2018 Wrap Up

Happy New Year! I hope 2019 brings a year filled with even more wonderful and magical and all-consuming stories to devour! Unfortunately I only read 14 books in 2018-- however, all the books I did read I thoroughly did enjoy; which for me has been much more valuable than the number of books I managed to get through. I have found this year I have been faced with more reading slumps than ever before. I have put this down mostly to my busy schedule but also to the dramatic changes in my reading tastes (and also perhaps the thousands of hours I spent watching Netflix rather than picking up a book...woops...). For the first time in my life I have found myself walking into bookshops and not having a clue what I want to read. I find myself moving away from my typical choice of Young Adult novels and beginning to dip my toes into Adult Fiction. This has led me to reflect deeply upon the nature of human identity and how the stages of life shape our identities and choices--naturally, I concluded that my change in tastes must be down to the fact I am simply a different person to who I was one year ago. Regardless of whether this is true, it's natural for readers to dramatically change their tastes and I think it is good to explore new genres and styles of writing. But overall, I have really enjoyed a lot of the books I read this year

Without further ado, here are the books I read in 2018:

1) Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook: 4/5 stars

2) Salt by Nayyirah Waheed: 3/5 stars

3) The Girl Before by JP Delaney: 5/5 stars

4) Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman: 5/5 stars

5) Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel: 5/5 stars

6) Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister: 4/5 stars

7) Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino: 5/5 stars

8) Confess by Colleen Hoover: 3/5 stars

9) Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell: 3/5 stars

10) The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson: 3/5 stars

11) Night Film by Marisha Pessl: 5/5 stars

12) A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: 5/5 stars

13) everyone's an alieb when ur an alieb too by johmy sun: 5/5 stars

14) We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: 5/5 stars


...and here are the top 3 books I read in 2018:

#1 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

This book was possibly one of the most talked about books of the year and fully deserves all of the praise it receives. This book really stood out to me because of just how stunning and unique the writing is--it is nothing like anything I have read before and I adored it from start to finish. The narrators voice was so refreshingly unusual and I loved how character-driven the story was despite the mystery that ran throughout it. It fully deserves my spot at #1 purely for its unique-ness and the lasting effect it has had on me. This is definitely a must-read for anyone who hasn't read this already. I promise you it will stay with you for a very long time.

To find out more about the book and my thoughts check out my full book review here:
https://thatgirlwhoreadsya.blogspot.com/2018/04/book-review-eleanor-oliphant-is.html





#2 Night Film by Marisha Pessl

This novel is very different from my #1 book of 2018 but equally as fantastic. This book messed with my mind and had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved the characters and I loved the plot, but what I loved most about this book was the absent character of the Cordova and the dark but carefully crafted world that Pessl creates for him and reveals through multi-media visual aids. This was such a clever literary device and this is why this book is on my top 3 picks of the year. I still think about this book months after reading it and for me, this is the sign of the best kind of book. I highly recommend to anyone who loves psychological thrillers or anything that's just a bit eerie.

To find out more about the book and my thoughts on it go check out my full book review here:
https://thatgirlwhoreadsya.blogspot.com/2018/08/book-review-night-film-by-marisha-pessl.html





#3 everyone's an aliebn when ur an aliebn too by johmy sun

Again, a very different pick from my other top books of 2018, but I loved this book so much that it had to make it on to the list! This book is such a simple and heart-warming tale that covers so many big and complex themes about life, the universe and everything. It's a very quick read but it is one I plan on rereading over and over again. The illustrations are charming and the writing is so pure and beautiful and hopeful. Perfect for anyone feeling a little lost and in need of some sunshine in the form of words.

To find out more about the book and my thoughts on it go check out my full book review here:

https://thatgirlwhoreadsya.blogspot.com/2018/09/rapid-review-everyones-aliebn-when-ur.html






My Reading Resolutions for 2019:

• I would like to challenge myself to try and read at least 20 books in 2019 (but I will not put pressure on the number of books I read, I simply want to read more than I currently do)
• I would like to try and update this blog more regularly in 2019 and hopefully try and produce some content other than book reviews
• I would like to try and delve into writing some movie/TV show reviews on this blog as well as books as this is something I am passionate about and wish to explore further
• I would like to challenge myself to read more unique and unusual books as these are the ones I enjoy the most and yet I don't tend to read many books like this
• I would like to try and read more non-fiction as I enjoy non-fiction but haven't read much of it 

And finally... Thank you!! If you're reading this, I thank you for all your support and the fact that you are even giving up a few minutes of your day to read this means the world to me! I started this blog just for me to be able to track my own reading and reflect on the books I read--because of this, I often forget that people actually do read my blog. But when an author tweeted me this year telling me they enjoyed reading my review of my book really brought it home to me that the words I type really mean something to the people who read. So thank you!

If you'd like to keep track of every book I read this year be sure to follow me on Goodreads to see what I'm reading:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/47050720-thatgirlwhoreads

And to find out every time I post new content go and follow me on twitter @TGWRYA

https://twitter.com/TGWRYA

And of course, subscribe to my blog if you haven't already!

Once again, Happy New Year and I hope you have a wonderful year of reading.