The votes are in! We asked staff, library users and tame authors about their favourite reads of the year.
We kick off our end-of-year selections with non-fiction. Watch this space for lists for younger readers, crime fans and general fiction.
Most of the titles below can be found at your local library and we’ve made it really easy for you to get your hands on them: Head to our library catalogue Best of Year slideshow to click and collect your copy.
Non-fiction 2018
Topping the non-fiction list for many of our library users is, of course, Michelle Obama’s autobiography Becoming.
Also in the political spectrum, Podcaster-in-Chief Tanya chooses MP Jess Phillips‘ memoir Everywoman.
Recommended via Facebook was the incredible tale of a courageous WWII serial escapee, The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram by David Guss.
New Yorker staff writer David Grann did pretty well this year. Our Allan picked White Darkness, his gripping account of Henry Worsley’s quest across the Antarctic. Graphic novel creators, Fraser Campbell and Ian Laurie, chose Killers of the Flower Moon, his investigation into the Native Americans murdered for their oil wealth. Over on Twitter David seemed pretty chuffed to be recognised:
Some of our author pals were happy to send us their non-fic picks too. Our Writing Rammy partner-in-crime, Helen MacKinven, suggested Adam Kay‘s
This is Going to Hurt , his reflections on life in a crisis hit NHS.
The wonderful Maggie Craig not only kept us enthralled during her Book Week Scotland visit, but gave us her pick for 2018: Scottish rapper Darren McGarvey‘s powerful Poverty Safari, a book everyone should read.
It’s also been a good year for fans of hip-hop. One our Larbert borrowers recommended Lamont ‘U-God’ Hawkins’ riveting autobiography: RAW: My Journey into the Wu-Tang.
Finally, Librarians Allan and Lynne are very excited about The Beastie Boys Book and are likely to be very disappointed if it’s not in their respective stockings come Christmas morning.
Got any non-fiction titles you’d recommend? Comment below! Remember you can click and collect most of these books via the Best of Year slideshow on our library catalogue.