It should come as no surprised to anyone who’s been paying attention that this year was incredibly BUSY! If you needed a marker to go by though, I read less than half as much as I did in 2017. I made my Goodreads goal, but only after I adjust it a time or two or six. Apologies in advance for a pretty boring book year in review, but I’ve done one of these for the last seven years and now I’m not about to stop now!
Yep, my blog is seven years old!! I started it at the end of 2011 and here we are getting ready to round the corner into 2019!
Honestly though, it’s probably a miracle I managed to read anything at all this year, let alone 31 books. I pretty much credit any reading progress I did this year to the Miracle Morning. Most days those 5-15 minutes in the morning were the only time I had to read. This was also the first year I read far more non-fiction than fiction….which is basically all because of the Miracle Morning.
Definitely hoping for better in 2019, but we shall see how it goes! Missing my fiction for sure, but at the same time I feel like I got a lot smarter year from all the non-fiction reading and podcasts so it’s not all bad I guess.
HOW MANY BOOKS READ IN 2018?
–32 books
FICTION/NON-FICTION?
– 10 Fiction / 22 Non-Fiction
MALE/FEMALE AUTHORS?
– 20 Male / 7 Female
OLDEST BOOK READ?
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
NEWEST BOOK READ?
Leapfrog: The New Revolution for Women Entrepreneurs by Nathalie Molina Niño (August 2018)
LONGEST BOOK READ?
War Storm by Victoria Aveyard (662 Pages)
SHORTEST BOOK READ?
Yuletide Lords by Gama Ray Martinez (16 Pages)
ANY IN TRANSLATION?
Not this year!
BEST BOOK READ IN 2018?
If 2016 was the year of the good book and 2017 was a year of books that were pretty evenly divided between really good or didn’t like it, then 2018 was the year I actually gave the crown to a work on non-fiction. Educated by Tara Westover was the best book I read this year! Riveting story, stunning writing, a book you couldn’t put down – a must read!
MOST DISAPPOINTING BOOK IN 2018?
Dropping a note here to say this question will be retired after this year. See this blog post for why I’ve stopped writing reviews for books I didn’t like.
MOST BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK IN 2018?
Educated by Tara Westover
MOST SURPRISING (IN A GOOD WAY!) BOOK OF 2018?
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – check out the review for the reason why!
MOST THRILLING, UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOK IN 2018?
I didn’t read too many books you’d classify as “thrilling” but here’s a few I had trouble putting down:
–Educated by Tara Westover
–Ghost Bully by Brian Corley
–S.H.E. by Shannon Hogan Cohen
BOOK THAT HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON ME IN 2018?
Maybe an unconventional entry, but How to Break Up With Your iPhone by Catherine Price. I’ve been consciously trying to put some space between me and all my devices. Seems weird for someone who does marketing and in particular social media marketing, but it’s the truth. I changed all my notification settings around for the better and have been religiously trying to start my day with the Miracle Morning (my me time!) before I do anything.
BOOK THAT HAD A SCENE IN IT THAT HAD ME REELING?
This is kind of a fiction question and because I didn’t read too much fiction this year, I got nothing.
BOOK I MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2018?
-War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
–Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (Currently Reading)
MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTER IN 2018?
-Jazz Bashara in Artemis
-Juliet Ashton in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
HOW MANY RE-READS IN 2018?
None
BOOK I READ IN 2018 I’D BE MOST LIKELY TO REREAD IN 2019?
Deep Work by Cal Newport, Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn, Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
BOOK I RECOMMENDED TO PEOPLE MOST IN 2018?
Tribe of Mentors, Educated
FAVORITE NEW AUTHORS I DISCOVERED IN 2018?
Tara Westover
MOST BOOKS READ BY ONE AUTHOR THIS YEAR?
2 novels by Marie Lu and 2 books by Gina Wickman
FAVORITE COVER OF A BOOK I READ IN 2018?
FAVORITE PASSAGE/QUOTE FROM A BOOK I READ IN 2018?
“Who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love—is the sum of what you focus on.” – Cal Newport, Deep Work (I actually liked this book a lot, I just never got around to reviewing it!)
“The entire universe is not just outside, but also within us. We have unlimited power – the power to solve any problems facing us or facing others. We get to create our realities. It’s a simple and small belief, but it can change the course of humanity. Being mini gods mean we never lack. We know we already have everything. We don’t need a million dollars. We don’t need a trillion followers. We are complete. We are full. So full that we can give without counting. The day we will all start acting like mini gods is the day there will be peace in the world.” – Jerome Jarre, Tribe of Mentors
DID I COMPLETE ANY READING CHALLENGES OR GOALS IN 2018?
Yes, but I cheated on this one. I can’t remember what my original goal was, but I kept downsizing it throughout the year.
BOOK I CAN’T BELIEVE I WAITED UNTIL 2018 TO FINALLY READ?
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell mainly because I think I’ve had it on my shelf for eight or nine years…no joke. This is why I have so many books and won’t get rid of them. I usually get around to reading them eventually!
