2018 in Review - Looking Back on My Year in Books

This year was kind of a weird one; I moved back to Tampa, FL, where I work, so I no longer had a commute more than 15 minutes.  There went all my audiobook listening.  But I also  read my first picture book for review (Are You Scared Darth Vader by Adam Rex), which was really fun!  Overall, it was a pretty solid reading year. So without further ado, let's look at all the books I managed to read in 2018!

Lucky for me, (as I am lazy and bad at making graphics), Goodreads makes a handy "My Year in Books":

So I read a total of 70 books this year with a total of 18,997 pages.  That's one more book from last year, but 1,669 less pages.  I find that interesting, especially if you go by pages read and not amount of books read.

The average length of my books was 271 pages.  I read mostly YA again this year, but with a few Middle Grade books (which are always shorter) and quite a few graphic novel (I mean my shortest book was a graphic novel at only 24 pages), so that number makes sense.

Overall, I didn't read more than my Goodreads goal, and I had to be sneaky with the graphic novels at the end (I am proud that I read two actual books at the end of December though).  But the point is that I made it to 70, which was 10 more than my 2017 goal.

Here are all the actual books:

My average rating was a 4.2, which is fair as most of these were blog tour books, and I don't post those reviews unless they are a 4 or 5 star.  Additionally, I am an easy reader to please; I tend not to read something unless I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it.  But I'm also not super picky.  Even if the book has predictable tropes, ridiculous plot points, and vapid characters, I'll probably still like the book, if just for the hilarity factor.

So out of the 69 books I read this is how it breaks down format wise:

ARCs - 12

Novels - 28

Graphic Novels - 14

Audiobooks - 14

Picture Books - 1

E-Books - 1

Then, the age-range was:

Adult - 10

Young Adult - 52

Middle Grade - 7

Children - 1

Finally, the genre breakdowns:

Non-Fiction - 5

        Memoir/Personal Essay - 3

        Poetry - 1

        Historical - 1

Fiction - 65

        Contemporary - 25

        Fantasy - 16

        Sci-Fi - 15

        Thriller/Mystery - 5

        Romance - 3

        Mixed - 1 (this was an anthology)

Out of the 70 books, this is how the ratings broke down:

2 Stars: 3 books

• Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
• Who is AC? by Hope Larson
• The Stone Prince by Gena Showalter

3 Stars: 10 books

• The Pleasure Slave by Gena Showalter
• Everything Is Awful: And Other Observations by Matt Bellasi
• Mercury by Hope Larson
• Graveyard Shakes by Laura Terry
• Archie, Vol. 1: The New Riverdale by Mark Waid
• Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick
• Chasers of the Light: Poems from the Typewriter Series by Tyler Knott Gregson
• Fence (Fence, #1) by C.S. Pacat
• Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) by Tahereh Mafi
• The Color of Lies by C.J. Lyons

4 Stars: 25 Books

• The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá
• Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
• Better Nate Than Ever (Better Nate Than Ever #1) by Tim Federle
• The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi
• P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han
• The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere #1) by Heidi Heilig
• We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen
• If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
• Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen
• Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
• Mayfly by Jeff Sweat
• Space Battle Lunchtime Vol. 2: A Recipe for Disaster by Natalie Riess
• A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom
• All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages edited by Saundra Mitchell
• Del Toro Moon by Darby Karchut
• The Tombs by Deborah Schaumberg
• Bad Princess: True Tales from Behind the Tiara by Kris Waldherr
• Taproot by Keezy Young
• Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre
• Watch You Burn by Amanda Searcy
• The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
• Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner
• Deadfall by Stephen Wallenfels
• Power of Five (Power of Five #1) by Alex Lidell 
• Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton

5 Stars: 32 Books

• Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi
• Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller
• Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles #1) by Tamora Pierce
• The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen
• Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi
• Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe
• The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson
• To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han
• Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe 
• You Deserve a Drink: Boozy Misadventures and Tales of Debauchery by Mamrie Hart
• Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire
• You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire
• Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3) by Seanan McGuire
• We Are Okay by Nina LaCour 
• Space Battle Lunchtime Vol. 1: Lights, Camera, Snacktion by Natalie Riess
• The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
• Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks
• The Sand Warrior (5 Worlds #1) by Mark Siegel
• #notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale
• Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas #2) by Zoraida Córdova
• They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
• Sadie by Courtney Summers
• Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard
• Love à la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
• Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne
• Star Wars: Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex
• My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn
• The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

My favorite books read this year, in no particular order:

1. Every Heart a Door Way by Seanan McGuire (5 Stars)
2. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (5 Stars)
3. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen (5 Stars)
4. The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons (5 Stars)
5. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (5 Stars)
6. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour (5 Stars)
7. The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson (5 Stars)
8. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (5 Stars)
9. Sadie by Courtney Summers (5 Stars)
10. Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks (5 Stars)

I could get more in depth here (I love BooksandLala's Reading Year in Review videos -- check out 2018), but I think this is a good overview.  Maybe 2019 will be the year I'll try to keep track of more information.

I hope your 2018 reading year was awesome, and that 2019 will be even more so! 

HAPPY READING!

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BLOG TOUR --- Power of Five by Alex Lidell --- ADULT FICTION [Review + Giveaway]

Title: Power of Five (Book 1)

Authors(s): Alex Lidell
Publication Date: May 4, 2018
Edition: Paperback, ebook; 312 pages
Publisher: Danger Bearing Press
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Buy: Amazon - Barnes & 
Noble - The Book Depository

Tour Schedule

Week One:

1/4/2019 - Under the Book Cover - Review - Power of Five

1/4/2019 - Writer of Wrongs - Excerpt - Power of Five

Week Two:

1/7/2019 - Loie Dunn - Review -Power of Five        

1/7/2019 - Texan Holly Reads - Excerpt - Power of Five

1/8/2019 - BookHounds - Excerpt - Power of Five 

1/8/2019 - Two Chicks on Books - Excerpt - Power of Five

1/9/2019 - Good Choice Reading - Excerpt -Power of Five 

1/9/2019 - Adventures Thru Wonderland - Excerpt - Lera of Lunos

1/10/2019 - A Gingerly Review - Review -Power of Five   

1/11/2019 - Burgandy Ice - Excerpt - Lera of Lunos

Week Three:

1/14/2019 - Smada's Book Smack - Review - Complete Series

1/14/2019 - Books a Plenty Book Reviews - Review- Complete Series

1/15/2019 - Reese's Reviews - Review - Complete Series

1/15/2019 - Parajunkee - Excerpt - Lera of Lunos 

1/16/2019 - Book-Keeping- Review - Complete Series

1/16/2019 - Jaime's World- Excerpt - Lera of Lunos 

1/17/2019 - Bookbriefs - Review - Complete Series

1/17/2019 - Abooktropolis - Review - Power of Five or Complete Series

1/18/2019 - Love in a time of Feminism - Review - Complete Series
1/18/2019 - Eli to the nth - Review - Power of Five

The Summary

Book 1 - Free on Kindle Unlimited!

Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist.

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn.

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female.

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself.

Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.

(Goodreads)

My Review

Power of Five is the first book in a reverse-harem series by author Alex Lidell.  She has written Young Adult fiction, her most notable is The Cadet of Tildor, but now she is applying her same great writing to adult fiction.  While I have never read a reverse-harem book (unless you count the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton as reverse-harem, cause boy there's a lot of men for one lady in those books), I knew what to expect: hot men playing in to specific stereotypes and the strong woman that connects all of them.  And while that premise is there in the heart of the book, it was still super enjoyable.

Lidell writes great characters, and the characters are what really kept me interested.  Especially Lera, the main protagonist.  Lera is a peasant, indentured to serve her master until she dies.  But even during these circumstances, she does not let it dampen her spirit.  She is strong-willed, and it shows in her surviving a less than appealing life.  Even when she is united with the other members of her "quint", she doesn't allow them to walk all over her.  She's a little bit of a "cliché", as she is petite in stature, and is gorgeous with fiery red hair (to reflect her fiery spirit...eh?), but for the type of book this was, it was expected. However, Lidell does allow Lera to break the mold just enough to keep her interesting.

Now, let's talk about these men.  All elite fae warriors, all gorgeous, and all trying to resist (or not resist, as the case may be) the pull they feel to Lera.  While there is a man to play each "stereotype" (the serious one, the playful one, the broken one, and the protective one), just as with Lera, they weren't completely pigeonholed into those roles.  And they are definitely the stuff of dreams.  I fell in love with them all, but I especially love Shade.  He's a shapeshifter, and the protective one of Lera.  I love when that side of a man comes out in romances.  But each of the men offer something to love, and something that intrigues Lera.  Reverse-harem activate! 

Finally, the plot was really interesting in this.  The fae have groups called "quints", made up of five fae warriors, which allow them to gather their power together and focus it.  This makes the fae very powerful, and they are needed to fight the dark creatures that are constantly trying to invade the fae world.  But the "quint" in the book is missing a member, so they need to find their new fifth to complete the group.  But their as led them to Lera, who is not only a woman, but a mortal woman.  This has never happened, and should never happen.  Queue the drama!  Lidell does create an intricate fantasy world, which is typically lacking in reverse-harem novels.  I was expecting just sex, but we actually got substance!  Don't get me wrong, there is sex, but it makes sense within the plot, and isn't there gratuitously.  Now, maybe in the later novels it'll be more explicit, but I was happy to be able to have my cake and eat it too, if you will.

Overall, if you love fantasy, and are looking to dive into the reverse-harem genre, this is definitely your book!  A strong female lead, hot leading men, and a fantasy plot that will keep you interested, Power of Five by Alex Lidell is a must-read, and I can't wait to get my hands on the other three books!  Luckily, neither you nor I will have to wait to see what happens to Lera and her men, as the last novel in the series, Lera of Lunos, came out earlier this month.  So go ahead, and jump on the binge read wagon!!

Final Rating

Excerpt

“Is this why you tried to stop my hunt?” Zake snarls into my face. “You wanted to intercept the immortal before he reached me?” His meaty hand turns me around, pressing my head against the barn’s side as the belt uncoils behind me. “What did you offer him, wench? Your maidenhead? Tell me the truth now, girl—it will only hurt more if you lie.”

“I’m not lying,” I say, my body already bracing for the coming blows. “Zake—” I clamp my mouth shut as the belt whistles through the air. There is no stopping this now, and little reason to waste breath that I’ll need shortly.

A furious growl rips through the air. Just when my back is supposed to explode in flame, a dark shape hurtles out of nowhere. Before I can blink, Zake is in the dirt, a large wolf prowling over him. The wolf’s lips pull back, revealing wet canines that glitter in the sun, its thick gray pelt and black muzzle bringing me straight back to last night’s dream.

I gasp, stepping away—and knock right into a wall of muscle and maleness. Tye, the smiling red-haired fae male, is no longer amused. The green-eyed stare he gives Zake is filled with the promise of violence. Not that there will be much of Zake left if the wolf has his way.

“What’s going on back here?” says a quiet voice. A new fae male strides out of the stable, this one dressed in warrior black and sporting a glare that says he’s one breath away from razing the whole estate to the ground. If Tye is an overgrown adolescent, the newcomer is a deadly killer, with long blond hair tied up in a bun, a chiseled jaw, and piercing blue eyes that seem to strip me and find me wanting in one glance. The wicked-looking blades strapped to his waist and back complete the effect.

“Just a wee misunderstanding,” says Tye. “I have it handled.”

The warrior snorts. “That’d be a first.”

Tye sighs in a long-suffering way. “Lera, this is Coal. Try to ignore him the best you can.”

Coal crosses his arms, his eyes finishing their examination of the soon-to-be-dead Zake and the salivating wolf before coming to a stop on my face.

As with Tye, a ripple of recognition races through me, though I’m certain I’ve never seen this male before. My instincts scream at me to run, even as the male’s eyes draw me toward him, the corded muscles of his forearms and shoulders making my breath quicken.

“Time to go, lass,” Tye murmurs into the back of my neck. A command. An invitation. A challenge.
Murderous fae. Mystwood. Broken bones.

My heart pounds, even as my body feels the rightness of Tye’s words and aches to accept them. I swallow, feeling as though the male has claimed me already. And not just him. Five, my soul seems to whisper.

Five what?

Five. There should be five. Has to be five.

About the Author

Alex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of The Cadet of Tildor (Penguin, 2013). She is an avid horseback rider, a (bad) hockey player, and an ice-cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s Alanna in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, Alanna started Alex’s life long love for YA fantasy books. Alex is represented by Leigh Feldman of Leigh Feldman Literary. She lives in Washington, DC.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Book Bub | Instagram

Giveaway

• 1 winner will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card (Intl.)
• 1 winner will receive a POWER OF FIVE Journal (U.S.)
• 1 winner will receive the complete POWER OF FIVE series in eBooks (Intl.)

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BLOG TOUR --- Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton [Review + Giveaway]

Title: Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful

Authors(s): Arwen Elys Dayton
Publication Date: December 4, 2018
Edition: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook; 384 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Buy: Amazon - Audible - Barnes & 
Noble - iBooks - The Book Depository

Tour Schedule

Week One:

12/3/2018- Kait Plus Books- Review

12/4/2018- Novel Novice- Excerpt

12/5/2018- Rhythmicbooktrovert- Review

12/6/2018- Sifa Elizabeth Writes- Review

12/7/2018- The Pages In-Between- Review

Week Two:

12/10/2018- Dani Reviews Things- Review

12/11/2018- Book-Keeping- Review

12/12/2018- A Dream Within A Dream- Review

12/13/2018- Here's to Happy Endings- Review

12/14/2018- Rainy Day Reviews- Excerpt

Week Three:

12/17/2018- A Gingerly Review- Review

12/18/2018- Always Me - Review

12/19/2018- Sincerely Karen Jo Blog- Excerpt

12/20/2018- Devouring Books- Review

12/21/2018- BookHounds YA- Review

Week Four:

12/24/2018- My Books-My World- Excerpt

12/25/2018- Books of Teacups- Review

12/26/2018- Lifestyle of Me- Review

12/27/2018- Wishful Endings- Excerpt

12/28/2018- Eli to the nth- Review

Week Five:
12/31/2018- Oh Hey! Books.- Review

The Summary

For fans of television shows Black Mirror and Westworld, this compelling, mind-bending novel is a twisted look into the future, exploring how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimen and what it means to be human at all.

Set in our world, spanning the near to distant futures, Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a novel made up of six interconnected stories that ask how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimens, and how hard that will push the definition of "human."

This extraordinary work explores the amazing possibilities of genetic manipulation and life extension, as well as the ethical quandaries that will arise with these advances. The results range from the heavenly to the monstrous. Deeply thoughtful, poignant, horrifying, and action-packed, Arwen Elys Dayton's Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is groundbreaking in both form and substance.

(Goodreads)

My Review

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton poses the question: what makes us human and how far will we go for perfection?  A major theme in a lot of sci-fi, I think this questions will never get old, and Dayton does an amazing job exploring the question through her book.  The book contains six individual, but connected stories, all stemming from one thing: human modification.  Modification in multiple ways: organ transplant, DNA tampering, body amalgamations, etc. all leading to the final story.

This collection, because I feel, that while the stories all work together, they can also be read individually from each other, is unforgettable.  Dayton explores big questions in a way that shows the layers of humanity: our compassion, our intellect, and our hubris.  Each contains characters that are developed and vivid, and are often juxtaposed with a bigger "institution", be it private or public.

Overall, this is a strong sci-fi book, one that will entice not just teen readers, but adult readers.  I can't say more about the plot of the book without giving it away, but the summary above doesn't lie: if you like Westworld and Black Mirror, then you will really love Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton.

Final Rating

About the Author

ARWEN ELYS DAYTON is the author of the Seeker series—Seeker, Traveler, and Disruptor and the e-novella The Young Dread—and the science-fiction thriller Resurrection. Arwen lives with her husband and their three children on the West Coast of the United States. You can visit her at arwendayton.com and follow @arwenelysdayton on Twitter and Instagram.

Website | Twitter  | Facebook 
 Goodreads 

Giveaway

3 Winners will receive a finished copy of Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful, US Only.

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