I really outdid myself in reading in the second half of 2018. I read 56 books! This is the most amount of books I have ever done in six months, and I am very chuffed with my new record, so I am giving myself a pat on the back!
Okay, let’s move on and see what I read. Just a FYI, I was able to read this many because I was driving a lot and was able to do lots of audio books. Hooray for audio books!
The books are listed as I have read them but I will summarize the categories later in the post. Please click on book covers to get summary and pricing of the book.
1. The Widow by Fiona Barton. 3/5 Stars. I thought it was going to be better than it was. Still worth reading though.
2. Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo. 3/5 Stars. An okay read.
3. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. 5/5 Stars. Great writing and wonderful story. Loved the setting. Read the review here!
4. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. 3/5 Stars. This was a fun and easy romance read.
5. The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer. 3.5/5 Stars. My first book of the author. Interesting read. Loved the time travel idea of the book.
6. Less by Andrew Sean Greer. 4/5 Stars. This book was a very entertaining and funny story about a gay novelist. Less is the winner of the Pulitzer prize.
7. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman. 4.5/5 Stars. I am a fan of Backman he continues to wow me with his writing. This book was very emotive. I loved the themes in this book too.
8. The Girl In The Red Coat by Kate Hamer. 4/5 Stars. This book surprised me with how good it was. I loved the ending.
9. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. 4.5/5 Stars. This is my first by this author. Great fantasy with faerie court intrigue. I can’t wait for the sequel!
10. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. 4.5/5 Stars. I am becoming a fan of Ware. Her books just seem to get better each time. Great suspenseful novel.
11. Bring Me Back by B. A. Paris. 3/5 Stars. I like that it’s set in the UK and mentions towns that I am familiar with. Loved that I had to wait to the end to find out what happened to Layla.
12. Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier. 3.5/5 Stars. Enjoyed this chilling thriller, though the twist was not that much of a surprise.
13. The Girl In The Tower by Katherine Arden. 4/5 Stars. Enjoyed the second book of this Winternight trilogy. I loved the Ice King in this book.
14. The Hazelwood by Melissa Albert. 3/5 Stars. I felt this book was over-rated. It was a bit convoluted and confusing for me.
15. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. 3/5 Stars. Interesting read with narratives presented as files, documents and interviews.
16. The Woman In The Window by A. J. Finn. 4.5/5 Stars. Loved this book. Read the review here.
17. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. 5/5 Stars. Loved this book. Read the review here.
18. The Map of Salt And Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar. 3.5/5 Stars. I enjoyed the dual time lines in the story.
19. Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh. 4/5 Stars. My first by this author. Enjoyed this suspenseful thriller.
20. A Duke By Default by Alyssa Cole. 2.5/5 Stars. Not my usual read. A light contemporary romance.
21. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. 4.5/5 Stars. Great West African inspired fantasy. Lots of magic!
22. Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. 4/5 Stars. Loved how I kept guessing all the way to the end. Interesting angle with mental asylum. Also, nice plot twist ending.
23. The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. 4/5 Stars. This was a good one!
24. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner. 4.5/5 Stars. Awesome read. Read the review here.
25. Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman. 3.5/5 Stars. The second half of the book was much better.
26. Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica. 2.5/5 Stars. Slow paced book.
27. A Column Of Fire by Ken Follett. 5/5 Stars. I am a fan of Follett and just love all his work that I have read so far!
28. The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll. 2.5/5 Stars. This book was a huge disappointment for me. I really enjoyed The Luckiest Girl Alive and was hoping this book was going to great too.
29. Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough. 4/5 Stars. Loved that it’s set in the UK.
30. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar. 4/5 Stars. I loved the cover of this book and the title was so intriguing.
31. Midnight At the Bright Idea Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan. 4/5 Stars. Not what I was expecting with a killing or two involved. Story tied together very well.
32. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. 4/5 Stars. I love the concept of this book.
33. The Power by Naomi Alderman. 3.5/5 Stars. Great plot with women having the power and history being changed.
34. The Outsider by Stephen King. 3.5/5 Stars. Too scary for me.
35. The Plant Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry. 4/5 Stars. This no-fiction was an easy to read book. Interesting theory on how plants produce toxins to ward off predators, including humans. Toxins, such as lectins, are the root cause to some of our problems, such as weight gain.
36. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. 4/5 Stars. Good story line with some nice twists.
37. The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger. 4/5 Stars. Liked the female roles in this book and how it all played out.
38. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. 4.5/5 Stars. Very slow start but stick with it. Nice build up at the end.
39. Pieces Of Her by Karin Slaughter. 4/5 Stars. Another good book by Slaughter. Great pace!
40. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler. 2.5/5 Stars. Too long winded… way too much detail on Willa’s childhood.
41. The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. 5/5 Stars. Awesome and unforgettable book. Read the review here.
42. Florida by Lauren Groff. 2.5/5 Stars. Nicely written collection of stories.
43. The Witch Elm by Tana French. 3.5/5 Stars. Very slow book. The second half of the book gets better if you stick around.
44. Crosstalk by Connie Willis. 3.5/5 Stars. Loved the interesting plot.
45. Educated by Tara Westover. 5/5 Stars. Knockout memoir! One of my favorite books for 2018.
46. Brick Lane by Monica Ali. 3.5/5 Stars. Enjoyable read.
47. The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes. 4/5 Stars. Another good book by Moyes.
48. First Grave On The Right by Darynda Jones. 3/5 Stars. Grim reaper falling in love with Satan’s son? Yep, interesting story line.
49. I’ll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa De Los Santos. 3.5/5 Stars. I liked Edith’s story and would have liked to have more of that.
50. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Everlyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. 3.5/5 Stars. Creative story line.
51. The Other Girl by Erica Spindler. 4/5 Stars. Great plot! Loved the twisty ending.
52. Dear Mrs. Bird by A. J. Pearce. 4/5 Stars. Loved this charming and upbeat war time era novel.
53. We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson. 3.5/5 Stars. Enjoyed this atmospheric book.
54. Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan. 3/5 Stars. The book started off well but then it dragged.
55. The Address by Fiona Davis. 4/5 Stars. Read the review.
56. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. 3/5 Stars. Inventive story line.
Historical Fiction/ Literature
I read 21 books in historical fiction/literature category in the second half of 2018. Four books got 5 stars. These were The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, A Column Of Fire by Ken Follett, and The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar.
Thrillers/Mystery/Crime
I read 19 thrillers/mystery/crime books in the second half of 2018. The two best in the category are The Death Of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware and The Woman In The Window by A. J. Finn, both of which got 4.5/5 stars.
Fantasy/Science Fiction
In the fantasy/sci-fi category, I read 11 books for the second half of 2018. There were 3 great books in this category that stood out. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.
Romance
I read 3 romance book in the second half of 2018. The best romance of the three was I’ll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa De Los Santos.
Non-Fiction
I read one memoir and a self help book in the second half of 2018. Educated a memoir by Tara Westover was one of the best book I read in 2018.
Which books did you love reading in 2018? Are there any that pique your interest? Let me know in the comments!
56 books is amazing! And it looks like most of them got positive ratings from you. Glad you enjoyed Children of Blood and Bone. I am really looking forward to the sequel.
Hello Alicia!
I am rather chuffed with myself for reading so many books.:)
Most of them were good and a few exceptional. I hope 2019 will be good as well.
Happy reading Alicia!
I really liked Stay With Me, but there were little niggles I had with some parts of it. I agree that How to Stop Time was an excellent concept! I would’ve executed it a little differently, but then, I’m not Matt Haig! 😉
Hi Cee!
I liked How to Stop Time because of the duality of immortality and loneliness in the book. Imagine being born 1500s and living now, and everyone you have ever cared about is long gone. The only thing that keeps Tom going is that his daughter might be somewhere.
I wonder what Matt Haig’s other works will be like.