I have had "Books I Read in 2018" on my list of blog posts to write since December. When you read 80 books in a year, writing a recap post can be a daunting and easily avoided task. I can't even imagine the feels if I read 100+ books! Yikes! okay, well, when I put it that way 80 books doesn't feel so daunting. Let's do this!
OVERALL SUMMARY
There are a few overall comments I want to make about books I read in 2018 to clear the air and start straight.
- I didn't achieve ANY of the goals I set for myself at the start of 2018
- No book or books I read in 2018 automatically jump out in my memory
I know I keep saying this, but 2018 was a weird year for me. It messed with my head overall, and many goals and memories didn't seem to stick. Including - apparently - my reading goals. I have moved passed it and reset for 2019 and I am already feeling much more confident. I mean, it could still all turn to shit but at least I'll have January!
As for two, I know I have a terrible memory, but usually there is at least one book that sticks in my brain for whatever reason. Last year, not so much. Don't get me wrong, I read loads of good and great books, but I definitely had to read back through my list to jog my old brain. Every year I make a silent goal - and some years an out loud one - to try and combat that. But it also feels sort of inevitable and a waste of energy to fight it. Maybe this is the year to give in. Maybe.
BREAKDOWN
I love a good, simple bar graph. Here is a quick visual breakdown of the books I read in 2018, noting that some books count more than once, but the author categories are counted only once.
FAVOURITES
I'm not sure I'll be able to pick an overall favourite for the year, but I do have some favourites over a few categories.
Favorite Sci-Fi Fantasy
Nnedi Okorafor > The Binti series has been on my TBR for awhile, and oh BOY I've been missing out! The books are short and to the point, but she packs so much good stuff in there. Great for a younger audience as well.
Golden Age & Other Stories > I love the Temeraire books, but they can start to feel long in the tooth. This short story collection followed all of my fave characters with a fresh perspective.
Seveneves blew my mind.
NK Jemisin > Just give her all the awards forever please. If you enjoy sci fi, she is a must read.
The Library at Mount Char > Holy shit, wtf. The only downside of this book is that it's just the one, and how the hell would you ever find anything like it ever again?
Non-Fiction
New Better Off > I love reading an amazing non-fiction book filled with big ideas, and themes relevant to my One Little Word to start the year off, and this one checked all the boxes.
Men Explain Things to Me > Rebecca Solnit is perfection. I really enjoy her style of feminist writing.
Blood & Earth > This book was tough to read. The subject matter is heavy - slavery and ecocide - but Kevin Bales has a light touch while treating it with the seriousness it deserves.
Like a Mother should be required reading for everyone. We have such a lack of knowledge and confidence in that knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth in our culture, and the medical profession is not making things any better (for the most part).
Fave Short Story Collections
1000 Beginnings & Endings > I may not remember all of the stories individually, but the feelings in the book have stuck with me.
Language of Thorns > Spooky folklore fantasy we've come to expect (and love) from Leigh Bardugo
Other Worlds > Lucas & I listened to this on our road trip. I borrowed it because one of the stories is by an author he likes, but otherwise it was outside of what he usually picks for himself. It generated a lot of great conversations.
Surprise Hits!
The Captain Phasma book was great! I was not expecting to love it so much! (Captain Phasma is the OG badass)
Player of Games > I struggle with a lot of "vintage" science fiction, but this book read like they wrote it yesterday. Terrifying, complicated, and fantastic.
Holes > This is the book that I thought was going to be a horror, but turned out to be a sweet adventure story about unlikely best friends solving a generations-old mystery. I'm trying to get Lucas to read it next.
MOVING FORWARD
If you haven't already checked it out, you can read my 2019 book goals and the start of my book list here. My goals are a continuation of last year's as I still think they are relevant, but I have expanded on them as well. Surprising no one, the majority of my 2018 titles are sci-fi/fantasy (with a couple of horror titles in there for good measure). I am especially on the lookout for non-fiction that aligns with my life goals and am always focused on reading more books by women, LGBTQ, BIPOC, and First Nations authors.
One of my four February Goals is a major "cull" of my digital TBR list - we're talking going from 400+ books to under 100! I'm hopeful that exercise will help me really narrow in on those goals AND be more purposeful in my reading. Nobody wants to read a book they don't like, and while all of these little tactics help with that strategy a loser is bound to sneak in occasionally.
Okay. I've yammered on for long enough. If you wanna talk books, I'm your gal. Leave me a comment here, send me an email, DM on IG or Facebook or Twitter. Um yeah, because I wanna talk books.
FURTHER READING
You can read my full 2018 Book List here, while the new list for 2019 is here.
My Goodreads account is here. I don't update this one as often, but I do keep track of TBRs there.
All of my 2018 reviews and posts about books can be found here.
And I link to a few fun Reading Challenges in this issue of "Lisa Reads the Internet".
And I have linked all of the authors and books in the text above.
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