As I say goodbye to yet another year, I pause to reflect on my literary adventures of 2018. This year, I read 38 books (a few less than last year), but I read a number of gems and discovered new genres I enjoyed, specifically memoirs and nonfiction. I also finished reading through the Harry Potter series -- for the first time! :)
Here's a list of what I read, what I rated them, and a micro overview. I've starred my top ten of the year.
1. Watch for the Light - 3/5 stars - A compilation of essays and sermons relating to Advent and Christmas, some of the selections were better than others.
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 4/5 stars - The one where we find out more about Snape's backstory! :)
3. As Bright as Heaven - 4/5 stars - An enjoyable ARC historical fiction about the Spanish flu in the early 1900s, Philadelphia (thanks for the e-galley, NetGalley!).
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 4/5 stars - The wrap-up of the Harry Potter series -- so glad I finally read them all!
5. Snow Falling on Cedars - 3/5 stars - Historical fiction set in the Pacific Northwest during WWII era and America's fear of the Japanese, including its own citizens. (Interesting historical backdrop, but too explicit for my taste.)
6. *Educated - 4/5 stars - A fascinating memoir of a girl who grew up in an isolated, survivalist Mormon family. (Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!)
7. Surprised by Joy - 4/5 stars - C.S. Lewis' autobiography.
8. Ready Player One - 3/5 stars - A sci-fi dystopia perfect for 80s pop culture fans and computer geeks (it was a little too computer/video-game-y for me).
9. Five Decades: Poems by Pablo Neruda - 4/5 stars - A book of Pablo Neruda's poetry.
10. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001) - 4/5 stars - Not the book I thought it was when I downloaded the audiobook, but still a fun book of Newt Scamander talking about all his magical creatures.
11. *The Road - 4/5 stars - Highly disturbing but equally full of hope, I'm glad I stuck with this post-apocalyptic novel even though it was dark.
12. Celtic Tales - 4/5 stars - A collection of Celtic fairytales.
13. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - 3/5 stars - The screen play. It felt like reading fanfiction, and wasn't as good as the original series.
14. Upstream - 4/5 stars - A collection of Mary Oliver's essays; enjoyable.
15. *Quiet - 5/5 stars - An awesome nonfiction that affirms introverts in a loud, extroverted world.
16. Hillbilly Elegy - 3/5 stars - A memoir about a man and his family in poverty-stricken Kentucky and Ohio.
17. *The Worst Hard Time - 5/5 stars - An outstanding nonfiction about the Dust Bowl.
18. The Gods of Howl Mountain - 3/5 stars - Fictional story about a guy who delivers illegal alcohol shipments during the Prohibition, his family, and the violence in back-country Appalachia.
19. *Made Like Martha - 5/5 stars - Amazing nonfiction for the Martha in the biblical story -- the doer who needs reminding the God is sufficient.
20. Favorite Celtic Fairytales - 3/5 stars - More Celtic fairytales.
21. A River in Darkness - 4/5 stars - A memoir of a man who escaped from North Korea and the horrors he experienced there.
22. Uprooted - 4/5 stars - Fantasy with Russian cultural backdrop (also a subtle retelling of Beauty and the Beast).
23. Oryx and Crake - 3/5 stars - The weirdest dystopian story I've ever read.
24. *Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering - 5/5 stars - Another excellent Timothy Keller book.
25. *Fruit of the Drunken Tree - 4/5 stars - A historical fiction ARC (thanks, NetGalley!) about Columbia in the 90s -- fantastic!
26. *The Bear and the Nightingale - 4.5/5 stars - LOVED this atmospheric fantasy novel steeped in Russian folklore and imagery. (Book 1 of the Winternight Trilogy)
27. The Girl in the Tower - 4/5 stars - (Book 2 of the Winternight Trilogy) Also good, but not as good as the first book in the series.
28. The Underground Railroad - 3/5 stars - Historical fiction re-imagining of slavery in the South.
29. Neverwhere - 4/5 stars - Neil Gaiman's well-written and strange fantasy novel. Very creative.
30. *The Brownsville Butterfly - 5/5 stars - My friend's memoir about growing on in New York and Georgia and all her trials she experienced.
31. Strong as a Mother - 4/5 stars - Nonfiction about taking care of yourself emotionally and psychologically as a mom.
32. *Once Upon a River - 5/5 stars - A stellar and very well-written magic realism story about a dead girl pronounced alive and the mystery surrounding it in rural England.
33. Maid - 4/5 stars - Memoir about a woman forced to raise her daughter in poverty as a single mom while working for a cleaning company.
34. Bittersweet - 4/5 stars - A collection of essays by Shauna Niequist about life and living through difficult times.
35. The Winter of the Witch - 4/5 stars - (Book 3 of the Winternight Trilogy) An enjoyable end to the story.
36. A Christmas Carol - 4/5 stars - Finally read this gem! (Well, my hubby read it to me, but I think that counts.)
37. Prayer - 3.5/5 stars - Another Timothy Keller book. I found it to be too intellectual for what I was looking for.
38. The Great Alone - 4/5 stars - Kristin Hannah's book about a broken family with a violent father learning to live in the cold, unforgiving land of Alaska.
I'm pleased with this year's reads, and am particular glad that I discovered that not all nonfiction is dull and sleep-inducing. I read 15 nonfiction books!
There you have it. Another year in the rear-view mirror, and another road into literary worlds ahead!
Happy reading, friends!
