8 books on my TBR that I missed in 2018

2018 was a great reading year for me.  I read lots of books that ended up being 4-5 star reads!  In fact, there were so many good books I wanted to read, I never got to them all.

Sometimes I get caught up in new releases.  There’s so much buzz about this new book that just came out, or that new book, that my TBR list just gets longer and longer and the older books on the list get lost in the shuffle.

But there are some books that I know were great, based on everything I’ve seen on #bookstagram and on my favorite bloggers’ “Best of” lists,  that I want to make sure stay at the top of my TBR.

Here are a few of the 2018 books I want to make sure I get to this year:

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Educated by Tara Westover

This book is Tara’s memoir and chronicles her childhood, growing up isolated in the mountains with her survivalist parents.  Her parents did not believe in modern medicine, education or anything else that would have them engaging with other people. Tara grew up canning her own food, curing illness and injuries with herbs and teaching herself how to read and learn.  This book reminds me of one of my favorite books ever – Glass Castles by Jeanette Walls.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

The other nonfiction book on my list, I feel like I have to get to this one because of all the great things I’ve read about it.  McNamara was an investigative reporter, completely obsessed with researching and finding the Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and murderer who, after committing over 60 heinous crimes, suddenly disappeared.  Bloggers who’ve reviewed this book said it was one of the scariest books they have read. Sign me up!

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

And speaking of scary, this book is about a professor who gets hit over the head, and wakes up as someone else!  The last thing he remembers is his abductor saying to him, “Are you happy with your life?” and then he wakes up on a gurney surrounded by men in Hazmat suits. This sounds like a book guaranteed to freak me out! (which I love:)

You Think It, I’ll Say It  by Curtis Sittenfeld

I just finished reading Eligible by this author and thought it was very clever and well done.  And I absolutely loved American Wife, so I am excited to pick up this latest book of short stories.  I never really used to like short stories, but lately I have been really enjoying the ones that I have read.  Can’t wait to try this out!

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

This book is about a recluse who disappears when her daughter plans a trip to Antarctica.  It all proved too much for Bernadette and she left without a trace, leaving her daughter behind to pick up the pieces.  This book is being made into a movie this year, so I want to make sure to read it before I go see it in the theaters. There are rules!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This is probably not a book I would have picked out for myself, but every single thing I read about it on #bookstagram or blog says it was one of the favorites of last year.  So I have to give it a try! This book is about a girl who lives alone in the marshes of North Carolina. When a young man is found dead, she becomes the prime suspect.

There, There by Tommy Orange

This debut novel is said to be one of the best books of the year.  It tells the story of twelve Native Americans on their way to the Big Oakland powwow.  It is said to deal with lots of hard topics such as substance abuse, suicide and the Native Americans’ painful history, while it also celebrates the beautiful spirituality and culture of the people.  This book sounds like a can’t miss.

Circe by Madeline Miller

This is another book that isn’t really something I would pick up on my own if it weren’t for all the glowing reviews I’ve read.  This book is about Circe, born to two gods, who doesn’t possess the power of her parents. She is banished to a deserted island by Zeus and there she finds powers that she didn’t even know she had.  In the end, she will have to decide if she is a god like her parents, or a mortal like the ones she has grown to love.

Those are the 2018 books that I will definitely keep at the top of my 2019 To Be Read list.  Which books are on yours?

That’s all for today.  Until next time, happy reading!

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