2018 is finally over! Thank the gods. We've all been waiting for the end of this year, haven't we? I started to notice how much I love New Years and the beginning of a new year. There's definitely not a "new me" but it's a new start to something that could potentially be the best year I've had yet. I love the Spring more than I thought. The new beginning, the Spring cleaning, the gardening... It's a lovely time of the year, isn't it? To end this year, let's talk about the books I loved this year.
I read my 35 out of the 35 reading goal I had set for myself this year. It's definitely less than I wanted to read but I still finished the goal I set for myself and I discovered lovely books. There's not a giant stack of favorites but I thought I'd talk to you about the few I truly loved.
- First off, I truly fell in love with V.E. Schwab's books this year. I read all of the Darker Shades of Magic trilogy and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was the most exciting reading experience I've in a long time. The feeling of finishing the sequel and desperately wanting to read the finale. Scrambling to order the third book while I was in the middle of the second one because I knew I'd definitely need the third one soon. I ended up reading the finale while road tripping to North Carolina and it was truly a giant mess. I cried at the end of this book and had nothing else to read once I was finished. It was thrilling to pick up this book whenever I could despite being on vacation but I just needed to know what happened next. This trilogy reminded me why I love reading so much and how truly enticing it can be to discover a new favorite author/book.
- As for my second favorite, Roxane Gay's books became a big favorite of mine. I read Hunger by Roxane Gay this year through audiobook and it was quite literally life changing. Her books never fail to leave me inspired and my mind wandering. I remember listening to this book on audiobook and playing it before bed but I stayed up all night because her story is truly interesting, emotional and worth your time. I'll buy and read anything Roxane Gay writes or edits after listening to Hunger. Not to mention, her books are usually non-fiction/essays and I found myself loving this genre even more so. It's something I'll continue reading because I learn new things every time and I'm always completely engaged in these stories.
- Lastly, I couldn't not mention What If It's Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli. I got the pleasure to read an ARC of this book in the beginning of the year months before it was released. I have a review for it on my blog if you're interested in seeing that but wow, I loved this book. It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018 because it's co-written, set in New York, and features LGBT+ characters. They're written almost perfectly and their story is so endearing. Of course, this is due to the fact that both Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli (the perfect pairing) wrote this book together and put everything they truly had into these characters. It definitely deserves the spot it's taking on the New York Times Best Seller list.
And there you have it, my favorite authors/reads of 2018. I apologize for this list being so short but these books definitely pack a punch and are worth reading if you haven't already. They stood out to me so it was only fate they make up this short favorites list of 2018.
