Reading I was surprised to look back on my 2018 reading year and discover I’d read nearly 50 books. Granted, many of them were middle grade re-reads, but still! 46 books is not so shabby.
In review, I also found that I read The Best Christmas Pageant 2x this year. Ah well. It was fun to see that I pulled two different quotes from it. January and December. And fun to have Ethan practicing his part for our church pageant as we were reading in December. (There was no ham in our final production, but there were some angels who wrestled for position and ultimately toppled into the poinsettias below.)
I’ve got some favorites from the year, and some not so much. This year included a lot of childhood favorites (my boys can’t help the fact that they have many of the same childhood favorites as I do).
Last winter while shelving books at the library I regularly listened to book podcast From the Front Porch when I heard Annie B. Jones reference her system of posting a book cover to Instagram when she finishes reading it, and she notes a quote from the book that sums the essence of the book. I tried that this year here on my blog. (You can click through the links below and see what I mean.) I’ve been keeping track of my reading for more than a decade now, and I find the thematic threads which weave through the lists super fun to pull. Noting a quote for each book was a good exercise and added a richness to the trail. I plan to keep on.
12.30.18
Anchorage, Alaska
January
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Barbara Robinson
Undefeated:Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team – Steve Sheinkin
Barking To The Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship – Father Gregory Boyle
Henry Huggins – Beverly Cleary
Twelve Kinds of Ice – Ellen Bryan Obed
Beezus and Ramona – Beverly Cleary
Divine Dance – Richard Rohr
The Professor and the Madman – Simon Winchester
Henry and Beezus – Beverly Cleary
February
Ramona The Pest – Beverly Cleary
Before Everything – Victoria Redel
Everything Happens For A Reason and other lies I’ve loved – Kate Bowler
Henry and the Paper Route – Beverly Cleary
Henry and the Clubhouse – Beverly Cleary
March
Ribsy – Beverly Cleary
Ramona the Brave – Beverly Cleary
A Wrinkle In Time – Madeleine L’Engle
Ramona and Her Father – Beverly Cleary
Ramona and Her Mother – Beverly Cleary
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
April
Shut Up And Run – Robin Arzón
Ramona Quimby Age 8 – Beverly Cleary
Ramona’s World – Beverly Cleary
Grief Works – Julia Samuel
Ramona’s World – Beverly Cleary
Read Aloud Poems that Tell Stories
May
Born A Crime – Trevor Noah
Educated – Tara Westover
Most Dangerous – Steve Sheinkin
Surprised By Joy – C.S. Lewis
A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
June
Black Panther: the Young Prince – Ronald Smith
July
Marley: A Dog Like No Other – John Grogan
Where The Red Fern Grows – Wilson Rawls
The Science Of Breakable Things – Tae Keller
September
Inspired – Rachel Held Evans
A Crazy Holy Grace – Frederick Buechner
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – C.S. Lewis
Scarred By Struggle, Transformed By Hope – Joan D. Chittister
Flygirl – Sherri L. Smith
October
Charlotte’s Web – EB White
November
The Arrow Over The Door- Joseph Bruchac
The Winter People – Joseph Bruchac
Morning Girl – Michael Dorris
December
The Bronze Bow-Elizabeth George Speare
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Barbara Robinson
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens