many great books to read this year! :)

• Where the Crawdads Sing
• Educated
• The Great Alone


message 255: by Kathi (last edited Dec 21, 2018 11:00AM) (new)

Kathi I've read 100 books this year and it's hard to pick three but:
Bear Town
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

and basically anthing by Louise Penny!!!


message 256: by Marion (new)

Marion Steph wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Before They Were Yours, Whisling Past the Graveyard, When the Crawdads Sing."


Who wrote Whisling Past The Graveyard?"


Whistling Past the Graveyard ws written by Susan Crandall, it's very good!


message 257: by Pam (new)

Pam Little Fires Everywhere
Educated
The Tattooist of Auschwitz


message 258: by Kym (new)

Kym Hamer Only 3? Really? I can't choose so I'm giving you 3 fiction and 3 non-fiction...

Fiction
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Small Great Things by Jodi Piccoult
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Non-Fiction
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
Too Fast to Think: How our 24/7 Hyper-connected Work Culture is Destroying our Creativity by Chris Lewis
Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success by Matthew Syed


message 259: by Jasmine (new)

Jasmine Kym wrote: "Only 3? Really? I can't choose so I'm giving you 3 fiction and 3 non-fiction..."

Cheater :P


message 260: by Carol (new)

Carol The Library Book, Susan Orlean
Heads You Win, Jeffrey Archer
The Clockmaker's Daughter, Kate Morton


message 261: by Jaynee (new)

Jaynee The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah


message 262: by Sarah (new)

Sarah Ankenbauer Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Every Day by David Levithan
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger


message 263: by Eileen (new)

Eileen Too many good books to select only three,

Great Alone by Kristen Hannah
Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake
Radium Girls BY Kate Moore
Chrysalis by Heather Terrell
Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer
Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Annette Dashofy Series Zoe Chambers


message 264: by Claudia (new)

Claudia K Come West and See: Stories by Maxim Loskutoff; Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly; (tie) Emily Dickinson as a Second Language by Greg Mattingly, and The Library Book by Susan Orlean.


message 265: by Steve (new)

Steve Martinson Kings Of The Wyld - Duology - Nicholas Eames
The Others - Series - Anne Bishop
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

How's that for eclectic?


message 266: by Jim (new)

Jim Puskas My top 3:
News of the World
The Book Thief
The Alice Network
Which left me with no space to name a couple of marvelous books of poetry ....


message 269: by Ilena (new)

Ilena Eleanor & Park
Me Before You
Shadowhunters


message 270: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer nyc 1. Educated
2. Normal People
3. Tipping the Velvet
4. The Lesser Bohemians
5. Interpreter of Maladies
6. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
7. The Power
8. Killers of the Flower Moon


message 271: by Paula (new)

Paula Guaraldi Char wrote: "A Gentleman in Moscow, Wher’d You Go Bernadette, Children of Blood and Bone"

A Gentleman in Moscow was by far my favorite book I read this year, and in my top 10 of all time! After reading reviews with almost all giving it 5 stars, I'm surprised more people didn't include it in their top 3!!?


message 272: by Anne Ward (new)

Anne Ward )Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine Gail Honeyman.

Small Great Things. Jodi Picault

Standard Deviation. Katherine Heiney


message 274: by Kym (new)

Kym Hamer Jasmine wrote: "Kym wrote: "Only 3? Really? I can't choose so I'm giving you 3 fiction and 3 non-fiction..."

Cheater :P"


haha ;-)


message 276: by Kym (new)

Kym Hamer Paula wrote: "Char wrote: "A Gentleman in Moscow, Wher’d You Go Bernadette, Children of Blood and Bone"

A Gentleman in Moscow was by far my favorite book I read this year, and in my top 10 of all time! After re..."


A Gentleman in Moscow has been recommended to me recently so it's on my TBR list for 2019!


message 277: by Hades (new)

Hades Winchester hadesinfection


message 278: by Charlie (last edited Dec 22, 2018 11:46AM) (new)

Charlie Ooh this ones going to be hard but... I think I know whicn are my top 3!
1. Mocking Bird by Kathryn Erskine
2. Warriors Night Whispers by Erin Hunter
3. Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull

Phew! That was hard! :)


message 279: by Anne Ward (new)

Anne Ward A Gentleman in Moscow was a other great favourite of mine too.


message 280: by Charlie (new)

Charlie Anne Ward wrote: "A Gentleman in Moscow was a other great favourite of mine too." ooh that's a good one! Now I might have to alter my list!


message 282: by Brenda (new)

Brenda this is a difficult decision, but I've chosen:
Songs of Love and War by Santa Montefiore
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn


message 283: by Stacie (new)

Stacie Educated, The Great Alone, and Every note Played


message 284: by Gabriele (new)

Gabriele Ruß-Morgen The garden of evening mists by Tan Tuan Eng!


message 285: by John (new)

John Bastin Sonata: A Memoir of Pain and the Piano
Hiding the Past
The Secret History of Mac Gaming


message 286: by radioparesh (new)

radioparesh The kite Runner
Sofie’s world
Animal farm


message 287: by JoAnne (new)

JoAnne Milette The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
The Secrets Between Us
The Great Alone


message 288: by Casey (new)

Casey So this is what I narrowed it down to: (in reading order)


1. The Goldfinch
2. The Girl in the Tower
3. The Nightingale


message 289: by Jan (last edited Dec 23, 2018 08:30AM) (new)

Jan Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Great reading year for me!


message 290: by Marin (new)

Marin Three best books I read this year:
Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Of Two Minds by Tanya Luhrmann


message 291: by Luggyball (new)

Luggyball The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Chilbury Ladies Choir
Together


message 292: by Rachel (new)

Rachel Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton


message 293: by Katie (new)

Katie Left Hand of Darkness

Close to shore: the terrifying shark attacks of 1916

Bad Blood


message 294: by Kristina (new)

Kristina The Great Alone
The Hate U Give
An American Marriage


message 296: by Sophie (new)

Sophie Practical Magic
The Rules of Magic
Little Fires Everywhere
Everything I Never Told You

There are many more, tho...


message 297: by Sophie (new)

Sophie Forgot Pachinko.
Couldn't limit it to 3. Sorry;)


message 298: by Fiza (new)

Fiza Basir The Wild Robot, Flowers for Algernon and The Travelling Cat Chronicles


message 299: by Sophie (new)

Sophie Jasmine wrote: "Gauri wrote: "I always love these recommendation posts - I find a lot of interesting books I otherwise would never have found. I appreciate posts that cover books that aren't necessarily popular or..."

Absolutely! I love that so many are books that were written a pretty long time ago, e.g., A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I read it first in HS, and several times over the many years since.


message 300: by Melody (new)

Melody "Lou Reed: A Life", Anthony DeCurtis; "Grant", Ron Chernow; "The Neon Rain", Dave Robicheaux


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