As I said before, I love the New Year and making resolutions. And the one I consistently make every year is my Goodreads Challenge. (If you haven’t yet discovered Goodreads, it’s a social site where you can track your reading, read reviews, discover new books, and connect with your fellow bookworms.) I love the tracker Goodreads provides for the reading challenge–nothing beats a progress bar to help you visualize your goals.
Every year, I set myself a very high standard, usually 50 books (!) and for the last few years, I have not met those goals. It was easy for me in college, because I was constantly reading for my literature classes, as well as for pleasure, but once I graduated and went out into the real world of adulting (i.e. working in retail and worrying about student loans) I started losing my hunger for books.
Does this happen to you? When I’m stressed, I lose all willpower to do anything besides watch Netflix. I can’t muster up the energy to read a book, go running, or even play a board game for an hour. Then I feel even more stressed, because when I neglect the things I love to do, I feel like I’m just living to work instead of working to live. Logically, I know that if I make time for my hobbies, I feel better, but it can be hard for that part of my brain to win out when I’ve just worked a 10 hour shift on a holiday weekend while everyone else is enjoying a barbecue.
This last year, however, I decided to take it easy on myself. I cut my goal number down to 25 books in 2018. This has proven to be much more manageable, although I still have to read 4 books in the next month, so I might fall short a tiny bit. Still, goals are supposed to inspire us, not remind us that we’re failures. Even if I don’t reach 25 books, I’ve already surpassed my 2017 reading tally, which was 14. Progress!
So, here are my top 5 books that I read this year. Maybe you’ll see something on this list that inspires your own 2019 reading challenge.
My Top 5 Books In 2018
1. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting You Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, by Jen Sincero
You may have seen this book, or probably even read it, seeing as how it came out in 2013. Sincero can be a little woo-woo at times, but I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. After spending 4 years hating my job, I decided I was done. I devoured Sincero’s book, lit incense daily, and thanked the Universe for the job it was sending me. And you know what? It worked. I leapt into the void, cashed out my vacation hours to be able to focus on interviews, and found the perfect job, all in less than a month. Now I work steady hours, I’m basically designing my own job, and I have a boss who doesn’t expect me to come to work during a snowpocalypse. Say what you want about this book, I’m a believer that you can manifest your own future.
2. Lethal White, by Robert Galbraith
Being the massive Potterhead that I am (and proud!), of course I’m a huge fan of J. K. Rowling’s private detective series, published under the pseudonym, Robert Galbraith. Many of her fans were disappointed with her first non-Harry Potter book, The Casual Vacancy, but I think that’s mostly because we were all desperate for another adventure at Hogwarts. (By the way, if you haven’t read it, The Casual Vacancy is subtly beautiful and brilliant.) The Cormoran Strike series, however, is something that I think any of her fans–or anyone else who loves a good mystery–would enjoy. This series has the same traits that made her books so timeless: clever writing, multi-dimensional characters, adventure, and mystery. Without fail, I never see the ending coming, and Lethal White was no exception. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, I highly recommend it.
3. Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty
I know, I know, once again I’m late to the party. I moved to a new city this past summer, and for a week I had to commute almost 4 hours a day before the lease started on my new apartment. So I went to my local library to check out their selection of audiobooks and found this one. Guys! It blew my mind. I love the women in these books, and their complex lives, and I love that Moriarty makes you think, “What would I do if that were me?” Most of all, I love the insane level of suspense she manages to build. There were several times when I found myself sitting in my car after a long day, unable to go inside because I just had to know what happened next. There have been plenty of best-sellers that I felt didn’t live up to the hype (I was one of the many people searching unsuccessfully for a Gone Girl fix). But this one is definitely worth your time.
4. Circe, by Madeline Miller
This one was different from my usual reads, but it was on the recommended shelf at my local bookstore so I picked it up. I’ve never really been into Greek myths, but I did read The Odyssey and The Illiad in middle school, so I had some familiarity with the stories Miller weaves into her novel. This book elegantly subverts the male-focused Greek myths, and focuses instead on the often-neglected women of these tales. We see Circe struggle with her own power in a world where everyone is trying to crush her spirit. Miller reminds us that history is written by the successors, and that every “villain” has a story to tell.
5. Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I picked it up mostly out of nostalgia, and because I was looking for a quick read. Cantero takes a familiar story–a gang of teenagers and a dog solve mysteries in a small town–and smashes it together with the twisted, mind-warping world of H. P. Lovecraft. This one is definitely for my fellow geeks, but it’s a fun ride. I love anything that takes a dark twist on a childhood classic. I was most impressed by the characterization of Tim the Weimaraner. Unlike his cartoon inspiration, Tim doesn’t talk, and yet he’s still a key player, not just a pointless sidekick. On the surface, it’s a silly story, and at times over-dramatic, but Cantero works enough meatiness into the plot to keep you wanting more. Plus, the cover glows in the dark!
So those are my top 5 reads this year. Honorable mention goes to V. E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic, which I’m sure would have made the list except I haven’t finished reading it yet!
What was your favorite read this year?
The Fictional Chef 