Last year I started reading regularly but I didn’t start tracking (via a spreadsheet and Goodreads) my books read until this year.
But I did blog about them! So I did a bit of bookkeeping (hee hee) this weekend and went through the “Books” category and logged all my 2018 reads in to Goodreads. I was curious to see how many books I read last year – 32! That’s funny, since I set my first reading goal for this year at 30, thinking it was more than last year. Nope. Ha.
So here are my thoughts on what I read last year, over eight months late. This year’s post will be more on time!
Click to see larger
Amount spent on books in 2018: ~$27 on three books (the rest were from the library, borrowed, or gifts). I have since donated or given those books away. I learned NOT to buy books last year – to borrow them first, then buy them if I want to read them again. (Although I’m not doing well with this now that I have a Kindle – I see a $1 or $2 book and buy it. I’m going to quit that.)
Book that made me realize the dystopian genre is my jam: The Salt Line
Favorite novel of the year: a tie between Station Eleven and Little Fires Everywhere
Novel I recommend to everyone: Little Fires Everywhere
Favorite non-fiction of the year: Let Your Mind Run – I’m so glad that was a gift in hard copy, because I highlighted it and will be reading it again!
Most disappointing read: Endure, a non-fiction book about exercise science that I wanted to love but it was too heavily study-based and didn’t have enough anecdotes for me
Book Club for Two books: Artemis. We need to bring back Book Club for Two! <— what I call it when Steven and I read the same book
Fiction vs Non-Fiction count: 21 / 11
I’m glad I went through this exercise because I’d forgotten about a lot of these books (for a reason… they didn’t stick with me, but not everything I read has to).
I’ve been blogging about reading heavily lately – thanks for joining me on my reading journey.
Do you see anything in that image that you read and liked (or didn’t like)?!
I love that you did this! I used to be a voracious reader (replaced by knitting several years ago, sadly) and I tried to keep track of what I’d read but oftentimes I’d end up checking out the same book from the library, LOL.
I have Little Fires Everywhere on my “to read” list (hey, it could happen now that I can’t knit), and I’m adding Station Eleven to it – thanks! How was A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out? Yes, I choose a lot of books by their covers. 😉
Knitting is a great activity that works your brain too!
A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out was fun! I remember being very satisfied with the ending and the character’s growth.
I totally pick books by their covers too (which sucks, since I like sci fi so much but all the covers are so cheesy!).
Not that we’ve read a lot of the same books but I think Artemis would’ve been my most disappointing read of 2018. Bored me. But considering I had really high hopes after The Martian, I guess the only way left to go was down.
I’m right there with you on not spending money on books. I get physical, digital, and audio books from the library or ARC copies for reviewing. Saved a ton.
I read them in the opposite order, and think I would have been disappointed after reading The Martian first too. I still found it entertaining though.
Yes! I used to buy everything I thought I wanted to read, or ask for it as gifts. What a waste of money and space!
The only one I read is “Little Fires Everywhere” by your recommendation, and I loved it! Thanks snist!
Yay! I can’t wait to see the movie version! I still think about that book.
I realllllly need to read Station 11 but I’m so worried I won’t like it! Everyone just raves about that book. Maybe I’ll try it on audio – seems like it might be a good audiobook.
Do you usually dislike books that people rave about? I thought it was really creative how it all tied together, but it took me a few chapters to get in to.
I read four of the books on your list: Little Fires Everywhere (I think I recommended that to you?), Aurora (you recommended that to me!), and A Wrinkle in Time and Into the Wild I read years ago and really liked both.
I really enjoy reading your book blogs – it inspires me!
Yes, I think you did recommend it to me! Such a good read! I still think about those characters.
Ha, now that I’ve read more, I feel bad about recommending Aurora. It did have some interesting ideas, but man! I guess that’s the “hard” science fiction genre? I am reading something in that genre now, but it’s much easier than Aurora!
Thank you!!! 🙂 I love hearing about your reads too!
Don’t feel bad! I really liked Aurora! I also liked his California series of science fiction novels – have you heard of them? You might enjoy them, too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Californias_Trilogy
So I am reading a new sci fi book now and they are talking about Tau Ceti like Aruora was! I was like, that sounds familiar!
I haven’t read that! It sounds like something I would like so I will add it to my TBR list!!!! Thanks!
I just recommended Little Fires Everywhere to someone over the weekend! It’s my favorite book to recommend these days – SO GOOD.
It really was! I wonder how the movie will be!!! Did you see The Goldfinch movie is getting horrible reviews?
I didn’t see that, no! That’s kind of disappointing, but also not particularly surprising. It doesn’t seem like a book that would translate well onto the screen at all. I was considering going to see it, but if the reviews are lousy, I might reconsider!
I agree about it not translating well. One reviewer said it was slow and then had a really fast paced ending. I was thinking “Did you read the book… because that is exactly how it was…”