I've been thinking a lot this year about how the books you read leave a trail of insights on your life. What are you trying to improve? What are you learning about? How have your reading tastes changed over the years? Why are you reading so much escapist fiction? Why is this the exact book you needed at this time in your life?
In the introduction of 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die by James Mustich, we read:
A good book is the opposite of a selfie; the right book at the right time can expand our lives in the way we love does, making us more thoughtful, more generous, more brave, more alert to the world's wonders and more pained by its inequities, more wise, more kind. (pg. xi)
We've all heard the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words," but words still have the power to tell our stories in ways pictures can't. A picture posted on social media is a quick, easy look into someone's life, but the words you say and the words you surround yourself with tell a different kind of story. Maybe even one you didn't realize you were revealing.
And with that, I give you my 2018 story, told through books.
Goal: 70 books
Books read: 81
Pages read: 29,650 (366 pages/book)
Ratings:
- 5 stars: 22
- 4 stars: 33
- 3 stars: 21
- 2 stars: 5
- 1 star: 0
First reads: 75
Rereads: 6
Fiction: 63
Nonfiction: 18
Books by female authors: 49
Books by male authors: 29
*Plus 3 books by multiple authors.
Longest book: 11/22/63, by Stephen King. 1080 pages.
Shortest book: The Mansion, by Henry Van Dyke. 61 pages.
Favorite book, fiction: A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman. For a while I had this post subtitled "The year I read about lots of cranky old guys." My grandpa is one of those lovable, cranky, stubborn old guys, so can you blame me for melting all over for these types of stories? This book in particular completely stole my heart: I laughed, I cried, I pondered. It's a perfect, written-just-for-me type of book. I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Favorite book, nonfiction: I agonized for weeks trying to decide which of my two favorite nonfiction reads deserved the top spot. But you know what? This is my blog; I can pick two books if I want to.
First up is My Life in France, by Julia Child. She lived such an interesting life, and her delightful personality shines through on every page. I read this while I was on vacation in New York/Canada, but she made me feel like I was right there with her in France.
Next up is a book I bought while in New York, which I started reading during all the evacuation chaos: Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life. He goes through every room in his house and gets into the history of every aspect of home life. Sounds boring, right? Wrong. This book is fascinating, and at times funny, and I learned tons of cool stuff.
Favorite reread: This was a light reread year for me—only 6 books! How far I've come from the girl who had limited access to libraries and reread her favorite books every summer. I read Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern series, starting with the lovely The Goose Girl, early this summer. I moved into a new house, new neighborhood, new ward in June, and while this was a much needed and welcome change, starting anything new is stressful. Something familiar, particularly a fun, well-written YA fantasy series, was the comfort food I needed as I unwound at the end of each day.
It was a very different reading experience this time. I didn't relate to the characters on the same level I did in my early 20s because I've, thankfully, conquered most of my adolescent fears. But the best books always have more to give. Which is why I'm certain this won't be the last time I read these books.
Book I want to reread: I totally made up this category at the last minute so I could talk about this book: Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik. Everyone is talking about this one, and for good reason: it's practically perfect in every way. It's loosely based on the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale and everything about it is, well, close to perfection—the world building, the characters, the writing. If you read Uprooted and were underwhelmed like I was, this one should do it for you.
Best new author: I found some great new authors this year, most of whom I've found a way to talk about in this blog. But one of the best was Laini Taylor, author of Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares. If you're not big on romance or beautiful prose you might not care for these, but both of these books kept me entranced. Time ceased to exist whenever I got lost in this unique, beautifully crafted world. I definitely lost sleep over these, in the best possible way.
Best cover: My reading year was bookended by two books in Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy, The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower. (I can't believe I read them in the same year. It feels like I read The Bear and the Nightingale in another age.) I love a good winter setting, and when I saw the cover for The Bear and the Nightingale I bought the book, no questions asked. Even better, the books are great, so I don't have to be mad about being deceived. (This didn't work out so well for the other book I bought for the cover, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.)
I suppose, just this once, I'll include the cover images so you can ogle over them too.
Best title: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson. With a title like that, how could you not open up this book? This 100-year-old man lived quite the life, but I was never sure what to make of it. Was I amused? Disturbed? Bored? Inspired? Somebody else go read this book and then come talk to me.
Book I can't stop recommending: 11/22/63. This was almost by pick for favorite fiction. If you're a Stephen King fan but haven't read this yet, READ IT NOW. If you're not a fan of horror but are wondering why Stephen King is such a big deal, READ IT NOW. If you simply need a good book to read, READ IT NOW. If you're intimidated by the length—well, you should know what to do by now. This guy can write, and he's got the brain of a storyteller. I haven't been this blown away by a novel in quite some time.
*I should probably mention that this book has a lot of profanity and a few graphic scenes. I tend to avoid both if I can, but this is one of those cases where it was totally worth it to step outside my comfort zone.
Most relevant today: Beartown, by Frederik Backman. If you think Frederik Backman is all about charming stories about grumpy old guys, then you'll be in for a shock with Beartown. Totally different tone, but excellent for entirely different reasons. It's about a town that's obsessed with hockey, but it's not a sports book. I read this while all the Brett Kavanaugh stuff was going on and the parallels are eerie. It's a great way to study the #MeToo movement from multiple angles and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It should be required reading.
Best escape: Convention week is the time I need escaping from my life more than any other, so I started the week prepared with some books I've been meaning to read for a while: The Selection series by Keira Cass (book 3, The One, was my favorite). Will these books change the world? No. Are they complete and total fluff? Yes. But these types of books are still a crucial part of my reading regimen. Sometimes you just need effortless entertainment, something shallow to look forward to when real life has become a test of endurance. People who create these kinds of escapes are doing a noble work.
Funniest book: Calypso, by David Sedaris. This collection is a little more somber and reflective than Sedaris' usual fare, but there's still plenty of laughs to go around. One of my favorite essays is "Stepping Out," which chronicles his Fitbit obsession in hilarious and highly relatable fashion. After that the Fitbit shows up in a few essays as a fun little in joke, including the one where he's dying of gastronomical distress. Gotta get those steps in, man.
Book that made me feel emotions: Educated, by Tara Westover. This book doesn't really qualify as "saddest book," so I had to amend the category name a bit. At times it is sad, but mostly it's disturbing and frustrating. And mind-boggling and inspiring. This is a wonderfully written book about some sensitive topics, one that actually lived up to the hype for me.
Most intriguing premise: The Dinner List, by Rebecca Serle. We've all been asked this question: If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be? This book is a novelization of that question. And one of the dinner guests is Audrey Hepburn! I wasn't so sure about the premise at first, but I ended up really loving this book.
Book that enhanced my world view: An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones. This is the story of how a wrongful prison sentence affected a marriage. It's not a sensational prison story, but one that focuses on what journalists don't cover. How prison changes relationships and puts a stain on your day-to-day life. How it changes all the little things, as well as the big ones. I didn't find much to relate to in this novel, but I sure learned a lot from it.
Pleasant surprise: Far Far Away, by Tom McNeal. I picked this up because of Anne Bogel's hearty recommendation on her wonderful podcast, What Should I Read Next. I would not have bothered with it otherwise because it sounds like a really weird book, but the risk paid off in a big way. All I'll say about it is that it's YAish and fairy-tale-ish. If either of those categories are up your alley at all, don't read any of the book summaries. Just dive right in and enjoy.
Biggest disappointment: Bridge of Clay, by Markus Zusak. My most disappointing reads tend to be by authors I love. The Book Thief is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time (counting the Harry Potter series as one book, of course), and I loved I Am the Messenger, too, though it's quite different. Bridge of Clay isn't a bad book—I gave it 4 stars—but the way it was constructed made it a far more frustrating reading experience than it needed to be. Some parts were absolutely beautiful and affected me in trademark Markus Zusak fashion (emotions that hit so suddenly and deeply you feel like you'll never recover), but it was just a hard book to read, functionally. That's what made this book so disappointing—that the structure overshadowed the greatness. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading anything by Zusak—I'd read his grocery list, given the chance—but even two weeks after finishing this one, I'm relieved it's not the book waiting for me on my nightstand.
Bookish treasure: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This book is told through letters, putting the British wit and humor I love so much on full display. It takes place right after World War II, which gives it a darker tone, but every page is utterly delightful. This was the book I was reading on my birthday, which seems appropriate.
Also, I have yet to say that title correctly on my first try. Makes it kind of hard to recommend to people, but the wonky title is part of its charm, so...
Book I'd like to see as a movie: The Christmas Sisters, by Sarah Morgan. Full disclosure: I watched a lot of Christmas romance movies this year, some of which I loved, some of which were deeply unsatisfying and I will never admit to wasting time on. But this story has a lot more to offer than just Hallmark cliches. It's got the snow (in Scotland, no less!), the inn, and the hunky boyfriends to get you started. But with the added dynamic of complicated sister relationships and more fleshed-out characters, this movie could have some depth so you don't feel like you just overdosed on b-level sugar cookies.
Book I'd love to live in: The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I'll house-sit Bag-End while Bilbo's off adventuring. #DreamVacation
Book I don't want to live in: The Shining, by Stephen King. Reading this book didn't scare the bejeezus out of me like it seems to do most people, but I'm in no hurry to visit the Overlook Hotel in person. I'm still scarred by that time a mirror fell on me mere minutes after watching The Haunting—no way would I recover from a crazy person pounding on my bathroom door with a roque mallet.
Favorite character: Claire from Love Walked In, by Marisa de los Santos. I loved this book (and the next one) for a lot of reasons, Claire being one of the main ones. She's the kind of friend I want to have, and the kind of friend I want to be. She's smart, funny, doesn't take any crap from anyone, and is completely comfortable being her own unique self. It was refreshing to read a literary chick lit book about a single 30something who isn't bitter about life—stories like that are in short supply.
All the 2018 books (bolded titles are more standouts I didn't get to talk about):
- Illegal, John Dennehy
- The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden
- The Chicken Who Saved Us: The Remarkable Story of Andrew and Frightful, Kristin Jarvis Adams
- Furies of Calderon, Jim Butcher
- Kiss Me Again, Paris, Renate Stendhal
- Ape Mind, Old Mind, New Mind: Emotional Fossils and the Evolution of the Human Spirit, John Wylie
- And These Are the Good Times: A Chicago Gal Riffs on Death, Sex, Life, Dancing, Writing Wonder, Loneliness, Place, Family, Faith, Coffee, and the FBI, Patricia Ann McNair
- Academ's Fury, Jim Butcher
- The Forgetting Tree: A Rememory, Rae Paris
- Pointing Is Rude: One Father's Story of Autism, Adoption, and Acceptance, Digger O'Brien
- Get to Be Happy: Stories and Secrets to Loving the Sh*t Out of Life, Ted Larkins
- Cursor's Fury, Jim Butcher
- Captain's Fury, Jim Butcher
- Princeps' Fury, Jim Butcher
- First Lord's Fury, Jim Butcher
- By the Book, Julia Sonneborn
- The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah
- Revelations in Context, various
- A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman
- Joy in the Morning, Betty Smith
- All the Little Live Things, Wallace Stegner
- The Forgetting Time, Sharon Guskin
- Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America, Steve Almond
- The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared, Jonas Jonasson
- Every Heart a Doorway, Seanan McGuire
- Strange the Dreamer, Laini Taylor
- 11/22/63, Stephen King
- Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book, Jenifer Donnelly
- Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple
- Magic Hour, Kristin Hannah
- Rain: A Natural and Cultural History, Cynthia Barnett
- This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, Ann Patchett
- My Name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout
- Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
- Recapitulation, Wallace Stegner
- An American Marriage, Tayari Jones
- The Goose Girl, Shannon Hale
- Enna Burning, Shannon Hale
- River Secrets, Shannon Hale
- Forest Born, Shannon Hale
- My Life in France, Julia Child
- The Last Anniversary, Liane Moriarty
- Outline, Rachel Cusk
- Love Walked In, Marisa de los Santos
- Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik
- Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude, Stephanie Rosenbloom
- Far Far Away, Tom McNeal
- The Selection, Kiera Cass
- The Elite, Kiera Cass
- The One, Kiera Cass
- The Heir, Kiera Cass
- The Crown, Kiera Cass
- Happily Ever After, Kiera Cass
- The Dinner List, Rebecca Serle
- Aesop's Illustrated Fables, Aesop
- The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
- Uncommon Type: Some Stories, Tom Hanks
- At Home: A Short History of Private Life, Bill Bryson
- Beartown, Fredrik Backman
- Educated, Tara Westover
- To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Jenny Han
- The Mountain Between Us, Charles Martin
- The Shining, Stephen King
- Muse of Nightmares, Laini Taylor
- P.S. I Still Love You, Jenny Han
- Always and Forever, Lara Jean, Jenny Han
- Belong to Me, Marisa de los Santos
- Clock Dance, Anne Tyler
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards
- Skyward, Brandon Sanderson
- The Mansion, Henry Van Dyke
- The Christmas Sisters, Sarah Morgan
- Bridge of Clay, Markus Zusak
- Calypso, David Sedaris
- The Girl in the Tower, Katherine Arden
- The Deal of a Lifetime, Fredrik Backman
- The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
- Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination, J.K. Rowling
- Tam Lin, Pamela Dean
Previous years:
2017
2017
