Most people write their “Year in Review” stories in December, but I’m not most people. I always wait to write mine until the new year has officially begun, especially my look back at the books I read in the past year. Because what if I finish a book on December 31? That book needs to be cataloged in the correct year! And guess what? This year, that policy paid off.

Welcome to the 2018 edition of my annual Henry Bemis article, named after the main character of The Twilight Zone episode “Time Enou...