2018 in books

An old hobby I rediscovered this year was reading. I used to read constantly, but I started depriving myself of books because I didn't feel like my academic performance was worthy of the reward of pleasure reading. Funnily enough, when I started reading again, my schoolwork still got done. I was just happier.

Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte

I'll admit, this was not my favorite book, but I'm glad I had to read it for school. It gave insight on the dynamics of unhealthy relationships, something I was healing from in the early months of this year.

Yogalosophy- Mandy Ingber

I've done yoga in the past, but it's never been more than a way to look better until this year. I did pick up Yogalosophy as a guide to losing weight, but found it to be so much more. Ingber focuses on self care, self love, and feeling good. This book is not image-focused. I read it in the spring, right after I realized that I could rest on God's unconditional love. Having such a peaceful exercise practice helped me to explore the peace God gave me and to have a more positive mind. Yogalosophy also helped warm me to meditation and plant-based eating, things I integrated more into my life as the year went on.

Coming Apart- Charles Murray

Coming Apart was the only book assigned for the first college class I ever took. It was alright; a little too libertarian for my liking. This book is significant to me because it was assigned the week of nationals. I was worried that the assignments would take me away from spending time with friends, but it really didn't feel like my friends wanted to spend time with me that particular week. Charles Murray kept me company during one of the toughest weeks of 2018. Writing about Coming Apart reminds me of a turning point in my life- I started to value my education and growth, and I started creating opportunities for myself. I had to take initiative to be able to take college classes, and during nationals, I had to push myself to make new friends. Even though I'm not in contact with those people anymore, I'm thankful for them because they helped me prove to myself that I can reach out and fix situations that upset me.

Yotsuba& (Yotsubato) Volumes 9 and 11- Kiyohiko Azuma

I reread these two volumes after coming home from nationals. My sister recommended these, so I read them for the third or fourth time. They filled me with such pure joy.

Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen

Jane Austen is always a good way to develop self-love and a feeling of girl power. I am definitely like Marianne, but I'm learning to appreciate the Elinors in my life.

Liberty, Order, and Justice- James McClellan

This was the text book for the second class I took last summer. It was boring, but a really good overview of Constitutional law.

Moby Dick- Herman Melville

I don't know if I can say that I really read Moby Dick considering I mostly used Sparknotes to get through it. I think it has value, but I really didn't like it.

Sketches from Church History- S.M. Houghton

This was an average history text book, with the advantage that it was really easy to skim through.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- J.K. Rowling

I finally finished the Harry Potter series!! I loved it so much, and the world resonated so much with me that I didn't want it to end. I just wanted to stay in the wizarding world forever. By September, though, the real world was good enough that I didn't have to hide in fictitious ones.

Summer Constellations- Alisha Sevigny

This book made me feel a little more alive. Yes, it was a trashy YA romance book, but it was an easy read that I could turn to between tasks.

everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too: a book- jomny sun

This is my book of the year. It speaks to introverts, those with impostor syndrome, young people, and anyone who lives on the blue blob that's called earth. This book is just weird enough to be real. It breaks you and puts you back together better than you were before. I love this book so much that I read it twice, and it's a bit of a security blanket. I want to let my siblings and friends borrow it, but I don't want them to take it too far away from me. Seeing jomny in my book basket just makes me feel happy and secure. I cannot recommend this book enough.

United States History- Tim Keesee

The worst, most biased text I've ever had to read for school. Keesee empathized more with slave owners than civil rights leaders. Do not use Bob Jones texts!!!

OCDaniel- Wesley King

I started to read this in May, as I was struggling with anxiety, and I finished it in October, after my mental health had improved significantly. It was so heartening to see how far I'd come and that I'd never been alone. OCDaniel is at the middle school reading level, but the content is pretty mature. I recommend it to high school students.

Exploring Creation with Physics- Dr. Jay L. Wile

Physics was not my favorite course, but it prepared me for marine biology, which I'm really enjoying.

A Fate Totally Worse than Death- Paul Flieschman

This is a parody of teen horror, a genre with which I don't have any experience. I enjoyed it, though!

Pobre Ana- Blaine Ray

My Spanish teacher assigned Pobre Ana, a completely Spanish novella, to me over Thanksgiving break. It helped me enormously. By the end, I found that I didn't have to translate the words in my head; their meaning just clicked.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love- Maureen Goo

This book was fun, but very poorly written. It did get me interested in K-dramas, though. You can read my full review here.

Henry V- William Shakespeare

This is the first play I've read all the way through. I choose to read it as a criticism of war.