The best of the brightest
Canadian librarians’ top book picks for 2018
With the Loan Stars program, librarians across Canada vote on the book titles coming out each month that they believe should be available in the country’s library systems.
At the end of the year, they look back instead of forward, and vote on what they thought were the best books of the past year.
Here are their top titles, which they call The Best of the Brightest, along with the month they first appeared on the Loan Stars list, and what the Star’s reviewers said: 1. The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah (Feb. 2018) “A harrowing portrait of generational trauma, both personal and political, and what it takes to overcome it.”
2. The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin (Jan. 2018) “An intriguing ... immersive family saga”
3. Transcription, Kate Atkinson (Sept. 2018) “Ambitious and cerebral.”
4. Warlight, Michael Ondaatje (May 2018) “Warlight is Ondaatje in classic form: elegant, playful and striving to connect.” It was also longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize. 5. The Witch Elm, Tan a French (Oct. 2018) “French is a favourite among crime-fiction buffs, with good reason. Highly recommended.” 6. The Clockmaker’s Daughter, Kate Morton (Oct. 2018) “The Clockmaker’s Daughter, too, has all the signature twists of a gothic Morton tale: deeply buried secrets, fateful twists, and old homes that almost breathe and reverberate from the energy contained within.”
7. Dear Mrs. Bird, AJ Pearce. This was a Loan Stars July pick this year.
8. Still Me, Jojo Moyes. This title started the year off as a January Loan Stars pick.
9. Split Tooth, Tanya Tagaq (Sept. 2018) “A mesmerizing hybrid of novel and memoir” that made the Loan Star list in September and was longlisted for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize. 10. Nine Perfect Strangers, Liane Moriarty. This was on November’s Loan Stars list.
On this list there are only two Canadian titles, #4 and #9, and just one male author: Michael Ondaatje.
Loan Stars’ monthly lists of the top 10 upcoming books are voted on by library staff across Canada and organized by BookNet Canada and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council.