Staying strong on Day 4 of Project 14 Lists! This is surprising me more than it should. Where this energy is coming from is beyond me. Anyways, Project 14 Lists was created by Shealea from That Bookshelf Bitch , a blogging event happening from December 18 to 31. It challenges bloggers by coming up with creative bookish/blogging list ideas, and on each day, write a list and post it on their respective blogs.
For today’s list, I want to feature the books that I wish I read in 2018. What a year it has been. A few days away from Christmas, and here I am nonchalant about preparations and instead gearing for what I want to happen next year. As I continuously reflect, it can be reiterated that it is a year full of what if’s. I started the year not knowing what to expect, especially since I tried to be as lowkey as possible with new releases. But then I started to take a direction with the books that I wanted to read and ended up having the best time ever. I want to explain the full details of this ~project~ on a separate post, but this is sort of a preliminary explanation for that. I wanted a majority of the books listed below to be a part of the direction that this reading year took. Unfortunately, being both a slow and a mood reader always has its drawbacks. It was hard to narrow this list down because there’s so much more that I want to read. Realistically speaking however, this is more plausible.
The list is separated into two groups: 1) Books that were highly recommended by bloggers who I trust wholeheartedly with their reviews, and 2) Books that were personally on my radar and / or books that I was planning to read in 2018 but didn’t get to because the life of being a mood reader is hard. Now let’s get on with the books!
Want by Cindy Pon (Recommended by: CW from The Quiet Pond)
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman (Recommended by: JM from Book Freak Revelations)
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (Recommended by: Shealea from That Bookshelf Bitch)
Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi (Recommended by: Marie from Drizzle Hurricane Books)
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan (Recommended by: Cait from Paper Fury)
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Why I wanted to read it: I was drawn to it. I’ve had a copy for over a year now and I was convinced that I wouldn’t get to it until I actually have Muse of Nightmares at hand. Then my moodiness randomly made me pick it up and I had to resist the urge to drop everything after reading a few pages. This one is a classic example of bad timing. I had to prioritize other books over it, so now it will probably stay buried for the meantime until I get my hands on its sequel.
Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Why I wanted to read it: Something about the premise of this novel made me fall head-over-heels for it. Maybe it’s the Romeo and Juliet undertones. Maybe it’s the cover (very likely). Or maybe it was the MC’s misfortunes of having relationships that end with the other person finding their perfect half. I didn’t know that I authorized people to publish my biography. Kidding aside, I love a good contemporary read. (But it’s so darn pricey when it’s a new release and my wallet is dying.)
Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry
Why I wanted to read it: Probably a personal preference of mine, but I love it when a main character questions their personal beliefs. It validates the feeling that I believe we all encounter every now and then. So, if you can please direct me to a copy, that would be very helpful. Thank you.
My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Why I wanted to read it: It’s by the Lady Janies! I could not and would not shut up about My Lady Jane so it’s only natural that I would continue to support their future Jane books. Even though I haven’t read Jane Eyre, I feel severely attached to this book because of the historical undertones. Next to the Tudors, it’s the Georgians who take the cake. Alas, my paperback-loving self needs to appeased. (Which I kinda hate myself for.)
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Why I wanted to read it: Hello?? FELICITY *freakin* MONTAGUE. The lady who basically kicked ass and almost stole the show in the gentleman’s guide? That FELICITY. Not that I’m switching sides because I still absolutely adore the 18th century rascal that is Henry “Monty” Montague. But it’s Felicity we’re talking about.
And that’s about it for today’s list. Another day of wishful thinking and hopefully an ominous foreshadowing for the reading year that I will face in 2019. (Also, how gorgeous are the covers for these books?)
The Ultimate Fangirl 