A Look at 2018: The Reading Recap

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2018 is almost over and I’m taking time this week to recap a year full of stories and words. Today, I want to recap a rather impressive reading year. Last year, I took time to call out some of my favorite highlights, and I want to do a similar recap this year. So here’s the the 70-book year of 2018.

1. Favorite Stand-Alone of 2018: The Woman in the Window

I read this book back in January, and it still one of my favorite reads of 2018. I read 200 pages of this 400-some page book in one day, when we had a technical error at work and couldn’t do our jobs. Because I read half the book in one day, it added to the suspense and the “oh my gosh, what is happening.” It was the first “unreliable narrator” book I read this year and it was a solid story.

Honorable Mention: The Flight Attendant

2. Favorite Old Book I Discovered: Gone Girl

Despite having this book on my list for years, I didn’t read this book until 2018. The first half was a rough read, and I almost didn’t finish. But once I got to the middle section, it definitely picked up. That book was twisted, y’all, and I loved it. One of my favorite parts of reading this was when my coworker informed me that this book made him terrified of being married. I’m not married, so I couldn’t relate.

Additionally, the movie was one of the truest adaptations of a book I think I’ve ever watched, so points for that.

Related Post: My Year in 2017: Reading Edition

3. Favorite Re-Read: The Heather Wells Series

I’ve been a Meg Cabot fan since I was in high school, and while I love basically everything she writes, her mystery series was my favorite. When it came time to start planning my new short stories series, I wanted to read something a little bit lighter than the In Death series, so I went back to something that I knew was reliable. These books are much lighter and a little goofy. I love the humor of them, too.

4. Favorite Nonfiction Read: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

This book was on my list when it came out early this year. About a month and a half after the book came out, they finally made an arrest, and I knew I had to pick it up. I looked everywhere in Austin and finally found the last copy at a Barnes & Noble. The author did this wonderful job of weaving the story of the Golden State Killer and her own story about her obsession. While the book doesn’t have any real conclusion (as she died before finishing it and they hadn’t found the killer yet), the book is still a fantastic read.

If McNamara had lived to see the Golden State Killer caught, I have no doubt she would have put out a stellar follow-up.

5. Favorite Series: In Death

The main goal of 2018 was to read the entirety of J.D. Robb’s In Death series, which currently has 47 books. I read the first three books at the end of 2017, when I first stumbled into the series, but the rest of the books happened this year. I’m currently reading the latest one, Leverage in Death, and I will definitely finish before the end of the year. The next book comes out in February and I already have the date written down in my planner.

70 books in one year is a lot of books and I definitely do not expect to read that many next year. Next year will be more focused on writing and that’s okay, they give and take one another. But damn, y’all, what a great reading year.

Come back tomorrow for a little recap on my writing year, and be sure to sign up down below for more information in the new year.