It’s quite common when we come towards the end of another
year to take a retrospective look at the year that has just passed. I do
believe this is the first time I’ve ever dedicated some of that retrospection
to the books I read that year. It’s not a bad practice. I recommend it. While
perusing my blog posts of the last twelve months, it was fun to remember some
of my favorites. I also gave more 5/5 ratings than I expected to find. I guess
I was feeling generous this year, or maybe I’m just really awesome at picking
books to read.
By the way, thanks to everyone who has given me suggestions
for books to read. I enjoy seeing what other people love to read, and I’ve
discovered some gems through the recommendations of friends. I can only hope
that some of my recommendations do the same for you. There’s nothing quite like
finding a good book that you absolutely adore. I’ve also enjoyed reading your
comments about things like your favorite classic books or books that you
thought were the absolute worst. Please keep stopping on by and sharing your
comments, insights, and recommendations. I love it!
Without further ado, here are the books I rated the highest
in 2018:
A Wrinkle in Time by
Madeleine L’Engle
It’s the first book in the series and probably the best one.
It works great as a standalone book, so if you’re not much of a book series
person, it would still be well worth your time to give this book a look. Also,
if all you know about this story is the movie renditions of it and you’re not a
fan of the movies, still give it a chance. It’s better. If you liked the
movies, then you should definitely love the book.
I loved this sci-fi story about a girl named Meg, who wants
desperately for her missing father to return home. Rescuing him is no easy
task, and it turns out there’s a lot more at stake than just whether or not he’ll
return home safely. There were a few reasons why this book spoke to me. First
of all, there was the classic theme of the light versus the darkness, which I
always enjoy and which can be applied on a personal level. Sci-fi elements aside,
I think we can agree that there is both good and bad in the world, but we can
do our part to share the light and bring a little more of the good into the
world around us.
Something else that struck me during this reading of the
book was the fact that the characters have their flaws. Each character has
weaknesses and strengths, and we see how sometimes those are reversed—the things
we see as weaknesses can actually be our strengths and vice versa.
Red: The True Story
of Red Riding Hood and Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl
Shurtliff
Discovering Liesl Shurtliff’s works was definitely one of
the highlights of my reading this year. It’s probably no secret by now that I
love a good fairy tale retelling, and her stories are some of the best! I find
myself just wanting to praise her endlessly, so you should probably just read
her books. Do it now.
I think part of what made these stories memorable is the
fact that I haven’t really read retellings of these particular fairy tales
before. I have seen Red and Jack featured in other books, but those usually
involved many fairy tale characters of which we are familiar, whereas Shurtliff
took the individual story itself and cast a new light on it. They have the
elements of the original stories, but there are so many more elements and plot
twists to them. I love Shurtliff’s prose also.
These are fun, adventurous, and if you’re looking for it,
you may find a message to the story just like classic fairy tales.
Flora & Ulysses:
The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo is one of my all time favorite children’s
authors, so really, it’s no surprise that one of her books would end up on my
list. I love the way she writes and the characters she creates. Her stories are
memorable, unique, and relatable.
The premise of this book is so fun in and of itself—cynical girl
with a love of comics meets squirrel after said squirrel has near death
experience. Said squirrel may now also have super powers. How awesome is that!
But this story is about much more than a potentially
superhero squirrel. When it comes down to it, I guess you could say that it’s
about people (plus one squirrel). I went in expecting a fun read, which it
certainly was, but besides laughing with the adventure and unusual
predicaments, I also found myself lost in thought and even touched by the end.
This was a heartwarming, adventurous story that is deserving of the Newbery
Medal it won in 2014.
Crenshaw by Katherine
Applegate
I don’t think I was quite expecting to like this book as
much as I did when I first picked it up. I wanted to try out another book by
Katherine Applegate after falling in love with The One and Only Ivan, and it seemed to have potential. Crenshaw is
an imaginary friend in the form of a cat. Maybe part of the reason why I
enjoyed this book is because I have my own cat that comes asking me for
snuggles every morning. Aside from that, Crenshaw is a great character that
represents the need that we all have at certain times in our lives for a
friend, a shoulder to lean on. Reading this story made me think of instances in
my own life when people have been there to support me and lift me up. Besides
that, Crenshaw teaches the importance of being honest with yourself.
It was also interesting to see the perspectives of both the
children and the parents in the difficult situation that these characters find
themselves in. Applegate does a terrific job presenting those perspectives and
exploring very real thoughts and feelings that may occur. It’s something I
appreciate now that I’m older that I’m not sure I would have appreciated as
much had I been introduced to this book at a younger age.
The Guernsey Literary
and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I really wanted to love this book and was afraid that I
wouldn’t. Good news: I DO LOVE IT! The
Netflix movie is a pretty good
interpretation of the book, but I feel that you need to read the book to fully
grasp who these characters are. The story is told through a series of letters
written by various characters. I was concerned that this would be confusing and
that I would quickly become lost. That was not the case, however. In fact, it
really helped to make each character personal. It was like getting to know
people in real life.
The book tells the story of some of the residents of
Guernsey during the Nazi occupation. It takes place soon after the war has come
to an end when those dark days are still fresh on everyone’s minds. I tend to
like stories that take place during this era of history despite the fact that I
know there will always be some part that brings tears to my eyes. Despite the
horror and heartache that so many faced during that time, I think what speaks
to me are the acts of kindness and heroism, even simple ones, in a time where
it would have been easier to have an “every man for himself” mentality or even
to sell people out for your own gain. Even in our darkest hours, we can be the
good in the world.
East by Edith Pattou
This one was a recommendation to me from a friend who’s an
even bigger bookworm than I am. She has super speedy reading abilities that
enable her to read as many books in a week that I read in a month…or two. She’s
awesome, and I love her, and I couldn’t say no to a book recommendation,
especially one with fairy tale elements.
This book is based off of a fairy tale that I had never
heard of. The more I read, I did come to realize that there was a movie based
off of the same fairy tale that my sister used to watch as a kid. So I guess I had
been introduced to it at one point, but the only thing I could remember is that
a guy had turned into a polar bear. That is a pretty crucial part to the story,
so at least I remembered something important. I could also compare the story to
Beauty and the Beast or the story of
Cupid and Psyche.
I had a hard time putting this book down. It was evident
that Pattou had done her research as she wove some real life landscapes and
other elements into the story. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives that gave a
broader view of the story as a whole. It’s full of themes of adventure,
superstition, making amends, and the importance of family.
There you have it! Those are all the books that earned a 5/5
rating from me this year. I’m looking forward to whatever books 2019 brings my
way. What were some of your favorite reads of 2018? Any suggestions for what I
should read in 2019? Also, if you’re a procrastinator and haven’t finished your
Christmas shopping, nothing says “I love you” like a new book. It’s hard to
beat that new book smell. Of course, there’s always the e-reader option, which
I can also get behind. Although, sniffing an e-reader doesn’t have quite the
same enjoyment as sniffing pages of a book…
Merry Christmas!
