In 2018, I started keeping a list of all the books I read that year. Since then, I’ve continued, witnessing the annual lists grow longer, as I succeed in beating personal records. Keeping a log has been a great way for me to expand my reading goals and monitor my progress.

Below is my first ever reading list. Some books here I loved, others I strongly disliked. In either case, I felt accomplished and enriched by each one I finished. Even the “bad” books taught me something. As a writer, sometimes learning what not to do is more helpful than the opposite.

I love the way that each book — any book — is its own journey. You open it, and off you go…

Sharon Creech

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1. Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
2. Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe
3. Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade by Assia Djebar
4. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
5. No Telephone to Heaven by Michelle Cliff
6. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
7. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
8. Caleb Williams by William Godwin
9. Starting From Scratch by Georgia Beers
10. Turning the Page by Georgia Beers
11. Olive Oil and White Bread by Georgia Beers
12. Too Close to Touch by Georgia Beers
13. Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest
14. There is Nothing Wrong with You by Cheri Huber
15. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
16. If the Buddha Dated by Charlotte Kasl
17. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
18. Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
19. Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh (graphic novel)
20. Sula by Toni Morrison
21. Another Day by David Levithan