The Best Books I Read in 2018

Photo via @reesesbookclubxhellosunshine

For the past few weeks, I've been pouring over everybody's "look how many books I read in 2018" posts and I love them. I get lots of great book recommendations, and I'm also truly awed by how many books people read. Some people I follow read 50+ books! In one year! But while that's awe-inspiring, it's just not going to be me. 

I absolutely love reading, but I also love podcasts. And social media. And hanging out with my kids. So I definitely don't read as much as I wish I could. But I am getting better! For 2018, I made a resolution to "read more books," and I really did read more than I had in previous years. (In an upcoming post, I'll share some of the strategies that helped me up my reading last year, and that I'm hoping will help me increase it even more for 2019.)

Last year, I had a relatively modest goal of reading 24 books over the course of the year. Though I hadn't been keeping track, I was pretty sure I hadn't met that goal. But I tallied it up just now and was surprised to see I had read 22! So while I didn't quite hit my goal, I was close! (There were also at least three books that I started this year and got pretty far into before giving them up, so I actually "read" more pages in a way.) 

Anyway, because I came so close, I'm going to up it a little this year and make my 2019 goal 30 books. (And I'm definitely going to keep track this time. If I had seen I was so close, I definitely would have picked up the pace in December!)

Below I've listed the 22 books I finished this year, divided into three categories based on how much I liked them. And yes, I do recommend all of these books! For the first time in my life in 2018, I made a point to stop reading books I wasn't into (a huge step for me--I used to force myself to finish everything I started!). As a result, I really did like everything I read (and finished) this year.

LOVED/Highly Recommend/You're Insane If You Don't Read These:

The Heart's Invisible Furies: Loved this so much! A beautiful, sweeping, epic story of the life of a little boy in Ireland. (I don't want to give anything away, but trust me.)

Educated: Incredible story of a woman who was raised in the mountains by a survivalist (crazy) family that didn't believe in attending school....and then she goes on to study at Harvard and Cambridge. 

This Will Only Hurt A Little: Busy Philipps's memoir! I've mentioned before how much I love it, and I especially recommend the audio book version.

The Bright Hour: Beautiful memoir written by a dying woman. If you liked When Breath Becomes Air, you'll love this. 

A Spark of Light: I enjoy anything by Jodi Picoult and this did not disappoint. I liked it (but didn't necessarily love) for much of the book, but then really went all in once I got to some surprising twists towards the end. Powerful story of a shooting in an abortion clinic and it really shows "both sides."

There There: I downloaded this immediately after hearing several friends (and several publications) say it was one of the best books of the year. I don't know if I would personally go that far, but I did really, really like it. It's beautifully written and the characters are well developed and so interesting. It's the story of 12 different Native Americans living in modern day Oakland, California. The book is written almost as individual essays on each character and then they all intertwine towards the end in a very powerful way.

Really liked/Recommend:

This Is How It Always Is: The story of a family living with a transgender child. Really made me think about a topic I realize now that I didn't really understand.

The Arrangement: Great premise (a married couple tries an open marriage for six months) and really funny. Wrote a little more about it here.

The Size of Everything: A Memoir: If you liked The Glass Castle, you'll like this memoir of growing up in an abusive household. 

Something In The Water: This was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and she always chooses the best stuff. Super suspenseful and hard to put down.

The Dinner List: You know the age-old question, "If you could have dinner with any five people, living or dead, who would they be?" Well, this book shows what happens for one woman when this comes true and she shows up for dinner with her best friend, three people from her past, and Audrey Hepburn.

Small Great Things: Another Jodi Picoult! (She's the queen of can't-put-it-down stories for me!) A gripping story of an infant's death told from two points of view: that of an African-American nurse and of the baby's white-supremacist father. 

The Book of Essie: The story of a teenager growing up in large, super religious reality-TV family--and her very creative plan for freeing herself. (My description makes the book sound way heavier than it is. It's light!)

Yes We (Still) Can: I'm a Pod Save America superfan, so I couldn't wait to read this memoir by Dan Pfeiffer who is one of the hosts of the podcast. It tells the story of his career working in politics including the years he spent working for Obama--funny and very inspiring. 


Good/Worth Reading:

Still Lives: A Reese Witherspoon book club pick, so you know it will be good. Not one of my favorites of hers, but still a good thriller that was a nice, quick read.

Two Girls Down: Story of two little girls getting kidnapped--and the private investigator who is trying to locate them. 

The Hate U Give: A lot of people thought this was one of the best books of the year, and it didn't rise to that level for me personally, but I did really enjoy it. It's the story of a teenager who witnesses her friend being shot by a police officer--and you then see how this violent act affects her life as she tries to get justice for her friend.

The Woman In The Window: Yep, a Reese Witherspoon pick again! A month ago, I would have stuck this in the middle category, but recently a story came out about how the author is a big liar, so I think I'm kind of unconsciously punishing him for that (!). But the book--a thrilling story of an agoraphobic woman who witnesses a crime--will keep your attention for sure. 

In His Sights: One Woman's Stalking Nightmare: Like a Lifetime movie (or You) come to life...but real! This is a true story of a woman being stalked by an ex. The dude was/is craaaazzzy, and you definitely won't be able to put it down.

Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After: Another memoir! (I love a good one.) This a story about a woman who becomes pregnant, and then her boyfriend decides he doesn't want to be a father and does not want to have anything to do with the child. Then the child gets seriously ill, and--I won't give anything away--but it's a great, very out-of-the-ordinary story about finding happiness in unexpected ways.  

The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair: People are obsessed with this bestseller! I personally thought it was a little slow for much of it, but I did ultimately enjoy it. It's the story of a young novelist who goes to visit his mentor, but then the story takes a major turn when his mentor is implicated in a cold murder case from many years ago.  

Raising Lions: Non-fiction parenting book! But included it here 'cause it's still a book, right? ;)

And that was my literary 2018! Looking forward to reading many more great books this year (I've already completed four in January, so I feel like I'm off to a good start!) And of course: Please let me know if you have read anything lately that you loved! I'm always looking for new options to add to my list!

17 Cool Things You Need to Click On Today

How was your week? Mine was busy, but fun. On Wednesday, I went with my friends at PureWow's The Coterie to go see Mean Girls on Broadway. As much as I loved the movie, I kind of had low expectations for the show, but it was so good! A great adaptation of the movie and so funny. I laughed out loud throughout! And the actors were amazing--especially Regina George, Damien, Karen, and Gretchen. I loved it! 

And now, the weekend is here, and so is winter. it seems. It's flurrying here right now, and we're supposed to get a bunch more snow this week. I'm not happy about that, but at least it will present a good excuse to stay inside and do some reading. (If that's you, too, I have some great book recs below!) Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope it's a great one. Here's a few fun links to check out in the meantime. 

• J.Crew rollneck sweaters were huge when I was in college. I had a navy one back in the day. I love that they're back now! I'm wearing this pink one today and I really like it. (They modernized the style with a more flattering, less oversized fit, thank god.)

• I had heard great things about the book Lilac Girls and finally read it last week. Wow. I loved it so much! It's an amazing, heartbreaking story and one of my favorite books that I've read in a long time. Highly recommend picking it up. Right before that I read A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, which I also recommend. I thought it was okay/pretty good throughout, but then was totally wowed by a couple of great twists towards the end. Really good and a fairly quick read. And I just finished One Day in December, which was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick (and I really have always loved Reese's recommendations). I don't usually go for relationship/dating fiction (this is very much in the vein of a Love Actually type of story), so I wasn't sure about this for awhile in the beginning, but I ended up really liking it a lot. And I actually had tears in my eyes at one point, which really surprised me! Also totally recommend this one, because it's a good read and it's definitely going to be turned into a movie and you'll want to have read the book first!

• Love Grace's guide to buying your first Chanel bag.

• As a beauty editor, who has spent over a decade hearing (and then drumming into the heads of readers) that wearing SPF very single day is an absolute must, reading this article, which basically says the opposite, pretty much blew my mind. Let me add that I am not going to be convinced by one article--and I'm not slowing down my sunscreen use (especially because the article only addressed skin cancer, not the wrinkles/aging that are cauased by the sun!). But it's a very interesting read, and I'll be curious to see follow-up pieces about it.

• How pretty is this braided, beribboned bun? 

• Super inspired by my friend Meghan's outfit here. How cute does she look?!

• Here's the beauty secret no one wants to tell you: The best skincare trick is being rich.

• I love this piece by Ali from Inspiralized on that point when living healthy becomes unhealthy. 

• This story of a stolen bikini design reads like a mystery novel. So good!

• About a year ago, a woman in my industry (who I had met and worked with a few times but did not know well) died sudddenly when she was pregnant with her second child. It was, obviously, a very, very sad story. Now her widowed husband has penned an incredibly beautiful, heart-wrenching essay on leaving New York City after his wife's death. Do not miss it. 

• If you're looking for a new jarred pasta sauce, don't miss this thorough review of 129 different sauces--every single one sold in the state of New Jersey! (most are sold nationally, though). You won't believe what scored #1. 

• This made me LOL: "I'm Running In 2020, But I Must Admit, Even I Don't Know Which White Guy I Am."

And in case you missed it, I...

• Listed my 2019 health resolutions.

• Shared how I'm going green this year. (Hint: It includes a great deal for free stuff!)

• Named the best beauty products of 2018.

• Gave some blowout inspiration.

• Announced my Favorite Things.

Have a great weekend!

21 Cool Things You Need to Click On Today

Shirt by Catch A Wave Designs; nail color, Deborah Lippman Laughin' To The Bank

This is one of those days when it's tough to write a post like this. The air in this country feels heavy right now. It is heavy right now. And it can feel wrong to focus on "frivolous stuff" when the world feels like it's burning. But at the same time, I know that I use these kind of things as an escape--and I sure as hell could use one right about now. 

I spent most of yesterday glued to my TV watching the live feed of the Kavanaugh hearings. When they would take a break, I would, too. I'd mute my TV and scroll through Instagram or check out some of my favorite blogs. And let me tell you, those few moments of latte art, perfectly styled outfits, and lifestyle tips felt like a goddamn glorious little respite before the next round of heartache began. 

I hope I can be that for you right now. 

Here's a few links I enjoyed this week. I hope you like them, too. Have a great weekend! We deserve it.

• A few months back, I tested the Aveda Invati Advanced three-step hair thickening system for several months. My review is here, but the Cliff's Notes version: In my experience, it definitely worked. My hair was noticeably thicker immediately and over time. Sooo...if you've been thinking about trying the line, this is the time to do it. With the purchase of any two full-size Aveda Invati products (so, say the shampoo and the conditioner), you can get the third step in the system--the Scalp Revitalizer--for FREE, which is a $65 value. Click here to get the deal and use code ALYSSAAVEDA. Enjoy!

• I did a doubletake when I saw these gorgeous rose-gold loafers. They're from Target! And just $22!

• I had read some mixed reviews about the new Nars Climax Mascara, but I tried it this week myself, and I totally loved it! It has a big, bushy brush that grabs on to the tiniest hairs, so it makes you look like you have a million lashes. 

• Looking for something to read? I've read a ton of good ones lately. I finished The Book of Essie a few weeks back and really enjoyed it. It's the story of a teenager who has grown up in a very religious, Duggar-like reality-TV family. Loved the premise and it was a fun read.

• Next, came Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, which I also loved. It tells an intertwined story from two perspectives--one, a white supremacist and the other, an African-American nurse. Like all of Picoult's book, it's a really good story that's quick to read and definitely tough to put down. 

• Most recently, I finished Yes We (Still) Can by Dan Pfeiffer, a former Obama staffer and one of the hosts of the Pod Save America podcast. It's part memoir of his time working in the White House and part political inspiration for our current times. I loved it, and in an age when it can be hard to feel a sense of optimism, it actually made me feel hopeful. 

• Right now I'm about a third of the way through The Dinner List, which came highly recommend from many of my favorite book people. You know how everyone always asks who you'd have dinner with if you could dine with any five people, living or dead? Well, this is the story of what happens when one woman gets that dinner with her best friend, a college professor, her estranged (and now deceased) father, an ex-boyfriend, and Audrey Hepburn. Really liking it so far, and it's a very easy read, which is nice.

• Love this leather tote bag that doubles as a backpack. So smart!

• Do you remember awhile back when I introduced you to my friend Tia Williams? Well, she just wrote an amazing essay for Glamour about the lessons that black women are passing down to their daughters about hair. A really great piece.

• Remember my quick trip to L.A. this summer? Well, I wrote about what I did there, here: I Got A Facial From Jessica Alba's BFF!

• I shared some of my back-to-school tips with PureWow.

• Funny because it's true: Why is goat cheese packaging so annoying?

• This is one of those stories that seems absolutely unbelievable, and when you realize it's true, you're going to be livid. In nearly all states, it is legal (and common!) for doctors to give non-consensual pelvic exams to patients who are under anesthesia. Yes, really. 

• Another medical story guaranteed to piss you off: For months, doctors wouldn't take this woman's medical complaints seriously. And she died because of it.

• New life goal: Steal this woman's job so I, too, can get paid $6,000 a day to write quotes for Instagram.

• If you've been thinking of joining BJ's Wholesale Club (and this is why you should), for the next one day only, you can get a membership for just $25 (it's regularly $55). Click here to get the deal. So worth it!

• My friend Liana just wrote a powerful essay for Teen Vogue on her time spent at a Catholic girls' school just a stone's throw from Georgetown Prep.

• Are you registered to vote? Are you sure? Go to Vote Save America to double check that you're registered--or to find out what you need to do to get registered. The midterms (which take place in just over a month!) is the most important election of our lifetime. And your vote matters.

And in case you missed it, I..

• Recapped our road trip to Seattle and Portland.

• Gave my tips for getting a great blowout (with inexpensive products!) at home.

• Shared some of my all-time favorite beauty products.

Have a great weekend!

SHOP THE POST