What I Read in 2018

This year, according to Goodreads, I read 80 books, many of which I loved! Rather than list all of them for you in this blog post, I'll just share those that fell into natural categories. (You can view my entire reading list on Goodreads here.)  This year I tried to read more nonfiction and memoir than I usually do, and I'm so glad I did, even though historical fiction remains by first love. I also tried to read more books that were not new releases, since I miss so many good books every year. Below you'll find a sampling of my 2018 reading year.

(If I wasn't on a book deadline to finish writing the next novel, I would link each of these titles to their Goodreads pages, but alas, my work-in-progress is calling my name. Please do feel free to look up any/all of these titles that interest you on Goodreads, a book retail site or your local library!)

New or New-to-me Fiction Authors

• The Solace of Water by Elizabeth Byler Younts
• Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta
• Ramble and Roar by Catie Codero
• On Shifting Sand by Allison Pittman
• Across the Blue by Carrie Turansky

Memoir

• Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
• A Place to Land by Kate Motaung
• Once We Were Strangers by Shawn Smucker
• All the Colors We Will See by Patrice Gopo
• Life is So Good by George Dawson
• A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

Backlist Award Winners

• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Pulitzer 2005)
• A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin (Christy Award Winner 2008)
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows Indies Choice Book Award for Best Indie Buzz Book (Fiction) (2009)
• Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish by John Hargrove (Goodreads Choice Winner 2015)
• The Sentinels of Andersonville by Tracy Groot (Christy Award 2015)
• Luther and Katharina by Jody Hedlund (ECPA Christian Book Award for Fiction (2016), Christy Award for Historical Romance (2016))
• The Confessions of X by Suzanne M. Wolfe (Christianity Today Book Award for Fiction (2017)
• Long Way Gone by Charles Martin (Christy Award Book of the Year 2017)
• A Note Yet Unsung by Tamera Alexander (Christy Award 2017, Carol Award 2018)
• Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks (Christy Award 2017, Carol Award 2018)

2018 Award Winners or Finalists

• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Choice Winner, Fiction)
• The Day the Angels Fell by Shawn Smucker (Christy Finalist, Visionary)
• The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner (Christy Finalist, Contemporary Romance)
• A Dangerous Legacy by Elizabeth Camden (Christy Finalist, Historical Romance)
• Guilt by Association by Heather Day Gilbert (Christy Finalist, Short Form)

2019 releases

I had the pleasure of reading early copies and endorsing the following 2019 releases. Add them to your Want-to-Read shelf! Listed in order of their release, from January to June.

• A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz
• The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright
• The Seamstress by Allison Pittman
• Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes
• All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner

What  are you looking forward to reading in 2019? (Oh! Did you know there is a list of Most Anticipated Christian Fiction for 2019 on Goodreads? You can see it here, and vote for as many as you want! By the way, the voting button doesn't seem to show up on mobile devices. You would have to be on a laptop/desktop for that, I think.) 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that in addition to the 2019 releases listed above, I am looking forward to the launch of my historical novel, Between Two Shores on February 5! It's a story of family and belonging set in Canada during the Seven Years' War, and I hope you love it.