It’s easy to feel a little disappointed when you don’t reach a goal (or at least it’s easy for me). Last year I set a goal of reading 25 books in 2018 (2 a month plus 1 bonus book). Instead, I read 19 books. Again, I could feel a little disappointed and discouraged that I missed the mark, but really, a goal is meant to motivate. I was motivated to read, and I did read. I read many great, memorable books.
I realize that the number 19 might seem quite low to many of you. Perhaps it seems high to others. I actually feel it’s a little low for me, but I find that although I love to read, because I am a blogger, I read a lot that isn’t found in books. I read other blog posts, website articles, social media posts, etc. It’s part of what I do to connect and grow as a blogger. Because of this, the number of books I read has decreased.
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I didn’t reach my goal, but here are the 19 books I did read in 2018.
Non-fiction
Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller
Meet the Frugalwoods by Elizabeth Willard Thames
One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler
Uninvited (audio) by Lysa Terkeurst
The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile
Fiction
How Sweet the Sound by Amy K. Sorrells
Then Sings My Soul by Amy K. Sorrells (*I just read that this book has a release date of April 2019; I think they must be re-releasing it.)
Beneath the Night Tree by Nicole Baart
Miracle in a Dry Season by Sarah Loudin Thomas
Crenshaw (middle grades, audio) by Katherine Applegate
No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert
Rain, Reign (middle grades) by Ann M. Martin
The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert
A Long Walk to Water (middle grades) by Linda Sue Park
Before We Were Yours (audio) by Lisa Wingate
Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden
Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
My Favorites
I always enjoy reading a mix of nonfiction and fiction. I would highly recommend all the nonfiction books I read this year. If I had to pick favorites, I’d probably choose Meet the Frugalwoods and The Road Back to You.
Choosing fiction is always a little harder for me. I am a highly sensitive reader, so I have to be careful about my reading choices. That being said, I would say about half of the fiction I read did tackle some tough subject areas including: rape, abuse, childhood trauma, racism. I was willing to tackle those important topics even if it was somewhat hard to read. None of the books were so explicit that I couldn’t finish a chapter or the book itself. If I had to pick two favorites, I’d choose Before We Were Yours and Rain, Reign.
A few final thoughts
You’ll almost always find middle grade books on my book list. I was a fifth grade teacher before staying home with my kids, so I am always drawn to these types of books. If you’ve never picked up a middle grade book, I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
I also enjoy audio, so I often pick a few books to listen to each year. I love listening to a few chapters while taking a walk or doing household chores. I generally listen to audio through the Libby app, an app for library ebooks and audiobooks. I’ve also listened through Audible, too. If you haven’t signed up for the 30 day free trial, it’s worth it. You get 2 audiobooks + 2 Audible originals. It’s easy to cancel after the 30 days or continue the service for $14.95/month.
My reading goal for this year is (once again) 25 books. I believe I’ll get there!
What about you? What memorable books did you read in 2018? I’d love to hear your suggestions, so drop a comment below!
Until next time,
Charissa
I loved Before We Were Yours and One Beautiful Dream, will have to try some of your other recommendations!