2018 was a HUGE year of reading for me.  I feel like I say this every year, but I think I read more books this year than any other time in my life.  I set a goal of reading 50 books and ended up reading 70!  You can check out the books I read here.

I read a wide variety of books:  contemporary fiction, science fiction, self-help, graphic novels, memoirs, and even some romance.  In no particular order, here are the top 5 books that made my favorites list:

1.  The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

This the first book of a trilogy.  I read the entire series, which is fantastic!  It follows the journey of Essun, a woman living in a post-apocalypse Earth, who is searching for her kidnapped daughter.  The world that the author has created in this series is imaginative, tragic, and yet hopeful.

2.  Educated by Tara Westover

This memoir is written by a woman who grows up in a family of survivalists in the mountains of Idaho.  Her father forbade school, doctors, and anything to do with the modern world.  Yet despite all of this, Tara goes on to earn her PhD at Cambridge University.

3.  Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is a woman with very poor social skills who has created a perfectly routine life for herself; that is, until she meets Raymond, a sloppy, laidback co-worker.  As the story unfolds, we find that Eleanor has a dark, tragic past, and Raymond helps her to face her past and open herself up to a new life.

4.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is one of my favorite novels of all time.  I decided to re-read it after it was named favorite book in PBS’ The Great American Read.  This book touches on racism in our society, a theme which is still prevalent today, but it’s also about family.  The Finches are some of my favorite book characters.

5.  The Passage by Justin Cronin

This book was originally published in 2010 and became one of my all-time favorites.  It’s the first book in a trilogy and sadly, by the time the second book came out, I had forgotten many of the characters in the first book and decided that I would need to re-visit at a later date.  The Passage is being made into a TV series on Fox and so I decided that now would be a good time to re-read this book.  Guys, if you love Stephen King’s The Stand and The Walking Dead, READ THIS BOOK!!  The Passage tells the story of a virus gone wrong; (it turns people into vampires) and how the human race survives.  I’m currently on the second book of the series and can’t put it down.

Also, I wanted to list some honorable mentions:

Scout’s Honor by Joanne Salemink

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

How about you?  What were some of your favorite reads in 2018?

May your glass (and bookshelf) always be full,

Tammy