Eighteen Memorable Book Moments in 2018

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Being a critic of books is impossibly challenging for me. I’m an enneagram nine. I like all the books! 

So my first go at creating a Best of Books List for 2018, I struggled to pair it down. I mean, if I finished the book, I probably liked it, so it’s worth sharing, right?

But actually, I realized I began approaching my list in a similar exercise to creating my Reverse Bucket Lists, by scrolling. First I looked through my lists on Good Reads. This was helpful to at least remember the early part of the year and what I read. But then I scrolled through my pictures, once again. I saw moments of reading to the kids on the hammock. Sitting on the beach blanket while the kids played in the sand. Early morning reading with Mike by the Christmas tree. A special shared chapter book with my biggest. A brand new reader snuggled up with her little brothers. 

And with each moment I remember a book. Because the experience and the feelings surrounding it are what bring that book alive to me. My senses are sharper when I take notice. And when my mind is sharp, my memories are strong. 

So today I share Eighteen books that evoke a personal experience. For some it’s a physical place in which I remember reading. The beach, the hammock, the couch under a blanket. For others, it’s a place in time. A difficult pregnancy. A foggy newborn stage. A challenging stage of parenting. And for some, it’s a moment that I realize is one of a momentous milestone. Like seeing her read a book for the first time. Or reading our first chapter book series together. 

From picture book to early chapter book. From researched non fiction to memoir. From critically acclaimed literature to cozy mystery. From new to me authors to old favorites. From the book everyone is talking about to the treasures I just happened upon. Here are eighteen books that evoke a memorable book reading moment. The kind I hope to fall into again and again in my reading life. Happy reading friends!

Picture Books

Everything you Need for a Treehouse

Mama Seetons Whistle

Mamas Belly

Pie is for Sharing


Children’s Fiction

Little House in the Big Woods

Secret Garden

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone


Non-Fiction and Memoir

The Gardener and the Carpenter

Reading People

When Breath becomes Air

To Bless the Space Between Us

Fiction

This is How it Always Is

Flight of Dreams

Storied Life of AJ Fikry

Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society

The Royal We

Still Life

Woman in the Window