In this Spectrum Internet compiled post, you’ll get to learn about 4 of the latest book titles that you need on your bookshelf in 2018. These publications span across a multitude of engaging genres, and will keep you fully entertained whenever you choose to peruse them.
There are some people who prefer the digitally prescient mediums of the television and the internet to plot their momentary escapes from a hectic reality. Then there are those who cannot stand these new-age technological amenities, and would much rather make do with a choice book title to keep them company. I definitely ascribe to the latter category of individuals, and with a cursory book forums search through the Spectrum internet plans, you can find many more people like me (and yourself, I would wager; should you be so inclined!).
Narrowing-in on Promising Reads
When deciding on what to read after I’m done wading through a particular book title or classical literary manuscript, I usually consult some of the popular best seller’s lists published online. The New York Time’s acclaimed best seller’s list has been my go-to bibliographic reference point for some time now. After going through all the latest entries contained within it, I also like to keep track of a similar itinerary listed on the front page of Amazon’sonline books section.
These meticulously compiled and scrutinized lists are woven together by book critics, who gauge their corresponding book titles’ literary ‘worthiness’ based on such criteria as:
- Language Relatability
- Content Substance
- Current Sales Volume
- Established Authorial Acclaim
- Manuscript Length
- Cross-Media Adaptation/Promotional Scope
On Keeping an Open Mind
Although the aforementioned lists usually do suggest some great reads for you to preferentially invest your currency & time in, their book-analyzing formulas can sometimes prove to be thorough let-downs.
So whenever you come across a novel, (auto) biography or informational journal with an appealing title – but which is not mentioned in any elaborate critics’ listing – then don’t be so quick to disregard it.
Oftentimes, this is how you end up locating some of the jewels of the literary world which may hold a personal fascination for you (but not others; necessarily).
My Top 4 Book Picks for your 2018 Reading Sessions
So without any further ado, here are my Top 4 book picks of the titles that you absolutely need to haveon your bookshelf in 2018.
- The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters (Priya Parker)
What if you could learn some of the key steps/pointers for imbuing fun and interest in all of your social gatherings? Wouldn’t it be well worth the effort to become armed with this knowledge by simply taking some results-oriented notes from an expert?
In Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering, you are not only made cognizant of the ‘right’ ways to approach all of your social gatherings, but also given key insights into resolving any brewing conflicts inside your friends’ circles.
This book is really an easily-written (and fully relatable) instructions manual; though composed in such a way that it reads like a personal narrative. The complementing anecdotal tidbits from the author’s own life journey serve to enhance some of the crucial points she tries to make.
And available at a bargain price of only $18.09 on Amazon, this volume is definitely a keeper!
- Warlight: A novel(Michael Ondaatje)
Set against the plot twist of his Booker Prize-winning masterpiece The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje’s new novel chronicles the childhood exploits of young Nathaniel and his older sister Rachel in postwar London. The story goes on to explore the complex relationship between the two siblings, whose parents venture off to Singapore while leaving them in the care of an enigmatic individual referred to only as ‘the Moth’. Delving in such themes as enforced disappearances, family secrets (that continue to leave their mark well into the characters’ adult phases), and childhood loves and losses, this tale is guaranteed to keep you involved with its text well into the late twilight hours.
- Miss Ex-Yugoslavia: A Memoir(Sofija Stefanovic)
In this masterful retelling of her wildly captivating life journey, Sofija Stefanovic’s memoir in Miss Ex-Yugoslavia is as insightful as it is entertaining. It tells the story of how its protagonist, the wily Sofija, managed to orchestrate a beauty contest for her film class that featured immigrants& refugees with political axes to grind against each other. The book, written in highly engaging and ensnaring prose, relates lessons of heartbreak, deprivation, commitment to work & cause, rising above ethnic differences, and patriotism. Reading it will transport you to the writer’s native land, and keep you riveted for the next chapter in her personal saga.
- Look Alive Out There (Sloane Crosley)
A personal essayist with a writing style that is more reflective of the psychological disposition of a shameless exhibitionist, Sloane Crosley’s third volume of short-story length narratives is even more imaginatively compelling than its hefty prequels.The stories detailed within it are unfiltered, quirky and knowledgeably insightful. And by way of the proverbial ‘cherry on the top’, it makes for some really light reading! What more could a tale-enthusiast want, I ask you?
If you prefer getting your daily literally fix through the e-book route, then consider subscribing to a Spectrum Packages subscription plan today. Head on over to the Kindle store, and make some cheap purchases from the works of your favorite authors.