I Read 176 Books This Year. These are My 32 Favorites.
My goal for 2018 was to read 150 books and I was fortunate to be able to squeeze in an additional 26 books into my year.
Below is a list of all the books that received five stars.
A book gets five stars if it is either brilliantly or creatively written or if it changed my life in a permanent way. They are listed in the order that I read them.
If you are interested in learning about some of the other books I read, I’d be happy to share them. Also, if you have any great recommendations, please leave them in the comments. Happy reading!
Non-Fiction:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Sherman Alexie
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto – Michael Pollan
The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence – Gavin de Becker
The Common Good – Robert B Reich
Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead – Laszlo Bock
The Boy on the Wooden Box – Leon Leyson
Tomorrow Will Be Different – Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality – Sarah McBride, Joe BidenE
“You are not fool’s gold, shining only under a particular light. Whomever you become, whatever you make yourself into, that is who you always were. It was always in you.” – Tara Westover
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
“We need to help them talk back to a toxic culture and claim success as more than the sum of college resumes and filtered Instagram feeds. We need to help girls not just lean in, but lean inside.” – Rachel Simmons
The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss – Jason Fung
“There’s a dirty little secret that nobody is willing to admit: The low-fat, low-calorie diet has already been proven to fail. This is the cruel hoax. Eating less does not result in lasting weight loss. It. Just. Does. Not. Work.” – Jason Fung
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story – Hyeonseo Lee
In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History – Mitch Landrieu
Your Money or Your Life – Vicki Robin
“We buy everything from hope to happiness. We no longer live life. We consume it.” – Vicki Robin
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup – John Carreyrou
“The way Theranos is operating is like trying to build a bus while you’re driving the bus. Someone is going to get killed.” – John Carreyrou
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History – Vashti Harrison
The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel
Fiction:
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Saenz
Before We Were Yours – Lisa Wingate
The Good Daughter – Karin Slaughter
“I think he knew that bad people did bad things, but he still believed that they deserved a chance.” – Karin Slaughter
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
Crazy Rich Asians – Kevin Kwan
Flight Behavior – Barbara Kingsolver
“Living systems are sensitive to very small changes, Dellarobia. Think of a child’s temperature elevated by two degrees. Would you call it normal?” – Barbara Kingsolver
This is How It Always Is – Laurie Frankel
“You have to help him see that if he’s disappearing from the world, that’s too high a price to pay for fitting in.” – Laurie Frankel
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