Books of 2018

Back in 2015 I set a goal to read 12 books in 12 months. I really wanted to pick back up the hobby and habit of reading. That set me rolling on my reading and ever since I haven't stopped. I've since joined a book club that also keeps my book list flowing. Here are the reads that I accomplished during 2018. 

Swimming Lessons By Claire Fuller: An interesting story line. A page turner overall. 

Long Way Home By Saroo Brierley: This book was turned into the movie Lion. I didn't see the movie, but I actually think for once the movie might be better then the book in this case. This true story was quite compelling, but the writing isn't as compelling. The emotions don't quite catch as much as I think the movie does. 

Beartown By Fredirck Backman: I enjoyed the middle of this book, but really didn't like the beginning and the end of it. It touched on some interesting topics about what living in a small town is like and politics of what that could be like. 

Sourdough By Robin Sloan: I adored this corky book! It certainly makes you dream of sourdough, so much that this GF gal had to get her own gf sourdough starter! Sadly, the starter is still sitting in it's package waiting for attention. The ending was a bit off, but overall a very fun read.

The Painter of Signs By R.K. Narayan: The cool thing about being in a book club is that I read books that I wouldn't normally pick up. This book fits in that category for sure! I would say it fits in the classic genre. It read like a classic to me, but was an interesting story about relationships and the Indian culture. 

Today Will Be Different By Maria Semple: I loved this book! I really enjoyed the transformation of the character. 

Lilac Girls By Martha Hall Kelly: I would normally tell you that war stories aren't my thing, but this book changed my opinion on that. Such amazing insight into the world of WWII. I remember being in Montana, visiting a friend, the very 1st week of summer break and staying up late reading this. A page turner, one that I couldn't put down. Very rich in history. 

Born a Crime By Trevor Noah: This might have been my least favorite book of the year. A true story, that had some interesting bits to it, but overall I just didn't enjoy the read. 

This Is How It Always Is By Laurie Frankel: I LOVED this book! A very interesting tale (though based on some real life aspects as well as locations in the Seattle area) about transgender. A young boy and his families choices as he becomes a girl. 

The Woman in the Window By A.J. Finn: A thriller that was an easy read with a handful of shocking turns. An enjoyable easy read that will have you shaking your head. 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine By Gail Honeyman: A sweet love story. Another book that I really loved. 

The Alice Network By Kate Quinn: It took me 3 tries to get into this book. Another WWI story that I just didn't think I could do. I kept at it and finally got to the point that I couldn't put it down. It ended up being the slowest, longest book that I almost didn't like this year, but in the end really enjoyed the read and am glad that I stuck with it. 

Dashing Through The Snow By Debbie Macomber: I decided in December to embrace my love to cheesy Christmas stories. A friend lead me in the direction of this author and ended up blowing through a handful of her stories like they were candy. Which they really are, but they are perfect for some easy light hearted Christmas season reading. 

Twelve Days of Christmas By Debbie Macomber: More Christmas candy.

Merry and Bright By Debbie Macomber: And more Christmas candy. 

Christmas on Candy Lane By Sheila Roberts: This book started the Christmas book trend this year. I like this new Christmas book tradition I started this year. 

The Giver By Lois Lowry: I stumbled into this series at the beginning of the year. I had never heard of it and was surprised to learn that it's a common book read in middle school these days. I ended up reading the whole series which includes: Gathering Blue, Messenger and Son. I liked the 1st book the best and found that the last book didn't quite wrap it up for me as I would have liked. A really interesting series about communities. 


That puts me at a total of 20 books for 2018. I think there may have been a few others that I may have forgotten. My goal is to keep better track in 2019.