Top Ten Books I Meant to Read in 2018 But Didn't Get To

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. More information here.

So this prompt is definitely a personal attack on me, but I'm going to suck it up today and share the top ten books (I could probably do 100) that I wanted to read in 2018 and that I had all the good intentions of actually reading in 2018, but didn't do that thing. If you've been around for a while, you'll have seen these books on many-a-TBR. Also if you took out Magnus, Nevermoor, and My Plain Jane, it would be a really cohesive red, black, and white aesthetic.

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
2. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
3. Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
4. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
5. Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
6. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
7. Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
8. Everless by Sara Holland
9. Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
10. My Plain Jane by The Lady Janies

Did y'all read any of these books?
What books made your list of books you meant to read last year?

Top Ten New to Me Authors I Read in 2018

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. More information here.

I read more new-to-me authors than I thought in 2018, but here are the ones that received very high ratings and I remembered as being some of my favorite reads of 2018.

December Book Haul

PHYSICAL BOOKS

1. Amber and Dusk by Lyra Selene - received Hardcover in my December Owlcrate
2. Saga, Volume 2 by Brian Vaughan - received Paperback for Christmas
3. Saga, Volume 3 by Brian Vaughan - received Paperback for Christmas
4. Saga, Volume 4 by Brian Vaughan - received Paperback for Christmas
5. Saga, Volume 5 by Brian Vaughan - received Paperback for Christmas
6. Saga, Volume 6 by Brian Vaughan - received Paperback for Christmas

KINDLE BOOKS

1. The Vegas Diaries by Holly Madison - purchased on Amazon for $2.99
2. Riley & Kane Bundle by Alexa Riley - purchased on Amazon for $0.99
3. Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard - gifted an ebook from Netgalley

LIBRARY BOOKS

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling - borrowed the audiobook
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling - borrowed the audiobook

What did you buy, borrow, or receive in December?

Have you read any of my books?

Bout of Books 24 [Days 5-7 Progress + Finish Line]

We're in the homestretch now. I'm doing well on my goals and hope to continue on through the weekend (where I normally slack). To see my TBR and goals for BOB, see my TBR and Goals post.

[DAY 5 PROGRESS]
Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard - started at page 29, ended at page 34 (5 pages) 
My Plain Jane by The Lady Janies - started at page 13, ended at page 24 (11 pages)

TOTAL: 266 pages + 14 hr 34 min // 2 books finished

READING UPDATE:  I did read a chapter in Goodbye, Perfect while making dinner last night, so I accomplished that goal. I have a doctor appointment this morning and I plan on trying to read My Plain Jane while I'm in the waiting room.
------------------------------------------
[DAY 6 PROGRESS]
Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard - started at page 34, ended at page 76 (42 pages) 
My Plain Jane by The Lady Janies - started at page 24, ended at page 75 (51 pages)

TOTAL: 359 pages // 2 books finished

READING UPDATE: My goal for today is to try and read 100 pages total. Yesterday was super busy. Today I don't have plans.
------------------------------------------
[DAY 7 PROGRESS]
Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard - started at page 76, ended at page 78 (2 pages) 

TOTAL:  361 pages // 2 books finished

READING UPDATE: I almost hit 100 pages yesterday, just a few pages shy.I would also like to try once again to reach 100 pages. I'm also hoping to do a little cheerleading for the last day and visit some blogs to encourage a strong last day for my fellow BOB-ers!
------------------------------------------
[FINISH LINE]

TOTAL: 361 pages // 2 books finished

FINAL THOUGHTS: Although I didn't meet my mini goals for the weekend, I feel like I had a great week. I met all my goals and I'm really proud of myself. What a great way to start the new year :) I hope everyone else had a wonderful week and this started you off on the right foot too!

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. More information here.

1. Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills | Small town, marching band, quiet guy - so basically I need this book asap. I loved Foolish Hearts and must read more Emma Mills this year. Publish date: January 19
2. The Birds and the Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh | A girl decides to act out against the abstinence-only sex education by handing out condoms and wisdom in the girls' bathroom. Publish date: January 22
3. A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Bridget Kemmerer | Beauty and the Beast retelling with a MC with cerebral palsy. Publish date: January 29
4. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo | Honestly, I need to read book 2 and 3 in the Grisha trilogy and also read the Six of Crows duology but I'm so excited about this book. Publish date: January 29
5. 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne | I adore(d) The Hating Game and will ready anything by Thorne. Publish date: January 29
6. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas | After the success of T.H.U.G. and as topical as it was wonderful and well-written, I'm excited for her sophomore novel. That's a term, right? Publish date: February 5
7. Warrior Wild by Trisha Levenseller | Okay, so DoaPK was one of my favorite reads of 2018. I need to read the sequel asap, as I preordered it and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. But this is a Viking-inspired tale, so SIGN. ME. UP. SIS. Publish date: February 26
8. Meet Me in Outer Space by Melinda Grace | An #Ownvoices novel about a college student with central auditory processing disorder. Really excited for this debut and to learn more about this disorder. Publish date: March 12
9. The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston | This is a separate novel in the Once Upon a Con series with Geekerella being book 1. It's a retelling of the Prince and the Pauper. Also it's Ashley Poston. I read two of her books last year and loved them both. Publish date: April 2
10. Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | It's a sci fi. It's Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. They could write the back of a cereal box and I would give it five stars and all the praise. SO READY. Publish Date: May 7

What are you excited for in the first half of 2019?

Bout of Books 24 [Days 1-4 Progress]

To sign up for Bout of Books, go here. It's a low pressure readathon and I love participating. I'm an expert once again, so I will be encouraging as many readers as I can :) To see my TBR and goals for BOB, see my TBR and Goals post.

[DAY 1 PROGRESS]
The Riley and Kane Bundle by Alexa Kane - started at 52%, ended at 100% (209 pages)
Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard - started at page 1, ended at page 22 (22 pages)

TOTAL: 231 pages // 1 book finished

READING UPDATE: Good morning! My goal for today is to finish my current read and that should be attainable! :)
------------------------------------------
[DAY 2 PROGRESS]
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling - listened to?

TOTAL: 231 pages // 1 book finished

READING UPDATE: It's a new day and I'll be making a trip out to the local used bookstore today, but not for me. We'll see if I manage to get out without buying anything for myself. I hope to get around to visiting some blogs today and read about 50 pages in total from my two books. Not each, just total.
------------------------------------------
[DAY 3 PROGRESS]
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling - started at 14:02 left, ended at 7:18 left (listened to 7 hr 16 min)
My Plain Jane by The Lady Janies - started at page 1, ended at page 13 (12 pages)

TOTAL: 243 pages + 7 hr 16 min // 1 book finished

READING UPDATE: Yesterday ended up being super busy and I only listened to my HP audiobook while I was polishing a tarnished flute. But I also didn't pay attention to beginning or end time, so I'm not sure how much I listened to.
------------------------------------------
[DAY 4 PROGRESS]
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling - started at 7:18 left, ended at 0:00 left (listened to 7 hr 18 min)
Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard - started at page 22, ended at page 29 (7 pages)

TOTAL: 250 pages + 14 hr 34 min // 2 books finished

READING UPDATE: I listened to my audiobook once again and made quite a dent in it. Today's goal is to possibly finish it (if I can match yesterday's reading) and read a chapter in My Plain Jane or Goodbye, Perfect. // I finished HP, so that's half my day's goal done. Still hoping to read one of the other two books just a little bit today.

Bout of Books 24 [Goals + TBR]

It's time for BOB readathon once again. I am participating for the 21st time! Bout of Books 24 runs January 7 to 13 and is hosted by Amanda and Kelly. I am going to try and update on Twitter and Goodreads. My goal is to just read because I'm also in college full-time. As always, my goals are small and attainable because I want BOB to be a success!

[GOALS]
**Read a little every day
**Finish one book
**Participate in one Twitter chat
**Be a cheerleader!

[TENTATIVE TBR]
**Finish my current read: The Riley and Kane bundle by Alexa Riley
**My Plain Jane by The Lady Janies
**A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Interested? Sign up here!

I'm also an Expert again and will be trying to visit tons of blogs and tweets to encourage my fellow BOB-ers - as well as run some sprints on Twitter!

Books I Read in December

In December, I read 9 books.

• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (298 pages, 2017, Kindle, YA Contemporary) - 5 stars | My Review
• Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan (7 hr 17 min, 2014, Audio, Adult Nonfiction) - 3 stars | My Review
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Illustrated Edition by JK Rowling (328 pages, 2017, Hardcover, YA Fantasy) - 5 stars | My Review 
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (21 hr 12 min, 2015, Audio, YA Fantasy) - 5 stars | My Review  
• Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (160 pages, 2013, Graphic Novel, Adult Fantasy) - 5 stars | My Review 
• Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (144 pages, 2014, Graphic Novel, Adult Fantasy) - 4 stars | My Review 
• Saga, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (152 pages, 2014, Graphic Novel, Adult Fantasy) - 5 stars | My Review
• Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (152 pages, 2015, Graphic Novel, Adult Fantasy) - 4 stars | My Review  
• Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (152 pages, 2016, Graphic Novel, Adult Fantasy) - 5 stars | My Review

Pages read: 1386 + 28 hr 29 min
Pages DNF: 0
Average pages read per day: 44
Total pages: 1386 + 28 hr 29 min

Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2018

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. More information here.

I didn't have this post ready to go for today, so it's really late. Butttttt, I just had to share my favorite reads of 2018. I found it really hard to narrow them down, but I think I captured my absolute favorites (in no particular order).

1. Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
2. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
3. Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris
4. Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows
5. Scythe by Neal Shusterman
6. Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
7. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
8. Daughter of the Pirate King by Trisha Levenseller
9. Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
10. Renegades by Marissa Meyer

January Monthly TBR & Challenge Updates

I can't believe 2018 has come and gone. I'm looking forward to a whole new year of reading and trying even more to mood read and not force myself to read things. In the new year, my goal is to read three books each month for a total of 36 books for the year. I want to read an Owlcrate book, a Netgalley book, and a mood read. So my listed TBRs might be pretty short.

My Tentative TBR for January:

• My Plain Jane by The Lady Janies [Owlcrate]
• Some Girls Bind by Rory James [Netgalley]