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5 Rather Excellent Books To Read in 2018

5 Rather Excellent Books To Read in 2018
Carly Jacobs

Confession? I read a whole book over the weekend. I started it on Saturday morning and was done just before dinner on Sunday. It was magnificent. The previous week had been a killer week work-wise and I needed to not look at screens (computer, phone, TV) for a while. Reading a book totally re-set me and I was ready to face my screens again come Monday morning.

I’ve got back into reading in a major way in the last few years. I used to devour books as a teenager but stopped prioritising it at uni when I had to read so much for my coursework and then the habit of not reading just kind of stuck. Randomly I think it was podcasts that led me back to my reading roots. I listen to a few podcasts that have book recommendations (like Chat 10 Looks 3) and it’s had me back in the land of fiction where I haven’t been for ages.

books to read in 2018

Here are a few books I’ve read in the last few weeks and they’re all pretty darn good. If you’re looking for a good book to read, try one of these.

1. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 

This is a book about motherhood and what it looks like in all its different forms. Celeste Ng has been on my radar for a while and this popped up in my Kindle recommendations so I went for it. It had over 4-star ratings across all platforms (Amazon, Goodreads) so I knew it would be good. I really enjoyed it, it was a lovely look at the way different women approach the raising of their children and how what looks ‘wrong’ to some people is often just different.

2. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris 

I’m actually still in the process of listening to this as an audiobook (I’m almost done!) but I’m totally hooked. And the title is very self-explanatory. It’s based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and then ended up living in Australia. Obviously, it’s awful (as most stories about the Holocaust are) but whenever I read about massive world events like this, I really connect with the smaller stories inside the bigger stories. I’ve read a lot (and watched a lot!) about the Holocaust but it’s so big and awful it usually takes a story about an individual person or family for me to really connect with what’s going on. This is definitely one of those stories.

3. The Woman in The Window by A.J Finn

This is another book I’m almost finished and I’m loving it. It’s about a woman who lives alone in New York and spies on her neighbours. Which is all fun and games until she sees something she shouldn’t… I love a book that unpacks the complexities of being human. Also harbouring important information you shouldn’t have and wondering what to do with it. What can I say? I love secrets and any book that slowly reveals excellent secrets is WAY up my ally.

4. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

This is a non-fiction but it’s bloody awesome. I listened to this as an audiobook and I ended up cleaning out all our cupboards just so I could finish listening to it. It’s about Theranose, a blood diagnostics company that ‘changed the world of medicine’ by saying they could test for hundreds of diseases with a simple drop of blood. The problem was, none of it was true. This is the story about the founder Elizabeth Holmes and how she managed to build a billion-dollar company that couldn’t do 90% of what they said they could do. It’s such a fascinating look into people in power and how easy deception can be. It’s like the Belle Gibson case but on a much, much bigger level.

5. Everything Is Lies by Helen Callaghan 

I also listened to this one as an audio-book and loved it. It’s not a totally life-changing book but it’s a good thrilling romp. Also if you’ve never listened to an audiobook before I can highly recommend this one. I’d been favouring audiobooks over podcasts recently because some podcasts can feel like an extension of Facebook if you know what I mean? They feel like I’m reading stuff on the internet which is generally what I’m trying to avoid to by listening to it in the first place.

What’s on your books to read in 2018 list? Any crackers you want to share?

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15 Comments

  1. librarianandson 6 years ago

    I’m a bit late to the party, but I recent finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completey Fine and I thought it was amazing! It was funny, and sad, and heart-warming, and well worth a read. I just wanted to give Eleanor a hug and a pat on her little clueless head.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      I LOVED Eleanor Oliphant! If you loved that you’ll like A Man Called Ove.

  2. Tracey 6 years ago

    You MUST read “Boy Swallows Universe” by Trent Dalton…. A wonderful, sometimes fantastical coming of age story set in Brisbane..

  3. Erika 6 years ago

    (rubs hands in glee). Never ask a biblioholic what’s on the To Read list. It never ends. There are new books and old books to read for the first time. Books to re-read. Books to dip into. Books to horde for comfort reading. Fluffy reading. Serious reading.

    So – some of the never-ending list, in no particular order…. Dust or Polish (Norman Lindsay); Norse Mythology (Neil Gaiman); The Secret Teachers of the Western World (Gary Lachman); Rivers of London (and the rest of the series, Ben Aaronovitch); The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel van der Kolk); Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen); On the Beach (Nevil Shute); A Bush Capital Year (Ian Fraser); Sabella (Tanith Lee); Oranges are not the only fruit (Jeanette Winterson); The Key Above the Door (Maurice Walsh); Penhallow (Georgette Heyer); Prowling through Papua (Frank Clune).

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      Oh I say ALWAYS ask a biblioholic! Thanks so much for these recs – you’ll keep me busy for ages.

  4. Holly 6 years ago

    I struggle with fiction but loved ‘Homegoing’ by Yaa Gyasi, probably because it is so historically based. Do yourself a favour as Molly would say!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      Oh I’ll get on that one – my reading list is huge right now!

  5. Rowena 6 years ago

    Love this post! A book is a fantastic way to reset mind and soul. Loved little fires everywhere.
    Also audiobooks! Amazing if you have to travel any distance to work, or if you are doing housework, or if it is cold outside and you don’t want to have your fingers out of the blankets holding a book. ?

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      Audiobooks are life for me right now! Podcasts started feeling like I was reading blog posts so audiobooks are an even better escape these days!

  6. Alison Downey 6 years ago

    I enjoyed little fires everywhere but have you read her earlier work – everything I never told you? Better I think, thought provoking on many levels…. and a random other recommendation “The eye of the sheep” The complexity of human behaviour!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      No I haven’t read her earlier stuff but very keen to now!

  7. Hilary 6 years ago

    Just finished everything is lies and the tattooist of Auschwitz – loved them both so thanks for the recommendations. Also just read the storyteller by Jodi Picault which is also based on the Holocuast. Highly recommend if you haven’t read it. Really makes you think.

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