One of my goals for 2019 was less Netflix and more reading. That was all great until I watched the Golden Globes last Sunday and added four television shows and four movies to my TBW (to be watched) list. Then I had dinner with my parents and my aunt, and I added yet another series to watch plus a Youtube channel to follow.
I didn’t come here to talk about TV, though, so let’s discuss what I read this year. I have been keeping a running list of books I’ve read since 2015. I average one book a month, give or take a few, and I’d like to attempt to read a few more than that this year. We’ll see next year if I accomplished that goal. One way that really helps me do this is audiobooks. I use the Overdrive app on my phone. It connects to our local public library, and you can listen to (or read) the latest releases for free! If you want to listen to one, hurry and get on the waiting list. I’m on the waiting list for Michelle Obama’s memoir and am number 83 on a list of only four or five copies. I’ll get it at the end of the year…or next. Ha! The Overdrive app helped me tackle six of the thirteen books I read this year, so I highly recommend this means of getting books.
Let’s get to the list. As I mentioned before, thirteen books made my list for 2018, and I enjoyed all but one of them. And the only reason I say I didn’t enjoy it is because I can’t remember it. It was an audiobook, and it clearly made no lasting impression. We’ll start with that one and end on a high note later.
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted and Other Small Stories of Liberation– Elizabeth Berg
I remember thinking, “Well, that sounds lovely. Who doesn’t want to eat whatever they want?” I do remember the part about her eating what she wanted. Just random things that she never ate due to their health factor or their caloric number, but that’s about it. I don’t remember any of the other small stories or why she decided to eat whatever she wanted that day. Hmm… And that’s why I don’t recommend this one. Next.
This book had been on my radar for quite a while. I am a subscriber to the Buzzfeed Books newsletter and always read up on so many books which makes my TBR (to be read) list grow on the daily. I also follow several “bookstagramers” on Instagram, and I got plenty of information and reviews on Crazy Rich Asians from them. The story is great, and one of my favorite things was the description of all the beautiful things: the homes, the fashion, the jewelry, the scenery. I’ve never been to Singapore or any of the other islands they visit in the book, but everything is described to perfection. You won’t have to think too hard to visualize everything that’s happening. Because of this, I knew I wanted to see the movie. It would put the story onto a very colorful screen, and to my delight, it did just that. The people, clothes, Singapore, and the homes are gorgeous. The wedding scene- in the book it was great. I could imagine it, but when I watched it, it was even better. I teared up. And girls, I even got Paul to watch it with me, and though he looked on his phone most of the time, he was into it and even said how funny it was. (Movie night!) I’m still trying to decide if I want to read the other two books in the series. I enjoyed the book, but I didn’t feel that feeling of “I can’t put this down”. Has anyone read all three? Worth it? Or wait for another pretty movie?
The Magnolia Story– Chip and Joanna Gaines
Truth be told, I read the book in 2017. But I was on some kind of Fixer Upper bender and wanted to hear them read the book to me. The Overdrive app showed me that The Magnolia Story was available at my library, so I took two afternoons to listen to Chip and Jojo read me their story. I’m always inspired by them, so I was just enjoying a little more after the marathon of the show was over. It’s a lovely story about their journey to the empire they have built and where it is today. I love the heart and soul that they bring to everything they do. It’s a feel-good story if I’ve ever heard one, and I always recommend everything about them to people. Read it or listen to it for sure.
Behind Closed Doors– B.A. Paris
I loved this book so much. I read it at the beginning of the year, and it sparked a book report/blog post. You can read it here. I don’t like watching scary movies, and sometimes I don’t even want to watch something suspenseful because it puts me on edge. I mean, I just like to relax when I watch TV, so when it comes to picking a book to read, I don’t always go for the scary/thriller genre either. However, as I’m typing this, I’m noticing that four of the thirteen books on this list are indeed thrillers. I still stand by my statement. I don’t gravitate to them, but after they’re over, I always find that I quite enjoyed them. I definitely recommend this one. Go back and read the review I posted a while back then add this book to your TBR list.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo– Taylor Jenkins Reid
I won a three month subscription to the Book of the Month club once. I selected this book as one of the months I had for free. It sat on the shelf for months and months and months until I finally picked it up and started reading. I love old Hollywood, and I knew that I’d be very into this book. And I was. But there is a turn in this story that I never. saw. coming. I’m usually good at figuring out how a story will wrap up. I mean, I am on NCIS, anyway. Not this time. I couldn’t believe where it went. I know I’m being vague. I have to because it will spoil everything. But y’all, whoa. Totally did not see the twist coming. I thought it was a heart-wrenching story of true love. It had tons of ups and downs and twists and turns and lots of juicy drama. I don’t think it’s for everyone, but I enjoyed it. If you want more info on it as to why it’s not for everyone, though I’ll essentially have to spoil it for you, send me a message on Instagram or something. I’ll tell you all the things. 🙂
Girl, Wash Your Face– Rachel Hollis
I jumped on this bandwagon so fast. I was hearing tons of positive reviews about it. I joined a book club in 2018, and this was one of our books. I really liked it. Rachel Hollis is a master motivator. She has it all together mentally. I mean, the woman can make herself do anything because she has a strong will and must be kind of hard-headed to be able to put her mind to something and accomplish it so fiercely. I appreciate that about her. I was definitely inspired by this book, and I feel as though I’ll pick it up time and time again as my life changes with age and circumstances. If you’re into bettering yourself in this new year, then you should read Girl, Wash Your Face. Coming up from the Hollises: Boy, Wash Your Face (for the guys by her husband, Dave) and Girl, Stop Apologizing. I think that one will be good, too.
The Couple Next Door– Shari Lapena
The second thriller on the list was another audiobook. I kept seeing things about this one on Instagram, and I’m telling you, when you see that a book you want to read is available on this app, you better get it or else you’ll be put on a waiting list if it’s not available the next time you log on. I went for it when I saw it, and it was quite crazy. Crazy in the crazy way. Like, these folks are crazy. It was very interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat. It seemed to go quickly, but maybe that was just because I couldn’t stop listening. It’s about a couple who’s baby goes missing and their journey to finding it. So. Good. And crazy. 🙂
I read this book over Christmas break, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have been a fan of Dan Brown since The Di Vinci Code. This story follows the same character, Robert Langdon, this time in Spain. I have to say that I am so thankful for Google while I read Dan Brown books because I am constantly wanting to know what a piece of art looks like or what a building looks like. I learned a lot about museums in Spain and also about pieces of art that hang in the museums there. It was a crazy ride of a story that I didn’t want to put down. He is always such a captivating writer, and I love that his short chapters always end with a cliff-hanger. I don’t know how he does it for, like, 90+ chapters. He’s an uber talent, and I will always read his books. Especially if they’re about Robert Langdon.
Something in the Water– Catherine Steadman
This was my second favorite thriller of the year. I knew that it was going to be good because it was one of Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club picks. I chose to do this as an audiobook because I’d been on a waiting list for quite some time for it. I really enjoyed the story, the suspense, the twists, and the turns. I totally figured out the twist early on, though. (I told y’all I was good.) Must have missed my calling as a detective. 🙂 Despite the fact that I figured out the big twist, I really loved the book. It was extremely well-written, kept my interest the whole time, and I got lost in the story. I was talking to my phone at one point because I was yelling at the main character. It was really a good one, and I highly recommend it.
All We Ever Wanted– Emily Giffin
Have y’all read Emily Giffin? She wrote one of my favorite books, The One and Only. And she’s written lots more like Something Borrowed (that was turned into a movie with Kate Hudson), Something Blue, Heart of the Matter, etc. All We Ever Wanted is her latest book, and it speaks so much to our world today. It’s about how young people and their parents are having to learn to navigate the digital age that we live in. It was pretty powerful at times, and I liked how she wrote from the perspective of the parents and the children that are involved in the incident. Highly recommend it to parents of teens. Not sure if it’s appropriate for young teens, but eighteen and up for sure.
First Comes Love– Emily Giffin
This was the book she wrote before All We Ever Wanted. I must have downloaded the eBook six times from the Overdrive app before I finally committed to reading it. I always started it, but it was never a good time for me to get into it and see it through. When I finally did, I discovered it was a sweet story about sisters with totally real moments of family drama and sibling rivalry. I enjoyed it a lot. Giffin is a really great author that tells fantastic stories in a way that is light and heavy in all the best ways. Give this one a go.
Way back in December of 2017 I started this book. I get a little overwhelmed after I’ve been off of work for an extended period of time and then have to go back (like the the two weeks after Christmas break). Basically, I forget how to adult. I say this to say that I didn’t pick this book back up for a good bit into the new year. But when I did, I didn’t want to put it down. It’s no surprise she has so many great shows under her belt. Shonda is an excellent writer. She’s wonderfully sarcastic and funny, and I related to her a lot. She chose to say yes to everything for one whole year, and it changed her life. I adopted that mentality into certain aspects of my life, mostly in the being more social department, and I made new friends this year because of it! There’s something to Shonda’s saying yes to things.
A Man Called Ove– Fredrik Backman
I think this book was my favorite one of the year. It’s January’s book club pick, but we knew about it in December, so I went ahead and put myself on the (surprisingly) short list on the Overdrive app. My mom read it first, said it was a little slow to begin with, but that it really picked up. I knew I could adjust the speed of the narrator on the audiobook in the app, so that helped the beginning to go just a tad faster. 🙂 She was right, there’s a good bit of background information in the beginning to let you know why Ove is the way he is. I found Ove to be completely endearing and precious, and I loved his “grumpy old man” persona. I laughed out loud countless time, cried a little at the end, and I still haven’t stopped thinking about him. I am telling you, it’s incredible. Please read it. But give it 100 pages or so. It gets so good.
Overall, I’d say it was a pretty good year in books for me. And I’ve already gotten through two this month. TWO IN A MONTH! That’s big for me, y’all. Both have been audiobooks, but that still counts in my opinion. I’m currently working on the third book for the month, but seeing as how it’s got 850 pages and I’m actually reading this one, I’m pretty sure it won’t be finished in the next two weeks.
Do you like to keep a list of the books you’ve read each year? I like to look back and remember what I’ve read and when I read it. It reminds me of what was happening at that point in the year. It’s a nice walk down memory lane. It’s also a great sense of accomplishment to see that I found time to work my literary muscles, and that always makes me feel good.
Now, you must tell me your favorite books from 2018. I don’t care what genre, I just love to read books. Besides, what’s one more added to a TBR list, right? 🙂
