Every year, I try to compile a ranked list of my reading. Sometimes I even remember to post it publicly! This is by no means precise, but I always have fun remembering all the books I read and looking for any trends (or blind spots).
I didn’t read any fiction that blew me away in 2018. The books at the top of my list were all good, but I would’ve loved another reading experience like The Hate U Give. I guess the relative scarcity makes those books all the more special.
Random stats
Just for fun, I’m going to share the same list of stats I did last year. 2017’s numbers are in italics below 2018’s.
My reading list was…
- 23 books long
2017: 27 books - 26% non-fiction, 74% fiction
2017: 22% non-fiction/78% fiction - All traditional books (no audiobooks this year)
2017: 7% audiobook, 93% traditional - An average of 298 pages per book
2017: 319 pages - Average 3.5/5 star ratings from me
2017: 3/5 stars - 92% of my 25-book goal
2017: 90% of my 30-book goal - 78% white, 22% non-white
2017: 78% white, 22% non-white
Fiction
- An American Marriage (Tayari Jones)
- Speak No Evil (Iweala Uzodinma)
- Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng)
- Bring Out the Dog: Stories (Will Mackin)
- Gods of Howl Mountain (Taylor Brown)
- To the Bright Edge of the World (Eowyn Ivey)
- Horizon (Tabitha Lord)
- One of Us is Lying (Karen McManus)
- Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi)
- Ohio (Stephen Markley)
- Turtles all the Way Down (John Green)
- Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity (Kristin Elizabeth Clark)
- Let Me See It: Stories (James Magruder)
- The Invention of Wings (Sue Monk Kidd)
- Not Perfect (Elizabeth LaBan)
- Sisterland (Curtis Sittenfeld)
- Dept. of Speculation (Jenny Offill)
Non-fiction
- Brunch is Hell: How to Save the World by Throwing a Dinner Party (Brendan Francis Newnam & Rico Gagliano)
- Educated (Tara Westover)
- When I Was Puerto Rican (Esmeralda Santiago)
- Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage (Dani Shapiro)
- Social Media Just for Writers: How to Build Your Online Platform and Find and Engage with Your Readers (Frances Caballo)
Excluded from ranking because I wrote it: Order from Chaos: The Everyday Grind of Staying Organized with Adult ADHD.
Reading goals for 2019
Last year I resolved to keep in mind how fiction can affect our brains’ capacity for empathy. I wanted to read more books by authors outside of my demographic profile: white, North American, middle class. I did as well in 2018 as in 2017, with 22% of my books from non-white authors both years. While I wish I would’ve read more, I’m glad I didn’t read less given that I kind of forgot all about my reading goals as soon as I posted them. Without meaning to, I also read at least four books that featured queer youth trying to make their way in the world. I definitely could’ve read more diverse books, but I appreciated what I did read in 2018.
I want to keep my diversity reading goal for 2019 and introduce a brand-new one: being okay with not finishing books. This will be way more difficult than reading books by people who aren’t like me. That I actually want to do because it’s interesting. I have so much trouble putting a book down before I finish it. While I don’t want to become a habitual book-abandoner, I do want to improve my skills at recognizing when I won’t benefit from finishing a book. To that end, I’ve lowered my reading goal to 20 books.
What were your favorite reads of 2018? Do you have any recommendations for me?
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