As a child, I was a massive bookworm. I was pretty much never without a book and one of the most iconic photos of my childhood is me wearing a fancy dress at a family friend’s college graduation party, hiding in a closet, reading one of my favorite books of all time – The Phantom Tollbooth.
Sidenote: if you haven’t read that book, regardless of your age, YOU NEED TO. It’s like six dollars and it’ll change your life. Find it on amazon (affiliate link) here.
The point is that I used to be a ridiculous reader. I was constantly reading one, two, three, or more books. And this followed me through into adulthood. One of my favorite things about college was all of the reading I had to do – I just dove into the books and articles and loved (almost) every second! When I moved from my hometown to the place I live in now, the first thing I did was update my driver’s license so I could get a library card in my new city. Not only do we have a large bookcase filled to the brim, but you can find stacks of books in almost every room in the house. This is just me and always has been.
In the last few years, though, I’ve found myself reading less and less. Partially, I think, because of “busyness” but also because I’ve grown lazy and its 6000 times easier to throw on a rerun show on Netflix to veg out than it is to choose which book I’m going to read.
But I want to change that. And this year I’m going to.
I made myself an extremely ambitious reading goal for 2018 – 52 books! Full disclosure: I’m already behind. But I’m not giving up! I’m a serial “book-starter” so I often have four or five books started at a time, which is great, but I’m going to really focus on finishing them this year as well! (If you’re not a serial starter, this probably sounds absurd, but I swear, I just love books so much I want to be reading ALL OF THEM!! It’s very hard for me to choose just one to focus on, hence my emphasis on this year’s goal.)
I won’t be sharing every single book/review on my blog, but I do plan on showcasing books as I finish them on my Instagram, so follow me there if you’re interested in hearing my thoughts as I continue along. If you are ALSO doing a Reading Challenge this year, hit me up on Goodreads so we can follow each other’s progress!
Although I don’t know yet exactly what books I’ll be reading this year, as I like to give myself the freedom and flexibility to bop around or choose something new if it strikes my fancy, I did want to share a few books that I’ve either already begun reading or that I hope to read in the coming year. If you have any other recommendations or if you’ve read any of these and can give me insight into them, please let me know! Here are a few that are on my radar for this year…
This was my first book for the year! Click the photo to check out the review on my instagram if you’re curious about it.
This post contains affiliate links, which does not change the price of the items for you but purchasing through these links does help support my site. Thanks!
10 Books I Want to Read in 2018
The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris – My brother and sister-in-law got me this book for Christmas to help me on my new stay-at-home journey and I’ve already started reading it. I’m loving it so far, especially the associated online worksheets that really help you put the concepts into practice! I’m going through this one pretty slowly and intentionally and I have a feeling it’s going to be one of my favorite books this year!
The Lifegiving Home by Sally & Sarah Clarkson – Not only have I heard amazing things about this book, but I’ve heard Sally Clarkson speak on several podcasts and I’ve really respected and enjoyed her point of view. I feel like this book will really resonate well with me, especially since I’m hoping to make this year one where I’m able to help get our home and routines into a place I’m truly comfortable and happy with.
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown – Has ANYONE hated this book?! Seriously, the positive reviews are allllll over the place so how could I not want to add this to my list?
Business Boutique by Christy Wright – As anyone who’s been around here for awhile knows, I am a Dave Ramsey girl through and through. His principles helped get Christopher and I completely out of debt and we are just very loyal to that method. Christy Wright is a Dave Ramsey Team Member who does a podcast for women in business. (It’s a delightful podcast, by the way! It’s also called “Business Boutique”) so when I saw she was writing a book, I pre-ordered it immediately. That was months ago, however, and I haven’t started reading it yet, so it’s on my list for this year!
Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford – This book is one of those books that I haven’t started because I’m honestly nervous about what it’s going to reveal for me, as far as needing to get myself off of my phone, away from my perfection mindset, and in-the-moment with my family. Which is – of course – exactly why I need to read it.
Stepmonster by Wednesday Martin, Phd – This is one of the most well-known books on stepmotherhood and it’s one of the only ones I HAVEN’T read!! I’ve started it but then life got busy so…here we are. It’s one of those that I know has the potential to make a really big difference in my perspective and blog, so I’m excited to read it!
Girl, Bye! by Naja Hall – This book, by my friend and fellow stepmom blogger Naja, is something I am BEYOND STOKED to get my hands on! I’m so proud of the work Naja is doing in this stepmom community and I cannot WAIT to get her new book about stepmoms and biomoms into my hands!
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo – You guys. I know I’m about two years late on this one, but the amount of times I’ve started and then stopped and then restarted this book is straight-up embarrassing, especially because it’s so teeny. This year’s gonna be the year where I GET. IT. DONE.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling – Hear me out here, I’ve OBVIOUSLY already read this book numerous times. (I LOVE Harry Potter!) But I realized recently that it’s probably been at least eight-to-ten years since I’ve read the first book in its entireity, so I want to revisit the magic again in 2018.
Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist – This is another one of those books I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about and I think it’s a message that my perfectionist brain could stand to hear a few thousand more times!
So there you have it! Just some of the books I’m hoping to read this year! Have you read any of these? Did you love them? Hate them? A little bit of both? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Oooooo, friend! There is not enough space here for me to talk to you about books! (Team Blue Coffee/Book Talk soon??)
I read the graphic novel version of The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up. It didn’t change my life, but definitely made me think about the way I make purchases, how I clean, and what we keep when we purge.
I have a LIST of great feminist/female empowerment books that I’ve been reading this year that I think you’d really enjoy. I just finished Geek Feminist Revolution, which I can’t recommend enough. Also my rereads of Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) and Gate to Women’s Country (Sherri Tepper.) I have read and loved both of my paperbacks of those to tatters.
I’ll hook up with you on Goodreads. I set myself a goal of 52 books last year too, and around February thought it was way too lofty. By the end of the year though, I had read almost 100 (I think an illness over the winter and a derby injury in August helped with this a lot.) 100 books is my goal this year, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to make that.
YES! I love everything about this comment (besides the illness and the injury, of course!) We should definitely connect on Goodreads so we can keep track of each other’s progress and recommendations! I’m still not sure if I’ll reach my goal, but I have already found myself reading when I would usually be scrolling, so I’m considering that a win in itself! <3