Other Women's Stories

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Top Ten (Percent) of 2018

There is just no way I was going to be able to put together a list of just ten of my favorite books of 2018. Normally, I do feel that shorter lists are easier to come up with than longer lists, but at a certain point, short is too short. So I decided to choose my top ten percent, which means 18 books. So here they are in alphabetical order with a short explanation as to why I loved them. I've linked my original review to each title for your reference.

Becoming, Michelle Obama

It's being hailed as the book of the year, and I wouldn't really argue with that. It is that good.

Betty Ford, Lisa McCubbin

One of my very, very favorite biographies not only of the year but of all time. I knew very little about Betty Ford before reading this, and now I'm a huge fan.

Bunny Mellon, Meryl Gordon

It doesn't matter that you don't know who Bunny Mellon is (I didn't), you can still enjoy this book. It's a great biography.

Destiny and Power, Jon Meacham

This would have been on my list even if we wouldn't have lost President Bush in 2018. This is a great biography of a great man. Jon Meacham was one of President Bush's eulogizers, though this book was not a gushing tribute.

The Good Son, Christopher Andersen

I've read a couple of books by Christopher Andersen now, and I'm a fan. This one is the examination of the relationship between Jackie Kennedy Onassis and JFK Jr. It was very well done.

Hillbilly Elegy, J. D. Vance

Stunningly good. It's been said to be an explanation on why certain flyover folks voted for President Trump in 2016, but that characterization limits a seriously brilliant appraisal of current America.

In the Woods, Tana French

This book made me a Tana French fan. I was afraid it would be too intense, and it was a bit intense in parts, but it was so well-written, so well-reasoned, and the characters were so well-fleshed, that I was stunned.

Jackie, Janet & Lee, J. Randy Taraborrelli

I've read another of Taraborrelli's books about the Kennedy family, and his newest was as good as it was. I just found out he has another coming out in June. His books are big and meaty and a little gossipy. A fun combination.

Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng

This one really is as good as the hype. It's hard to describe the plot, but it doesn't matter. Go into it blind and let it take you where it does. I loved this book. One of my favorite fiction reads of the year.

My Lady Jane, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jody Meadows

This book was just plain fun. I challenged myself to read it because it was two things I never read: YA and magical realism. I loved this book. It was funny and imaginative and clean. A wonderful adventure.

Picnic, Lightning, Billy Collins

Many of my favorite Billy Collins poems come from this collection. I marked so many poems here, I would have been better off marking the poems I didn't like.

A Place for Us, Fatima Farheen Mirza

I loved this book so much. It had a depth to it that I didn't find in a lot of fiction this year. Some folks will likely find it boring due to its thin plot, but I thought it was simply stunning.

The Reckoning, John Grisham

This is the last book I finished in 2018, and I haven't reviewed it yet. It's also my first John Grisham book. It isn't very well reviewed, and I get the impression it's unlike his previous work, so I'd like to try more of his books to find out. I really was impressed with this one. It's not a happy book, but it was very good.

The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey

I read bother of Eowyn Ivey's books this year, and they were both excellent. This one was so charming and poignant and wonderful. Its plot contains magical realism, which I've found I have a tolerance for.

True Compass, Edward M. Kennedy

Ted Kennedy's memoir was an example of what an elder statesman's memoir should be. It was well-balanced and honest, comprehensive but never boring.

Upstairs at the White House, J. B. West

I'd had this book for ages before I finally sat down to read it, and I fell head over heels with it. West's account of the first ladies he served is honest yet respectful, and his tact is impeccable. It is easily one of my favorite books about the White House.

Us Against You, Fredrik Backman

This follow-up to his smash-hit Beartown, takes you right back to the action. Calling Backman brilliant is not hyperbole. It's fact.

The Widows of Malabar Hill, Sujata Massey

I love stumbling upon a new series at the beginning, and I think the Mystery of 1920s India series is going to be one for me to stick with. I loved the first book, and I can't wait for the second, due out in May.

Bonus: some favorite re-reads

Each of these would have ended up on my best of list if I allowed re-reads. Angela's Ashes was every bit as good as the first time I read it in about 1997. I loved Montana 1948 on re-read; I hadn't liked it much the first time around. And I loved, loved, loved Where The Red Fern Grows.

Monday, January 7, 2019

January 2019 reading list

Each year, I think January is my favorite reading month. I've usually saved up a few titles for my new year's goals, and I just feel rejuvenated starting off with a clean reading slate. Anything could happen. I could fall in love with a new genre, discover a favorite new author, fall down any number of reading rabbit holes. And January is usually when I get to some of the late fall releases I wasn't able to the year before. And all of this comes together to create a list of books I really, really, really want to read. Here is this January's list.

Lots of fiction:

Memoirs:

Nonfiction:

Poetry:

As always the list is subject to change or addition, especially considering library audiobook hold lists.

Thursday, January 3, 2019

2018 Reading Goals Recap

Well, it's time to take a look at my reading goals for 2018 and see how I did. I'm currently working on next year's goals, which mirror these closely. I've finally found a set of goals that makes sense for me and helps me accomplish my larger goals when it comes to my reading, things like "reading current"; reading high-profile books while they're still high-profile; and reading a variety of genres and "textures," meaning a variety of long and short books, classics, visual books, books about other cultures, and books on different media (print, electronic, and audio). Here's how it all broke down.

In 2018, I read a total of 181 books, 83 nonfiction, 77 fiction, and 21 poetry. I read 22 books on Kindle and listened to 59. I also read 66 picture books.

1. Re-read Pride and Prejudice.

Completed: May 5

I didn't love this book nearly as much on re-reading it, which is so unfortunate, because it had been one of my favorite books.

2. Begin Prose Works by Mary Baker Eddy. Finish if possible.

Big fat fail. I didn't realize just how big this book was, and when I decided it would be just too uncomfortable to force it, instead of revising the plan, I abandoned it altogether. I kind of oppose making reading goals of religious material, as religious study is probably best done out of inspiration rather than obligation, so I don't feel terrible, just lazy.

3. Read 50 books published in 2017 and 2018.

Completed: July 14

I ended up finishing 86 books published in 2017 and 2018. This was a good goal, and though 50 seemed like an intimidating number, it really wasn't once I got started. This goal forced me to clean up my TBR and also to not "save" books for later. This was one of my favorite goals, and I'll be using it again next year.

4. Read 30 modern classics or high-profile books.

Completed: June 7

I started this goal in July of 2017, so I had almost a year and a half to finish it. I ended up reading 50 books, some of my favorites being: The Dry, Little Fires Everywhere, Hillbilly Elegy, In the Woods, The President Is Missing, and The Snow Child.

5. Read 10 chunksters.

Completed: April 10

I read 25 chunksters (~400 pages or more) this year, up from 16 last year. Favorites include: My Lady Jane; Bunny Mellon; Jackie, Janet & Lee (about Jackie O., her mother, and her sister ); Destiny and Power (about George H.W. Bush); Us Against You (Fredrik Backman); True Compass (Ted Kennedy); To the Bright Edge of the World; In the Woods (Tana French); Becoming (Michelle Obama); and The Reckoning (John Grisham).

6. Re-read 5 books.

Completed: June 14

I re-read nine books this year. Some of them stood up to re-reading, and some didn't. I still loved Angela's Ashes and Good Poems: American Places. Present over Perfect (Shauna Niequist) and Writing the Australian Crawl (William Stafford) lost something over time. And a book from childhood, Where the Red Fern Grows, was absolutely wonderful.

7. Abandon 5 books.

Completed: March 27

Wa-hoo for me! I blew this goal out of the water, abandoning at least 16 books (it's hard to give an exact count, because I start a lot of things on Kindle but don't get very far, so at what point does a book count?). This became my most important goal of the year, I think. I added it to my list as part lark and part experiment, and it became invaluable to me and saved me much anguish. I often abandoned a book not because it was bad or poorly written, but because I just didn't enjoy it. Some folks have to give themselves permission to jettison what they don't enjoy, I guess. I abandoned all kinds of things, some big name books (12 Rules for Life), some classics (My Man Jeeves and Howards End), some informative (Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and The Bride Price) and some that I'd been looking forward to (Lady Bird and Lyndon). All-in-all, this goal is one I'd recommend to anyone who struggles with the guilt of putting down a perfectly good book if it doesn't satisfy them.

8. Read 1,000 poems.

Completed: unsure

I read over 2,000 poems this year, much less than last year, but still double my goal. Read more about my poetry reading here.

9. Read 100 books.

Completed: July 22

I finished out the year with 181 books under my belt. At times it almost felt like too much. While I never force myself to read (it helps to have five to seven books going at any one time), there were times when I wondered if I was having too much of a good thing.

10. Read 50 picture books.

Completed: October 1

While I met my goal with 66 picture books read, I didn't enjoy this goal much this year. Picture books are just getting too much into identity politics, and it's harder to just find a fun book for little kids that doesn't push an agenda. I just didn't find a lot that interested me or that I enjoyed. My top 12 post can be found here.

As you can see, I finished most of my goals by mid-year, the earliest completed in March (abandon 5 books), and the last completed October 1 (read 50 picture books). So I guess I should up my goal numbers for next year, but I'm not sure I will. These numbers feel reasonable, and that seems more important right now than impressively large numbers.

Monday, December 31, 2018

December 2018 wrap-up

December was a great reading month. It was eclectic and varied, and that's my reading happy spot. I had some cozy reading and lots of adventures and some great memoirs. Here's how it all shook out.