2018 Reading List

Last year I posted a list of all the books I read in 2017 at the end of the year. I really enjoyed the response the post got. People commented sharing their reading lists and favourite book of 2017, which was how I got some fantastic recommendations for 2018. So, as 2018 is nearly over, again, I bring you the list of....

Books I read in 2018:

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In - Bernie Sanders

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump Whitehouse - Michael Wolff

The Faraway Nearby - Rebecca Solnit

Fifteen Dogs - Andre Alexis

A Scanner Darkly - Philip K Dick

Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl

Call Me By Your Name - Andre Aciman

Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

A Matter of Confidence: The Inside Story of the Political Battle for BC - Rob Shaw & Richard Zussman

Kiil All Normies: Online Culture Wars from 4Chan and Tumblr to Trump and the Alt Right - Angela Nagle

Unbelievable: My Front Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History - Katy Tur

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership - James Comey

Poor Bashing - Jean Swanson

Fear: Trump in the Whitehouse - Bob Woodward

And the Band Played On - Randy Shilts

HIV/AIDS: A Very Short Introduction - Alan Whiteside

This year, for the first time in a while, there were a few books that beat me. I tried my best, but these three books proved too dry or dense to stay committed to. These are....

The books I gave up without finishing:

A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking

A Walk Through Paris - Eric Hazan

Debt: The first 5000 Years - David Graeber

Favourite Read of 2018:

Has to be "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. This book is written by a psychiatrist who survived the holocaust. Frankl draws from his experience in the concentration camp to illustrate his theory of "Existential Therapy". Many of the stories that Frankl shares are haunting and incredibly powerful and have stayed with me long after I finished reading this book.

One of Frankl's main arguments is that it is possible to find meaning in suffering. Not always, but sometimes. He argues convincingly that finding meaning in suffering helps to ease the pain of life's darker moments and makes it possible to endure and carry on. Frankl's advice about "the meaning of life" is absolutely brilliant (and too complicated for me to do proper justice to here). I lent this book to two people, both of whom found it as powerful and inspiring as I did. I strongly encourage you to read this book. It's not even very long.

Least Favourite Read of 2018:

This year's least favourite read was "A Walk Through Paris" by Eric Hazan. I bought this book because I was planning a trip to Paris and I was excited. Also it has very charming cover art. But as I began to read it, I found it impossible to visualize what the author was describing. I might give it another shot now that I've been to Paris and can imagine the city, but honestly I am not sure this will help make the book more enjoyable. The title of the book is quite literal; it's really just about a guy going for a walk through Paris and reminiscing about esoteric French history. Okay, well maybe it isn't esoteric in France, but to me it sure the heck is.

Okay so that's it. Now it's your turn!

Send me a comment on facebook or instagram or twitter to let me know what your favourite books of 2018 were. What shoud I read in 2019? Let me know! Also, if you are a big book nerd like me, you should consider joining Goodreads, the social media network for book lovers. I enjoy using so much I will promote it despite not having been paid to do so!

Thanks for reading!