I'm not a great reviewer, but I love the thread, so I thought I'd give it a go. Here, my favorites of the perhaps 35 books I read last year (I say 'read', but most were experienced via Audible, and narrators can really influence the 'reading' experience).
A World Undone
The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918
By GJ Meyer
History - Remarkably informative, and, I thought, beautifully paced. I’ve read a number of Antony Beevor’s books, and I thought this was right with them in quality (but maybe even a bit more of a page turner). Loved it.
#
Hex
Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Horror - This had a really unique premise/central storyline. Great set-up, wonderful opening third...it slowed a bit in the middle, but this is one of those seemingly rare horror novels with a stunner of a conclusion. Original and highly recommended.
#
Night Film, A Novel
Marisha Pessl
Horror/Thriller - With all my praise for Hex, I’ll say that I liked Night Film even better. Probably one of my three favorites for the year. Loved the idea, grew to care greatly for the characters, and the storyline thrilled me. Terrific ending, too.
#
The Golem and the Jinni
Helene Wecker
Historical/Magical - Another favorite. Takes place mainly in a wonderfully imagined late 19th century New York City, and combines elements of magical fables, historical fiction and mythology, and a love story, to boot. Beautifully written, too. An amazing debut novel, I know I’ll read this several times over the years.
#
A Head Full of Ghosts
Paul Tremblay
Horror - Freaky good, perhaps the creepiest horror I read last year.
#
Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat
Giles Milton
History - From my November reading thread review: It's a thrilling account of a team of (mostly British) tinkerers, spies and government officials who came together to help defeat the Nazis. The book starts a bit slowly, but I was absolutely enthralled by the stories of these remarkably brave, ingenious people, and the very real contributions they made in shortening the war.
#
The Second World War
Antony Beevor
History - Well, it’s Beevor. So it’s fantastic.
#
Born A Crime
Trevor Noah
Autobiographical - Funny, chilling, uplifting. The story of Noah’s very difficult childhood in South Africa, and the remarkably strong mother who helped guide him. Amazing the things a person can overcome in a life, and still excel.
#
Children of Time
Adrian Tchaikovsky
Science Fiction - I’ve been reading a lot of really good Grand Scale SF lately (huge ideas, huge technology, such as Alastair Reynolds), but this one really stood out for me last year. Liked it about as much as Vinge’s brilliant A Fire Upon the Deep (so, hugely). (I’m cheating, and putting in House of Suns by Reynolds here, too...it’s grand and wonderful.)
#
Empire of the Summer Moon
S.C. Gwynne
History - I’ll second Stephen Palmer's recommendation for Killers Of The Flower Moon. I also thought Empire of the Summer Moon was a great book. It’s a history of the powerful Comanche tribe, from Spanish colonialism to the end of the 19th century. And it tells the story of their most feared leader, Quanah Parker. This is a really engrossing history.
edit: Oh! I forgot East of Eden, which, of course, has to make my list.
edit 2 - I don't keep a list of books I read each year; I beta-read Bryan Wigmore's remarkable The Empyreus Proof, and I was thinking I did so in late 2017. But now I am not sure. If it was early last year that I read it, I will say that it would also be one of my favorite 2-3 books from 2018...it would be that in any year it was read.