Here it is!!!

The annual list you’ve been waiting for!

It’s my FOURTH annual “all the books I read last year” post!!!

Somehow I only had TWO library book stacks from 2018:

This year really was a truly pitiful showing in the book category. I think it is the worst year yet for me for reading, possibly since I was able to read. There are a handful of reasons for this which I will detail now so that you do not think I have changed in some horrifying fundamental way.

My reading petered off right around the end of April. This coincides almost directly with the dates I began fostering kittens. Before you start blaming the kittens and hating on them you must first look at some of their ADORABLE FACES.

These are only TWO of the eighteen kittens I fostered in the 2018 kitten season (I really should do a whole post about that)! THE KITTENS ARE NOT TO BLAME!!! While I began fostering around the same time my reading declined there are bigger reasons for my reading decline.

Namely, a new car.

What does a new car have to do with anything? Well, that actually has more to do with my 6 free months of Sirius satellite radio. My old Ford Ranger finally quit running in May, and I had to get a new car. This brought my first car payment in almost a decade. UGH. My new car came with no CD player (because it is NEW and FANCY and does Bluetooth things instead) and free Sirius. So I listened to a lot of Sirius for the first few months I owned my car. In NOVEMBER I finally took the time to figure out how to set up my phone & car for audio-books. I’m not sure what the actual percentages are, but I *read* a lot of books this way. Not listening to any books for the better part of 6 months really took a toll on my book list.

And then there was school.

I’m taking online classes to get my certification as a teacher and there is a fair amount of reading and homework that is associated with that. My first class this summer was PURE HELL. Gobs of AWFUL readings, leaving no time for fun reading. And of course, once August came around I was back in the classroom teaching. Not that that takes much time, energy, or planning…*cough* I kid, I kid.

So between kittens, Sirius satellite radio, diamond painting (my new favorite craft!!), school, being a teacher, and LIFE IN GENERAL, this was a pitiful year for books. Not so much a pitiful year for life though.

NOTE:
Remember that I only keep track of the
“chapter books” that I read,
not cookbooks and craft books, etc.

Here is the lists of books I read in 2018.

That’s a grand total of 18 books.

19 books…
…if you count this silly dime novel I read and forgot to record around December 20.

I cannot promise that this year will be much better as far as book numbers go. I have two classes left in my certification program but I will be DONE by July. I’m still planning to foster as many kittens as possible, but I can read and snuggle kittens at the same time! And even though Mr. Smith was super sweet and got me a YEAR’S subscription to Sirius, I plan to listen to some books as well as sweet bluegrass jams.

I don’t have much to add for favorites besides my perennial favorites with the Cottage Tales mystery novels based on children’s book author Beatrix Potter. I’m currently reading the 5th book in the series.

How was YOUR book list this year? Were there any stand out reads? Comment if you’d like to share some of your favorites!

Check out my previous year’s book lists by clicking the links below!

What did you read in 2017?

What did you read in 2016?

What did you read in 2015?

 

It’s the annual WHAT DID YOU READ LAST YEAR post!

Here is the post about the 2015 reading log if you wanna go back in time.

{Fun fact–it was my first post ever on this blog!}

These are pictures of some of my book piles from 2016 at the public library. I only keep track of the “chapter books” that I read, not cookbooks and craft books, etc. There is something so satisfying about a big stack of library books that are new to you ❤

Here is my actual list of books read in 2016:

39 books!

{beware of mild spoilers}

Stand Out books of 2016:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Ya’ll, I LOVED this book. I love weird & creepy old photos and the plot had good twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down. That is that. Unfortunately see “Total Duds” section for commentary on the rest of the series.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I know I am like 10 years late to this book party but I can actually remember when these first came out. I was working in the processing department of DBRL at the time and the whole literary world was all aflutter over a book series with a dead author. How do you do a book tour like that? I did not read the series as it came out as I inevitably get disappointed when books are over-hyped. It may be worth mentioning that I listened to this series on audiobook. It was not easy to hear in some parts (graphic violence, sexual violence) but the books were extremely well written and very planned out–the stories wove seamlessly together. I enjoyed all three. It was sad to learn (in the biography that I later read and wasn’t so crazy about) that Larrson had plans for several more books. I have no doubt they would have been captivating as well.

Midnight in Broad Daylight. I posted the picture you see here on my instagram account. I invite you to click here to look at the people who “liked” the picture and even commented on it. This is a book that I think EVERYONE should take the time to read and think about.

The my overall favorite book of the year has to go to 84 Charing Cross Road which I found in a paperback copy at the dadgum buck-a-pound Goodwill. It’s a quick & easy read that is a true story, or rather, real letters that were sent between the SERIOUSLY FEISTY Helene Hanff and a bookseller in London. Pick up a copy and just eat it up. I am almost 100% sure you will not be disappointed.

Total Duds books of 2016:

THE REST OF THE MISS PEREGRINE SERIES. I’m not even going to link them here. I slogged through the 2nd book and couldn’t make it past the first chapter of the 3rd. And then I heard about the morphing/switch of the main female character for the movie and I was DONE. Gross. Total bummer. Life goes on.

Danny Champion of the World. When I was a kid, this was one of my MOST favorite of Roald Dahl’s books. Back then I loved that Danny and his dad lived in a “caravan” and ate food out of “tins”. Reading it this go round was totally effed up. This time it seemed like basically the dad was addicted to poaching, did nothing but kill birds in really messed up ways, and lived like paupers in a tiny camper. Oh the difference 25 years and being a vegetarian makes. Sadface.

Serafina and the Black Cloak. I’m bad about getting grumpy over books with lots of hype, and given that I live near the Biltmore House (where this book was set) I guess I was bound to be disappointed. This is another one with a weird father/child relationship and really distressing and seemingly misplaced violence. Not a fan and certainly didn’t read the second installation.

I guess maybe the moral of this story is to be careful rereading childhood favorites. I’m glad none of my ‘grown up’ books were so bad! I absolutely adored rereading the Little House books in 2015, but found I couldn’t get through my once beloved Dr. Doolittle books (the use of the N word made it impossible for me to recommend it to ANY ONE, and difficult to get past despite the historical context).

What did you read this year?

What was good? What was worth cautioning against?

Here’s to 2017 being full of wonderful literary delights…and trashy stuff, too!