We’re into the second half of the year now, but this week’s Top Ten Tuesday – hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl – asks us to look back on the first six months of 2018 and list our favourite books of the year so far.
I found it easy enough to pick out ten books from my 2018 reading, although there were a few others I would have included if I hadn’t been limited to ten. Maybe some of them will appear on my final end-of-year list in December, when I don’t have to restrict myself to a certain number! For now, here is my list of ten, not in any particular order:
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1. Britannia Mews by Margery Sharp
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2. The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby
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5. The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope
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6. Penmarric by Susan Howatch (reread)
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7. House of Gold by Natasha Solomons
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8. The Feast by Margaret Kennedy
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9. The Winds of Heaven by Monica Dickens
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10. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
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Have you read any of these? What are the best books you’ve read in the first six months of the year?
She Reads Novels 
Have always loved The Feast and thanks to you, I got to read, Dear Mrs. Byrd, which would be one of my top ten favorite readings for this year as well.
I’m glad Dear Mrs Bird would be on your top ten list too. It’s a lovely book, isn’t it?
I loved Circe so much. It is so well written
Circe is a great book. I liked The Song of Achilles too, but Circe is my favourite of the two.
I read Britannia Mews and The Feast last year. They both were so good. I want to read The Winds of Heaven. I had it confused with another of Monica Dickens’ books and thought I had already read it. Now that I have realized my mistake I need to get a copy.
I loved The Winds of Heaven. It is the only Monica Dickens book I’ve read so far, but I will definitely be looking for more.
I’ve just started listening to ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ in the car – I have a half hpur commute – and I read your original review with some alarm – am I ever going to be able to keep track of such a complicated plot? Also the audio narrator is something of a ham actor and makes the book seem very over-wrought. I’m not sure if I shall persevere, but having paid the library hire fee, I’m reluctant to give up too soon.
Maybe this is the sort of book that works much better in print format than in audio. I found that a lot of concentration was needed to keep hold of all the different strands of the plot and I ended up reading it in a few big chunks over the space of one weekend. I’m not sure how I would have coped if I’d been listening to it instead, especially if the narrator isn’t very good.
What a list, Helen! Glad The Winds of Heaven made it into your top ten. Of course, now I’m wondering which would be my top ten…
I would love to know what your top ten would be. I’ve read some great books so far this year, but I’m hoping the next six months will be even better.
I’ve read numbers 1,2,3,6 and 9 – I’ve just finished reading Mrs Bird and really liked it. I think my favourite read in the first half of the year is Dorothy Dunnett’s King Hereafter – or maybe it’s just that that is my most recent favourite read.
King Hereafter was one of my favourite books of the year a few years ago (2013, I think). I’m glad you liked it – and Dear Mrs Bird as well.
I REALLY want to read Dear Mrs. Bird and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle! 🙂
I think you would like both of those books. I hope you’re able to read them soon.
I read The Crowded Street a few years ago and enjoyed it, but I have a couple of these in my reading stack.
I’m glad you enjoyed The Crowded Street too. I hope you like the others that you have in your stack. 🙂
I am with you on Circe!
Circe is a great book. I loved the way there were so many different Greek myths woven into the story.
Helen, I haven’t read any of these, but I am so pleased to hear you have enjoyed so much great reading that you had too many books to fit on this list. Here’s to more great reading in the next six months! 😉
Thank you, Jessica. I hope we both read lots of great books in the second half of the year. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
So many of these are on my TBR, so I’m very happy to see them on your list. I really enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird too, and I’m actually planning to read The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and Circe later this month.
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of Evelyn Hardcastle and Circe.
‘Circe’ is on my list, and I’ve read ‘The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ (the same book by a different name, I believe). I read ‘Penmarric’ in the 1970s, and really enjoyed it.
I loved my re-read of Penmarric and would like to find time to re-read some of Susan Howatch’s other books before the end of the year.