What I Read in 2018 Part 2: The Details

As noted in Part 1, I read 63 books in 2018. I missed my goal of 70, but that was a pretty ambitious goal. 63 books over 52 weeks is still a lot. (An aside, here is a fun article about Canadians and their reading habits that I found when I was trying to figure out how many books the average Canadian reads in a year.)

As for the books themselves, I read mostly fiction (a mix of contemporary, romance, thrillers and beach reads) with some memoirs sprinkled in. I abandoned more books that I used to, but I don’t like to track that because it feels mean. I have come back to books I’ve abandoned in the past and enjoyed them which reminds me that frame of mind when reading a book is important.

I didn’t rate or review many of the books I read. I’m not sure if that’s because I don’t want a less-than five-star review to hurt an author’s feelings, or if I was just lazy about it. I’m not sure if I will take specific action on this during this year’s challenge. No sense in overthinking it.

I will share my favourite reads here though. Here is a list of the books I really enjoyed in 2018, in reverse order from what I read them in. I’d love to know what your favourite reads in 2018 were.

 

What I Read in 2018 Part 1: The List

I’ve done the Goodreads Reading Challenge every year since 2013, and 2018 was only the second time I didn’t meet my goal. 2018’s goal was an ambitious one: 70 books read over a one-year span. I ended up finishing 63 books in 2018.

Here’s what I read in 2018. I’m having trouble with the Goodreads widgets this year so I’m going to split my annual what-I-read post into two parts this year. This post for the actual list of books, and a second post for the details.

Melissa’s bookshelf: read-in-2018


goodreads.com

What I read in 2017

It’s time for my annual what-I-read-last-year post! My Goodreads profile tells me I read 79 books in 2017 – the most books I’ve read in a year since I started tracking! The link leads to some stats about the books I read – you may need to be a Goodreads user to see it, despite me changing my settings to make my profile public.

I know a lot of people don’t like ebooks, but I read nearly all of those books on my Kobo. I know I wouldn’t read nearly as much if I didn’t have easy access to library books via the Toronto Public Library’s Overdrive page and new this year, the new Libby app. (And this is not a sponsored post; I just really like this stuff.)

And now, here is the full list:

I'll Take You There
The Couple Next Door
Notes from the Blender
From a Good Home
Play
Lead
Deep
Shockaholic
Wishful Drinking
Behind Closed Doors
The Year We Turned Forty
One More Day
Breaking Out of Bedlam
The Affair
Leave Me
The Second Sister
The Things We Keep
Never Too Late
The Conjoined
This is How It Always Is


Melissa’s favorite books »

I tried to leave more ratings for the books I read this year. I’m a generous rater and I don’t like leaving ratings on memoirs – it feels like I’m rating someone’s life – so I didn’t rate everything I read. I left reviews sporadically. I always feel like my reviews are too light/simple when I see some of the longer/more-thought-out ones so any reviews I did leave are pretty superficial, which is fine.

There were a few books I slogged through this year, but if I really didn’t like a book, I abandoned it and didn’t add it to Goodreads. That way, I didn’t screw up my tracking. I liked most of the books I read, but here’s a list of the books that I really enjoyed, in the order that I read them throughout the year:

For 2018, I’ve upped my reading challenge from 55 to 70. I think I can do it. What have you been reading? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

What I read in 2016

I love Goodreads. It is such a useful site/app to track both what I’ve read and to find new books to read. The yearly Reading Challenge really does keep me motivated to read more. This year I surpassed my goal of 50 books by 38% – that’s an extra 19 books! I owe those extra books to some travel we did and my commute to work (extra reading time is one of the few advantages of my car/train/subway commute into the office). I’ll also acknowledge sunny days on my back deck, my favourite spot on the couch and reading in bed while Sean watches sports as other good times for reading.

As you can see from the below list, I read my usual mix of contemporary fiction, biographies/memoirs, “delightfully trashy” romance and a smidge of non-fiction. My fascination with Nantucket summers and ‘summer cottage fiction’ has continued, along with biographies of aging rockers.

What can I say, I am a multi-faceted woman.

I enjoyed all the books on this list – some more than others of course. There were a few I didn’t finish that did not make this list. I’m relieved that I’ve finally allowed myself not to finish books I’m not enjoying.

The books I’d really recommend that you read if you haven’t already are:

What did you read this year? I’d love your recommendations.

Melissa’s read-in-2016 book montage

The Secret Sex Life of a Single Mom
The Good Daughters
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
After Her
Carry On
Fates and Furies
If You Could See What I See
Mayor Rob Ford: Uncontrollable How I Tried to Help the World's Most Notorious Mayor
Our Souls at Night
I'm Coming
Cat's Eye
Winter Street
The Crooked Heart of Mercy
Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!: My Adventures in The Alice Cooper Group
Dirty Rocker Boys
Play
The Nest
Nantucket Nights
Miss New India
The Two-Family House



Melissa’s favorite books »

What I read in 2012

Just for kicks, here are all the books I read and rated with Goodreads in 2012. My reviews are included if I wrote one.

What did you read in 2012? Any favourites?

Melissa’s bookshelf: read-in-2012

Heaping Spoonful
3 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
The Midwife's Confession
4 of 5 stars true
This is the first book by Diane Chamberlain that I’ve read. I was drawn in from the start but I agree with the Jodi Picoult comparisons I’ve seen here. I figured out some stuff long before the characters did and was waiting for the One B…
tagged:
read-in-2012
Elephant Girl: A Human Story
5 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
The Virgin Cure
5 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
Left Neglected
4 of 5 stars true
I read this book quickly and enjoyed it. As I read, I got angrier and angrier about modern work culture and the constant pressure we have put on us, and put on ourselves.What are we doing to ourselves as a society?

tagged:
read-in-2012
The Almost Archer Sisters
4 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
Prep
5 of 5 stars true
I really enjoyed this book. I agree that the main character was unpleasant but I understood why. She put up so many walls to protect herself that she cheated herself out of a better experience at her school.When certain things happene…

tagged:
read-in-2012
Girls in White Dresses
0 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
The Best Laid Plans
5 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
The High Road
5 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
Annabel
5 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
One Day
4 of 5 stars true
I enjoyed this book but the ending was a major letdown.
tagged:
read-in-2012
Bared to You
0 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
5 of 5 stars true
I found this book fascinating. It was well-researched but written with a very engaging voice.
tagged:
read-in-2012
Reflected in You
0 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
Everybody Has Everything
4 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
The Red House: A Novel
3 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
A Visit from the Goon Squad
4 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
How to Be a Woman
4 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
The Antagonist
3 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
Lady Oracle
4 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
Seating Arrangements
3 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012




goodreads.com

 

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
This work by Melissa Price-Mitchell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada.
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