Hello!
Here we are again. Standing on the last day of 2018, wondering how this year treated us and how it measured against other years.
As a read it makes sense to look back at my reading year and mull over the things I read and things I missed.
MY READING YEAR IN REVIEW//
1. I read 172 books!
Not bad at all. Funnily my own record of books read seems to be at odds with my GoodReads Reading Challenge. According to which I only read 162 books!
Weird!
I am not too fussed about it, at least not enough to go back and try to see which books I didn't add to my Reading Challenge.
171 is a good solid number. Fewer than last year but a number I can live with.
2. I read more classics and modern classics. I wish I had read more but I still did better than previous years and that brings me joy.
3. I read so much more non-fiction. Go me!
4. Followed quite a few reading themes.
Read only women writers for Femme March.
Read only Bengali books for All Bengali Books in April.
Read books from India and the Indian Subcontinent for All Indian Books in August.
5. Bought some great books, both online and offline.
6. Went to quite a few bookshops.
7. Bought a new Kindle! My darling Boi, my new Kindle Paperwhite who has made a huge difference to my reading life. So grateful for her.
8. Read a whole lot of thrillers and if know me, you know that nothing makes me happier.
9. I read from genres I don't usually read a lot from- poetry, memoirs, historical fiction and I even squeezed in two graphic novels! What a treat.
10. Since this blog is part of my reading life, I want to talk about my blogging too. I'll be honest this might not be the best blogging year, strictly in terms of numbers. I also failed to do full reviews of so many books I loved. This is something I want to fix in 2019.
Do more reviews.
Do reading wrap-ups.
My main resolution for 2019 is being more dedicated to my blog and being more 'serious' about my blogging.
Overall, 2018 was a good year for my Reading.
:)
Not perfect but good!
TOP 18 BOOKS OF 2018.
{IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER}
1. Those Days by Sunil Gangopadhyay/// I had this book sitting on my bookshelves unread since 2013!!! I don't know why it took me so long to finally make my way to it! I read this over Durga Pujo while I was in the hometown, and I LOVED it so much. A sweeping tale of Bengal's golden age. The scope of it was wide but it never lost the human angle. This was hands down the best book I'ver ever read, so good!
5/5
2. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones/// What can a marriage survive? How much can it survive? Can it survive a prison sentence? A false incarceration and the strain it can put on a new marriage. This book was so honest and unflinchingly real and sincere. I cannot recommend it enough, in fact if possible read it with a friend, this is a perfect read for a book club or a buddy read.
4/5
3. The Mothers by Britt Bennett/// A story of motherhood and young love and about numerous what ifs. Poignant and powerful and made me wonder if decisions made at a young age leave such a lasting impact on our lives. Thought provoking and wonderful.
4/5
4. The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish/// A charming and honest memoir of a truly original person, who is unabashedly herself. I find Tiffany Haddish hilarious and her voice really shines through in this book. It was funny and heartfelt and such a fun read.
4/5
5. Poonachi by Perumal Murugan/// Any writer that can make you care about a goat in this way is a genius. I was invested in Poonachi's life from the get go and was rooting for her well-being, sometimes entirely forgetting that she was a goat and fictional.
4/5
6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Reid Jenkins/// A breezy, poignant and interesting story about the life of an actress in 1950s-80s Hollywood. This beautifully written book had me from the word go, I pretty much read it in one sitting. So good.
4/5
7. The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui/// A memoir of a first generation Vietnamese American recounting the immigration of her parents to America after the Vietnam War. It also showcases the struggles of immigrants and the process of trying to assimilate in a new country and culture. A fantastic read.
4/5
8. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast/// Another graphic memoir about the writers experience caring for her geriatric parents. It was moving and so retable and wonderful. I should have read this ages ago. It was incredible.
5/5
9. Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo/// This book came so highly recommend and let me add my recommendation too! This is an incredible book about a marriage and the strain put on it by infertility and how society views a married couple without a child. A wonderful book, deeply moving and heartfelt and engaging.
4/5
10. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal/// I won't lie the title of this novel did throw me off and put me off this book. I mean I am not a big reader of erotic stories, but I am so glad I read this book. It was full of delightful characters and an erotic story or two as well. It is ultimately a story of women supporting other women and even a murder mystery. So good!
5/5
11. Becoming by Michelle Obama/// Inspiring and amazing. I have always been an admirer of the Obamas and the grace and dignity with which they conducted themselves while in office. This was such a great book. It is entirely deserving of all the hype and accolades it's been getting.
4/5
12. Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markanda/// This one broke my heart. A story about farmers in the 1950s, what broke my heart was not just their story of strife and struggle but also how little has changed for farmers in our country in the last 50-60 years.
4/5
13. A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa/// Another non-fiction title. This book takes us inside North Korea and shows the suffering of it's citizens and the constant state of fear and hunger they live with. Brutal, sparse and eye opening. This made for a compelling read.
4/5
14. Mrs. C Remembers by Himanjali Sarkar/// Read this in early January and I knew then it would make it to this list. A book about family and memory. Incredibly well-written and poignant.
4.5/
15. The Tattooist of Auchwitz by Heather Morris/// Part fact and partly fictionalised this book was stunning from start to finish. Heart breaking, obviously, but just full of grit and an inside look at life in a concentration camp. Brilliant! This book is truly one of the very best things I've read in a long, long time.
5/5
16. Last Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton/// A brilliant book about the revolution in Cuba- what it meant for the elite, what it meant for the masses and what it meant for those who were excited. Beautifully written and so, so moving! This is a must-read!
5/5
17. The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton/// Lovers of historical fiction are no strangers to the works of Kate Morton. While this book is not her personal best, but it is still an interesting and engaging read about the life of a young girl in England at the turn of the 20th century.
4/5
18. Bijnis Woman by Tanuja Chandra/// A collection of short stories from UP. Earthy, quirky and full of memorable characters. This book was a treat and made me deeply nostalgic for the time I spent in UP.
4/5
2018 you were full of great books and memorable characters and happy hours spent immersed in whole new worlds.
Thank you all of you for coming along for the ride and being a part of my reading journey.
:)
Here's to more good books and beautiful books in 2019!
See ya in the next year.
(Sorry I couldn't resist.)
Hope your New Year's Eve is going well.
Have a fun evening.
:)
As a read it makes sense to look back at my reading year and mull over the things I read and things I missed.
MY READING YEAR IN REVIEW//
1. I read 172 books!
Not bad at all. Funnily my own record of books read seems to be at odds with my GoodReads Reading Challenge. According to which I only read 162 books!
Weird!
I am not too fussed about it, at least not enough to go back and try to see which books I didn't add to my Reading Challenge.
171 is a good solid number. Fewer than last year but a number I can live with.
2. I read more classics and modern classics. I wish I had read more but I still did better than previous years and that brings me joy.
3. I read so much more non-fiction. Go me!
4. Followed quite a few reading themes.
Read only women writers for Femme March.
Read only Bengali books for All Bengali Books in April.
Read books from India and the Indian Subcontinent for All Indian Books in August.
5. Bought some great books, both online and offline.
6. Went to quite a few bookshops.
7. Bought a new Kindle! My darling Boi, my new Kindle Paperwhite who has made a huge difference to my reading life. So grateful for her.
8. Read a whole lot of thrillers and if know me, you know that nothing makes me happier.
9. I read from genres I don't usually read a lot from- poetry, memoirs, historical fiction and I even squeezed in two graphic novels! What a treat.
10. Since this blog is part of my reading life, I want to talk about my blogging too. I'll be honest this might not be the best blogging year, strictly in terms of numbers. I also failed to do full reviews of so many books I loved. This is something I want to fix in 2019.
Do more reviews.
Do reading wrap-ups.
My main resolution for 2019 is being more dedicated to my blog and being more 'serious' about my blogging.
Overall, 2018 was a good year for my Reading.
:)
Not perfect but good!
TOP 18 BOOKS OF 2018.
{IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER}
1. Those Days by Sunil Gangopadhyay/// I had this book sitting on my bookshelves unread since 2013!!! I don't know why it took me so long to finally make my way to it! I read this over Durga Pujo while I was in the hometown, and I LOVED it so much. A sweeping tale of Bengal's golden age. The scope of it was wide but it never lost the human angle. This was hands down the best book I'ver ever read, so good!
5/5
2. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones/// What can a marriage survive? How much can it survive? Can it survive a prison sentence? A false incarceration and the strain it can put on a new marriage. This book was so honest and unflinchingly real and sincere. I cannot recommend it enough, in fact if possible read it with a friend, this is a perfect read for a book club or a buddy read.
4/5
3. The Mothers by Britt Bennett/// A story of motherhood and young love and about numerous what ifs. Poignant and powerful and made me wonder if decisions made at a young age leave such a lasting impact on our lives. Thought provoking and wonderful.
4/5
4. The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish/// A charming and honest memoir of a truly original person, who is unabashedly herself. I find Tiffany Haddish hilarious and her voice really shines through in this book. It was funny and heartfelt and such a fun read.
4/5
5. Poonachi by Perumal Murugan/// Any writer that can make you care about a goat in this way is a genius. I was invested in Poonachi's life from the get go and was rooting for her well-being, sometimes entirely forgetting that she was a goat and fictional.
4/5
6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Reid Jenkins/// A breezy, poignant and interesting story about the life of an actress in 1950s-80s Hollywood. This beautifully written book had me from the word go, I pretty much read it in one sitting. So good.
4/5
7. The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui/// A memoir of a first generation Vietnamese American recounting the immigration of her parents to America after the Vietnam War. It also showcases the struggles of immigrants and the process of trying to assimilate in a new country and culture. A fantastic read.
4/5
8. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast/// Another graphic memoir about the writers experience caring for her geriatric parents. It was moving and so retable and wonderful. I should have read this ages ago. It was incredible.
5/5
9. Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo/// This book came so highly recommend and let me add my recommendation too! This is an incredible book about a marriage and the strain put on it by infertility and how society views a married couple without a child. A wonderful book, deeply moving and heartfelt and engaging.
4/5
10. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal/// I won't lie the title of this novel did throw me off and put me off this book. I mean I am not a big reader of erotic stories, but I am so glad I read this book. It was full of delightful characters and an erotic story or two as well. It is ultimately a story of women supporting other women and even a murder mystery. So good!
5/5
11. Becoming by Michelle Obama/// Inspiring and amazing. I have always been an admirer of the Obamas and the grace and dignity with which they conducted themselves while in office. This was such a great book. It is entirely deserving of all the hype and accolades it's been getting.
4/5
12. Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markanda/// This one broke my heart. A story about farmers in the 1950s, what broke my heart was not just their story of strife and struggle but also how little has changed for farmers in our country in the last 50-60 years.
4/5
13. A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa/// Another non-fiction title. This book takes us inside North Korea and shows the suffering of it's citizens and the constant state of fear and hunger they live with. Brutal, sparse and eye opening. This made for a compelling read.
4/5
14. Mrs. C Remembers by Himanjali Sarkar/// Read this in early January and I knew then it would make it to this list. A book about family and memory. Incredibly well-written and poignant.
4.5/
15. The Tattooist of Auchwitz by Heather Morris/// Part fact and partly fictionalised this book was stunning from start to finish. Heart breaking, obviously, but just full of grit and an inside look at life in a concentration camp. Brilliant! This book is truly one of the very best things I've read in a long, long time.
5/5
16. Last Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton/// A brilliant book about the revolution in Cuba- what it meant for the elite, what it meant for the masses and what it meant for those who were excited. Beautifully written and so, so moving! This is a must-read!
5/5
17. The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton/// Lovers of historical fiction are no strangers to the works of Kate Morton. While this book is not her personal best, but it is still an interesting and engaging read about the life of a young girl in England at the turn of the 20th century.
4/5
18. Bijnis Woman by Tanuja Chandra/// A collection of short stories from UP. Earthy, quirky and full of memorable characters. This book was a treat and made me deeply nostalgic for the time I spent in UP.
4/5
2018 you were full of great books and memorable characters and happy hours spent immersed in whole new worlds.
Thank you all of you for coming along for the ride and being a part of my reading journey.
:)
Here's to more good books and beautiful books in 2019!
See ya in the next year.
(Sorry I couldn't resist.)
Hope your New Year's Eve is going well.
Have a fun evening.
:)
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