As evidenced by some posts from 2017 still appearing on the home page, I spent a lot of 2018 doing a lot of things besides blogging. It’s been on my To Do List to write about some of them for a few months, so maybe if I’m feeling particularly ambitious, I’ll do that tomorrow. Heck, maybe I’ll even shower (prob not). In the meantime, one of those things I did instead of blogging (or adopting more dogs, or wasting my life on Instagram) was actually a fulfillment of one of my (usually failed) New Year’s resolutions: READ MORE. If you’re currently hibernating this holiday season like me, or want to make it a 2019 goal to read more books & less social media posts, I highly recommend you dive into:

THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner. Favorite book of the year. Can’t stop won’t stop talking or thinking about it. If you’re as obsessed with Escape at Dannemora as we are, you will especially love this.

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng. Close 2nd fave. So good so good so good.

EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU by Celeste Ng. Didn’t come out this year, but I READ it this year so including it because I loved it that much.

*On the note of things I read in 2018 but did not come out in 2018: SOUTHERN LADY CODE by Helen Ellis. It officially comes out in 2019, but I got to read an advance copy because I am OBSESSED with Helen and her hilarious, poignant writing, and she is the type of Southern Lady who treats an internet stalker such as myself like a friend. Pre-order your copy now, and in the meantime read her collection of short stories that will make you cry-laugh, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, one of my all-time favorites ever.

THE PERFECT NANNY by Leila Slimani. Technically haven’t read yet… but started last night, read ’til 2am, and will for sure finish before all the “new year new me” BS begins. CANNOT PUT IT DOWN. If you have kids, maybe don’t read. I had nightmares all night once I finally fell asleep.

MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION by Ottessa Moshfegh. Amy Schumer loved it so much she read it twice, which should be enough to shoot this to the top of your list.

ADAM RESNICK WILL NOT ATTEND: LIVELY STORIES OF DETACHMENT AND ISOLATION by Adam Resnick. I read on some “favorite things” list that Ellie Kemper was obsessed with this, and it was just as funny as she promised.

NIGHT FILM by Marisha Pessl. Also not written in 2018, but read in 2018. My bestie Barbara gave it to me and I loved it so much, I hauled it across the world to Africa even with our 23 lb luggage requirement, because I couldn’t wait to finish when we got back. (This is a very #humblebrag douchebag sentence to write. BUT NOT AS GROSS AS THIS #HUMBLEBRAG DOUCHEBAG PIC:)

MRS. FLETCHER by Tom Perrotta. If you liked his novel ELECTION, you will love this. Get into it before it premieres as a TV show on HBO starring Kathryn Hahn, so you can be all pretentious and literate and say obnoxious things like “Oh, I loved the novel!” when everyone’s talking about how much they love the show.

FLORIDA by Lauren Groff. Loved this collection of short stories as much as I loved her novel FATES AND FURIES, which is A LOT.

FRENCH EXIT. Hilarious and wonderful.

BEFORE THE FALL and THE PUNCH, both by Noah Hawley. Once we tore through the FARGO TV adaptation, I was jonesing for a fix and these novels by the showrunner delivered.

CALYPSO by David Sedaris.

LOOK ALIVE OUT THERE by Sloane Crosley.

*Next up on my list: THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS by Laurie Frankel (recommended by my other bestie, Julia, who like Barbara, has the same taste in books as me.)

EDUCATED, a memoir by Tara Westover, also a Julia starred rec.

THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah, because I loved her book THE NIGHTINGALE so much. Also because my bestie Katierose and I have the same taste in books, and she invited me to join her book club but I said no because I have social anxiety, and then I ended up reading pretty much all the same books as they did anyway, but this is one of the few I haven’t yet. (2019 goal: Work on social anxiety.)

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens. My mom won’t stop talking about how much she loved it, and we’ll be spending a lot of time in this general neck of the woods in 2019…

*NOT included: Lots of self help books I read in the bathtub, as well as books I did not like, because if you don’t have something nice to say,  say it over wine & not in writing on the worldwide web. What books did you love this year??