• Bookish,  Lists

    2018 Books: favorites, surprises, misses, and reflections

    December 31, 2018

     

    2018 was a lot of things but at the top of my list was re-discovering my love of reading. In January I set a goal to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Once I realized I was going to surpass that goal, I set a new goal of 75 books read for 2018 and I met that goal. Here’s the breakdown:

    • 75 books completed
    • 26,121 pages
    • Longest book – A Little Life, 720 pages
    • 38 audiobooks (I drive A LOT)
    • 30 five star books
    • 13 nonfiction books

    My Top 10 Books of 2018:

    1. Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
    2. A Little Life – Hana Yanagihara
    3. The Incendiaries – R. O. Kwon
    4. The Nix – Nathan Hill
    5. The Rules of Magic – Alice Hoffman
    6. Bitter Orange – Claire Fuller
    7. Bear Town – Fredrick Backman
    8. Heavy – Kiese Laymon
    9. Next Year in Havana – Chanel Cleeton
    10. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows – Balli Kaur Jaswal

    For me, the top 10 list is always the hardest to write so here are a few surprise favorites that didn’t quite make the list but should be on your To-Be-Read list:

    The misses a.k.a the books other raved about that I didn’t love:

    • The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah
    • Still Lives – Maria Hummel

    Both of these were misses for me for the same reason – graphic domestic violence/violence against women to the excess and wasn’t necessary to the plot.

    My one abandoned book was Less by Andrew Sean Greer. I just didn’t get the Pulitzer award given to this book. And maybe I would have liked it more if it hadn’t had that hype before I picked it up to read.

     

     

    2018 was one of the hardest years of my life both personally and professionally. On the personal front, I’m happy that our family is bringing this year to a close and we are all healing and healthier. On the professional front, we will have to see what 2019 brings but I’m encouraged by the direction I am headed and so very thankful for my husband and his unrelenting support and encouragement.

    I am also thrilled to have reconnected with my love of writing here on my blog as well as other outlets and I’m looking forward to seeing where that takes me in 2019. In addition to that, the bookstagram community on Instagram is a wonderful and supportive place to find fellow bookworms and I am so happy to have connected with so many like-minded readers and writers.

    And last but not least… two communities I connected with late in the year, The Himalayas of Literature and Book Club for Introverts. Both of these groups have been highlights of 2018 for me and I can’t wait to continue with both in 2019.

    All in all, 2018 has been a year of goals met, lessons learned, new directions, and finding the things to be thankful even in the midst of the valleys.

    Here’s to a new year full of promise! Happy New Year!

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  • Book Reviews

    Book Review: The Farm

    December 7, 2018

    The Farm – Joanne Ramos

    ✂️✂️✂️/5

    Welcome to the future – welcome to The Farm.

    Jane is a single mom and a struggling immigrant from the Philippines. She is presented with the opportunity to be a host and live at a luxury retreat of sorts – Golden Oaks.

    Massages, gourmet food, expert medical care, and generous pay with one caveat – you are pregnant as a surrogate for a wealthy family or individual and cannot leave the grounds. Oh, and you are continuously monitored. It’s a business and you are simply a host with a number instead of a name.

    Jane accepts the opportunity and leaves her daughter, Amalia, in the care of Ate, her cousin they are living with. While motivated to provide a better life for her daughter, Jane still struggles with losing contact with her daughter and the outside world.

    As a mother myself, my heart broke for Jane, especially when Golden Oaks used contact with her daughter as a means of control. The other hosts were in similar situations – missing family and significant others.

    Naturally the hosts bond and one by one you learn their own backgrounds and experiences at The Farm; some in more detail than others.

    This was where the book went sideways for me. I was initially captivated by the difficult choices Jane had to make and the big business of surrogacy. But as each host and their individual lives were introduced, the plot became crowded with characters and none of them felt well developed.

    When I finished the book I felt like something was missing. There was a lot of potential to examine the ethics of a surrogacy farm, the control of their bodies that the women gave up, race, imbalances of power, and motherhood and the sacrifices mothers make. The author briefly hit on all of these issues but almost seemed hesitant to fully weave them into the plot.

    Overall the book was written well and the concept was unique and creative. It was entertaining in parts – it just lacked depth.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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  • Himalayas of Literature

    The Himalayas of Literature: a challenge

    December 5, 2018

    Do you have bucket list books that have languished on paper or in mental notes for longer than it would have taken to read the books – twice through?

    On December 1st I posted an Instagram picture of my to-be-read (TBR) stack that included three of my ultimate books to conquer. I had read 75 books in 2018; my original goal was 52. To celebrate exceeding my goal I thought it would be interesting to tackle a few books that checked the challenging box.

    But oddly enough, for the first time ever, I received some direct messages about my book choices that were less than kind or encouraging. It was strange and very unlike the typically supportive bookstagram community. I’m going to bypass that the messages were all from men because that’s not the point of this post – but, UGH.

    A lovely Instagram follower noticed this stack and introduced me to an online course reading these and three other challenging books. Did you know that there is a term for this group of books?

    I didn’t. I was buying Infinite Jest and Amazon suggested that they are frequently bought together and I wanted next day shipping for my book and magnetic bookmarks so into the cart they all went. Well played, Amazon.

    These books are referred to as the Himalayas of Literature. I love ridiculous goals so here they are:

    1. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace – 1078 pages
    2. The Waves by Virginia Woolf – 297 pages
    3. The Recognitions by William Gaddis – 976 pages
    4. Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon – 776 pages
    5. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce – 628 pages
    6. 2666 by Robert Bolzano – 912 pages

    This is a six course bundle that spans a year. I purchased the course and for what I get – commentary, essays, live discussions, and interactions with other readers – it will be well worth it.

    A post like this is probably as good of a place as any to bury the fact that I am bored. I have a successful career in finance that spans 20 years but there is more. I know there has to be more. This isn’t a surprise to people who really know me but it feels good to write this. My hope is that this challenge helps me chart a course.

    I also love a good book cover…

    I love a good book that I can finish in a few sittings. But I know that to become a better writer, you have to be a better reader. The Himalayas of Literature seem like a great place to start so here goes.

    I am certainly not forsaking great, current books; I just want to stretch myself. But I have to admit, after reading Infinite Jest all day, it was nice to pick up Nine Perfect Strangers that our book club is reading this month.

    I don’t know how often I’ll blog about this journey because the books are long and involve discussions but it’s still nice to write about the direction I’m headed for 2019.

    What are your reading goals for 2019? Do you have any writing goals as well?

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  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Winter reads

    December 4, 2018
    blur book close up coffee
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

    One of my very favorite parts of winter is that time seems to slow which means more time for reading.

    It is common to see descriptors for summer books: easy read, beach read, poolside read, summer read, etc. But you don’t see that as much for the other seasons which I find highly unfair because it’s not their fault that they aren’t summer.

    So now it’s time to put the spotlight on winter. Here are my top ten winter books:

    1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – This is a childhood favorite of mine. Not even knowing exactly what “Turkish Delight” was, I always hoped for some in my stocking.
    2. The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman – Interesting characters, a magical plot, and the value of having family make this a great read.
    3. Murder on The Orient Express by Agatha Christie – Another childhood favorite and who doesn’t like a cozy mystery in the winter?
    4. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham – This is really the only overtly Christmas book. It’s a quick read that is humorous. It sums up the madness of the holiday season and what happens when we resist.
    5. The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens – A great mystery with highly interesting backstories of the characters.
    6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – When you’re cold and tired of the snow, the rich imagery and descriptions of marsh life will warm you up.
    7. Educated by Tara Westover – This is the only memoir to make the list. It’s an amazing story of survival and the power of education.
    8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Who doesn’t need a little attic wife hilarity during the holidays? Also check out the book Texts From Jane Eyre – SO funny!
    9. Calypso by David Sedaris – Want to feel better about your dysfunctional family? Here you go… but with a healthy dose of laughter too.
    10. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace – This is my “long book” for December. At over 1000 pages, I’ll be spending a lot of time in front of the fire with this book. So far, it’s amazing and I’ll write more about it tomorrow.

    Other than coffee or bourbon, my favorite accessory to read with is my weighted blanket. It helps tremendously with anxiety and pairs perfect with a good winter book.

    What are some of your favorite cold weather books?

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  • Lists

    November Reading Wrap Up

    December 1, 2018

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    I missed the memo but apparently “nonfiction November” is a thing. Perhaps subconsciously, I followed along because I read more nonfiction in November than I read the entire rest of the year. I also only listened to one audiobook which is strange for me.

    Six of the ten books I finished were nonfiction:

    • Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
    • Hope and Other Superpowers by John Pavlovitz
    • Meaty by Samantha Irby
    • Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair by Anne Lamott
    • Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (audiobook)
    • Shrill by Lindy West

    The other four fiction books:

    • The Farm by Joanne Ramos (ARC)
    • Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller – Our Book Club for Introverts November pick
    • Little Darlings by Melanie Golding (ARC) – look for this one stopping by on its blog tour in April!
    • Running from Scissors by T.C. Westcott

    My favorite nonfiction book was Shrill. The message is so important. Bird by Bird was a close second.

    My favorite fiction book was Bitter Orange with Little Darlings coming in second. Both books had dark twists and turns and were enjoyable reads.

    I have four books left to hit my 2018 reading goal of 75. I should meet that goal that goal this coming week so then my December plans are to dig into some tougher books and enjoy my book club book, Nine Perfect Strangers. And BTW, it’s not too late to join Book Club For Introverts for December. Anyone is welcome!

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