Best Books Read in 2018

So one of my last post was my general stats for 2018 reading. I was going to write a little something about the best books I read last year as well but as the post was getting a bit long, I figured it would make more sense to split this into two posts. Plus then I get two posts out of this so wins all around.

Since I did a LOT of rereading this year (42%), I'll split the best reads into rereads and new rereads. Because obviously if I'm going to reread something, it's a book I love. Why would I spend my time rereading a book I was lukewarm about? That'd be dumb. Don't do that.

Also I suppose this will end up being more mini-reviews? Except I think even shorter cos there are a lot of great books I read last year. Mini mini-reviews. At this rate I'm going to get to posts where my book reviews are a single word. Not a helpful word like "Good" or "No" but something that does not tell you anything about whether you should read the book or not. "Effervescent". "Lilac".

Anyway, hey here are some good books

Fav reads of 2018 (new to me books)

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
This was so good and/but also made me cry several times in public. Excellent

Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen
Hilarious webcomic about awkwardly adulting. Yes plz

Texts from Jane Eyre by Daniel Ortberg
Also hilarious but instead of webcomic it is famous literary people/characters texting each other nonsense and the Hamlet chapters(?) are the best because 100% what he would be like (i.e., a pain the ass)

Relish by Lucy Knisley
You know, I said I do not care for graphic novels or graphic memoirs and such, and yet here is a second one on this list. I don't know what I'm talking about, is what I'm getting at. ANYWAY, Knisley's stuff is great and this is about food so doubly great.

Becoming by Michelle Obama
This made me sad to listen to, given the current political climate, BUT when not making me sad, it was a wonderful memoir.

Fav reads of 2018 (rereads)

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
I should really, read more mysteries. Or maybe more specifically, more Christie cos I have basically just read this one but it's so so good.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (which I reread TWICE in 2018 alone)
I just love this book so much. It's so funny and it is as much about female friendship as it is a rom com and I want to hug it.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
It's ridiculous and absurd and hey, this is the second Hamlet-referenced thing on this list, so that's fun.

World War Z by Max Brooks
I've already re-listened to this in 2019 because it's that good, always.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
I think...I think the movie might be better than the book. BUT the book is still excellent, it's just that the movie is soooo good. I read this in anticipation of the movie, mostly while sitting by a pool in Hawaii, which enhanced the re-read experience that much.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
You know, I don't think of myself as a rom com fan, and yet here is a third one that is funny and sweet.

Notes from a Small Island / Neither Here Nor There / I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson
This is technically 3 books, except I got an audiobook copy of all of them together as one, but they were abridged versions so. Bryson is great, love his travel experiences and his curmudgeonness

January Reading Wrap Up

Hot on the heels of my 2018 reading stats are the stats for January 2019 because yes, that's how far behind I am. I really meant to get that 2018 stats piece out before January ended but alas, that did not happen.

I thought I'd get more reading done in January. I had more train time, the goblin was in daycare, but getting back into a routine (even a routine of reading, something I enjoy) takes more effort than I assumed. Also I spent a lot of the month re-listening to old episodes of How Did This Get Made when I suppose I could have been listening to another book, but if it feels like homework, is it really how I want to spend my limited free time? It is not, let me laugh.

Oh and I don't have any clothes with seasonally themed icons on the bum, but I DO have this picture of the lil one dressed in a bear snowsuit, so I suppose that will have to do

Anyway, stat-y stat stat stats, here we go

Number of books read
4
The Diary of a Hounslow Girl by Abreen Razia
The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
Lullaby by Jonathan Mayberry
World War Z by Max Brooks (a yearly re-listen)

Number of pages read
981

Fiction
100%

POC authors
25%

Female authors
50%

US authors
75%

Rereads
50%

Book formats
audiobook: 75%
ebook: 25%
Even with all the podcast listening, it's still mostly audiobooks cos turns out it's easiest to listen to books now that my time to just sit around has been cut down

Where'd I get the book
gift: 25%
Kindle/Audible: 75%

Decades published
2000s: 25%
2010s: 75%

Resolution books
25%
Diary of a Hounslow Girl by Abreen Razia is both by a POC author and by a UK (aka, non-US) author

2018 Reading Stats

This is a bit of a cop-out post, but whatever, it's my blog and I'm making the effort to post more. Even if this is a post that's not heavy on substance and also late to the game. Anyway, I'm thinking I should do a 2018 year in books review, even though we're almost now in February and this is really the type of thing that should be done in early Jan or even before the new year. But given the way my blogging has gone as of late, I think we can all agree it's impressive I'm getting this written before June.

I was going to do an infographic, cos pretty BUT since I'd need to use a different computer to do some of it and that computer is over there ::gestures to computer not 4 feet from where I'm sitting:: and I'm over here, that is just way too much work. Perhaps I'll finally get an infographic out comparing my reading in 2018 to previous years.

But for now, let's look at some 2018 book stats to get us started!

My reading volume wasn't terrible, considering all I had going on (i.e., making a person) but stats were down because my reading definitely got lazy as I did a lot of simple re-reading, and mostly what I had digital copies of so I could read it on my phone (which is not a way I had ever read things before but became a necessity in the later half of the year). Of course, that isn't really an excuse and is a bit upsetting to think that if I don't make any effort I backslide into white, US-born, recently published pieces.

My resolution percentage isn't as bad as I would have thought given some of the other stats, but I've found that's largely due to UK authors (mostly white UK authors).

Number of books read
48

Number of pages read
13,525

Fiction
52%

POC authors
16%

Female authors
60%

US authors
83%

Rereads
42%

Review books
15%

Book format
audiobook: 23%
ebook: 48%
hardback: 4%
paperback: 25%

Where'd I get the book?
Borrow: 2%
Chain bookstore: 4%
Gift: 13%
Indie bookstore: 15%
Kindle/Audible: 52%
Netgalley: 15%

Books by decade:
1930s: 2%
1960s: 2%
1990s: 10%
2000s: 13%
2010s: 73%

Books by genre:
Biography: 2%
Essays: 2%
Graphic Novel: 4%
History: 7%
Horror: 7%
Humor: 4%
Lit Fic: 13%
Memoir: 13%
Mystery: 4%
Play: 2%
Rom Com: 9%
Satire: 2%
Science: 4%
Self-Help: 4%
Sociology: 2%
Thriller: 2%
Travel: 7%
YA: 4%
YA Fantasy: 7%

Resolution books:
44%
13 books were by an author from somewhere other than the US
8 books were published before 2000
7 books were by POC authors

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (non-US author, published before 2000)
Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward (POC author)
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard (non-US author, published before 2000)
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (POC author)
Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li (POC author)
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui (POC author, non-US author)
The A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah (non-US author)
Meaty by Samantha Irby (POC author)
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores by Jen Campbell (non-US author)
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (POC author, non-US author)
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (POC author, non-US author)
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (non-US author)
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (published before 2000)
Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson (published before 2000)
I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson (published before 2000)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling (non-US author, published before 2000)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling (non-US author, published before 2000)
The Tales of Beetle the Bard by JK Rowling (non-US author, published before 2000)
Where Should We Begin? The Arc of Love by Esther Perel (non-US author)
Becoming by Michelle Obama (POC author)
Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets by Stephen Fry, John Woolf, Nick Baker (non-US author)

Mini-Reviews: Feb & Mar 2018

Look at this, I can knock out not one but TWO months in 2018 with some mini-reviews in one go. It really helps that last year I was going through a bunch of ARCs and while I may be a procrastinator when it comes to my own personal reviewing, when I have something I actually have to get out there I am somewhat on the ball with things. Way to go, past me.

Anyway, in an effort to keep this blog train a-rolling, especially now that the lil monster is in daycare and I'm figuring out what the new normal schedule looks like, why don't I get some more mini-reviews out of the way?

February 2018

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Wooooooooow, I loved this one. It was great. Was I crying in Penn Station reading this while waiting for my train? Yes, on multiple occasions. Did I think perhaps I should save this book for a more private setting? Haha, no because that would mean I would have to stop reading it and I did not want to do that. Besides, crying in a place like Penn doesn't really make you stand out and if anything people give you a wide berth. Do I need to go into what the book is about? You've probably read it. Or at least seen the trailer for the movie. It was great and painful and frustrating and heart-wrenching and yes I enjoyed. Despite all of the tears in public (which despite my list of "pros" before, I'm not super a fan of) I have considered giving this a re-read already.
Gif rating:

March 2018

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

A book club pick and right now I can't remember who's selection it was but I want to go back and thank them again because this was excellent. An illustrated memoir (had to look that up cos "graphic memoir" doesn't seem right, and neither did "graphic novel memoir") about Thi Bui emigrating from Vietnam to America and her relationship with her parents as she herself becomes a new mom. The artwork is beautiful in telling her story I realize how little I know about the Vietnam war (basically nothing). Really excellent book.
Gif rating:

Full list of books read in February and March of 2018
February
The Merry Spinster by Daniel Ortberg
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles

March
Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
World War Z by Max Brooks
Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen

December Reading Wrap Up

Wow. 2018 is done. Man, December went fast. Super fast. Guess that's what happens when the holidays come around and also maternity leave is ending so you're freaking out a bit (a lot). So yeah, I clearly got no blogging done but I did get some reading done. Reading with my ears, at least. As of late that has been much easier to accomplish than sitting down and reading reading, though now that the commute is back, perhaps that will change.

Why not get right into the December stats? Let's do it.

Oh but first, a follow up to last month's turkey butt. December had reindeer butt. Thank you, baby clothes makers, for putting so many designs on the bums. You're doing great work.

Anyway, stats.

Number of books read
5
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets by Stephen Fry, John Woolf and Nick Baker
Twain's Feast by Andrew Beahrs and Nick Offerman
New Family Values by Andrew Solomon

Number of pages read
1,076

Fiction
20%

POC authors
20%
Not great but it's something, which is more than I can say for the last few months

Female authors
40%

US authors
80%

Rereads
20%

Book formats
audiobook: 80%
hardback: 20%

Where'd I get the book
Gift: 20%
Kindle/Audible: 80%

Decades published
2010s: 100%

Resolution books
40%
Becoming by Michelle Obama (POC author)
Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets by a bunch of UK authors

Will I get a 2018 round up post done? It's always possible! I mean, this one took me like 4 days to get finished but you never know.

November Reading Wrap Up

November is done. The year is almost done. That is crazy. Time, right?

This was the very first Thanksgiving I haven't spent with my dad. Usually I travel to South Carolina to visit him and my stepmom and their various animals, but since I have my own little monster this year and Tom was, as always for the holidays, away for work, I really didn't want to make the trip by myself. I know, I know, they say traveling with children at this age is relatively easy. Except a 2+ hour flight followed by 2 hour car ride, while trying to schlep not only the boy but all of the accessories babies require (OMG so much stuff) sounded all kinds of awful and stressful. BUT luckily my dad and stepmom came up to visit the week before so while we didn't have a Thanksgiving meal together, we were able to spend time together.

But the reading. How'd that go? Not too bad, largely due to audiobooks. And there was a bunch of Harry Potter in prep for some HP trivia. Oh and while this is unrelated, I saw someone point this out and it just made me so happy

It's wild how like...JKR is so skilled at so many aspects of writing, especially in little character moments, but when it comes to implications of throwaway lines she just...not a single thought.
Like in Chamber of Secrets, when Harry is talking to Tom/Voldemort and is like, you framed Hagrid, Tom is like, yeah he was always trying to raise monsters.
He says that Hagrid tried to raise werewolf cubs under his bed like...
Oh you mean like, children? Like human children?

I love HP so much, for the stories and the characters yes, but also for the shit like this.

Oh, and before we get to the stats, how about a quick picture of the little monster in his Thanksgiving best?

Anyway, onto the stats!

Number of books read
6
I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
Where Should We Begin?: The Arc of Love by Esther Perel
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

OK so the Esther Perel one may be a podcast? But I got it through Audible and instead of "episodes" it has "chapters" and basically I'm counting it as an audiobook.

Number of pages read
1,440

On that note about Perel, I can't find a page count. But I did some math to figure out how many pages could be read in a minute. Obviously there will be variations but basically I found a page count for a book, how long the audiobook was, and went from there. If you're curious, I came to about 1/2 a page for every minute.

Fiction
67%

POC authors
0%

I will do better. I'm sorry

Female authors
67%

US authors
33%

Rereads
83%

Book formats
audiobook: 50%
hardback: 17%
paperback: 33%

Me w/ the audibooks (plus baby strapped on me)

Where'd I get the book
Chain bookstore: 33%
Gift: 33%
Kindle/Audible: 33%

Decades published
1990s: 50%
2000s: 17%
2010s: 33%

Resolution books:
83%
I'm a Stranger Here Myself, Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets were all published before 2000
Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Tales of Beedle the Bard and Where Should We Begin are all by authors from outside the US (UK and Belgium)