I am so excited for today’s post. It’s LONG overdue, but my embarrassment of this fact is shoved aside because I cannot wait to tell you about some of my favorite books of 2018. And one just might be in my top 5 books I’ve ever read. SERIOUSLY! I’ll start with a normal Four Points Mom & Books post and then end with my Best Of 2018.
*Yes, I realize it is now April of 2019. 🙂 I will be caught up completely by the end of April which means you can expect four months of reviews coming at you in the coming two weeks. Some of you will love it and some of you are rolling your eyes at the thought. For those of you who don’t love reading, it’s okay. I’ll also be posting about some other fun activities around town, summer camp ideas, and recapping Parker’s unicorn birthday party. If you have any other suggestions of topics, please let me know! I want to hear from you! Email me at angelique@fourpointsmom.com with suggestions or questions.
If you are looking for other book ideas, you can check out my previous Four Points Mom & Books posts. My last post is here. Also, since these posts are some of my most popular ones, I decided to go ahead and create separate pages for all of my 2018 books and 2017 books. So, if you’re quickly trying to find ideas for books you can go to one page and click directly to the books on Amazon. Hopefully this helps you a bit when you’re in a bind and NEED a good book fast.
Alright, on to my books from December and my Best of 2018 winners!.
When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger
You guys – I almost peed myself about twenty times reading this book. It’s as if Lauren Weisberger knew all of the thoughts that have crossed my mind over the past several years, took them to the extreme, and poked fun of them in a ridiculously witty way. If you want to laugh at yourself a bit, read this book. Written by Lauren Weisberger, the author of The Devil Wears Prada, this book is somewhat of a follow-up to that book. Yes, the book that was made into the hysterical movie with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt. This look can still give me chills …
In When Life Gives You Lululemons, you’re now ten years in the future with some of the old characters and some new ones. What really made me love this book, though, was how on point Weisberger is with her depictions of us moms in our thirties and forties. Yes, she definitely takes things to the extreme, but it is hysterical nonetheless. If you want a funny, light read, I highly recommend this one. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
As you know, it’s been months since I’ve read these books that I’m posting about today. That being said, this one remains with me. You might remember my review of Beartown which is the predecessor to Us Against You. I loved Beartown and didn’t think this one could even come close to being as beautifully written. I was wrong. Us Against You is BETTER! Fredrik Backman continues his story of a little town in the middle of nowhere that really only has hockey to keep its spirits up. It wasn’t truly a book just about hockey, but instead follows several characters throughout the town. You read about love, heartbreak, struggling parent-child relationships, coming-of-age moments, and so much more. It’s cliche but you laugh, you cry, you don’t want to stop reading. So many emotions! My husband has also read both books and loved them. I was speaking about them at dinner this week and he reminded me why they linger with you. As you’re reading, Backman includes little nuggets about life that make you stop and think, “whoa …” You want to get out a highlighter and underline them. I wish I could list them all out here, but I’d rather you go and read the book yourself. The one quote I’ll share is quite applicable to how I feel on a daily basis:
What does it take to be a good parent? Not much. Just everything. Absolutely everything.
I’ve had several friends read this book after my wholehearted recommendation and they all text me throughout the rollercoaster of emotions. If you decide to read it, let me know. Share your thoughts too!
Winter In Paradise by Elin Hildebrand
Elin Hildebrand defied her norms and left Nantucket in Winter in Paradise. What?!? Yep, you heard me right. She usually tells light, entertaining stories set in Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard, but this one is actually set mostly in St. John. If you’re heading to the beach and need a reliable Hildebrand read, this one’s for you. I enjoyed the characters and learning more about St. John which we visited a few years ago. Look at baby Foster enjoying the beautiful island!
Okay, back to the book. Yes, I recommend this one. 🙂
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This was our book club selection for December and it was such a refreshing read. Set in the 1940s and 1950s, the story revolves around “the marsh girl” on the North Carolina coast. Growing up mostly forgotten by her family and others, later in adulthood Kya becomes the main suspect of a murder in town. What I loved about the book was not just the characters she described, but I felt like I was right there in the marsh with them. The marsh itself became so much apart of Kya and was a major character itself in the novel. Just read some of the reviews on Amazon, and you can tell I’m not alone. This wasn’t an easy read, but it was a compelling story and I recommend it.
Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
Well, I’m now realizing that December was a great book month for me! Pieces of Her was also an awesome book. The books starts off with a robbery in a diner in which Andrea and her mom, Laura, are having a casual breakfast. Within seconds, Laura has expertly out-maneuvered the gunman in a way that leave investigators and Andrea baffled. A secret life soon unfolds and Andrea’s on a mission to discover why her mom is now in hiding and how she can help her. Karin Slaughter is one of my new favorite authors as you might remember from previous reviews. I’ve recommended this one to a few friends and they’ve also loved it. Read it!
FOUR POINTS MOM FAVORITES OF 2018
I’m so excited to share with you all my absolute favorites of 2018. I summarized my favorites in 2017 last year, so I don’t want to forget to tell you my favorites again this year. Let’s start with the four honorable mentions.
STILL ME BY JOJO MOYES
This book was just so heartwarming. You can find my initial review here. Again, I didn’t love her original books quite as much, so if you didn’t love the initial Jojo Moyes books in this series (Me Before You and After You), give this one a chance anyways. I mean, it made my honorable mention list – it beat out so many other great books from last year!
BEAR TOWN BY FREDRIK BACKMAN
Oh Fredrik Backman, you speak my love language. I’ve raved about this book so many times this past year, and I’m going to do it again. Read Bear Town. You can find my initial review here for more information. But just do it. And then let me know. 😉
THE THINGS WE KEEP BY SALLY HEPWORTH
This book surprised me quite a bit and I’m so happy to wholeheartedly recommend it to you all. It made the top five list without any question. Here’s my initial review of The Things We Keep.
THE GREAT ALONE BY KRISTIN HANNAH
Until I read the next book, I was extremely confident The Great Alone would be the top book of the year. It was SO good. However, the next one just couldn’t be topped.
And my absolute favorite from 2018 is …
US AGAINST YOU BY FREDRIK BACKMAN
See above for all the reasons. And read this book!
Alright, I’m happy to finally move along to 2019 which I’ll begin next week. As always, don’t forget to follow me on GoodReads to see what else I’m reading! What are your favorite books from 2018? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Comment below and let me know.
See ya later friends!
