Do you love to read?
I usually have at least one paperback book, kindle book, and audio book that I am reading at any given time. I go through phases of reading and taking a break from reading. But I am in a “I love to read” phase now. Here are the books I read in 2018 from least favorite to favorite.
Well, before I do that, I need to mention the books that I cannot rate.
First: The Bible
I read it in chronological order using this chart. I read it in English Standard Version this year, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Second, two books written by my son Joel Kelley!
A Third Option is a suspense with a clever twist. Little Timmy’s Adventures is a whimsical adventure.
OK, now to the books I rated from 1 to 5 stars.
ONE STAR books
I do not recommend and will not keep:
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh: While I did enjoy the parts that mentioned Malaysia, I did not appreciate all the sex and I skipped large portions because of it. I will not read any more like this, which is a shame since it otherwise was a good historical novel.
TWO STAR books
An OK book:
Shadow Play by Barbara Ismail. I wanted to like this book because it is a “light-hearted” mystery set here in Malaysia. How cool is that? But this was clearly the author’s first novel. Perhaps they get better? It might be worth giving the second book a chance.
THREE STAR books
Good, but not my favorites:
The Storied City by Charlie English. Also called The Book Smugglers of Timbuktu (which in my opinion is a better title and one of the reasons I bought the book). Interesting though a little tedious. Still, the idea of so many manuscripts being hidden and then restored is amazing. Also, who doesn’t want to learn something about Timbuktu?
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon. I really enjoyed this writer’s style. This book gets a 3 star only because I am not a avid reader of mystery.
FOUR STAR books
Really good books that I will confidently recommend:
The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee. One young lady’s amazing escape from North Korea. A really good read.
Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Major. If you read and enjoyed Katie’s first book Kisses from Katie, you’ll enjoy reading her ongoing story. An inspiring servant of Jesus!
Gay Girl Good God by Jackie Hill Perry. Don’t let the title throw you off. This is a good book.
The Pursuit of God by AW Tozer. Wow, I had to read this a little at a time because it is a lot to chew on.
Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt. Simple, easy to read, practical. Read it.
FIVE STAR books
My favorites from 2018. I will always recommend and may also reread:
Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance. This has a lot of bad language in it when the author describes conversation in the “world” he came from. If that will bother you, this is not your book. But other than that, I really enjoyed this memoir and snippets from this book helped me better understand the mindset of people in poverty.
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. My favorite book on marriage.
A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne. Mind blown. So good.
After the Prophet by Lesley Hazleton. If you are interested in the history of Islam, this amazing book is written in narrative form and, unless you are a scholar of Islam history, I bet you’ll learn some things you didn’t know before. Coming from a person who was terrible at history, this is a strong recommendation!
The Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks. I finished reading this book this morning so I get to count it in with my 2018 reads! If you have never lived in the Middle East or Arab-Africa (is that a thing?), this book may be a little scary for you. I wish I had known about it during my 13 plus years in that part of the world. I think it should be a must-read for any woman planning to live in a Muslim Arab country or community.
There you have it: my reads from 2018.
What was your favorite book from this year?
I think you and I have similar reading tastes! I never got into the Glass Palace and have been meaning to get back to it – but based on your review, it may live on the “Abandoned” shelf forever. I read The Girl With Seven Names in 2017 and loved it! It’s one of my most recommended books to others. I think I’ll add After The Prophet to my 2019 reading list.
Based on this list, a recommendation for you: I think you’d enjoy “I Was Told To Come Alone” by Souad Mekhennet. She’s a Turkish-Moroccan journalist raised in Germany who has gone “behind the lines of jihad” to interview radical Muslims. She has very interesting insight into how Western and Muslim worldviews interact. One of my 5-star reads of 2018!
Hi Tracey! Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check it out! I’d seen that book before, but now that you have recommended it, I’ll go back and look more seriously. Happy Reading! 🙂