That says it all. Â 2018 was a terrible reading year for me. Â I’d read two books for the year before my Literary Christmas challenge and it was only thanks to some picture books and other Christmas reads that I was boosted to 11 books for the year. Â Very pitiful. Â I must say, I started a number of other books, I just never finished them. Â So because my year was so awful in this respect, I’m going to compile a very different Year In Review for 2018 than I have for previous years. Â If anyone wants to read my previous year reviews, here they are:
Since I read so few books in 2018, my favourite is not going to be monumental, but it is well-loved and I will definitely enjoy it again and again: Â A Christmas Carol
And as I mentioned, books I started yet did not finish, I’m going to list those as well.
  
 
One highlight was that I finished my Classics Club List #1 and began my Classics Club List #2. Â Another five years of reading to look forward to! Â So in honour of this accomplishment, I’m going to give 2 book awards:
The book I enjoyed most from the first Classics Club List:  Paradise Lost Runner up: War and Peace
The book I’m looking most forward to reading from my second Classics Club List:Â A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and a Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides
And finally, the first book I’m planning to start for 2019: Â Phantases by George MacDonald
Well, that’s my pitiful 2018 year in review. Â I’m going to do so much better in 2019, I promise! Â And now to get started!
You can have an off year now and then. I’m glad to see such high marks for Paradise Lost. I’ve got that coming up. And Phantastes….also coming up, really looking forward to that. I’ve read that C.S. Lewis was a big fan, which I’m thinking he probably wasn’t easy to impress.
Ooo, I loved Paradise Lost! C.S. Lewis’ A Preface to Paradise Lost is so beneficial in further understanding the poem. I read it after I finished. I’ve completed the first two chapters and am really enjoying Phantastes. Lewis’ tastes can be somewhat eclectic (I’m thinking of his love of Voyage to Arcturus) but I agree with him so far in this case.
I did relatively little reading this year as well, and lots of rereading when I didn’t have the energy for new books. Some years are just like that I suppose. I hope you do have a better year starting off with Phantastes, and going into your second Classics Club list – an impressive achievement. Do you think you will finish the books you started?
That’s a great idea; to reread when you just don’t have the steam for anything new. I’m definitely planning on finishing all those books I started. Perhaps I should do my own personal challenge, lol! 🙂
You’ve certainly got the material for a good challenge in there! I’ve been meaning to reread Bleak House myself …
I hope I start enjoying Bleak House more. I’m about 40% through and .. meh. But we’ll see. I seem to enjoy less popular Dickens and not enjoy the more popular ones. I’m backwards! 😉
sometimes life just doesn’t leave us many choices: what with broken bones, job insecurity and all the other blog distractions i think you did rather well… i can remember years when i didn’t read any books at all… so Happy New Year and here’s to the upcoming one with fewer complications!
You? Not read at all? Perish the thought! Reading makes me feel much more balanced (and smarter, imagine that!) so I’m definitely going to make it a priority this year. Thanks for the wishes!
If Phantastes is anything like Lilith, I’ll have to wait to see what you write before I’d think about it. I have a hard time with MacDonald’s adult books…
So far I think you’d like Phantastes. I read it before and I think I struggled with feeling that it didn’t really go anywhere. But perhaps if you let your mind wander and don’t see it as a task, it will be amazing. I’ll let you know ….
Happy New Year, and new reading! I have quite a few “started but unfinished” books on my list, too, though not with such nice covers. I’m such a sucker for cover art, though. 🙂
There must be a challenge for situations like this. 2019 will be my year for finishing. At least what I started in 2019. With the 2018 books …. well, we’ll see ….
The good thing abut a poor reading year is that the next year can only be better, right? Happy New Year and here’s hoping that 2019 treats you well and gives you plenty of good reads!
You are so right! I can’t see how 2019 could possibly be worse than 2018 reading-wise. Happy New Year to you and wishing you many, many days of reading!
Did I tell you…I saw Dr. Peterson in Los Angeles? He was on his book tour. My husband and I took our two oldest kids. Peterson scratched his script about 12 Rules for Life and instead spoke about 12 more rules he intends to write about, but only covered one rule. He goes off on such tangents b/c his brain is so full of things to think about that he ran out of time. Basically, we paid to see him think out loud. He was absolutely fascinating. My 22-year old was so impressed that he asked for his book for Christmas, which we gladly got for him. Anyway, just thought I’d share that.
That’s really neat! I would like to see him speak in person. I’ll see what I think of his book by the time I finish. Now that you mention that he rambles, his book is a little like that. It reminds me of John Taylor Gatto …. still good stuff though. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Lol, some years are like that. I’ll bet you got lots of productive things done in other areas of your life. And the ones you’ve recommended here are crackers. I’ll look forward to getting into a whole new year of reading in 2019.
At least I know the only direction I can go is up! 🙂 Yes absolutely, today is the start of a new year with no mistakes in it … yet (did you recognize the paraphrase with liberties from Anne of Green Gables? 😉 )
I see my comment did not get posted…so here goes ..again! I know you were not able to read a lot of books last year, but you did so many other things, including enhancing your photography skills and getting started on the food blog. I know reading is part and parcel of our being, but its ok, to try something outside our comfort zone, even if it means we have to stop reading for a while. Also you completed your Classic Club list which deserves a huge shout out! You MUST read Testament and Bleak House. They are both beyond awesome! I am struck with New York as well, so don’t fret! Here’s to more books and more enriching experiences in 2019!
That’s not good! It did get eaten ….. Well, to be honest, I think my food blog stalled in March/April so I only have 3 months of excuses for that. I will trust your judgement for Testament and Bleak House although I’m not really enjoying Bleak House yet. New York is okay but I’m sure his others are better. Thanks for the “toast”!! 🙂
You’ve had such a busy year I’m not surprised! Don’t feel bad 🙂 Anyway, I often wonder if we really need to read anything except for Christmas Carol 😉
A Christmas Carol and To Kill A Mockingbird. That’s it, I think! 😉 Yes, so busy. It looks like the beginning of the year is going to be slow for me but it might ramp up later. It would be nice to have balance but balance doesn’t seem to like me. Or perhaps I secretly don’t like it, lol! 😀
My mom says some days (years!) are like that. Even in Australia.
Best wishes (to all of us!) for a better year ahead. 🙂
Let’s go with your mom’s wisdom. 🙂 And have a better year this year!
I hope 2019 is a much better reading year for you! You can look at it as a fresh start. 🙂
I hope so too, Nicole!! I’m off to an adequate start …. 🙂
Awww, I love many of the books you love. Add me to the list of those who had an underwhelming reading year in 2018.
Several years ago, I read and loved Paradise Lost (what I understood, ahem)
You read War and Peace, THAT’S a huge accomplishment in my eyes.
Well, I’m glad to hear I’m not alone with my dismal reading in 2018 but I hope 2019 is much better for us both! I LOVED Paradise Lost as well, in fact at one point I would have labelled it my favourite book/poem. And War and Peace was magnificent! I’d like to read it again someday. It is long but I didn’t find it difficult. Ooo, I can think of so many comfort reads I’d like to revisit! This thought of re-reading has certainly taken hold!
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