Reviewing Every Book I Read in 2018
Hey guys!
Last year I made myself a goal to read 24 books. That would have been two every month. Honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't read very much last year, but I didn't. I ended up reading 12 books, or 14 if you count two plays for my English class. Today I'm going to be writing mini reviews on all of them!
All of the titles and covers link to Goodreads so you can check out the books for yourself!
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
This book waited on my to-read list for a long time before I finally read it last January. It's a sci-fi retelling of Cinderella set in Asia. The worldbuilding was done really well and I enjoyed Cinder's character. Also, her little pet robot? Adorable.
4/5 stars.
It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sigura
I picked up this book because it was a f/f romance. I didn't have super high expectations, which were accurate. The romance was pretty much instant. Seriously, who meets a pretty cashier and then keeps crushing like that? Maybe someone, but it seemed a little weird. I also spent a long time yelling at Sana for going out with a guy while she also had a girlfriend. Why do teens in YA books knowingly make things worse for themselves? I don't get it.
3/5 stars.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
I have a lot of emotions about this book. I think it was my favorite book I read this year. The main character, Cam, is a teenage lesbian growing up in the 90s. I related intensely to Cam in a lot of places. This book was very long and it felt very real.
HOWEVER, I'm gonna add a trigger warning for faith-based homophobia, drugs, and self harm. The homophobia wasn't really fun to read; I had to put the book down for a few days while I calmed down, but I think it added to the realism of the book. If you're worried about the content, I'd advise not reading it.
5/5 stars!
Stranger than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer
This book honestly felt like a self-insert fanfiction. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that two of the main characters were gay and transgender, but it seemed like they were that way so they could be sad, closeted, LGBT characters and get rudely outed to their friends at the end. I did like the road trip aspect of the book, but it wasn't one that I'm keen to reread.
3/5 stars.
George by Alex Gino
This was by far the cutest book I read last year. It's a middle grade book about George (also known as Melissa), a ten-year-old transgender girl. The author is a nonbinary person, which gives the story a layer of credibility.
4/5 stars, would absolutely give to a child.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
This book was not one of my favorites. The plot was very slow and had a lot of flashbacks in it, which makes sense for a book about slowly reconciling with things you've tried to run from, but it didn't hold my interest. On the other hand, I really liked the way the description was written and the cover is gorgeous.
4/5 stars for good writing.
The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
I was assigned this book for school summer reading, and I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The perspective of a child for talking about bigger issues was really well done. Each chapter was a different scene that didn't directly connect to the scene before it, and in total they amounted to a year in Esperanza's life.
4/5 stars!
Lord of the Flies by William Goulding
All I remember about this book was stressing to finish it before the assignment was due. It was pretty good, as far as I remember? If you're from the U.S. you might have to read it for school anyway.
3/5 stars, for what I can't remember.
Radio Silence by Alice Osman
This book was *incoherent excited screaming.* It starts out cool, and then it gets better. I got attached to the main characters, Frances and Aled, really fast. And even though they were best friends of opposite genders, they didn't fall in love! Bonus points for LGBT characters.
Another plus was that it got me into Welcome To Night Vale, a podcast that I have since become obsessed with.
(Adding a warning for emotional abuse.)
5/5 stars for generally being awesome!
The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
This book was a humorous take on the perspective of background characters in books with supernatural elements. Wow, that sounds like the opening line of an essay. Moving on.
At the beginning of every chapter there was a summary of how that chapter would have gone if it had featured one of the "indie kids" who are dealing with the vampires/demigods/werewolves/whatever. Then the chapter continued on to follow the daily life of the main characters. This book also dealt with a lot of non-funny things like anxiety and eating disorders. I enjoyed reading it, but it definitely wasn't the most exciting thing I read this year.
3/5 stars.
You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner
I got this book for Christmas and I finished it in a week. I initially picked it up because of the cover, which is gorgeous, and added it to my to-read list because of Julia's two moms. That was the first (and still only) time I had seen lesbian parents in YA, which made me more interested. Julia is a deaf, Indian teenager with two moms who enjoys street art. I loved the relationship she had with them, because it seems like a lot of YA characters could care less what their parents think. This book was very immersive. I really felt the story through Julia's eyes.
4.5/5 stars for diversity and good writing!
In summary, I read some really good books, I read some kinda bad books, and I read good books that I didn't like. Have you read any of the books on this list? What was your favorite book of 2018?
Last year I made myself a goal to read 24 books. That would have been two every month. Honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't read very much last year, but I didn't. I ended up reading 12 books, or 14 if you count two plays for my English class. Today I'm going to be writing mini reviews on all of them!
All of the titles and covers link to Goodreads so you can check out the books for yourself!
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
This book waited on my to-read list for a long time before I finally read it last January. It's a sci-fi retelling of Cinderella set in Asia. The worldbuilding was done really well and I enjoyed Cinder's character. Also, her little pet robot? Adorable.
4/5 stars.
It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sigura
I picked up this book because it was a f/f romance. I didn't have super high expectations, which were accurate. The romance was pretty much instant. Seriously, who meets a pretty cashier and then keeps crushing like that? Maybe someone, but it seemed a little weird. I also spent a long time yelling at Sana for going out with a guy while she also had a girlfriend. Why do teens in YA books knowingly make things worse for themselves? I don't get it.
3/5 stars.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
I have a lot of emotions about this book. I think it was my favorite book I read this year. The main character, Cam, is a teenage lesbian growing up in the 90s. I related intensely to Cam in a lot of places. This book was very long and it felt very real.
HOWEVER, I'm gonna add a trigger warning for faith-based homophobia, drugs, and self harm. The homophobia wasn't really fun to read; I had to put the book down for a few days while I calmed down, but I think it added to the realism of the book. If you're worried about the content, I'd advise not reading it.
5/5 stars!
Stranger than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer
This book honestly felt like a self-insert fanfiction. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that two of the main characters were gay and transgender, but it seemed like they were that way so they could be sad, closeted, LGBT characters and get rudely outed to their friends at the end. I did like the road trip aspect of the book, but it wasn't one that I'm keen to reread.
3/5 stars.
George by Alex Gino
This was by far the cutest book I read last year. It's a middle grade book about George (also known as Melissa), a ten-year-old transgender girl. The author is a nonbinary person, which gives the story a layer of credibility.
4/5 stars, would absolutely give to a child.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
This book was not one of my favorites. The plot was very slow and had a lot of flashbacks in it, which makes sense for a book about slowly reconciling with things you've tried to run from, but it didn't hold my interest. On the other hand, I really liked the way the description was written and the cover is gorgeous.
4/5 stars for good writing.
The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
I was assigned this book for school summer reading, and I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The perspective of a child for talking about bigger issues was really well done. Each chapter was a different scene that didn't directly connect to the scene before it, and in total they amounted to a year in Esperanza's life.
4/5 stars!
Lord of the Flies by William Goulding
All I remember about this book was stressing to finish it before the assignment was due. It was pretty good, as far as I remember? If you're from the U.S. you might have to read it for school anyway.
3/5 stars, for what I can't remember.
Radio Silence by Alice Osman
This book was *incoherent excited screaming.* It starts out cool, and then it gets better. I got attached to the main characters, Frances and Aled, really fast. And even though they were best friends of opposite genders, they didn't fall in love! Bonus points for LGBT characters.
Another plus was that it got me into Welcome To Night Vale, a podcast that I have since become obsessed with.
(Adding a warning for emotional abuse.)
5/5 stars for generally being awesome!
The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
This book was a humorous take on the perspective of background characters in books with supernatural elements. Wow, that sounds like the opening line of an essay. Moving on.
At the beginning of every chapter there was a summary of how that chapter would have gone if it had featured one of the "indie kids" who are dealing with the vampires/demigods/werewolves/whatever. Then the chapter continued on to follow the daily life of the main characters. This book also dealt with a lot of non-funny things like anxiety and eating disorders. I enjoyed reading it, but it definitely wasn't the most exciting thing I read this year.
3/5 stars.
You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner
I got this book for Christmas and I finished it in a week. I initially picked it up because of the cover, which is gorgeous, and added it to my to-read list because of Julia's two moms. That was the first (and still only) time I had seen lesbian parents in YA, which made me more interested. Julia is a deaf, Indian teenager with two moms who enjoys street art. I loved the relationship she had with them, because it seems like a lot of YA characters could care less what their parents think. This book was very immersive. I really felt the story through Julia's eyes.
4.5/5 stars for diversity and good writing!
In summary, I read some really good books, I read some kinda bad books, and I read good books that I didn't like. Have you read any of the books on this list? What was your favorite book of 2018?
This was great! I'm always looking for new books to read. I started Cinder, but I didn't get that far. Should I continue it?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! I thought it was really good. I just finished the second book as well, and I liked it too, thought be warned that it is a little gory.
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