What A Year: My Favorite Reads of 2018

Current read: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Current listen: My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge Count: 0 out of 150 books

Hello internet! It's been literally a year since my last post. Most of my readers (hi Kelly, hi Mom) know that it's been a trying year. I had a really heinous ankle break that is still healing after three surgeries. Despite that, I also traveled pretty extensively, had a very active summer with Circle City Chamber Choir, continued teaching, and got married! So the blog kind of...got left behind.

Fortunately, I did manage to do a LOT of reading this year. I went through a bit of a slump right after the accident (I pretty much only read Ms. Marvel comics and children's books for awhile) but I eventually shook it off and read a lot of great stuff. I completed the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, surpassed my Goodreads reading goal, and helped found a book club among some friends. That being said, here are my favorite books of 2018.

Adult Fiction:
1. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I listened to this one on Audible. Normally I listen to audio books while driving or while doing chores, but for the last four hours of this one I was just sitting on my couch, crying much of the time. An unbelievably well-written character and a very beautiful story.
2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This was a book club read! Another one that I listened to on Audible. Another story centered around an incredible woman overcoming adversity. I would particularly recommend the audio book, narrated by Cassandra Campbell. She nails the accents and just does a fabulous job with everything she narrates.
3. The Power by Naomi Alderman
Another powerful audio book. This is a work of speculative fiction about a future in which all the women in the world develop the power to conduct and control electricity through their bodies. It explores all the societal implications of such a future and leaves no stone unturned. It is a powerful statement on issues being faced by women throughout the world today.
4. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
I am cheating a little bit with this one, but these two books are so similar and representative in a change in my attitude toward romance novels. I'm not sure when it happened, but I've been REALLY feeling contemporary, modern-woman-finds-love romance novels lately. I've got at least 3 more on deck to read in the near future. These are two EXCELLENT, steamy reads.
5. Still Me by Jojo Moyes
I never would have guessed that this would make my list. It was my last read of 2018, and I honestly only picked it up because it wouldn't renew at the library. It also, I found out, won the Goodreads Choice Award for fiction, and with reason. Jojo Moyes really focused on Louisa in this book and a lot less on the romance. There were some really great characters introduced and some truly moving plot lines. I think...I think it might be my favorite of the series.

Young Adult Fiction:
1. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
I finally read a Laini Taylor book! She's been on my radar for years, and I finally got to this one this year. It is, in a word, incredible. It follows Lazlo Strange, an orphan turned librarian who is obsessed with the mysterious city of Weep. Every character is detailed and complex, and the story is unlike anything I've ever read. The sequel, Muse of Nightmares, came out a few months ago, and you best believe it will be on my list for 2018.
2. The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
I've written about this series in reviews before. The final book in the trilogy, Obsidio, came out early in 2018, and I decided to marathon them while recovering from the ankle break. Man, oh man, are these an incredible adventure. Some great romances, awesome characters, some temperamental AI...a wild ride.
3. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
I read this on a whim (it was on sale on Kindle), and ended up reading it until late in the night. Literally could not put it down. It follows Eliza, a girl who writes an incredibly popular web comic while coping with anxiety. The way Zappia writes about anxiety hit very close to home for me. After I finished it, I happily discovered that Zappia lives near Indianapolis and I got to meet her (albeit in a wheelchair, which was lame).
4. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo 
This was another recovery read. This book is written in gorgeous free verse poems. It is the story of Xiomara, an Afro-Dominican teen coming of age in New York City. The best stories told in poems can stir even more emotion than a novel, and this one certainly succeeds in that respect.
5. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it certainly lived up to my expectation (though sadly some members of my book club did not like it as much as I). This is the first book in a new fantasy series that takes place in an African mythology inspired world. The world-building in this first book was incredible, and I'm very excited to see where the story goes.

Nonfiction:
1. Educated by Tara Westover
EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO READ THIS BOOK. Tara is a historian who was raised by Mormon survivalists in rural Idaho and had no formal schooling until COLLEGE. Seriously. It's incredible.
2. Hunger by Roxane Gay
One of my first reads of 2018, this one has stuck with me. I am a huge Roxane Gay fan already (last year Bad Feminist made my top books list), and this book is a deeply personal exploration of her relationship with her body. Feelings.
3. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
Bought this one on Audible knowing very little about it and it did not disappoint. I think I listened to the whole thing in two days. A story of a GIGANTIC fraud commited by a biotech startup called Theranos. So interesting.
4. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in The American City by Matthew Desmond
This one is a Pulitzer winner, and it just completely blew my mind. Changed my worldview. Check your privilege, friends. I apologize to my friend Jeremy, the only person I knew who had already read this book, who fielded at least a dozen texts from me while I read this.
5. Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright
I got this one on Audible after it was chosen as one of their favorite listens of the year, and I loved it a lot more than I thought I would. Jennifer Wright is a very funny writer, but this book is also very well-researched. The Spanish Flu was really messed up, friends. Also, you know a book is good when my husband demands to listen to it.

Alright, friends. I've made you read enough already. Stay tuned in the next few days for some statistics on my 2018 reading year and some goals for next year.