This year I have discovered so many new authors and books that have stolen my breath right from my chest. It’s hard for me to choose only five books, but I understand that I can’t list all the books I fell in love with or we would be here for the rest of 2018.

Here are the five books I have read in 2018 that, so far, have been my favorites!

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Believe it or not, I had never read Stephen King before this year. Now, I am an official Constant Reader and have read 10 of his books in the last few months (yes, I am obsessed). Doctor Sleep, so far, is my favorite book I have read by Stephen King. It combines King’s special brand of eerie with a side of science fiction and comes together to create a story I read cover to cover and never wanted to put down. This sequel to The Shining knocked it right out of the park! Highly recommend this one for lovers of King or anyone who wants a fast-paced and engrossing read with some ghosts thrown in here and there.


Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

All right, admittedly, as I am writing this post, I have not yet finished Nevernight. However, being over halfway through is more than enough for me to know that this book is going to become one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time (thank God the sequel is already readily available for me). Be warned, this book is not for the faint of heart! If copious amounts of blood, highly trained murderers and murderesses who wouldn’t think twice about slitting your throat, dark magic, steamy romance that would make Christian Grey blush, or foul-mouthed and dangerous women offend you, I would not recommend this book. However, if you do like those things, this book should be your next read (also, let’s be best friends… ).


You by Caroline Kepnes

Unless you live under some sort of book-free rock at the bottom of the ocean (think Patrick Star from SpongeBob), you have probably heard of You by Caroline Kepnes. With the book recently being adapted for a TV series, there is an unlimited amount of buzz about this book floating around the bookish community. Have you ever wanted to know what it was like to be inside the mind of a serial stalker/murderer? Does the human side of these seemingly deranged individuals force you to empathize, and even laugh along with them? Pick up this book and question your own morals and what it means to become obsessed with your crush. A word of warning: You may never want to travel into an indie bookstore alone ever again…


Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Despite what you may have inferred about me based on the creepy and spooky reads I mentioned above, I really am a softy at heart who is a total sucker for a good love story. Love and Other Words is one of those novels where you deeply root for the main characters to end up together. This may be true for all romantic fiction novels, but their mutual love of books bringing them together is what makes this story so much more special for me. If you’re in the mood for a heartwarming romance that feels like that first sip of hot chocolate on a cold winter day, this is definitely up your alley!


The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Another book that is getting quite a bit of attention in recent years is The Handmaid’s Tale. As much of a dystopian story as it is a cautionary tale, it imagines a world where women who are able to conceive are turned into government-regulated baby-producing tools and placed in homes of wealthy wives and husbands who have struggled to become pregnant. Stripped of their freedoms, shamed for sins in their “previous lives” (i.e. sexual orientation, body modification, etc.), and children taken away from them, these “handmaids” are seen as nothing more than a body being used as a means to an end. They even lose their own names, only being referred to by the name of their household i.e. Ofdaniel, Ofwarren, etc. Deeply disturbing, this book has stuck with me for many, many months and won’t be leaving my subconscious for quite some time. Ladies and gents, always remember, “nolite te bastardes carborundorum.”

Follow @worldswithinpages and let me know if any of these books have also made your top five list, or if you loved them just as much as I did. Happy reading!