Best books of 2018

Kitty Empire is the Observer's pop critic. She has written for NME and occasionally crops up on Radio 4, 5Live, BBC 6Music, and has appeared on BBC2's The Culture Show and Newsnight Review. @kittyempire666

Andrew Rawnsley is the Observer's award-winning chief political commentator. He is also a critically acclaimed broadcaster and author

Laura Cumming is the Observer's art critic and author of A Face to the World, The Vanishing Man and On Chapel Sands. Twitter: @LauraCummingArt

Kate Kellaway is a feature writer and deputy theatre critic for the Observer

Alex Preston is an award-winning author and journalist

Andrew Anthony has been writing for the Observer since 1993 and for the Guardian since 1990. He is the author of On Penalties, published by Yellow Jersey Press and The Fallout, published by Jonathan Cape

Jay Rayner is the Observer's restaurant critic and a feature writer. His most recent book is Wasted Calories and Ruined Nights. He keeps an archive of all his journalism at jayrayner.co.uk

John Naughton is professor of the public understanding of technology at the Open University. He is the author of From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg: What You Really Need to Know About the Internet

Susannah Clapp is the theatre critic of the Observer. She is the author of With Chatwin and A Card from Angela Carter and a regular broadcaster. Twitter
@susannahclapp

Rowan Moore is architecture critic of the Observer and was named Critic of the Year at the UK press awards 2014. He is the author of Slow Burn City and Why We Build. Follow him on twitter: @rowanmoore

Alison Flood is the Guardian's books reporter and the former news editor of the Bookseller.

Sean O’Hagan writes about photography for the Guardian and the Observer, and is also a general feature writer

Robin McKie is science and environment editor for the Observer