2018 Reads in Review
2018 Reads in Review
This is my favorite post to write each year! I I am so grateful for my love of reading and that it is something I prioritize (most of the time) in my life. My goal for this year was to read 50 books, in different genres, and about different subjects than I am comfortable with. I also re-read some of my very favorites (points if you can guess which). It was a great year for reading, and I feel so filled by everything I learned.
My top 5 favorites for this year were:
1. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
by Erik Larson.
I love German WWII history. If it was all I read all year, I would be content. Of course it's really dark, but I love hearing the stories of resistance that required so much bravery.
2. That We May Be One: A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith and Family
by Tom Christofferson
A beautiful story about true love in family life. There are so many great lessons taught in this book about really difficult things, I think the world would be a better place if everyone read it.
3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I saw this film when I was 16, and it preoccupied me for months. I've wanted to read it since, so for my Lit general I decided to take Russian Lit. I had an amazing experience. I was enraptured by all of the messages Tolstoy was trying to send. I agree with the generally accepted statement that it is one of the best novels ever written.
4. Let Me Tell You My Story
by Their Story Our Story (compiled)
This book is a compilation of stories from refugees in Europe and the Middle East. To say that it broke my heart would be understatement. It is a good way to gain awareness of what is happening in the world. Even though these wars and conflicts may not effect us directly, I feel like we still have an obligation to try and care for the people who are effected.
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling
How could I not choose this one? In all honesty, this was the book I enjoyed reading the very most this year. It is so brilliantly done. Wherever I was, I found myself pining to go home so that I could be reunited with it. Each time I read this series, my love for them increases.
Complete List, in order that I completed them in:
1. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
2. Mere Christianity
by C.S. Lewis
3. Home Fire
by Kamila Shamsie
4. Go Set a Watchman
by Harper Lee
5. Pillar of Light (The Work and the Glory #1)
by Gerald N. Lund
6. Like a Fire is Burning (The Work and the Glory #2)
by Gerald N. Lund
7. Truth will Prevail (The Work and the Glory #3)
by Gerald N. Lund
8. Seek this Jesus
by Neill Mariott
9. Thy Gold to Refine (The Work and the Glory #4)
by Gerald N. Lund
10. A Season of Joy (The Work and the Glory #5)
by Gerald N. Lund
11. The Gospel at 30,000 Feet
by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
12. Praise to the Man (The Work and the Glory #6)
by Gerald N. Lund
13. No Unhallowed Hand (The Work and the Glory #7)
by Gerald N. Lund
14. Orphan Train
by Christina Baker Kline
15. So Great a Cause (The Work and the Glory #8)
by Gerald N. Lund
16. All is Well (The Work and the Glory #9)
by Gerald N. Lund
17. The Gateway We Call Death
by Russell M. Nelson
18. The Light Between Oceans
by M.L. Steadman
19. The Women in the Castle
by Jessica Shattuck
20. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
21. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
by Erik Larson
22. Following the Light of Christ into His Presence
by John Pontius
23. From Sand and Ash
by Amy Harmon
24. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J.K. Rowling
25. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J.K. Rowling
26. Questions to Ask Your Future Spouse Before They Become Your Spouse
by Wes Cooper
27. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J.K. Rowling
28. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J.K. Rowling
29. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling
30. The Princess Diarist
by Carrie Fisher
31. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling
32. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown
33. Grit
by Angela Duckworth
34. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling
35. That We May Be One: A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith and Family
by Tom Christofferson
36. Eugene Onegin
by Alexander Pushkin
37. A Hero of Our Time
by Mikhail Lermontov
38. Dead Souls
by Nikolai Gogol
39. Fathers and Sons
by Ivan Turgenev
40. Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
41. Educated
by Tara Westover
42. Let Me Tell You My Story
compiled
43. Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
44. Sisters In Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World
by Linda Hirshman
... to be continued soon :)
such a great idea! I loved it, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteyour reading is INSPIRING. That's SO COOL that you would prioritize fun reading. I've started to read Christofferson's and it's great!
ReplyDelete