Down the Right of Way: December 2018

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Friday, December 21, 2018

Best books of 2018

So... so far this year I have read 128 books- hopefully I'll add a couple more to that total before 2019. It makes me feel kind of qualified to share this list...

The book I read every year in January to help me focus my year: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1999475.A_Million_Miles_in_a_Thousand_Years

The book I am going to add to this read-every-year-list and read each January: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7015403-the-gifts-of-imperfection

Favourite Memoir: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal, Private Practice, and How to Get Away with Murder fame. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29540318-year-of-yes

Runner up Best Memoir: The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster By Sarah Krasnostein The description and title are misleading, it's not that gory. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35516710-the-trauma-cleaner

Best new thriller/mystery author: Lisa Jewel- unlike most of the others in this list which are all five stars- these books are all four stars...but still good. They are relatively light compared to the Connelly's, Deavers, and MacBrides of this genre but still really enjoyable reads. Try this one if you like Mystery Lite: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276357-the-girls-in-the-garden

Best Fantasy Series: Wayward Children by by Seanan McGuire Also on the less serious side and also four stars but still really quite enjoyable. Number one is: Every Heart a Doorway https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296-every-heart-a-doorway

Best YA Fiction: The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28763485-the-sun-is-also-a-star

And Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29770506-girl-in-pieces

Best Historical Fiction (series): The Matilda Saga By Jackie French... I read books four through seven this year and all were five stars for me. Based in Australia. (Technically YA but don't let that stop you. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36598623-facing-the-flame

Best book about writing: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott This book has been around quite a while. I really enjoyed her friendly conversational style.

Best Mental Health: First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Story About Anxiety by Sarah Wilson. Anxiety has completely kicked my arse many times over the last two years- this book both helped me understand and accept that and see that it's been a life long issue and I had no idea because I had been braving my way through it for so long. It also had some good insight into the science and a few practical helpful ideas. I really enjoyed this read too. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34210334-first-we-make-the-beast-beautiful

Unexpectedly Good Non-fiction: 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris Also about anxiety and also about Meditation the practice of which is becoming more and more mainstream and for very good reason- I am on the bandwagon. Bill Gates has also recommended a meditation book in his 2018 list- just in case you need a word from a different type of person all together. Dan Harris is a TV news anchor who had a very public panic attack and this book documents his journey back to better mental health. Surprisingly good- especially if you are a meditation cynic. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18505796-10-happier

Best light self-help for chicks: How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t: 14 Habits that Are Holding You Back from Happiness by Andrea Owen 14 overall themes in this book of way you might be fucking yourself over...it's not going to solve your problems but it will help you identify them- and awareness is kind of vital. :-) 186 pages and easy read too.

Honourable Mention Picture Book: One Thousand Trees by Kyle Hughes-Odgers One of my favourite Local artists. :-) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34760075-one-thousand-trees?ac=1&from_search=true

Favourite Picture Books: Cicada by Saun Tan Love, love, love! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39983607-cicada?ac=1&from_search=true

Also: Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers Also love, love, love- a great new baby gift. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35209758-here-we-are

Fiction 1st Runner up: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35900387-eleanor-oliphant-is-completely-fine I found this book quite heart stopping I identified in some ways with Eleanor and I also just felt for her so much- I didn't see the twist coming and I was delighted by it when it did.

Fiction 2nd Runner up: Boy Swallows World by Trent Dalton This took a bit to get in to just because of the pace and weirdness of the writing- you get used to it and it needs to be like that- and in the end I totally loved it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37558445-boy-swallows-universe

Favourite New Author this year and my top two best reads of 2018: Sofie Laguna The Choke https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35106686-the-choke and The Eye of the Sheep https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28820351-the-eye-of-the-sheep I can't say enough good things about the way this author writes... I am in love with her style her characters just come to life so much because of the way she uses language. Both books centre on a child main character and they are tough stories but really rich and you empathise and gasp and hope with them as you read. I am not a fiction re-reader usually but I will definitely read The Choke again... and study it as well for how Sofie Laguna makes that linguistic magic.