- The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui - an excellent graphic memoir by a Vietnamese-American about her parents growing up in Vietnam in the North and the South before, during, and after the Vietnam war. Fantastic art and story!
- First Lady by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - snarky, enemies to lovers, banter - my favorite kind-of romance! I'm just sad that I only have about 4 or 5 books left of SEP's to read! Always love her romantic comedies!
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Wowzer, this one packs a real punch. It was dark and gritty, and impossibly descriptive of the Alaskan Wilderness, yet also full of hope. I think some won't like the "neatly" wrapped up ending, but that ending was exactly the kind-of thing I was hoping for after all of these characters were put through. Probably my most highly recommended book of the year!
- Far From the Tree by Robin Benway - This one gave me all the feels! Never actually shed a tear, but certainly tearing up constantly. Such a good story. A very heartfelt novel about three adopted half siblings who find each other as teenagers.
- One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson - Can Bill Bryson write one of these perfectly executed narrative nonfiction pieces for every single year? Not too much to ask, right? I learned SO much, and it kept my interest the entire way through. Excellent on audio! My favorite Bryson so far. I think I actually like his non-travel books more than his travelogues.
- Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) - My only complaints are that I'm finished with it and who knows when the next will come out, and that I hope in the next installment Robin saves Strike for once instead of the other way around. But goll darn, I love this series! I'm curious how/if they will continue making the show. Loved seeing the books come to life and who they cast as Robin and Strike. If you haven't watched it yet, you can get a free week of Cinemax on Amazon and truthfully that's all the time you need to watch the 8? episodes that cover the first three books!
- Y: The Last Man Vol 1 and 2 by Brian K. Vaughn, Pia Guerra, and Jose Marzar Jr. - A post-apocalyptic graphic novel about a virus of some sort that kills every last man and male animals on the planet, except for one man, Yorick Brown. I was surprised by how much I loved this story and it's humor; I'm excited to see where it goes!
- Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas - Chaol Westfall: SWOON. I thought the first book was good and this one was even better - it felt pretty action-packed for most of it. This is the second in a young adult fantasy series about a badass female assassin.
- Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn - Another romance with snarky banter and a slow-burn. Great historical romance by Quinn.
- Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough by Lori Gottlieb - a horrible title, but a really interesting and ultimately enlightened/helpful look at dating for women. Great on audio!
- Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - The finale of a fantastic duology set in a fantasy world and starring a bunch of criminals who are actually good guys. So much fun!
- Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Guiltiest Pleasure by Amy Kaufman - A full on expose of everything Bachelor/Bachelorette related, oh you know I was all into this. I loved listening to it!
A great bunch of reads for this year, and of these 12 that are my favorites, I listened to 4 of them! Hope you all had a great reading year in 2018, here's looking forward to a new year full of reading! Cheers!