2018 was a record reading year for me – I finished 42 books! There are many reasons for that, but I also have to give credit to my Kindle. I’m two years in to life with a Kindle, and as a former skeptic I have to admit it has helped me increase my reading.

I had a number of favorites this year, and a few I got through just to finish! I hope you find something below to inspire you! And I will always take recommendations (or arguments for why I am wrong!).

Favorites:

A Tangled Mercy

A random Amazon Unlimited find that was a delightful surprise! The history buff in me loved the historical mystery aspect, and going back in time to the characters ancestors, though painful at times seeing the devastation of society with an economy centered around slavery, was very interesting. Great characters as well with a redemptive conclusion.

Truly, Madly, Guilty

I got on a Lynne Moriarty kick this year; this was my first and favorite of hers. The suspense of the “great event the story centers around but you don’t learn the details till the end” was fascinating. The characters were so real and endearing in their own quirky ways.

How to Walk Away

Loved this debut book by newcomer author Katherine Center. I literally couldn’t put it down and finished it in one day. I don’t want to give it away but sometimes it’s nice to have a good, and “real” read that still makes you feel satisfied and inspired at the end. Great characters with interesting conversations and reflections on life; don’t let the plane crash at the beginning scare you away! Definitely a good beach or ski lodge read, but with substance.

The Great Alone

I discovered why this book is so popular and I had to wait for weeks for the library e-book to become available for Kindle – I couldn’t put it down. An epic coming of age tale set in the pioneering world of a remote Alaskan village in the 1970s, I really enjoyed the robust characters and being taken to a world I know little about.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky

Absolutely fascinating true story from the Italian front in World War II, which I, and most people, know little about. Listening to on Audible, the story of Nino Pinello came alive, with his daring missions to help Jewish families escape danger, as well as his undercover spy. It is a beautiful story of a young man coming of age during a traumatic time in world history, filled with courage, love, and heartbreak.

A Man Called Ove

I’d also particularly recommend listening to this one, as the curmudgeonly yet faithful Ove comes alive through Audible. It is a thoughtful and creative look at aging, community, and the value of life. EVERYONE matters.

Just a little reading in a chapel on a hillside in Cinque Terre, Italy:

Least Favorites:

How Should a Person Be

If this is what a popular millennial author/book is supposed to be, no thanks. I almost stopped reading at times…very meandering, and a frustrating and foul main character.

Annihilation

This was popular on the charts, but I just didn’t quite get it, and seemed to miss the explanation. I enjoy dystopian lit, but this just didn’t make sense to me and was a bit boring.

Artemis

This was the first Andy Weir novel I had read, and friends and family in science careers recommended to me. I enjoyed the movie take on The Martian, but I struggled getting through this…perhaps you have to be really into science? The technical details were a bit much/boring for me, and I found the main character to just be annoying and hard to root for.

Gone Girl

I’m a few years behind on this one, but I felt angry at the end of Gillian Flynn’s blockbuster. Yes it was a page turner…I don’t want to give too much away, but the character development was too hard to follow and deceptive for me to understand the story’s arc and the characters’ motives.

Hunt for a Red October

I of course love this classic movie (who doesn’t?) and I wanted to read the book prior to the new Jack Ryan Amazon Prime series. It was certainly interesting at some points, but overall, the technical details slowed me down so I could never quite get into the flow of this. I didn’t feel like I could quite get to know the characters; although the Cold War history and the psychology beyond the Soviet dissidents was interesting.

Classics:

With 2018 being the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, I wanted to read a few books about the Great War. These were heartbreaking and moving. 100 years ago and yet people, war, tragedy, and trauma – it’s still the same.

• Farewell to Arms

• All Quiet on the Western Front

Self-Help/Educational:

Perhaps I will write more about these later! The latter two on the Enneagram – wish I had discovered a long time ago! Highly recommend. You might hate it, but you might love it.

• Power of Habit

• Road Back to You

• The Sacred Enneagram