Beyond Mom Jeans
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop The Best
  • Cynthia's Corner
  • Before 50
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop The Best
  • Cynthia's Corner
  • Before 50
Picture
Picture
Shop my Amazon Storefront with all my favorites
Shop Amazon Lightning Deals

    Sign Up For Our
    ​Lifestyle News Letter

    Enter Your Email Here...
Subscribe to Newsletter

I devoured tons of awesome books this year!

12/27/2018

1 Comment

 
I set a goal to read 50 books every year. That was a slightly easier goal before I had kids... :) It was also an easier goal before I got a smart phone, but since my husband woke up a few months ago & found me playing on my phone at 3 am, he's encouraging me to charge in the bathroom overnight. I'm back to reading before bed, & that's been great. It's a much better way to relax before bed-- I swear, sometimes I fell asleep just to escape what I was seeing online before I moved my phone out of the room.
So, anyway, I read books this year. :)  Below, I've listed my favorites & told you a little about them. After that, I've listed every book I read in 2018. I thought about listing them chronologically, but frankly, you don't care what order I read things in. Instead, I've divided them by category so you can skip to books you might be interested. I'd love to get comments from you if you've read any of these! I'd also love to get suggestions for what I should read next. I hope you have a great reading year in 2019!
My Favorite Books (not necessarily written in 2018, but read in 2018)
(also in no particular order-- that's harder than picking a favorite child!)


​When Life Gives You Lululemons
- Lauren Weisberger-- This is the same author who wrote The Devil Wears Prada. If you haven't read that, read it, because it's awesome. Then, read this. It's got some of those fun rich-people details, but it's also rich with real characters you invest in emotionally.
When Life Gives You Lululemons
Picture
Ginny Moon- Benjamin Ludwig-- Ginny has a developmental disorder, & the book is written from her perspective. It's not confusing, however. The structure just allows you to see how she understands things while also hearing what her foster parents, teachers, & others say to her. Her struggles with her birth mother are compelling, too.
Ginny Moon
The Reason You're Alive- Matthew Quick-- I've read a bunch of Matthew Quick (Silver Lining Playbook)  books, & this is my favorite.  I didn't want to like the main character, but I couldn't help myself. An author who can help you have sympathy for the unlikeable is worth reading.
The Reason You're Alive
The Death of Mrs Westaway- Ruth Ware-- Ware wrote The Woman in Cabin 10, but I liked this one a lot more. What starts as a case of mistaken identity becomes very, very suspenseful very, very quickly.
The Death of Mrs Westaway
The President is Missing- Bill Clinton & James Patterson-- I've read almost everything Patterson has written, & I was extra excited for this one. I got just what I hoped for-- suspense & plot twists a la Patterson, & insider knowledge of the White House & presidential security from Clinton. This is long but I read it really quickly.  Everyone I know who has read it loved it, too~
The President Is Missing
The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas- haven't seen the movie yet, but the book was compelling. It's a Young Adult novel, but it doesn't feel silly. Every character is well-developed, & the story is wrenching. Starr is a teenager whose family has left the inner-city, but who still have many ties to their old neighborhood. She's the sole witness when one of them is murdered by a police officer. Kirkus says, "This story is necessary. This story is important." I'd concur.
The Hate U Give
Everything, Everything- Nicola Yoon- another Young Adult novel.  A friend recommended this one, about a girl with an illness that prevents her from leaving the house. I loved her & the cute boy who moves in next door...
Everything Everything
Bonus Favorite Books- ones to share with your kids!
The Haunted Library- Dori Hillestad Butler- I got the first one at the Library of Congress, & now I've read three in the series with my kids (ages 4 & 7).  How can I not recommend it??
The Haunted Library
Mother Bruce- Ryan T. Higgins- my favorite picture book of the year! There are now others in the series, too. Bruce is a grumpy beat who got some eggs to eat, but they hatched & imprinted on him.
Mother Bruce
Fiction
The Singles Game- Lauren Weisberger
When Life Gives You Lululemons (Devil Wears Prada #3)- Lauren Weisberger
Ginny Moon- Benjamin Ludwig
The Knockoff- Lucy Sykes
Carnegie's Maid- Marie Benedict
The Reason You're Alive- Matthew Quick
Live By Night- Dennie Lehane
The Wicked City- Beatriz Williams
My Ex-Life- Stephen McCauley
Surprise Me- Sophie Kinsella
Suspense/Mystery
The Wrong Side of Good-Bye- Michael Connelly
The Woman in Cabin 10- Ruth Ware
The Death of Mrs Westaway- Ruth Ware
Unbound- Stuart Woods
Shoot First- Stuart Woods
Black Schooner- KD Mason
Haunted- James Patterson
Fifty Fifty- James Patterson
The President Is Missing- Bill Clinton & James Patterson
Dead Cold Brew- Cleo Coyle
Psycho- Robert Bloch
Unraveled- Maggie Sefton
Nonfiction
How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, & the Hidden Power of Character- Paul Tough
Keys to Parenting the Gifted Child- Sylvia B. Rimm
There Are No Grown-ups: A Midlife Coming-of- Age Story- Pamela Druckerman
Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark- Bill Dedman
Young Adult
The Elite (The Selection #2)- Kiera Cass
The One (The Selection #3)- Kiera Cass
Love & Gelato- Jenna Evans Welch
Tell Me Three Things- Julie Buxbaum
The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas
Everything, Everything- Nicola Yoon
Early Chapter/Middle Grade
The Rainstorm Brainstorm (Wellie Wishers)- Valerie Trip
The Mystery of Mr. E- Valerie Tripp
Ashlyn's Unsurprise Party- Valerie Tripp
Meet Molly- Valerie Tripp

Isadora Moon Goes to School- Harriet Muncaster
The Chocolate Fudge Mystery- Cam Jansen- kickin' it old school!!- David A. Adler
Junie B, First Grader: Aloha-ha-ha!- Barbara Park
Junie B, First Grader: Dumb Bunny- Barbara Park
Al Capone Shines My Shoes- Gennifer Choldenko
The Unlucky Lottery Winners of Classroom 13- Honest Lee
The Haunted Library- Dori Hillestad Bulter
The Ghost in the Attic (Haunted Library #2)- Dori Hillestad Butler
Christmas Books
Christmas in Paris- Anita Hughes
Season of Wonder- RaeAnne Thayne
Deck the Halls- Carol Higgins Clark & Mary Higgins Clark
Silent Night- Robert B. Parker
Happy Reading in 2019!!!
1 Comment

    Author

    I'm so grateful to have you here with me.  I LOVE being a mom, but I'm trying to still be "me" while being a mom, & this blog has been a tool for me to figure that out.  Hopefully it's that for you, as well.  I look forward to hearing from you so that I can make this blog meaningful for you.  Thanks for being here!

    Archives

    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    July 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture

A word from Cynthia...

I'm so grateful to have you here with me on this page.  I LOVE being a mom, but I'm trying to still be "me" while being a mom, & this blog has been a tool for me to figure that out.  Hopefully it's that for you, as well.  I look forward to hearing from you so that I can make this blog meaningful for you.  Thanks for being here!

Contact Us

    Subscribe Today!

Submit