NPR
NPR Books We Love 2018
NPR Books We Love 2018 names 319 books. 104 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.
- 1947: Where Now Beginssource (opens in a new tab)
- 84Ksource (opens in a new tab)
- A Carnival Of Losses: Notes Nearing Ninetysource (opens in a new tab)
- A Common Table: 80 Recipes And Stories From My Shared Culturessource (opens in a new tab)
- A Cruelty Special To Our Species: Poemssource (opens in a new tab)
- A Duke By Default: Reluctant Royalssource (opens in a new tab)
- A Gift From Darknesssource (opens in a new tab)
- A Hard Rain: America In The 1960s, Our Decade Of Hope, Possibility, And Innocence Lostsource (opens in a new tab)
- A Life Of My Own: A Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- A Lucky Man: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- A New Reality: Human Evolution For A Sustainable Futuresource (opens in a new tab)
- A Place For Us: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- A River Of Stars: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- A Room Away From The Wolvessource (opens in a new tab)
- A Stitch In Timesource (opens in a new tab)
- A Thousand Beginnings And Endingssource (opens in a new tab)
- Achtung Baby: An American Mom On The German Art Of Raising Self-Reliant Childrensource (opens in a new tab)
- All The Animals Where I Livesource (opens in a new tab)
- All The Answerssource (opens in a new tab)
- All The Names They Used For Godsource (opens in a new tab)
- All You Can Ever Know: A Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- Amal Unboundsource (opens in a new tab)
- America Is Not The Heart: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- American Hate: Survivors Speak Outsource (opens in a new tab)
- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey Into The Business Of Punishmentsource (opens in a new tab)
- An American Marriage: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Ana Maria Reyes Does Not Live In A Castlesource (opens in a new tab)
- And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Readysource (opens in a new tab)
- Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us And Undermines Democracysource (opens in a new tab)
- Arthur Ashe: A Lifesource (opens in a new tab)
- Asymmetry: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Bachelor Nation: Inside The World Of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasuresource (opens in a new tab)
- Back Talk: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- Bad Blood: Secrets And Lies In A Silicon Valley Startupsource (opens in a new tab)
- Ball Lightningsource (opens in a new tab)
- Barracoon: The Story Of The Last "Black Cargo"source (opens in a new tab)
- Be Preparedsource (opens in a new tab)
- Becomingsource (opens in a new tab)
- Belonging: A German Reckons With History And Homesource (opens in a new tab)
- Beneath A Ruthless Sun: A True Story Of Violence, Race, And Justice Lost And Foundsource (opens in a new tab)
- Big Game: The NFL In Dangerous Timessource (opens in a new tab)
- Bingo Lovesource (opens in a new tab)
- Bitter Orangesource (opens in a new tab)
- Bloody Rosesource (opens in a new tab)
- Bluesource (opens in a new tab)
- Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, And The Dream Of Becoming A World-Class Metropolissource (opens in a new tab)
- Born To Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life And Mysterious Genius Of Edward Goreysource (opens in a new tab)
- Brown: Poemssource (opens in a new tab)
- Cake: A Cookbooksource (opens in a new tab)
- Calypsosource (opens in a new tab)
- Censussource (opens in a new tab)
- Cenzontlesource (opens in a new tab)
- Chasing Hillary: Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns, And One Intact Glass Ceilingsource (opens in a new tab)
- Che: A Revolutionary Lifesource (opens in a new tab)
- Check, Please!: Book 1: # Hockeysource (opens in a new tab)
- Chesapeake Requiem: A Year With The Watermen Of Vanishing Tangier Islandsource (opens in a new tab)
- Children Of Blood And Bonesource (opens in a new tab)
- Circesource (opens in a new tab)
- Citizen Illegalsource (opens in a new tab)
- City Of Ash And Red: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Come Againsource (opens in a new tab)
- Come West And See: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- Comfort In An Instant: 75 Comfort Food Recipes For Your Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, And Instant Potsource (opens in a new tab)
- Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, And The Anatomy Of Intriguesource (opens in a new tab)
- Contact High: A Visual History Of Hip-Hopsource (opens in a new tab)
- Coyote Doggirlsource (opens in a new tab)
- Cravings: Hungry For Moresource (opens in a new tab)
- Creative Questsource (opens in a new tab)
- Crudo: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Crux: A Cross-Border Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- Dactyl Hill Squadsource (opens in a new tab)
- Dancing Bears: True Stories Of People Nostalgic For Life Under Tyrannysource (opens in a new tab)
- Darwin Comes To Town: How The Urban Jungle Drives Evolutionsource (opens in a new tab)
- Death Of A Rainmaker: A Dust Bowl Mysterysource (opens in a new tab)
- Deviation: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Do Not Lick This Booksource (opens in a new tab)
- Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine And Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, And Sicksource (opens in a new tab)
- Dragons In A Bagsource (opens in a new tab)
- Drawn Togethersource (opens in a new tab)
- Dreamerssource (opens in a new tab)
- Educated: A Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpowersource (opens in a new tab)
- Emergency Contactsource (opens in a new tab)
- Enlightenment Now: The Case For Reason, Science, Humanism, And Progresssource (opens in a new tab)
- Eternity Girlsource (opens in a new tab)
- Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cooksource (opens in a new tab)
- Everything You Need For A Treehousesource (opens in a new tab)
- Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chroniclessource (opens in a new tab)
- Famous Father Girl: A Memoir Of Growing Up Bernsteinsource (opens in a new tab)
- Fascism: A Warningsource (opens in a new tab)
- Fear: Trump In The White Housesource (opens in a new tab)
- Feast: Food Of The Islamic Worldsource (opens in a new tab)
- Feel Free: Essayssource (opens in a new tab)
- Floridasource (opens in a new tab)
- Forever Or A Daysource (opens in a new tab)
- Freshwatersource (opens in a new tab)
- From Twinkle, With Lovesource (opens in a new tab)
- Front Desksource (opens in a new tab)
- Full Disclosuresource (opens in a new tab)
- Ghosts In The Schoolyard: Racism And School Closings On Chicago's South Sidesource (opens in a new tab)
- Girls Burn Brighter: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Give Me Some Truthsource (opens in a new tab)
- Give Me Your Hand: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Gnomon: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- God Save Texas: A Journey Into The Soul Of The Lone Star Statesource (opens in a new tab)
- Good And Mad: The Revolutionary Power Of Women's Angersource (opens in a new tab)
- Greeks Bearing Giftssource (opens in a new tab)
- Grist Mill Road: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Half-Witchsource (opens in a new tab)
- Happiness: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Heads Of The Colored People: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- Heart Berries: A Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- Heartland: A Memoir Of Working Hard And Being Broke In The Richest Country On Earthsource (opens in a new tab)
- Heavy: An American Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- Here To Staysource (opens in a new tab)
- Hey, Kiddosource (opens in a new tab)
- Hiking With Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Aresource (opens in a new tab)
- His Favorites: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Homelands: Four Friends, Two Countries, And The Fate Of The Great Mexican-American Migrationsource (opens in a new tab)
- Housegirl: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- How Are You Going To Save Yourselfsource (opens in a new tab)
- How Long 'Til Black Future Month?: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- How To Be A Lionsource (opens in a new tab)
- How To Change Your Mind: What The New Science Of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, And Transcendencesource (opens in a new tab)
- How To Invent Everything: A Survival Guide For The Stranded Time Travelersource (opens in a new tab)
- How To Write An Autobiographical Novel: Essayssource (opens in a new tab)
- If You See Me, Don't Say Hi: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- In Piecessource (opens in a new tab)
- Indianapolis: The True Story Of The Worst Sea Disaster In U.S. Naval History And The Fifty-Year Fight To Exonerate An Innocent Mansource (opens in a new tab)
- Infidelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Inner City Pressure: The Story Of Grimesource (opens in a new tab)
- Inseparable: The Original Siamese Twins And Their Rendezvous With American Historysource (opens in a new tab)
- Intercepted (Playbook, The)source (opens in a new tab)
- Into The Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, And The Sinking Of El Farosource (opens in a new tab)
- Iron Goldsource (opens in a new tab)
- Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicioussource (opens in a new tab)
- Ivy Aberdeen's Letter To The Worldsource (opens in a new tab)
- Jam Session: A Fruit-Preserving Handbooksource (opens in a new tab)
- Julián Is A Mermaidsource (opens in a new tab)
- Junksource (opens in a new tab)
- Just The Funny Parts: ...And A Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into The Hollywood Boys' Clubsource (opens in a new tab)
- Lake Success: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Leadership: In Turbulent Timessource (opens in a new tab)
- Like A Mother: A Feminist Journey Through The Science And Culture Of Pregnancysource (opens in a new tab)
- Listen To The Marriage: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Little: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Louisiana's Way Homesource (opens in a new tab)
- Lovesource (opens in a new tab)
- Luisa – Now And Thensource (opens in a new tab)
- Making Upsource (opens in a new tab)
- Mariam Sharma Hits The Roadsource (opens in a new tab)
- Mastering Fear: A Navy SEAL's Guidesource (opens in a new tab)
- Melmoth: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Memphis Rent Party: The Blues, Rock & Soul In Music's Hometownsource (opens in a new tab)
- Middensource (opens in a new tab)
- Milk Street: Tuesday Nights: More Than 200 Simple Weeknight Suppers That Deliver Bold Flavor, Fastsource (opens in a new tab)
- Milkman: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Mommy's Khimarsource (opens in a new tab)
- Monster Portraitssource (opens in a new tab)
- Monument: Poems New And Selectedsource (opens in a new tab)
- Motherhood: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- My Brother's Husband, Volume 2source (opens in a new tab)
- My Ex-Life: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- My Life As A Goddess: A Memoir Through (Un)Popular Culturesource (opens in a new tab)
- My Own Devices: True Stories From The Road On Music, Science, And Senseless Lovesource (opens in a new tab)
- My Sister, The Serial Killer: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- My So-Called Bollywood Lifesource (opens in a new tab)
- My Year Of Rest And Relaxationsource (opens in a new tab)
- Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, And Radicalization In American Politicssource (opens in a new tab)
- New Poets Of Native Nationssource (opens in a new tab)
- New Shoessource (opens in a new tab)
- Night Movessource (opens in a new tab)
- Ninety-Nine Glimpses Of Princess Margaretsource (opens in a new tab)
- Not My Idea: A Book About Whitenesssource (opens in a new tab)
- Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas For Reinventing Leftoverssource (opens in a new tab)
- Number One Chinese Restaurant: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Odd One Outsource (opens in a new tab)
- Ohiosource (opens in a new tab)
- On The Other Side Of Freedom: The Case For Hopesource (opens in a new tab)
- Once And Forever: The Tales Of Kenji Miyazawasource (opens in a new tab)
- One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracysource (opens in a new tab)
- Only To Sleep: A Philip Marlowe Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Ottolenghi Simple: A Cookbooksource (opens in a new tab)
- Packing My Library: An Elegy And Ten Digressionssource (opens in a new tab)
- Palaces For The People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, And The Decline Of Civic Lifesource (opens in a new tab)
- Photographic: The Life Of Graciela Iturbidesource (opens in a new tab)
- Playing Changes: Jazz For The New Centurysource (opens in a new tab)
- Pridesource (opens in a new tab)
- Rage Becomes Her: The Power Of Women's Angersource (opens in a new tab)
- Record Of A Spaceborn Fewsource (opens in a new tab)
- Red, White, Blue: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Sabrinasource (opens in a new tab)
- Sadiesource (opens in a new tab)
- Scribe: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Sea Prayersource (opens in a new tab)
- Seafiresource (opens in a new tab)
- Searing Inspiration: Fast, Adaptable Entrées And Fresh Pan Saucessource (opens in a new tab)
- Severancesource (opens in a new tab)
- Shade, The Changing Girl Vol. 2: Little Runawaysource (opens in a new tab)
- Sharpsource (opens in a new tab)
- She Begat This: 20 Years Of The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hillsource (opens in a new tab)
- Sketchtasysource (opens in a new tab)
- Small Animals: Parenthood In The Age Of Fearsource (opens in a new tab)
- Small Frysource (opens in a new tab)
- Social Creature: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Some Trick: Thirteen Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- Space Operasource (opens in a new tab)
- Spinning Silversource (opens in a new tab)
- Split Toothsource (opens in a new tab)
- Stealing The Show: How Women Are Revolutionizing Televisionsource (opens in a new tab)
- Tell The Machine Goodnight: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Terra Nullius: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Tess Of The Roadsource (opens in a new tab)
- Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution And Triumph Of Modern Female Friendshipsource (opens in a new tab)
- That Kind Of Mother: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Art Of Gathering: How We Meet And Why It Matterssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Artful Evolution Of Hal & Mal'ssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Assassination Of Brangwain Spurgesource (opens in a new tab)
- The Benefits Of Being An Octopussource (opens in a new tab)
- The Cabin At The End Of The World: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Carrying: Poemssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Chalk Man: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Court Dancer: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Dark Descent Of Elizabeth Frankensteinsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Death Of Mrs. Westawaysource (opens in a new tab)
- The Dragon Slayer: Folktales From Latin Americasource (opens in a new tab)
- The Electric Statesource (opens in a new tab)
- The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer And The Plot To Kill Hitlersource (opens in a new tab)
- The Female Persuasion: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Field Of Blood: Violence In Congress And The Road To Civil Warsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Fifth Risksource (opens in a new tab)
- The Fighterssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Foreign Cinema Cookbook: Recipes And Stories Under The Starssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Friend: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Girl In The Green Silk Gownsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Golden State: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Great Believerssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Hellfire Clubsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Hollow Of Fearsource (opens in a new tab)
- The House Of Broken Angelssource (opens in a new tab)
- The House That Lou Builtsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Immortalistssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Incendiaries: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Infinite Blacktop: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Kiss Quotientsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Largesse Of The Sea Maiden: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family In The New Westsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Library Booksource (opens in a new tab)
- The Line Becomes A River: Dispatches From The Bordersource (opens in a new tab)
- The Many Deaths Of Scott Koblishsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Mars Room: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Merry Spinster: Tales Of Everyday Horrorsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Mirage Factory: Illusion, Imagination, And The Invention Of Los Angelessource (opens in a new tab)
- The Miscalculations Of Lightning Girlsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Most Dangerous Man In America: Timothy Leary, Richard Nixon And The Hunt For The Fugitive King Of LSDsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Night Diarysource (opens in a new tab)
- The Order Of The Daysource (opens in a new tab)
- The Overstory: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Parker Inheritancesource (opens in a new tab)
- The Party: And Other Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- The Perfect Nanny: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Personality Brokers: The Strange History Of Myers-Briggs And The Birth Of Personality Testingsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Poet Xsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Prince And The Dressmakersource (opens in a new tab)
- The Prison Letters Of Nelson Mandelasource (opens in a new tab)
- The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping Of Sally Horner And The Novel That Scandalized The Worldsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Recovering: Intoxication And Its Aftermathsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Red And The Blue: The 1990s And The Birth Of Political Tribalismsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Rough Patchsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Science Of Breakable Thingssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Season Of Styx Malonesource (opens in a new tab)
- The Silence Of The Girls: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Sky Is Yours: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Soul Of America: The Battle For Our Better Angelssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Sparsholt Affair: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Strange Case Of Dr. Couney: How A Mysterious European Showman Saved Thousands Of American Babiessource (opens in a new tab)
- The Summer Of Jordi Perez (And The Best Burger In Los Angeles)source (opens in a new tab)
- The View From Flyover Country: Dispatches From The Forgotten Americasource (opens in a new tab)
- The Way You Make Me Feelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Wedding Datesource (opens in a new tab)
- The Winter Soldiersource (opens in a new tab)
- The Witch Elm: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The Word Is Murder: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent Of Angels In Americasource (opens in a new tab)
- The Writer's Map: An Atlas Of Imaginary Landssource (opens in a new tab)
- The Wrong Heavensource (opens in a new tab)
- There There: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- There Will Be No Miracles Here: A Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- These Truths: A History Of The United Statessource (opens in a new tab)
- They Say Bluesource (opens in a new tab)
- This Is Not A Love Lettersource (opens in a new tab)
- Those Who Knew: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Tigers & Tea With Toppysource (opens in a new tab)
- To Be Honestsource (opens in a new tab)
- To Throw Away Unopened: A Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- Trail Of Lightningsource (opens in a new tab)
- Transcription: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Turnip Greens & Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up The Southern Kitchensource (opens in a new tab)
- Two Sisters: A Father, His Daughters, And Their Journey Into The Syrian Jihadsource (opens in a new tab)
- Unclaimed Baggagesource (opens in a new tab)
- Underbug: An Obsessive Tale Of Termites And Technologysource (opens in a new tab)
- Unholy Landsource (opens in a new tab)
- Unsheltered: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Varina: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Warlight: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- Washington Black: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- We Are Grateful: Otsaliheligasource (opens in a new tab)
- We Don't Eat Our Classmatessource (opens in a new tab)
- When Katie Met Cassidy: A Novelsource (opens in a new tab)
- White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People To Talk About Racismsource (opens in a new tab)
- Who Is Michael Ovitz?source (opens in a new tab)
- Who Is Vera Kelly?source (opens in a new tab)
- Why Art?source (opens in a new tab)
- Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the Worldsource (opens in a new tab)
- Witchmarksource (opens in a new tab)
- You Think It, I'll Say It: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
- You're On An Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoirsource (opens in a new tab)
- Your Black Friend And Other Strangerssource (opens in a new tab)
- Your Duck Is My Duck: Storiessource (opens in a new tab)
About the NPR Books We Love
NPR's Books We Love (the Book Concierge), 2013-2025: every book NPR staff and critics picked each year, stored as one category, Books We Love. The Concierge's tags (fiction, nonfiction, staff picks, and so on) are not split out. Rows come from the Concierge's own year data (apps.npr.org/best-books/<year>.json); counts match the books shown for each year. Translators named in NPR's credit are stored as translator; illustrators, editors, photographers and co-writers stay in author. 2006-2012 are left out: before the Concierge, NPR's year-end coverage was 15-20 separate critic and staff columns a year (e.g. mysteries, heroines, music books), with themes that change every year and some backlist picks, so there is no consistent list to count. No list is ranked.
Organization: NPR. Official site (opens in a new tab)