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year in books 2018
happy new year! on this day i usually post a review meme of all the fic i wrote for the year, but since i wrote and posted a grand total of three things in 2018, lol, that won't work. instead: BOOK MEME. because i read like a mother fucker.
first, here's goodreads' year in review thingy that they generate for you.
and now, this.
Number Of Books You Read: 158!!!!
Number of Re-Reads: 17
Genre You Read The Most From: LGBTQIA, to no one's surprise. if u don't count that as a genre for whatever reason: contemporary romance and science fiction were 2nd and 3rd.
>Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2018?
god this is hard. i read a lot of good books this year, and there are a lot of books that ended up meaning something to me personally. so to make this easier, i only looked at the books that i gave 5 stars in 2018 (and even then, just because i gave a book 5 stars doesn't mean it's perfect, it just means that it meant a lot to me). with those things in mind, my best book of 2018 is probably in the distance there is light. i thought it was going to be cheesy and bad but it was so sweet and sincere and dealt with grief and guilt and new love in a way i absolutely devoured. man i loved this book. (serious age gap though, keep that in mind if you want to read.)
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
wicked. this book has been on my shelf for literal yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeears, i've been meaning to read it for such a long while. so many of my friends loved the musical and i knew there was femslash potential... but the potential was kinda where it stopped. idk i expected this book to do more than it did, to captivate me more than it did, to get me invested more than it did. elphaba and glinda were such a winning combo, i loved their relationship so much i could cry ("hold out, my sweet.") but ultimately that was left to the wayside and the plot/politics bored me. also huntress. i read ash a few years ago and remember being completely enchanted by it, but either my standards were lower back then (which they probably were, i would read anything once it had lesbians in it lol) or lo's writing has taken a dip. i looked forward to this SO MUCH but did not like it much at all.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
the twist in the goldfinch certainly took me by surprise in a good way. i sort of bellowed with laughter, honestly. oh boris.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
ummmm, i blabbed about in the distance there is light and i got mona and my (now) gf to read it and they liked it a bunch. B) pretty sure i hollered about sorcerer of the wildeeps a lot when i reread it, but most of my friends have already read that. (if you haven't, you should, it's one of my fave books of ALL TIME).
5. Best series you started in 2018? Best Sequel of 2018? Best Series Ender of 2018?
near the end of the year i read dragonoak: the complete history of kastelir, which i LOVED, and was an amazing start to a series that has lots of great women and a really cool world. no sequels or enders that really stand out to me (acceptance was very good, if very ?__?.)
6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2018?
i read several books from talia hibbert this year, and really liked them. she writes really good heroines who outstrip and eclipse her heroes by far. fingers crossed that she starts writing lesbians at some point lol. also i LOVED every book i read by siera maley this year, she writes the sort of sweet, tropey, well-written, hopeful YA lesbian stuff that i wish i could have read in my teens. but i'm glad she's here for all the baby dykes ;u;
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
i don't read a lot of non fiction/biographies, so the tattooist of auschwitz was a bit of a departure for me, and i enjoyed it a lot.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
santa olivia! the short chapters and passages made it go by quickly, in true james patterson fashion, but the story and characters and action were soooooo good. pretty sure i read this one day, straight into the next? also: the last witness. i freaking SPED through this audio-book, it had me entranced. i remember actually taking my phone into the bathroom while i washed my hair and putting it on loudspeaker because i did NOT want to stop listening.
9. Book You Read In 2018 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
the entire sherlock holmes series, because i've fallen into the habit of rereading it every year LOL. but not counting that (and the hobbit/LOTR, which i feel like i reread pretty often too), i think i want to reread slaughterhouse-five pretty soon, try to get more out of it.
10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2018?
villains don't date heroes! has such a cute, creative, well drawn cover, reminiscent of comic books. such a shame that the book itself is, you know, awful. favourite cover from a book i actually liked? binti! very arresting.
11. Most memorable character of 2018?
i think i'm going to give this one to aunt patience, from of sorrow and such. morally grey characters don't do a whole lot for me, and now that i've said it i'm not sure that that's the best way to describe patience... but man. probably one of my favourite fictional witches ever, and two things that she does in this book definitely seals her status as memorable. i want there to be a sequel to this book so badly.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?
why we never danced the charleston. really lovely writing, absolutely haunting at times. and have to give a shout out to super bass, another one of my rereads. i could spread kai ashante wilson's writing on toast and EAT IT.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?
idk. i loved a lot of books this year but i would feel fake saying that any of them 'changed me life'. one day in the life of ivan denisovich definitely fits the powerful and thought-provoking mould, though.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read?
the left hand of darkness. i've been meaning to read this for aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages, it's such an important book for sci-fi/queers/gender. and i really liked it! (not the ending so much weh.) it was my first le guin book too, and i only got around to it after she passed. :( creatively and world-wise it's an amazing book, especially whenever i stopped and remembered, 'wait she wrote this in 19-sixty-WHAT?'
(1969. eyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy)
15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?
the female persuasion?. i feel like i've said this multiple times, and i didn't even like the book that much, but the part where alby defines love is so sweet. "Love is when you feel, like, oh, oh, my heart hurts,“ Alby said. "Or when you see a dog and you feel like you have to touch its head.”
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?
shortest: hired help. lesbian erotica. not terrible but not great. longest: the goldfinch. (i think?? i'm going by goodreads, which doesn't count the books i listed as audio-books.) took a long time to read, but was definitely worth it.
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
girls & boys maybe? upon reflection, i could see that the big twist DIDN'T come out of nowhere, the author definitely left his hints, etc. but i just did not see it coming. this book did not end up being about what i thought it would be about, and the excellent performance just carried it.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
margot/claire, from french kissing. i want them to end up together in the end sooooo badly. they've been through so much, and they've changed a lot, but i can't get over how great and perfect they were for each other in the beginning, before all the drama ;; MARGOT'S SUCH A CATCH CLAIRE, DON'T LET HER GOOOOOOOOOOOO. also huge shout out to sir ightham/rowan from the complete history of kastelir. i'm a slut for knights and anything that even resembles courtly romance. this was ten times better because lesbians.
19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
something that i remember very fondly is the relationship between justin and his street urchin helpers, especially sukey, in an unnatural vice. i didn't like justin very much, but as a mentor and friend to those kids, he was really sweet.
20. Favourite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
how they met and other stories. david levithan pretty much defined my late teens. i loved him a lot, and it was great to come back to his very simple, but extremely effective and touching writing style.
21. Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
all systems red. I LOVE MURDERBOT. so glad max rec'd this. we have a lot of fave tropes in common, especially when it comes to scifi, and i ate this upppp. i guess i might have read this even without max's rec, but it definitely helped!!
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018?
Rán, from the complete history of kastelir. eight foot tall goat woman with horns who likes to tease and gives women piggy back rides? come fuck this.
23. Best 2018 debut you read?
behind these doors. hard to believe that this was the author's first book!! it was amazingly well written, wrt to style and plot and hitting all those emotional high points. a truly lovely look at polyamory in edwardian england. made me realise i have a HUGE thing for wrist-kissing.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
think i have to give this one to the celaeno series for the worldbuilding, especially the first book, the temple at landfall. the slow unravelling of the reason behind the planet's makeup was really good imo! and in general i remember reading this series to be very cathartic for me. at that point in time i was dealing with a LOT of harassment that i don't want to get into, and escaping into a world with no men was nice lol. :/ and i have to mention the left had of darkness again here. great stuff.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
the legend of korra: turf wars korra and asami are giiiiiiiiiiiiiiirlfriends. :) this was sweet and fun and just really good!
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?
colourblind. i stopped and fucking sobbed at the emotional climax of this teen lesbian romance. fuck. i loved this book.
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
more people should definitely read dungeon meshi!!!! a sweet slice of life, found family manga about adventuring, cooking, and voring monsters. it's the little things in life.
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
'crushed my soul' is hyperbolic but oh god shadow of the knife made me SO SAD. i was rooting for those two characters SO MUCH, i wanted a happy ending SO BAD. but because of the circumstances and the people they were... :( like, emotionally, it sort of drained me. the scene where ellen tells hal she loves her while in chains makes me want to BAWL when thinking of it, and the ambiguous ending HURTS, either which way you think of it. it's amazing that i still liked this book, but i really did.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?
annihilation, perhaps. don't ask me what the fuck this series is About but it introduced me to environmental horror, which i'm decidedly into as a thing. the builders was also very creative, very unique. all of the characters in this novel are animals!!!! and i 100% would not have liked it as much if they weren't.
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
as meat loves salt, and that does definitely mean i didn't like it. a while back i made a promise to myself that starting a book and reading more than five pages means i have to finish that book, and amls SORELY tested my resolve in this matter. haha wow i hated this book.
Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2018 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2019?
all year long i planned to do a reread of the temeraire series and FINALLY read the 9th book but i somehow never got around to it. but this year!!! for sure!!! it's happening!!! also i want to read my sister, the serial killer which looks terribly good, i've heard cool things about it.
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2019 (non-debut)?
i bought kafka on the shore recently and i'm looking forward to that a lot. it'll be my first murakami book!!! i know, i know. so that should be exciting.
3. 2019 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
chronin!! which is not alison wilgus' debut exactly, but i've been seeing her talk about this for years, and she's really excited about it, and the excitement is catching!!
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2019?
well, it's already come out, but i'm reeeeeally looking forward to finishing the when women were warriors trilogy. i loved these books SO MUCH, i felt like i COULDN'T read the whole series too fast. i want to savour it. in fact, i will probably reread the books before i read the third one! a sequel that i'm anticipating is the hound of justice, second book in a scifi sherlock holmes pastiche where both characters are queer black women. and y'all know how much of a slut i am for ACD holmes.
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2019?
i've set a goal for myself to read 110 books. i don't imagine i can read as much as i did in 2018, because my job right now is pretty demanding, but it'll be fun. and i want to keep doing regular updates, i find it very fun!!
first, here's goodreads' year in review thingy that they generate for you.
and now, this.
Number Of Books You Read: 158!!!!
Number of Re-Reads: 17
Genre You Read The Most From: LGBTQIA, to no one's surprise. if u don't count that as a genre for whatever reason: contemporary romance and science fiction were 2nd and 3rd.
>Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2018?
god this is hard. i read a lot of good books this year, and there are a lot of books that ended up meaning something to me personally. so to make this easier, i only looked at the books that i gave 5 stars in 2018 (and even then, just because i gave a book 5 stars doesn't mean it's perfect, it just means that it meant a lot to me). with those things in mind, my best book of 2018 is probably in the distance there is light. i thought it was going to be cheesy and bad but it was so sweet and sincere and dealt with grief and guilt and new love in a way i absolutely devoured. man i loved this book. (serious age gap though, keep that in mind if you want to read.)
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
wicked. this book has been on my shelf for literal yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeears, i've been meaning to read it for such a long while. so many of my friends loved the musical and i knew there was femslash potential... but the potential was kinda where it stopped. idk i expected this book to do more than it did, to captivate me more than it did, to get me invested more than it did. elphaba and glinda were such a winning combo, i loved their relationship so much i could cry ("hold out, my sweet.") but ultimately that was left to the wayside and the plot/politics bored me. also huntress. i read ash a few years ago and remember being completely enchanted by it, but either my standards were lower back then (which they probably were, i would read anything once it had lesbians in it lol) or lo's writing has taken a dip. i looked forward to this SO MUCH but did not like it much at all.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
the twist in the goldfinch certainly took me by surprise in a good way. i sort of bellowed with laughter, honestly. oh boris.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
ummmm, i blabbed about in the distance there is light and i got mona and my (now) gf to read it and they liked it a bunch. B) pretty sure i hollered about sorcerer of the wildeeps a lot when i reread it, but most of my friends have already read that. (if you haven't, you should, it's one of my fave books of ALL TIME).
5. Best series you started in 2018? Best Sequel of 2018? Best Series Ender of 2018?
near the end of the year i read dragonoak: the complete history of kastelir, which i LOVED, and was an amazing start to a series that has lots of great women and a really cool world. no sequels or enders that really stand out to me (acceptance was very good, if very ?__?.)
6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2018?
i read several books from talia hibbert this year, and really liked them. she writes really good heroines who outstrip and eclipse her heroes by far. fingers crossed that she starts writing lesbians at some point lol. also i LOVED every book i read by siera maley this year, she writes the sort of sweet, tropey, well-written, hopeful YA lesbian stuff that i wish i could have read in my teens. but i'm glad she's here for all the baby dykes ;u;
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
i don't read a lot of non fiction/biographies, so the tattooist of auschwitz was a bit of a departure for me, and i enjoyed it a lot.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
santa olivia! the short chapters and passages made it go by quickly, in true james patterson fashion, but the story and characters and action were soooooo good. pretty sure i read this one day, straight into the next? also: the last witness. i freaking SPED through this audio-book, it had me entranced. i remember actually taking my phone into the bathroom while i washed my hair and putting it on loudspeaker because i did NOT want to stop listening.
9. Book You Read In 2018 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
the entire sherlock holmes series, because i've fallen into the habit of rereading it every year LOL. but not counting that (and the hobbit/LOTR, which i feel like i reread pretty often too), i think i want to reread slaughterhouse-five pretty soon, try to get more out of it.
10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2018?
villains don't date heroes! has such a cute, creative, well drawn cover, reminiscent of comic books. such a shame that the book itself is, you know, awful. favourite cover from a book i actually liked? binti! very arresting.
11. Most memorable character of 2018?
i think i'm going to give this one to aunt patience, from of sorrow and such. morally grey characters don't do a whole lot for me, and now that i've said it i'm not sure that that's the best way to describe patience... but man. probably one of my favourite fictional witches ever, and two things that she does in this book definitely seals her status as memorable. i want there to be a sequel to this book so badly.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?
why we never danced the charleston. really lovely writing, absolutely haunting at times. and have to give a shout out to super bass, another one of my rereads. i could spread kai ashante wilson's writing on toast and EAT IT.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?
idk. i loved a lot of books this year but i would feel fake saying that any of them 'changed me life'. one day in the life of ivan denisovich definitely fits the powerful and thought-provoking mould, though.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read?
the left hand of darkness. i've been meaning to read this for aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages, it's such an important book for sci-fi/queers/gender. and i really liked it! (not the ending so much weh.) it was my first le guin book too, and i only got around to it after she passed. :( creatively and world-wise it's an amazing book, especially whenever i stopped and remembered, 'wait she wrote this in 19-sixty-WHAT?'
(1969. eyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy)
15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?
the female persuasion?. i feel like i've said this multiple times, and i didn't even like the book that much, but the part where alby defines love is so sweet. "Love is when you feel, like, oh, oh, my heart hurts,“ Alby said. "Or when you see a dog and you feel like you have to touch its head.”
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?
shortest: hired help. lesbian erotica. not terrible but not great. longest: the goldfinch. (i think?? i'm going by goodreads, which doesn't count the books i listed as audio-books.) took a long time to read, but was definitely worth it.
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
girls & boys maybe? upon reflection, i could see that the big twist DIDN'T come out of nowhere, the author definitely left his hints, etc. but i just did not see it coming. this book did not end up being about what i thought it would be about, and the excellent performance just carried it.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
margot/claire, from french kissing. i want them to end up together in the end sooooo badly. they've been through so much, and they've changed a lot, but i can't get over how great and perfect they were for each other in the beginning, before all the drama ;; MARGOT'S SUCH A CATCH CLAIRE, DON'T LET HER GOOOOOOOOOOOO. also huge shout out to sir ightham/rowan from the complete history of kastelir. i'm a slut for knights and anything that even resembles courtly romance. this was ten times better because lesbians.
19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
something that i remember very fondly is the relationship between justin and his street urchin helpers, especially sukey, in an unnatural vice. i didn't like justin very much, but as a mentor and friend to those kids, he was really sweet.
20. Favourite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
how they met and other stories. david levithan pretty much defined my late teens. i loved him a lot, and it was great to come back to his very simple, but extremely effective and touching writing style.
21. Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
all systems red. I LOVE MURDERBOT. so glad max rec'd this. we have a lot of fave tropes in common, especially when it comes to scifi, and i ate this upppp. i guess i might have read this even without max's rec, but it definitely helped!!
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018?
Rán, from the complete history of kastelir. eight foot tall goat woman with horns who likes to tease and gives women piggy back rides? come fuck this.
23. Best 2018 debut you read?
behind these doors. hard to believe that this was the author's first book!! it was amazingly well written, wrt to style and plot and hitting all those emotional high points. a truly lovely look at polyamory in edwardian england. made me realise i have a HUGE thing for wrist-kissing.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
think i have to give this one to the celaeno series for the worldbuilding, especially the first book, the temple at landfall. the slow unravelling of the reason behind the planet's makeup was really good imo! and in general i remember reading this series to be very cathartic for me. at that point in time i was dealing with a LOT of harassment that i don't want to get into, and escaping into a world with no men was nice lol. :/ and i have to mention the left had of darkness again here. great stuff.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
the legend of korra: turf wars korra and asami are giiiiiiiiiiiiiiirlfriends. :) this was sweet and fun and just really good!
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?
colourblind. i stopped and fucking sobbed at the emotional climax of this teen lesbian romance. fuck. i loved this book.
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
more people should definitely read dungeon meshi!!!! a sweet slice of life, found family manga about adventuring, cooking, and voring monsters. it's the little things in life.
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
'crushed my soul' is hyperbolic but oh god shadow of the knife made me SO SAD. i was rooting for those two characters SO MUCH, i wanted a happy ending SO BAD. but because of the circumstances and the people they were... :( like, emotionally, it sort of drained me. the scene where ellen tells hal she loves her while in chains makes me want to BAWL when thinking of it, and the ambiguous ending HURTS, either which way you think of it. it's amazing that i still liked this book, but i really did.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?
annihilation, perhaps. don't ask me what the fuck this series is About but it introduced me to environmental horror, which i'm decidedly into as a thing. the builders was also very creative, very unique. all of the characters in this novel are animals!!!! and i 100% would not have liked it as much if they weren't.
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
as meat loves salt, and that does definitely mean i didn't like it. a while back i made a promise to myself that starting a book and reading more than five pages means i have to finish that book, and amls SORELY tested my resolve in this matter. haha wow i hated this book.
Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2018 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2019?
all year long i planned to do a reread of the temeraire series and FINALLY read the 9th book but i somehow never got around to it. but this year!!! for sure!!! it's happening!!! also i want to read my sister, the serial killer which looks terribly good, i've heard cool things about it.
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2019 (non-debut)?
i bought kafka on the shore recently and i'm looking forward to that a lot. it'll be my first murakami book!!! i know, i know. so that should be exciting.
3. 2019 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
chronin!! which is not alison wilgus' debut exactly, but i've been seeing her talk about this for years, and she's really excited about it, and the excitement is catching!!
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2019?
well, it's already come out, but i'm reeeeeally looking forward to finishing the when women were warriors trilogy. i loved these books SO MUCH, i felt like i COULDN'T read the whole series too fast. i want to savour it. in fact, i will probably reread the books before i read the third one! a sequel that i'm anticipating is the hound of justice, second book in a scifi sherlock holmes pastiche where both characters are queer black women. and y'all know how much of a slut i am for ACD holmes.
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2019?
i've set a goal for myself to read 110 books. i don't imagine i can read as much as i did in 2018, because my job right now is pretty demanding, but it'll be fun. and i want to keep doing regular updates, i find it very fun!!