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2018 Book List
It’s that time again! Fellow book worms unite!!! Today I’m sharing my 2018 Book List – all the books I read (and which ones I loved – highlighted in bold) from last year. 2018 saw me pursuing full-time travel again, and the chaos of CouchSurfing and hostelling left me just a few books short of reading one book per week. Ah well, I still read plenty of gems, some of which I’ll definitely be bookmarking to reread again this year!
In the past I tended to get lost in more fiction books, but in recent years I’ve started spending more time reading non-fiction and memoir/biography-type books. That trend certainly continued in 2018! So, without further ado, here is my 2018 book list!
2018 Book List
Fiction
The Gargolye – Andrew Davidson
The Girls – Lori Lansens
A Man Called Ove – Frekrik Backman – This book has moved all the way up my ‘Favourite Books of All Time’ list. I’ve read this book twice and I recommend it to everyone! Ove is a quintessential old man just trying to live a quiet life. When a new, young family moves in next door, all hell breaks loose, with hilarious and heart-warming results.
Turtles All the Way Down – John Green
The Nest – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeny
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Heroes of the Frontier – Dave Eggers
The Little Paris Bookshop – Nina George
Winter of the World – Ken Follett
Edge of Eternity – Ken Follett – I blew through the second and third book in the Century trilogy while solo travelling in Czech Republic. These books are not small, but I absolutely loved the story line and how the characters and their families grew throughout (and between) each book. It was also great reading these books while travelling in Europe – I definitely got a new perspective of places I was visiting!
Bear Town – Fredrick Backman – Because I loved A Man Called Ove so much, I had to read a second book by the same author. Bear Town is a thrilling read, revolving around a hockey town in rural Sweden, and how a sexual assault can tear a town in half.
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
The Valley at the Centre of the World – Malachy Tallack – Our CouchSurfing host in Shetland is a friend of Tallack’s and recommended his book. I loved reading it after we left Shetland and I got a whole new perspective on this small island in the far north of Scotland.
The Cows – Dawn O’Porter – I devoured this book in a few short days while in Glasgow. It’s hilarious and deals with the falling out of a social embarrassment. Girl power runs high in this book which I loved.
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant – Anne Tyler
The Humans – Matt Haig – I first read Haig’s Reasons and immediately wanted to read everything ever written by him. The Humans was first on the list. This book is about an alien on earth in human form. It touches on the silly and profound idiosyncrasies that humans have through the eyes of a newbie to earth. It was funny, touching, and full of great insights.
Oryx and Crake – Margaret Atwood – This was my last book of 2018. Some former coworkers had recommended it to me wayyyyy back in 2017, and I’m sad I didn’t get around to reading it until now! This dystopian book touches on gene-splicing, cure-all pills, and corrupt governments. It’s super interesting (and somewhat shocking to think that some parts of the plot aren’t so very far off from our current world situation!).
Non-Fiction
We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
One Red Paperclip – Kyle MacDonald
Beyond Flying – Chris Watson – This book definitely opened my eyes to the negative implications of commercial flying. It make me take stock of my efforts in trying to live a sustainable life – airplanes are a HUGE contributor to carbon emissions. Also, because they fly at such high altitudes, the gases they do emit are far more hazardous to the atmosphere. This book is one of the main reasons why Mac and I prefer to hitchhike, take public transit, and travel overland instead of flying from country to country (which is so easy to do in Europe with all the budget airlines).
Gutsy Women – Marybeth Bond
Women’s travel writing 8th Ed
Neither Here Nor There – Bill Bryson
Japonisme – Erin Niimi Longhurst
Female Nomad and Friends – Rita Golden Gelman
The Art of Travel – Alain Button – It took me a few chapters to really get into this book, but there are a number of really thought-provoking quotes in here that I’ll definitely be rereading it this year.
Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker – I don’t think I’ve slept (or thought about sleeping) the same since I read this book!! Walker goes into detail about the different cycles of sleep – which I found super interesting. He then talks about various factors that can have negative effects on our sleep. Things such as caffeine, alcohol, exercise before bed, too hot/cold of sleeping temperature, etc. I found this book SUPER interesting and it’s definitely made me focus more on getting a solid 7.5-8 hours of sleep per night!
Talking to My Daughter About the Economy – Yanis Varufakis – Though fairly short, this book is chock full of information about how a capitalist economy works. As someone with very little background in business and sociology, I definitely learned a lot from this book!
Biography/Memoir
Hungry Heart – Jennifer Weiner
The Year of Less – Cait Flanders – Cait Flanders went on a multi-year shopping ban. She didn’t buy anything that wasn’t 100% necessary. No clothes, electronics, books, you get the picture. In the process she drastically changed her life and became much more of a mindful consumer. I’ve followed Cait online for a while, and I really enjoyed reading this inspiring book.
Wild By Nature – Sarah Maruqis – This is book 1 of 3 of Fascinating, Inspiring, Adventurous women. Sarah completed a solo 10,000-mile hike from Siberia to Australia, battling drug dealers, thieves, scorching and freezing temperatures, and more. She hiked through six countries and shares her incredible story in this memoir.
Tracks – Robyn Davidson – (Book 2 of 3 of FIA women). Robyn Davidson trekked 1700-miles across the Australian outback with only three camels and a dog for company. She endured hardships, battled the severe Australian heat, faced the dangerous animals of the outback, and emerged on the other side a strong and powerful woman.
My Year Without Matches – Claire Dunn – (Book 3 of 3 of FIA women). Claire Dunn chooses to leave her comfortable city life in Australia and signs up for a year-long wilderness survival program. She struggles with tasks such as building shelter, escaping the tormenting insects, and making fire without matches. But the greatest hardship is confronting her emotions in an effort to find where she belongs.
Blind Descent – Brian Dickinson
I Was Told There’d Be Cake – Slaone Clossy
10% Happier – Dan Harris – In 2004, ABC news anchor Dan Harris suffered a panic attack on live TV. After this event, Dan finally came to terms with his drug habit, stressful competitiveness of being in the media industry, and started meditation in an effort to calm his mind. His book was released 10 years after that fateful panic attack, and in it Dan shares how he overcame those obstacles and now maintains his meditation habit.
Flat Broke with Two Goats – Jennifer McGaha
Travels with Charley – John Steinbeck
What is the What – Dave Eggers
The Turk Who Loved Apples – Matt Gross
What Happened – Hilary Rodham Clinton – ‘What Happened?’ is a statement I’m sure many of us were wondering in early November 2016. In this memoir, Hilary walks through her campaign and everything she had to deal with while running for president. Considering the state of our southern neighbours at the moment, it was fascinating and heart-wrenching to read how Hilary was defeated. Regardless of what your opinions of this woman are, this is a very interesting read and provides a lot of perspective about the election that wasn’t covered in the media.
Notes from a Blue Bicycle – Tsh Oxenrider
When They Call You a Terrorist – Patrisse Khan-Cullors – Patrisse is one of the women behind the #BlackLivesMatter movement. In this book she shares her stories about growing up black in a racist society and the troubles and hardships she endured. As a white, middle-class female, I really appreciated the insight this book provided.
At Home In the World – Tsh Oxenrider – When her three children were all under the age of 10, Tsh and her husband Kyle took them on a year long journey around the world. They visited China, Australia, Ethiopia, France, and more. Tsh is a fabulous writer, so her reflections and stories from this momentous trip were wonderful to read.
Wall to Wall – Mary Morris
How To Eat a Small Country – Amy Finely
Banker to the Poor – Muhammad Yusuf
Reasons to Stay Alive – Matt Hiag – I’m fortunate to be among those that haven’t suffered greatly from depression and anxiety, but I really gleaned a lot of insight about those two diseases from Matt’s book. In his mid-twenties he became severely depressed, and also had anxiety attacks. His story about how he lived through the pain and eventually came out the other side (though not fully unscathed) was inspiring and touching. I’d recommend this book to anyone (even if you don’t or have suffer/ed from depression). The lessons and stories he shares are 100% worth reading.
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
Past Book Lists
(click each image to be taken to the corresponding blog post)
Tell me, what were your favourite reads in 2018? I’m always looking for suggestions for books to read, so if you have any, leave them in the comments!!
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