Best of 2018!

February 2018

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
August 16, 2011

Another book that I did not expect to love, but fell head over heels for. This book is pure 80’s nostalgia. It’s a love letter to all things geeky, and extremely well plotted for how much it actually covers! I couldn’t put this down until I was done, and that is impressive when you read so many books a year like I do. I kind of wish I could read this for the first time all over again!

March 2018

Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon
May 1, 1992

Oh, this book. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to read it again, but it was something that I’ll never forgot. This is a gorgeous story. It’s a story about friendship, boyhood, and all the traumas that come along in life and make us who we are. It’s a story about being brave, even when it seems like there’s no point at all. I’m not going to lie, I sobbed during this read. It tore my heart out, and I happily let it.

April 2018

Willing Victim by Cara McKenna
July 8, 2016

Hear that sizzling? Yeah, that’s coming off of this book. I don’t usually read romance books, but I was in a funk and one of my bookish friends recommended this to get me out of it. IT WORKED. Holy smokes, it worked. I can’t say too much about this without getting all steamy, but I can tell you that this book proves that consent is sexy. 100%. If you’re not a romance reader, you might want to give this one a shot! It might surprise you more than you think!

May 2018

The Glass Spare by Lauren Destefano
October 24, 2017

May was a rough reading month. I was off my game, and nothing was clicking. The Glass Spare changed all of that. I was so impressed at the this YA Fantasy. It was richly written, and had an honestly original premise. I fell in love with this story almost instantly and, although it didn’t end quite the way I had hoped, it became my favorite read of May. I can’t wait to read the sequel soon!

June 2018

Kiss the Ground by Josh Tickell
November 14, 2018

This is the book that started it all! This book launched my interest in sustainable farming, and zero waste initiatives. It was because of this book that I changed to using shampoo bars and ACV rinse. It was because of this book that I started purchasing food directly from farmers and ranchers. This book changed my whole life, for the better, and I honestly can’t express enough how much everyone should read this!

July 2018

The Outsider by Stephen King
May 22, 2018

It should come as no surprise that I loved this Stephen King book. He’s my favorite about 90% of the time. Plus, I can’t deny that I went through an odd horror phase around this time where I just wanted to be lost in something dark and ominous. This book hit that spot. I had no idea at the time that it was part of a series, but I’ll be finishing the rest of them in 2019!

August 2018

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
August 21, 2018

READ THIS BOOK. No, seriously, read it. This was one of my top three of 2018 for many reasons, but mainly because it rekindled my love of Fantasy all over again. This book is original. It’s gritty, dark, raw, and full of the kind of characters who will make you fall in love with them and then break your heart into a million pieces. I loved every minute of it and I cannot wait for the next book!

September 2018

Where All the Light Tends to Go by David Joy
March 3, 2015

This book shattered me. It’s not the type of story that I’d normally read, but I took a chance because a good friend recommended it and I really, really loved this. Books like this are so important. They shine a light on people who rarely show up in books at all. People who are clinging to the light. People who, despite how hard they try, are always trapped under someone’s boots. This book broke me over and over, but I loved it all the same.

October 2018

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
October 10, 2017

This was a backlog book that I wanted to read, and once I finally did I was sad that I waited so long. I should have known that I would fall in love with this. It’s the prequel to Practical Magic, and just as wonderfully written. Magical realism seems to be my go-to lately, rather than full out Fantasy. I love reading about real people who, somehow, are put into simply magical situations.

November 2018

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
October 2, 2018

*SWOON ALERT*

In 2017, I fell in love with Percy and Monty in the first book in this series. So it was natural that I’d pick up the next one as soon as possible. To the surprise of no one, I fell in love with Felicity EVEN MORE. This book is full of feminism, family, friendship, and FIGHTS. It’s the perfect read.

December 2018

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
June 5, 2018

Oh my lord. I wouldn’t have chosen to pick up this book on my own, but I’m glad that peer pressure made me give it a shot. This book is wonderful. It’s a beautiful story about real people who fall in real love, and have some really, really hot moments too. I loved this story line, which is kind of a reverse Pretty Woman situation. Michael and Stella were lovely. Simply lovely. I’m smitten.