Working in a Library has perks, because as a librarian I’m able to browse books on my lunch break. The challenge is trying to carry them out at the end of the day and then find time to read them all. And believe it or not, people often ask me “what do you do all day? Read? Wouldn’t that be great? Leisurely reading all day long would be a dream job for any avid reader. And yes, some people do get paid to read and review books. I have often wondered what that would be like. But surely finding a way to provide a balanced review for a variety of books has its own set of challenges.

Dream jobs aside, finding a good book can be challenging if you don’t know which sources to trust. After all, there are so many “best books” and “top reads” and “notable lists” floating out there on the internet. So, here’s what I try to do … stick with trusted resources that consistently provide balanced reviews.

Here are my top 7 go-to “best books of the year” resources:

1. BookPage
2. Goodreads
3. Kirkus Reviews
4. Library Journal
5. The New York Times
6. NPR
7. Publisher’s Weekly

And yes, there are many other fantastic resources out there, but these are just some of the ones I consistently enjoy reading. Based on what these sources are recommending, the list below includes ten notable general fiction books well-worth checking out. As always, it goes without saying that the “best books” are ultimately a matter of opinion. So, if the selections below do not appeal to you, explore some of the other “best books of the year” lists or use our Give 3 Get 3 service to receive more personalized recommendations.

Notable General Fiction Books of 2018

1. Circe by Madeline Miller Follows Circe, the banished witch daughter of Helios, as she hones her powers and interacts with famous mythological beings before a conflict with one of the most vengeful Olympians forces her to choose between the worlds of the gods and mortals.

2. Still Me by Jojo Moyes Louisa Clark arrives in New York to start a new life and a long-distance relationship with Ambulance Sam while working for the super-wealthy Gopniks, a job that introduces her to New York high society and a secretive man who reminds her of her own past.

3. There There by Tommy Orange A novel that grapples with the complex history and identity of Native Americans follows twelve characters, each of whom has private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow.

4. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones When her new husband is arrested and imprisoned for a crime she knows he did not commit, a rising artist takes comfort in a longtime friendship only to encounter unexpected challenges in resuming her life when her husband’s sentence is suddenly overturned.

5. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai A novel set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris follows the director of a Chicago art gallery and a woman looking for her estranged daughter in Paris who both struggle to come to terms with the ways AIDS has affected their lives.

6. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah When her father impulsively moves the family to mid-1970s Alaska to live off the land, young Leni and her mother are forced to confront the dangers of their lack of preparedness in the wake of a dangerous winter season.

7. The Overstory by Richard Powers A novel of activism and natural-world power presents interlocking fables about nine remarkable strangers who are summoned in different ways by trees for an ultimate, brutal stand to save the continent’s few remaining acres of virgin forest.

8. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger Emerging from an accident with damaged memories and compromised language skills, Virgil Wander, a movie-house owner from a small Midwestern town, pieces together his story and the story of his community with help from affable locals.

9. You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld Presents a collection of ten short stories that feature both new and previously published pieces, including “The World Has Many Butterflies,” in which married acquaintances play an intimate game, with devastating consequences.

10. My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.

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This is part of a series of blog posts highlighting some of the best books of the year. Be on the lookout for future posts highlighting mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, nonfiction and more.

More Best Books of 2018 Lists

These lists are well-worth exploring … they include books with a wide-range of appeal, offering readers with a wonderful variety of selections.

The Best Books of 2018 (So Far) – Esquire

The Best Books Of 2018 We Can’t Wait To Read This Year – The Refinery

Best Books of 2018: Across Fiction, Politics, Food and More – The Guardian

The 30 Best Fiction Books Of 2018 – Bustle

The Best Books of 2018 – The New Yorker

The Best Books of 2018 – Real Simple

Best Books of 2018 – Amazon

The Best Books of 2018 So Far – Powell’s Books

Lit Hub’s Favorite Books of 2018 – Literary Hub

The 19 Best Books of 2018 (So Far) – Elle