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I’ve  read  115  books  (so far) in 2018.

I didn’t even set a goal for myself on Goodreads because I thought that with my move to Alaska and J’s new job I might not have time to read much. Turns out it was the best year for reading that I’ve ever had!!

This year I stayed on as a Book of the Month Club ambassador, became a Harper Books ambassador, and joined the 21st century by adding the Kindle app to my iPad and joining NetGalley.

I discovered that my favorite type of had a genre. And a name! Up Lit.  A genre with kindness at its core. Books about everyday heroism, human connection and love.

It was a banner year for reading.

Narrowing that number above down to my favorite few is really, really hard. So hard that I’ve been working on this post longer than I want to admit.

Before I share this list I want to tell you a few things.

Qualifiers

*These books are in no particular order.

*I’m not limiting myself to a “top 10” or “top 5”. I just chose all of the books that I loved and I’m still thinking about.

*They cover all topics and don’t all fit in the same mold. I am NOT a snobby reader and I don’t discriminate. I believe that a good “chick lit” type read can be just as satisfying as a New York Times Book Review top 10 read.

*All of these books were not written or published in 2018. But I read all of them in 2018.

*We don’t all have the same tastes and that’s what makes the world AWESOME. Just because I loved these books doesn’t mean you will like them at all. You don’t have to tell me if you hated a book I loved. I mean… you can, but it’s not necessary.

I would not have found any of these books without:

1. Goodreads
2. The public library
3. Book of the Month Club
4. Audible

 

This year also includes an ARC that I was able to read thanks to a sweet bookworm friend.

Here is how I made this list. I looked through my Goodreads Read in 2018 shelf.  I found all of the five star reads and then looked through them for the ones that still evoke an emotional response in me.  The ones I still think about (every day for many of them). These are the books on the list below.

That’s the best way I know how to describe when I truly loved a book. Even if it wasn’t perfect, it will stick with me.

Enjoy!!!

 

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My Favorites

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

I still think about this one ALL.THE.TIME. That’s why it’s at the top of the list.

Original Review: It’s going to take my heart awhile to recover from this book. I spent some time telling Jimmy all about it this morning and i cried the entire time. I won’t ever forget it. It made me spend a good long time examining my heart and my tendency to judge and condemn without knowing the full story. Absolutely shattering. My measure of a good book is how it makes me FEEL and whether i think about it often after i finish.

 

Daisy Jones & The Six   by Taylor Jenkins Reid (release date 3/5/19)

This is the ARC I read so keep this one on your radar. It’s no secret that TJR is my favorite author and it’s a given that I’ll love everything she writes. Side note: If you didn’t read Evidence of the Affair this year, read that one too. My favorite thing about TJR is that I am obsessed with all of her books and they are all so DIFFERENT.  From 1950’s Hollywood to a marriage in the late 1970’s to modern day love  to the biggest rock band of the 70’s…Taylor writes about it all and you will fall in love every single time.

This book is NOT a topic I’d usually be drawn to ( late 60’s/70’s music scene) but oh man did I devour it. It’s absolute magic and that’s all I can say about that. 

 

 

 

Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen

Harry’s Trees is magical and romantic and quirky and weird. In the best freaking way possible I just didn’t want it to end!!! The way that Jon Cohen writes his characters (even the less than desirable ones) makes you fall in love with them. I was totally lost in his whimsical world.

 

 

All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

Original Review: I absolutely loved this book. Adored it, was consumed by it, fell in love with the characters. Just like It Ends with Us explored the heavy issue of abuse , this one deals with the heartbreaking struggles of infertility. I read the last few pages of the book while smiling and crying. I just think Colleen Hoover is absolute magic

 

 

The Lido by Libby Page

Remember how I talked about Up Lit? This is the prime example. It was heartwarming. Put plainly? It made me feel good. It was a lovely tale of loneliness and love and the power of community. Please read it, you’ll love it. 

 

Something Like Happy by Eva Woods

Another great Up Lit pick! Oh I love being reminded of the good in this world.

Original Review: Oh my heart. I adored this book. I knew right away that i would. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I read Ove, Rosie, Arthur, Lillian, and Eleanor. This read will warm your heart and make you fall in love with the characters.

 

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

Another beautifully affirming story of love and friendship and human connection. 

 

Notes from a Public Typewriter by Michael Gustafson and Oliver Uberti

Original Review: Oh my heart. I did NOT expect to cry during a book about a typewriter in a bookstore. But here I am with tears still in my eyes. What a precious jewel of a book.

 

 

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Original Review: I don’t want to give anything away so let me just say I’m absolutely in love with this book. I read it in just a few hours and had happy tears running down my face by the last page. Just a beautiful story. And the chemistry is unbelievable. Please let there be a sequel!

 

 

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

Sweet and romantic combined with pretty heavy content. At times you have to suspend disbelief, but my goodness is this a wonderful love story. 

 

Far From the Tree by Robin Benway

Original Review:A. I just finished this book in the carpool line and now I think the school staff officially thinks I’m nuts because I was crying so much.  B. You shut your mouth if you even THINK about telling me you don’t read YA. Read this book NOW. C. I was adopted as a baby and I can’t even tell you how this book affected me. It’s absolutely amazing. It made my heart FEEL so much and profoundly touched me and made my heart ache in the best possible way- both as a mother and as an adoptee. 

 

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan

So so so so good. Heart achingly good and magical and deeply sad and profoundly beautiful.  “Tell me more” I’ve said tell me more and that must be hard to my preteen daughters no less than a dozen times this week. It works. “I know” made me sob. “No” made me nod my head and yell “amen”. “Yes” made me laugh and “I was wrong” broke my heart and convicted me.  “I love you” I read out loud to my husband and had to pause several times due to both tears and sobs.  “Onward” absolutely gutted and eviscerated me. I wept all the way through and could barely see the pages.

Just read this. You won’t be sorry.

 

 

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Emotional, rough, and important. It’s very timely and something that was important for me to not only read, but closely pay attention to. 

 

 

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Original Review:  read this one in a matter of hours. I stayed up WAY too late. I couldn’t stop. This book has me both excited and terrified to move to Alaska- in equal measures. Alaska isn’t just the setting in this novel- it’s one of the main characters. Fascinating, gripping, heartbreaking, heartwarming,and haunting – not a book I’ll soon forget. Kristin Hannah… you’ve done it again.

 

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Oh my goodness I loved this book… I actually started listening to it on audible and then had to purchase it so I could read it faster.
It is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story and I cannot believe this is based on history I knew nothing about.The love of sisters is the best.

 

OH MY GOODNESS. I cannot even BELIEVE that I finally finished this post, hahaha! Should I admit how proud I am of myself?

Hope you enjoyed this post and maybe even found a new book to love!

Happy Reading,

xoxo

S