Did you think I would not have a 2018 Year in Review post to conclude what I have read? Of course I will! According to my Goodreads list, I completed 121 books this year. That isn’t completely true as I didn’t finish 10 -15 of them. I probably need to figure out how to keep a record of them but not show them as read. That could be a 2019 goal. 🙂 My eyeball count says it was 13 that I shut before I finished but I could be off.
I started 2018 with a modest reading goal, probably around 40 and I kept moving it up as I read more and more. At a goal of 75 I stopped moving it and just let it be. I have completed such a large number because of two things – we are empty nesters so I do have some time on my hands, particularly in the evenings and weekends. Also, I have fallen deeply in love with Audible and listen to books almost every day while I commute to work or clean the house, sometimes even when I am getting ready for the day. Also contributing to the amount read: I also have joined 2 bookclubs and have loved picking up books I probably would have never picked on my own (some became my favorites!) and also have very much enjoyed meeting some new lovely ladies to share our love for reading with. I have also followed some of the monthly celebrity picks but I am wavering on if I will continue that or not. I will probably keep an eye on them as they have had some very good ones, but I don’t know that I will pick them up as often as I have in 2018. Lastly I did get a lot of reading done while sitting in hospitals and Dr’s offices caring for a loved one. I don’t wish this reason for reading on anyone, but it was a fact of my reality in 2018. Hopefully this won’t be a repeat reason in the new year, my hope is this is behind my family and we all have a healthier new year.
With this many books completed in 2018 there were some busts but there were of course many fantastic books read as well! So many of them! As I type this list, I had a very good idea of some I am going to include for you but I am not sure yet how many. We will see what I wind up with when I am done.
My Top Ten Favorite Books I Read in 2018! I started this list thinking the top ten would be in order but I am just not sure. I loved them all for different reasons so I think it is a 10 way tie! These are all 5 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
A Place for Us – Fatima Farheen Mirza
I loved this book. I have talked about it here before. So beautifully written, this was a debut novel published when the author was 26 years old. While I have mentioned a few times lately I may give up on celebrity picks, this is one that makes me rethink that was published by Sara Jessica Parkers new publishing company. It is beautifully written and the sentences were mesmerizing. I do have to say that this is not one for Audible in my opinion unless it gets edited as there is so much time hoping with no audible indication of such, thus very confusing.
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
Let me count the ways I loved this book, Oh, too many to count! It had it all, mystery, historical setting, family drama, romance and darn great writing! This was not a debut by this author but a debut novel. I sure hope Owens will write another as she is a gifted novelist. I believe this is being made into a movie and yet another book that makes me keep taking peek at the celebrity booklists.
The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah
I read this 2018 favorite back in March so it had to withstand a great deal of stiff competition to stay in the top ten. I was lucky enough to snag a Lucky Day copy off my library’s new release shelf and boy was I glad I did. I think Hannah has become a better writer with every book she puts out, which is the way it should be. This family saga takes place as Leni Albright’s family up and leaves everything behind for a new start in Alaska. And then the winter comes. I must warn that there is some heavy domestic violence in this book, enough that it made me switch from Audible to book in parts. But it is a fantastic story of perseverance, one I will remember for years to come. Spoiler alert: This isn’t my only Hannah book on my top ten reads of the year list, keep on reading for the other.
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book was a pick for one of my bookclubs and I have to admit that at first I had some thoughts of skipping it, based on the cover alone. well that would have been a crime as it is one of the best books I have ever read. Furthermore I never had heard of Reid prior, and I have since devoured every single one of her books this year. And her 2019 upcoming release, Daisy Jones and The Six is on the top of my most anticipated books to read list of the new year. While this book was not published in 2018, it certainly seems to have been found this year as I see it on To Read lists everywhere as well as Favorite Books of 2018. I have recommended it to many friends and just about every one of them comes back and tells me how much they love the book. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover! Lesson learned.
The Invention of Wings – Sue Monk Kidd
The Invention of Wings has been on my To Read list for a very long time. I had a few extra audible credits and decided to give it a whirl. I loved this book. I only “read” it in November so it is still very fresh and I wrote a little bit about it on my November Reads post. I did become fascinated with the true history of the Grimke sisters and have read a bit about them online. Amazing women who accomplished so much.
The Humans – Matt Haig
The Humans is not a book I would normally choose on my own as I tend to stay away from the Sci/Fi even moderately so. But a friend who I value her opinion greatly encouraged me to read it and I was smitten. It did take me a few chapters but then I could not put it down. A story of the human experience, of the heart, emotion, and all of it wrapped into one. Are there aliens? Yes. Is there math? Yes. But there is humor too. And love. And wonderful writing. I had to pick up Haig’s newer release after this one, How to Stop Time, and I enjoyed that very much as well.
The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale was another book I picked up early in 2018 and started the Kristin Hannah read-a-thon over here. It is a fascinating World War II historical fiction novel that focuses on the part women played in the war. Told from alternating perspective of Vianne and Isabelle, two sisters that lead very different lives in the war but both impacted each other greatly. It is a story based on the true Nightingale and I always love researching the actual events after reading such an account. Fascinating! This is also my second Hannah book on my top 10 reads of this year.
The Life We Bury – Allen Eskens
I can’t remember how I happened on this book, I think someone posted it as a recommendation on Facebook. I picked it up not expecting much and loved it. That happens a lot to me! Joe Talbert is a college student that just wants to pass his class and get on with his life. He has to interview someone and write a paper for his English class. Enter Carl Iverson, Vietnam Veteran who reluctantly agrees to be his subject as he lies in his deathbed on a medical parole as he is also a convicted rapist and murderer. As Joe learns more about Carl and struggles with the hero versus the criminal, he begins to question what is real and sets to uncover the truth. This book led me to all of Esken’s works, all of which are very good. A few of the others got a tad dark for me but I will continue to read his future releases.
The Dry – Jane Harper
I am pretty sure The Dry was another book I picked up from a friend’s recommendation. Aaron Falk is an investigator that returns to his hometown after the brutal murder of a family and for the funeral of a friend of long ago.The twists and turns that follow will make this book un-put-downable. Well written and thought out, I picked up Harper’s next Aaron Falk novel when it was released and it was also very good. Her third will be released in early 2019, The Lost Man.
Beartown – Frederick Backman
I hesitated to start this book. There was a wildly popular book by this author that everyone loved. Everyone. Except me. I am pretty sure it had more to do with me (and things I was dealing with in my life at the time) than the book, but I still did not like it. I decided to read this one and it is so different than that other popular book that will go unnamed. It is a hockey book that isn’t about hockey. But since we were a hockey family, that was probably my draw. It is about the human condition, survival, and doing the right thing. There is a sequel which I did read but I enjoyed this one much more.
Honorable Mentions – More Books I Loved in 2018 & Recommend:Â
All 4 or 5 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
(alpha author order)
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood – I ❤️ed it on audible
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership – James Comey
Need to Know – Karen Cleveland
All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
On Living – Kerry Egan
The Heavens May Fall – Allen Eskens
The Guise of Another – Allen Eskens
I Liked My Life – Abby Fabiaschi
The Woman In The Window – A.J. Finn
The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman
All We Ever Wanted – Emily Giffin
News of the World – Paulette Giles – I ❤️ed it on audible
How to Stop Time – Matt Haig
Firefly Lane – Kristin Hannah
Force of Nature – Jane Harper
The Wife Between Us – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
The Family Next Door – Sally Hepworth
The Indenticals – Elin Hildebrand
The Perfect Couple – Elin Hildebrand
Girl, Wash Your Face – Rachel Hollis
Then She Was Gone – Lisa Jewell
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
I Let You Go – Clare Mackintosh
What She Knew – Gilly Macmillan
Friend Request – Laura Marshall
The Mountain Between Us – Charles Martin – I ❤️ed it on audible
The Unseen World – Liz Moore
Born a Crime – Trevor Noah – I ❤️ed it on audible
Small Great Things – Jodi Picoult
One True Loves – Taylor Jenkins Reid
After I Do – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Maybe in Another Life – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fan Girl – Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell
Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Maria Semple – I ❤️ed it on audible
One Perfect Lie – Lisa Scottoline
Beneath A Scarlet Sky – Mark T. Sullivan – I ❤️ed it on audible
Hillbilly Elegy – J.D. Vance –I ❤️ed it on audible
