The First 10 Books of 2018

In 2018, I set a goal of reading 40 books during the year. The cold weather has helped me get off to a great start! 

1. Dear Martin, by Nic Stone (a book recommended by a library list) - My first book of 2018! Our library started this really cool service where they will give you a personalized reading list. You fill out a profile and they recommend books based on what you like. This one was recommended because I enjoyed “The Hate U Give” - also a YA novel about police shootings/brutality. Short but very engaging!

2. Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green (a book about anxiety) - A YA novel about a teenage girl with OCD and anxiety. I thought the portrayal of her intrusive thoughts was really well done. I was less captivated by the story of a missing billionaire. But still an enjoyable read - much better than “Paper Towns.”

3. The Dry, by Jane Harper (a murder mystery) - I haven’t read a murder mystery in a long time and I think this was just what I needed. Very engaging and well-written. The description of the Australian landscape and environment was particularly well done.

4. Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (a book by two different authors) - I just joined a new book group that read this book. It’s a non-fiction story told in alternating voices, between a millionaire and a homeless man, and about how their lives interact and influence each other. Very inspirational. My one beef is that the writing was very casual, almost conversational, and that was a bit distracting at times.

5. Everybody Lies, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz (a book based on data analytics) - This is a book on data analysis - a lot like “Freakonomics,” but primarily looking at correlations between big data (such as google searches) and behavior. Lots of interesting anecdotes. Sometimes the jokes/writing style were a bit distracting, but overall, a fun read.

6. How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind, by Dana K, White (a self-help book) - A friend recommended this book and it was just perfect for me, as someone with “Slob Vision.” The basic point was to have small daily routines like doing the dishes and having a 5-minute pickup routine each night. I think people who are naturally organized wouldn’t get much out of this, but for people like me who struggle, there were lots of lightbulb moments.

7. The Sellout, by Paul Beatty (a satire) - This was the most bizarre book. We read it for book club this month, or else I wouldn’t have finished it. The book is a satire of race in America. I think? It was definitely a satire, but the plot of a black man who decided to reinstate slavery and re-segregate the schools was just .... bizarre.

8. The Perfect Nanny, by Lelia Slimani (a book translated from French) - This book was the winner of France’s top literary prize and is the story of a nanny who ultimately kills the two children under her care (that is literally the first sentence of the book, so not a spoiler!). The book itself is more of a character study than plot-driven. Very well-written, but I was unsatisfied by the ending.

9. Dying: A Memoir, by Cory Taylor (a book on dying) - I heard about this book from President Obama’s year-end list of his favorite books of 2017. This is the fourth book/memoir on dying that I’ve read recently, and the other three were all stronger (Being Mortal, When Breath Becomes Air, and The Bright Hour). The first third of this book is focused on the narrator’s thoughts on dying and was really good. But then, the last two-thirds are random stories about her parents and life - which doesn’t tie together well.

10. The Giver, by Lois Lowry (a book Annika really wanted me to read) - My daughter loves this book and has been hounding me to read it - and I finally did. It’s a story of a dystopian society where no one feels any pain - but no one has any choices. Lots of underlying social commentary about the seductive and destructive nature of totalitarian regimes.

What good or bad books have you read recently??