Best of 2018…

Posted on December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 by The Novel Girl

The Best of 2018!!!

Hi all!!!

I can’t believe that we are already at the end of 2018! It feels like this year has been extraordinarily long, but has gone by in a flash at the same time, if that makes sense. This year has certainly seen its share of highs and lows, but I hope that your year in books has been one of the highlights! Despite reading quite a bit less than I did last year, thanks to a marked uptick in work and several reading slumps, I can say that my literary journey was definitely a high note of the year. I read so many wonderful books this year from many, many wonderful authors- from old favorites to debuts. It was very difficult to narrow down my favorite reads of the year, so much so that I had to choose a fiction a non-fiction as I couldn’t decide between the final two! So, without further ado- my favorite books of 2018:

Favorite Fiction of 2018: For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig

This book, the first in a new series by the amazing author of The Girl from Everywhere duology (another favorite of mine!), was released at the end of September of this year. It is a hefty book at a little over 500 pages (hardback edition), but I got so absorbed in it and it read so quickly that I read it while on a weekend trip. The world building was so phenomenal and the writing so lyrical (literally at times!), that it was easy to get swept away in the novel. I loved the strong female lead, and that this was an own voices novel so the writing was true to the character. This is technically YA Fantasy, but anyone who is a fan of well written fantasy would enjoy this. You can find the full review here: For a Muse of Fire (For a Muse of Fire, Book 1)

Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Muse-Fire-Heidi-Heilig/dp/0062380818/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546224730&sr=8-1&keywords=for+a+muse+of+fire

Favorite Non-Fiction of 2018: Becoming by Michelle Obama

After the review that was posted yesterday, this may come as no surprise, but this is definitely the bet non-fiction that I read this year. This memoir was published in mid November, and I read it while I was on vacation. It took me a bit to write my review, because there was so much that I wanted to say about it, but I didn’t want to just summarize the entire book. I find Michelle Obama so inspirational, and this book made her even more so. She was open, witty, honest, funny, and relatable. This book left me with a feeling of hope. If you’re looking to add more memoirs to your reading list this year and haven’t read this one yet, I highly recommend it! Find my initial review here: Becoming

Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Michelle-Obama/dp/1524763136/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546225152&sr=8-1&keywords=becoming+michelle+obama

I hope that you guys enjoy these as much as I did! What were your favorite reads of 2018? Anything that I should check out? I’ll be spending the next couple of days attempting to get together some semblance of a reading list for the first part of 2019. There are some exciting new books coming out this year!!

I wish you all an amazing new year!!!!

Becoming

Posted on December 30, 2018 by The Novel Girl

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Author: Michelle Obama

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 448

Publisher: Crown Publishing

I don’t think that I need to tell anyone who the author of this memoir is. Michelle Obama, a brilliant, beautiful former first lady, but she is so much more. She is a wife, mother, Princeton and Harvard Law graduate; a very accomplished woman well before she ever in the public eye as the First Lady of the United States. Inside this memoir, Mrs. Obama opens up her world and tells the readers of her life experiences, both good and bad, and how they molded her in to the woman that she is today.

I have long admired Michelle Obama as a woman of intellect, grace, and integrity. I can truly say, after reading her memoir, that I admire her even more. She opened up in this book about her whole life. We learn about her upbringing in Chicago, where she was encouraged to use her intelligence to move forward and make a difference. She speaks about her married life, which hasn’t always been roses and butterflies but they worked through it and it is real. She tells us, of course, about their time in politics and the White House and the highs and lows of that life. And we learn what her life is beginning to look like now, as she is settling in to “normal” life again.

I loved this memoir, because Michelle Obama was so real in it. She told her truth in no uncertain terms. She was raw, honest, witty, poignant, funny, and relatable. There were criticisms of those who followed she and President Obama, but they were measured and not unwarranted or nasty. She made me feel that it was ok if “leaning in” didn’t necessarily work to get me where I needed to be, and I had to go a different route. She, overall, left me with a feeling of hope- not false hope- but hope that we can become more.

Off the Grid

Posted on November 21, 2018 by The Novel Girl

Hi all!!

Are you all getting excited for the Thanksgiving holiday?! I’m going to have a house full of family and friends here tomorrow, and I am making so much food! I love to feed people, so I’m really happy to have everyone coming to dinner. We’ll also be joining the mad shopping crowds afterwards, so that should be a blast!

I’m heading out in to the woods for a week beginning this weekend, to decompress for a bit. I’ll have limited, if any, internet access and I am really looking forward to it. Sometimes it’s nice to go a bit off the grid! I’m taking my kindle, a few books, and my MacBook to format some reviews for when I return.

I have at least one review that will post while I’m gone, and I’m going to try to get another written up before I go. I wanted to give you guys a peak at a couple of the things I’ll be reading while I’m away, though!

First is one that I have really been looking forward to since I heard it was coming out:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I think she is so brilliant and inspiring, and I can not wait to see what she has to say in this memoir!

Marshmallows and Mistletoe by Marianne Rice

New out from the lovely lady who made me enjoy contemporary romance is this holiday story. This looks like it will fit right in with those cozy, feel good holiday reads that I was wanting, so I’m excited for this one as well!

There are, of course, several others going with me, but these I’m very excited to talk to you about when I return. What are your holiday plans?! Anything exciting?! I hope that you all have a lovely holiday and a great week ahead!

Always-