My 2018 in books

As I’m in denial that it’s already nearly February- where did January go?? – I’m still mentally reviewing 2018. I have eclectic book tastes and read quite widely in 2018 – having joined The Motherload book club on Facebook, signed up to Audible, received a reading list for a Leadership Development programme and joined a profession development group for mums called The Mothership – sadly no longer operating – my ‘to read’ list was and remains well populated!

I’ve loved trawling back through my Kindle & Audible libraries to put together a list of some of the most memorable.

Non-fiction books

A couple of books stick out particularly as I learnt something about the social history of the 20th century through reading them (a topic I touched on briefly in my degree and I’d love to return to), as well as about the subject of the book.

Stuffocation by James Wallman has been on my ‘to read’ list for quite some time. I actually listened to this on Audible whilst commuting to work – it takes some of the tedium out of sitting in traffic jams! Having read Marie Kondo’s Spark Joy and The Life Changing Magic of Tidying in 2017, I am preoccupied with clearing the clutter and moving more to valuing experiences over belongings, in my head anyway. What fascinated me about this book was the history of how we developed such a consumerist throwaway culture – the 20th century has so much to answer for!

Quiet by Susan Cain gave me another insight into the social history of the 20th century – this time how society came to value extrovert characteristics over introvert ones. As someone closer to the introvert end of the introvert-extrovert continuum myself (two of the courses I went on in 2018 explored Myers-Briggs personality traits hence why I chose this book) it’s a little surprising to hear that once upon a time, introvert qualities were valued rather than belittled. I was also surprised to read that many people ‘pretend’ or have learned to be extrovert in order to fit in with societal pressures to be gregarious and comfortable in the spotlight. I have to admit to not having quite finished reading this book, although I’m most of the way there. I usually listen to non-fiction and although it’s written in a very readable style, it’s still a bit much after a long day!

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben was an interesting listen (again on Audible whilst commuting). In the book, Ruben documents a year-long attempt to discover what leads to true contentment. I don’t think I could be disciplined enough to carry out my own project but it was interesting to hear what she’d explored, and ponder what in an ideal world, I’d put on my own happy list.

My year wouldn’t be complete without one parenting book, at least. I strongly believe that they need to be taken with a pinch of salt as your child doesn’t come having read these books themselves, but How to Talk so Little Kids will Listen by Joanna Faber & Julie King was well worth engaging with. As a parent of two ‘little kids’ having some more tools in the armoury to deal with challenging situations has been very welcome. I’ve heard good things about all the How to Talk series so the Siblings one is next on the list!

Fiction books

I’m an avid reader – not unusual for an introvert! – and I’ve lost count of the number of ‘story’ books I’ve read in 2018, but it probably averages 2 a week. Usually nothing especially high-brow – and definitely nothing too scary! – but I try and read a some of books that have everyone talking.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman was one of those books I nearly put aside halfway through. It’s a slow burner until midway where the pace picks up, and a twist I didn’t see coming. I’m glad I saw it through to the end!

Flawed & Perfect by Celia Ahern, although technically young adult fiction, were thought provoking and memorable. In a dystopian society the distinction between PERFECT and FLAWED was examined in a departure from Celia Ahern’s usual genre. I used to read far more science fiction / fantasy than I do now, but these caught my attention and I read them in a matter of days.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig was in many ways similar to The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, but original enough to be just as enjoyable. It jumps around through history with enough humour, modern day relevance and some conspiracy thrown in for good measure to be fairly unputdownable.

I ended the year with a rare Maeve Binchy novel I’d not read – A Week in Winter. It’s a collection of stories within a story, set mostly in Ireland and with a heartwarmingly happy ending. If you’ve read her other books there’s references to many places and people you’ll recognise.

Here’s to 2019 filled with yet more books!