One year ends, and there's another to look forward to!

The new year is upon us. I look ahead to 2019 with optimism for my personal and professional life. I feel the same for my reading goals.

My reading goal for 2018 was 50 books. As of December 30, I read 33 books. I started and stopped several books that I just wasn't into. Some books felt like a chore to read, and where is the fun in that.

Even though I read 33 books, I struggled to come up with a "best of list." Last year I felt like there were a lot more books that wowed me. But I still managed to come up with a short list.

Best Books of 2018

(Please note, not all of these books were published in 2018. I just happened to read them in 2018)

1. Start Without Me by Joshua Max Feldman: The literary equivalent of the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

2. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: Fast-paced YA historical fiction.

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling: Ok, I didn't review this on my blog because there's not much I can add to the conversation. But so far this is my favorite of the series.

4. The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter: A long but nuanced crime thriller.

5. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn: Each chapter is like a potato chip, you always one more.

Honorable Mention

It by Stephen King: This almost made my best of list. . .BUT that STUPID child sex scene at the end was so unnecessary.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton: Both of these books suffered from what I call first-book syndrome. As in both books had everything but the kitchen sink in them. Too much setup and some unnecessary romances. I have high hopes for the next books in both series.

Worst of the year: For me that was Modern Lovers by Emma Straub. This has a very pretty cover, but a rather boring interior!

Looking ahead!

I still want to try for 50 books in 2019. Even though I might not get there, I just like the number 50!