This is it: 2018 is winding down and it’s time to reveal who were the best of the best. It’s funny, because as difficult as Notable Reads are to single out, the best reads list always seems to magically sort itself out and this year was no exception.

Don’t forget, these are the best books I’ve read in 2018 (fiction and non-fiction), but they weren’t necessarily published this year. Because readers always need new suggestions, no matter what year it is and that books are timeless. They’re not like video games: newer doesn’t always mean better.

So, without further ado…

The Books of Blood, Vol. 1-3, by Clive Barker

For overstepping taboos, limits and sometimes good taste in order to make the imaginary reign supreme.

Blood Standard, by Laird Barron

For playing an engrossing cat-and-mouse game with crime fiction’s most enduring stereotypes and a character nuanced enough to challenge its most tired clichés.

Broken Ground, by Joe Clifford

For its powerful, unflinching and tragic portrayal of mental health issues, which illustrates the empathic power of fiction to its fullest.

The One That Got Away, by Joe Clifford

For its vivid and detailed portrait of forgotten, roadside america and all the muted horrors that live alongside its small towns.

Jar of Hearts, by Jennifer Hillier

For rethinking the antihero, breaking sacred boundaries in serial killer fiction and finally ushering the genre into the 21st century.

F*ck Whales, by Maddox

For redemocratizing thinking by making is sexy, funny and… welp, kind of simple again.

Townies and Other Stories of Souther Mischief, by Eryk Pruitt

For rehumanizing the South and capturing its quiet magic when stripped of partisan politics.

Savage Lane, by Jason Starr

For its ferocious and Coen’esque lampooning of the moral brutality of North American suburbs.

Cut You Down, by Sam Wiebe

For dealing in nuance and precision, rather than going for powerful emotional peaks and ushering contemporary issues into detective fiction.

Entering the Desert, by Craig Williams

For its bold challenge to “conventional wisdom” and daring to question the value of things we wholeheartedly accept to be good. A truly mind-expanding read.