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