2018 Reading Review

I knew that I would struggle to get a large number of books read this year, but I surprised myself when I realized this was not my worst reading year. I managed to read 59 books, some of which were audiobook. I have one small book started, so I may finish it before the year ends to bring my total to 60.

A few observations about my reading this year...

• Medicines really affect my ability to concentrate. Some months, especially those when I was taking chemo were very poor months for reading.

• Audiobooks are the secret to reading when you have trouble concentrating. I found a good audiobook reader would help me focus and stay with the story.

• I discovered historical mysteries last fall and I read a lot of them this year. I enjoy the time period of 1915-1950 the most so far, although I have enjoyed other ones.

• Nonfiction was especially hard for me, but I did manage to make my Goodreads nonfiction goal of 12 and in fact exceeded it to read a total of 22 nonfiction books. That is close to my normal total the last few years.

My favorite nonfiction books of 2018 were...

1. A Crazy, Holy Grace (Buechner)
2. Walking with God through Pain and Suffering (Keller)
3. I'd Rather be Reading (Bogel)
4. The Eternal Current (Neiquist)
5. Courage, Dear Heart (Reynolds)

My favorite fiction books of 2018 were...

1. Death Below Stairs (Ashley)
2. The Secret, Book & Scone Society (Adams)
3. A Study in Scarlet Women (Thomas)
4. The Anatomist's Wife (Huber)
5. A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Thomas)
6. Murder on Astor Place (Thompson)
7. Murder in the Locked Library (Adams)

I have lots of books on my Kindle to dig into in 2019 and I've set a very high reading goal of 100 books. I know that will be challenging but I miss the days when I could read without falling asleep! I'm going to try some small tweaks to how and when I read to see if I can get my reading life back this year. I don't plan to push myself too much until chemo is over and then I'm going to make reading more of a habit than I have in the last few years. I may not reach my goal, but working towards it will be good for me.

How about you? What were your favorite books of the year? Any reading observations to share? I'd love to hear from you!