This is the list of books I read this year. It included more fiction than usual because once I started The Walk series I had to finish it. I read the first book thinking it was a true story and was a bit disappointed to realize it wasn't. By the fifth book I was ready for it to be over but had too much time invested in it to not finish.
As of the end of September I ride the train to work so I have had much more time to read.
Not included are the two books I'm currently reading: Sticking Points for work and Bad Blood for personal enjoyment.
Here are the 15 books for 2018:
| Title | Author | Date |
| The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are | Brene Brown | 2/18 |
| A Man Called Ove: A Novel | Fredrick Backman | 3/18 |
| The Walk: A Novel | Richard Paul Evans | 5/18 |
| Miles to Go: The Second Journal of the Walk Series | Richard Paul Evans | 5/18 |
| The Road to Grace (Book 3) | Richard Paul Evans | 5/18 |
| Killing England | Bill O'Reilly | 5/18 |
| A Step of Faith: A Novel (Book 4) | Richard Paul Evans | 5/18 |
| Walking on Water (Book 5) | Richard Paul Evans | 6/18 |
| This Land of Strangers | Robert Hall | 10/18 |
| Measuring Performance Harvard Pocket Mentor Series | for work | 10/18 |
| Giving Feedback Harvard Pocket Mentor Series | for work | 11/18 |
| Miracle on Buffalo Pass: Rocky Mountain Airways Flight 217 | Harrison Jones | 11/18 |
| Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom | Condoleeza Rice | 12/18 |
| Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | 12/18 |
| Journey to the Dance | Laura Gilbert | 12/18 |
I've had several friends recommend Brene Brown and chose The Gifts of Imperfection as my first read as several recommended that one. Excellent. Friday I plan to attend a monthly book synopsis networking breakfast that will feature her book Dare to Lead.
Multiple friends recommended A Man Called Ove for reading while I was on a short vacation cruise. Got to admit it was just ok. He was just too grouchy for me.
Several recommended The Walk series. See explanation above.
This Land of Strangers was a long read. Getting a book on Kindle makes it hard to judge how big the book is and this one took awhile to complete. It was very interesting to look at how relationships or lack thereof affect us in our family, work, politics, and faith.
Miracle on Buffalo Pass is the story of an airplane crash that took the life of Scott Klopfenstein, the pilot. His sister told the story and made attendees of the 2018 Klopfenstein Family Meeting in July aware of the book. I actually ordered it while she spoke but didn't get to read it until November. Weather was certainly not an issue, but this probably wasn't the best choice to read just before flying to SC for Thanksgiving.
Condoleeza Rice's book was another interesting read although sometimes I got bogged down in too many details.
Educated was recommended on multiple end of year book lists for top books (personal choice and commercial) of 2018. If I didn't know it was autobiographical, I would surely think it was fiction. Tara Westover endured an awful upbringing but literally taught herself within a short period of time to get a high enough score on the ACT to enter BYU. The downside is that it appears to this point her desire for education has not led her to truth in Jesus Christ.
Journey to the Dance was a very quick read that I couldn't put down. The author is the wife of the former managing partner of my firm and the mother of a current employee. I wish her oldest son would have warned me not to read it on the train--crying makes other riders nervous. She details the year-long journey of her middle son's battle with cancer. I cannot imagine a parent watching her child suffer through such an illness and its treatments and then ultimately giving that child back to God to relieve him of earthly suffering. Through it all the family draws strength in the love and care of their Heavenly Father.
I have a birthday check to buy two more books so always looking for recommendations.
Happy Reading in 2019!
