I read 55 books in 2018. They’re listed in the order in which I read them, and I only included books that I finished.
As I did in 2017, I picked the Top 10 books that I especially enjoyed and/or changed me for the better. These books are in bold and are hyperlinked. While I enjoyed many of the books I read this year, these Top 10 hold a special place in my heart, and I highly recommend them.
- If Found…Please Return to Elise Gravel by Elise Gravel
- Spinning by Tillie Walden
- Hola and Goodbye by Donna Miscolta
- Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh *
- Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell *
- Built to Sell by John Warrillow
- Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton *
- Blood Hina by Naomi Hirahara
- fail fail again fail better by Pema Chodron
- The Changeling by Victor LaValle
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
- The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
- Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
- Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk by Michael Hagedorn *
- Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
- Perks of a New Body by Frannerd
- About to Leave by Frannerd
- Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees: The Life and Works of Dan Robinson – Bonsai Pioneer by Will Hiltz
- Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
- How to American by Jimmy O. Yang
- Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin
- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
- Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale
- Gasa-Gasa Girl by Naomi Hirahara
- Mucho Mojo by Joe R. Lansdale
- Firefly Magic: Heart Powered Marketing for Highly Sensitive Writers by Lauren Sapala
- Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
- Wayfinding Part 1: Rats and Rafts by Hugh Howey
- Ghost by Jason Reynolds
- The Misfits by James Howe
- Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- Code Monkey Save World by Greg Pak & Takeshi Miyazawa
- Last of the Independents by Sam Wiebe
- Just the Funny Parts by Nell Scovell
- Rewrite Your Life by Jess Lourey
- Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang
- 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
- Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook by Albert “Prodigy” Johnson & Kathy Landoli
- They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? by Horace McCoy
- Wayfinding Part 2: Hell & Heaven by Hugh Howey
- Tru & Nelle by G. Neri
- Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury *
- Imogene’s Antlers by David Small
- The Gardener by Sarah Stewart & illustrations by David Small
- Home After Dark by David Small
- Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver
- The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban & illustrations by David Small
- No Refunds: an Unversed Comics Anthology edited by Jonathan Hill
- Miles Morales Spider Man by Jason Reynolds
- Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver
- The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn
- The Year of You: 365 Journal Writing Prompts for Creative Self-Discovery by Hannah Braime
* = I’ve read this book in previous year(s)
If I could only read one book from this entire list, it would be Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver. Why? Because this book changed my life. If you read it, please comment below and let me know what you thought of it. In fact, if you read (or have read) any of these books, let me know your thoughts in the comments box. I’d love to hear from you.
Hope my list gives you some good ideas for books to read in 2019. Happy new year and happy reading!
Peg Cheng is the author of The Contenders, a middle-grade novel that asks, can enemies become friends? She is currently querying a novel that is a re-imagining of the Snow White fairy tale set in 1980s Seattle. Peg is also the creator of Fear & Writing, a workshop for procrastinating writers from all walks of life.
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Illustration by Risa Rodil