It’s no secret that I love to read, a LOT. I don’t use any sort of fancy tracking for my booklist except a Word document that I’ve been updating since 2010. I know many people who set reading goals each year but I’ve never had the compulsion to do that. For me, I consider healthy reading to be akin to healthy eating: essentially doing so intuitively works the best for me. Sure, there are some books that I seek out more aggressively than others, but most times I’m at the mercy of the library hold list. Wink. I also pay attention to book recommendations from fellow bookworms and I love the booklists that our local independent bookstores put out. I’ve also recognized that some seasons I am able to read more than others (when toddlers were afoot, not much!). All that to say is that I’m not hung up on the actual number; I don’t numerate as I track as I’ve always felt then it would begin to seem like work to me, I just tally them up at the end of the year. This year I did read the most I have since I begun keeping track in 2010: a total of 88 books (last year it was 79). Note that this does include middle grade and young adult fiction, books that I’m able to get through quite quickly. I did not include family read-alouds in that total but I’ve included those, as well as audiobooks that we listened to as a family below. As I work from home I don’t have a commute so the audiobooks that we enjoy on road trips tend to be those that we do as a family. I do note trends in my reading though! Two years ago it was year of non-fiction. Last year it was historical fiction. This year was clearly the year of the memoir. I am realizing I read the least non-fiction this year than any other years but I believe this to be due to the fact that memoirs can toggle the line between non-fiction/autobiography. However, there are some topics I look forward to delving into deeper this year. I will look forward to seeing what 2019 brings!
For years I have done my own literary superlatives, I’ve listed those first but the list in its entirety is below as well. I didn’t include middle grade/YA in the superlatives as I don’t read as many in that genre and the ones that I did read were ALL fabulous. Please comment if you see a favorite or a book you’d like to read. Happy Reading!
2018 Booklist Superlatives
Best All Around
Where the Crawdads Sing
Best Fiction
Americanah
The Cactus
Best Historical Fiction
Lilli De Jong
Best Non-Fiction
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life
Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions
Most Helpful (in my season of life)
Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School
Most Unique
The Monk of Mokha
Most Poignant
The Line Becomes a River
Before We Were Yours
Most Humorous
Dear Mrs. Bird
Best Memoir
The Soul of An Octopus
Becoming
2018 Living by the Page Booklist
FICTION
Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
In Bloom: Trading Restless Insecurity for Abiding Confidence Kayla Aimee
That Kind of Mother Rumaan Alam
Us Against You Fredrik Backman
Lilli De Jong Janet Benton
How to Walk Away Katherine Center
The Great Alone Kristin Hannah
The Cactus Sarah Haywood
Small Country: A Novel Gaël Faye
The Atlas of Love Laurie Frankel
Last Christmas in Paris Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Every Note Played Lisa Genova
An American Marriage Tayari Jones
The Queen of Hearts Kimmery Martin
Happy People Read and Drink Coffee Agnes Martin-Lugand
Still Me JoJo Moyes
Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng
This Must Be the Place Maggie O’Farrell
Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens
Dear Mrs. Bird AJ Pearce
A Spark of Light Jodi Picoult
The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go Amy Reichert
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane Lisa See
Mr. Dickens and His Carol Samantha Silva
Sourdough Robin Sloan
By the Book Julia Sonneborn
The Good Thief Hannah Tinti
The Space Between Us Thrity Umrigar
The Book of Essie Meghan MacLean Weir
My Oxford Year Julia Whelan
Before We Were Yours Lisa Wingate
Something Like Happy Eva Woods
The Map of Salt and Stars Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry Gabrielle Zevin
MEMOIR
Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman’s Awakening Manal Al-Sharif
The Line Becomes a River Francisco Cantú
Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life Joan Chittister
The Middle Place Kelly Corrigan
Tell Me More: Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say Kelly Corrigan
The Monk of Mokha Dave Eggers
Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Bob Goff
At Home in This Life: Finding Peace at the Crossroad of Unraveled Dreams and Beautiful Surprises Jerusalem Jackson Greer
Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of this Wild and Glorious Life Jen Hatmaker
10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help that Actually Works-A True Story Dan Harris
Girl, Wash Your Face Rachel Hollis
Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared Jessica Honegger
To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regrets Jedidiah Jenkins
The Joy of Doing Nothing Rachel Jonat
From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel Christine Hoover
Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry Katrina Kenison
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir Katrina Kenison
The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food and Love Kristin Kimball
A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living Emily Ley
Daring to Hope: Finding God’s Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful Katie Davis Major
Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted Shannan Martin
Come & Eat: A Celebration of Love and Grace Around the Everyday Table Bri McKoy
Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons Dr. Meg Meeker
Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion Sara Miles
The Soul of An Octopus Sy Montgomery
The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood Sy Montgomery
How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals Sy Montgomery
Becoming Michelle Obama
Beauty in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Love, Faith and Resilience Allison Pataki
Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School David and Kelli Pritchard
A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda Josh Ruxin
Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith Barbara Brown Taylor
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way Lysa TerKeurst
Educated: A Memoir Tara Westover
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful Sarah Wilson
NON-FICTION
Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior Jonah Berger
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life Bill Burnett & Dave Evans
Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions Valeria Luiselli
The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life Into a Work of Art Erwin Raphael McManus
YOUNG ADULT AND MIDDLE GRADE
Where the Watermelons Grow Cindy Baldwin
The Wild Robot Peter Brown
The Wild Robot Escapes Peter Brown
The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming J. Anderson Coats
Finding Esme Suzanne Crowley
The Great Hibernation Tara Dairman
The Lifters Dave Eggers
Fortunately, the Milk Neil Gaiman
Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel Kimberly Willis Holt
Bob Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
The Flourishing of Floralie Laurel Fiadhnait Moser
The Book of Boy Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Eleanor & Park Rainbow Rowell
Front Desk Kelly Yang
POETRY
Devotions Mary Oliver
Audiobooks[1]
· Mary Poppins
· The Penderwicks in Spring
· The Penderwicks at Last
· Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package
· The War That Saved My Life
· The War I Finally Won
· Who Was? Scientists and Inventors
Family Read Alouds:
[1] Note that the Audiobooks and Family Read Alouds are in the order that we read/listened to them. This doesn’t include the copious amount of picture books we read this year, please visit my the ‘Book Review’ section on this site or visit my IG @livingbythepagewithnatalie to see those titles and reviews.
