Below is a round-up of the 12 books I read last year, with
some of my thoughts on each and a score I gave each out of five. I keep track
of my reading challenge over on Goodreads; I discovered it last year and am
obsessed, it’s so useful when looking for future book inspiration. You can find
me here.
January: Death on the
Nile - Agatha Christie
I kicked off the year with a classic and my first Agatha
Christie novel. Whilst I enjoyed the book on the whole, it proved that I do
prefer more contemporary writing and I’m just not convinced mystery will ever
be a go-to genre for me.
Rating: 3/5
February: The Rosie
Project – Graeme Simsion
Throughout 2018 my friends and I swapped books between
ourselves, acting as a bit of a mini book-club. This is one of the ones I got
given and I must admit, I really enjoyed it. It’s light-hearted, fun and well...charming. I didn’t expect all that much from it as it appeared as just another
chick-lit read which I had gone off a little in the past few years, preferring
books that packed more of a punch; however it had me laughing out-loud many
times. The main character, Don, is exactly like Sheldon from the Big Bang
Theory and I enjoyed reading something within the romance genre from a male
perspective.
Rating: 4/5
March: Ready Player
One by Ernest Cline
When I heard this was being turned into a film by Spielsburg
and had tons of 80s references, I had to read it but surprisingly, it didn’t
grab me in the way I expected it to. Don’t get me wrong, there are parts I
really enjoyed but because it was so
hyped up, I finished it feeling that it was just okay. However, if you’re a big sci-fi fan, this would be perfect
for you.
Rating: 3/5
April: Eleanor
Oliphant Is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
I’m pretty sure 90% of the female population read this book
last year; I was constantly seeing it across my Instagram feed so when I placed
a top-up Amazon order of books, this was the first to be added to my basket. I
think this would have been a lovely summer holiday book as you could get
completely engrossed and devour it in a matter of days. I absolutely loved it.
Eleanor is a really interesting character and even if you don’t love her, the
story itself is gripping and is much more than you’d perhaps expect.
Rating: 4/5
May: After You – Jojo
Moyes
If you liked Me Before
You then of course, it’s worth reading the next one to find out what
happens but whilst it’s enjoyable, it’s not nearly as memorable as the prequel
but then again, that’s usually the case. An easy-to-read book for the Jojo
Moyes fans.
Rating: 3/5
June: Miss You - Kate
Eberlen
Now don’t get me wrong this was perhaps the most chick-lit
book of the whole list, a fairly obvious storyline which has been done in the
romance genre time and time again and yet, I really liked it. It is incredibly
similar to Love, Rosie but I found
myself getting lost in the story, connecting with all the characters and
emotions.
Rating: 4/5
July: Call Me By Your
Name - André Aciman
I heard so much about the film adaptation of this that I
felt it only right to give it a read and I set my expectations high. Whilst I
agree it’s a good book and well-written, I just don’t think I connected with
the story or the main character as much as I was hoping and therefore, it felt
slow at times.
Rating: 3/5
August: This Is Going
to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor – Adam Kay
I summed this up on my Instagram Stories as “one of the best
books I have ever read” and almost six months on, I am still recommending it on
a regular basis. It is so incredibly insightful into the real story of what it
is like to be an NHS doctor and will result in the absolute upmost respect for
the incredible people we have looking after us. I truly think
this should be added to the GCSE English curriculum so we can ensure future
generations read this book. I am such a huge fan of Adam Kay for writing this
and I am incredibly pleased to have gotten people who do not enjoy reading to
not only read this book, but love it as much as I did.
Rating: 5/5
September: The
Tattooist of Auschwitz – Heather Morris
This book was incredible, heart breaking and harrowing and
yet completely absorbing and touching at the same time. This unforgettable read
is a true story about Lale and Gita Sokolo; two Slovakian Jewish prisoners at
Auschwitz and follows their time at the concentration camp. It’s written
sensitively and emotionally whilst remaining true to the factual story and will
stay with you long after you turn the last page.
Rating: 5/5
October: Little Fires
Everywhere - Celeste Ng
This was another one I was excited to read due to all the
rave reviews I had seen. It’s a slow-moving book and had I known that
beforehand, I may have enjoyed it more from the beginning but I found it took a
while before I became truly engrossed in the story. Saying that, on the whole
the story is really powerful and I loved how the author linked the various
characters’ stories. I’m intrigued to read Celeste Ng’s other novel, Everything I Never Told You, as part of
my 2019 reading challenge.
Rating: 4/5
November: One Plus
One - Jojo Moyes
So this was my second Jojo Moyes book of the year and I must
say it was my favourite of the two, by far. It’s completely separate to the Me Before You series yet follows the
similar ‘opposites attract’ style storyline. It’s easy-to-read but the way the characters and events are depicted makes it a book I wanted to consume all at once, a true page-turner and offers pure escapism.
Rating: 4/5
December: The Wisdom
of Sally Red Shoes – Ruth Hogan
I absolutely loved Ruth Hogan’s first novel The Keeper of Lost Things so I was really
keen to read her next one. Whilst I liked it, at no point did I love it; I just
kept waiting to become hooked on the storyline but I never did. It’s not by any
means a bad read but for me, it didn’t live up to my expectations.
Rating: 3/5
So there we have it, a little summary of the 12 books I read
in 2018. You might be able to tell from the above that my favourite read of the
year was without a doubt This Is Going to
Hurt by Adam Kay. I loved it so much I have tickets to see him live in
March as part of his book/comedy tour and I honestly think he’ll be a name to
remember.
I’ve upped my challenge this year to 15 books and I’m well
underway with the second book.
What was the best book you read in 2018? Have you set
yourself a reading challenge? Let me know in the comments.
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