Welcome to the last monthly edition of Media Monday for 2018. Since it's the end of the year, I'll tell you about the books I read this month, as well as my favorites for the year. I will also feature some of my favorite podcasts of the year.
Let's take a look at my December reads. You might notice a theme. I decided to read some cozy Christmas books this month.
A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid - 5 STARS - A heartwarming story about a dog and his adoptive family in Kansas. It's just a sweet, old-fashioned Christmas story.
A Christmas Home by Greg Kincaid - 4 STARS - This sequel to A Dog Named Christmas was almost as good.
Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews - 2 STARS - I wanted to love this southern Christmas tale, but I think the audio version ruined it for me. The southern accents were just too sappy and fake sounding for me to enjoy it. The story itself is a light Christmas story that I might enjoy more with the actual book.
The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans - 5 STARS - A cozy Christmas romance. You can't get much better than this for a story to warm your heart.
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand - 5 STARS - I had heard mixed reviews of this new Hilderbrand book set in the Virgin Islands. It has a mystery twist to it that her other books set in Nantucket don't. But I loved it! Maybe even more than the Winter Street series. I would describe this book as a light family drama with a mystery thrown into the mix. I'm looking forward to the next installment coming in Fall 2019.
Did you read any cozy Christmas books this year?
Let's take a look at my year in books from Good Reads. Somehow I managed to read 70 books this year. I know this was in large part due to listening to audio books while walking or doing chores or driving.
I really enjoyed filling my time with audio books and podcasts, and it sure helped check off some reading goals for the year! I use the Libby app through our public library, and it keeps me well supplied with the latest reads. It is a little easier to use than the old Overdrive app, although they accomplish all the same tasks.
Here is a clickable list of all the books I read this year:
by Pam Munoz Ryan
Class Mom by Laurie Gelman
Sisters First by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
Need to Know by Karen Cleveland
Sisters First by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
Need to Know by Karen Cleveland
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
Still Me by Jojo Moyes
Lie to Me by J. T. Ellison
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
The Lido by Libby Page
The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
The Lido by Libby Page
The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
The One by John Marrs
Lies by T.M. Logan
A Christmas Home by Greg Kincaid
The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans
And my favorite books of the year were...
It was so hard to choose because I read some really good ones this year. These were the ones that stood out.
Overall best book and the one I thought about the most after I finished reading
A middle-grade novel that also left me thinking about it for weeks after reading.
An exceptional audio book
A fun chick-lit book that had me laughing out loud.
Class Mom was a close second for this category.
I read several 5-star mystery/thrillers this year,
but this was the one that I absolutely could not put down!
What were your favorite books this year?
I'll wrap up my year end Media Monday with some favorite podcasts. First of all, here are some that are old favorites:
- Sorta Awesome Show
- Lisa Whittle 5-Minute Prayers
- Jen Hatmaker
- Jamie Ivey
- Clark Howard (financial)
- Big Boo Cast
And a few new ones I started listening to this year:
- The Open Door Sisterhood
- Currently Reading (Love this one. Their reading style seems to match mine more than some of the others that I've listened to.)
- Home with a Twist
- Plan Podcast with Thyme is Honey
- Simple Sophisticate
- Vacation Mavens (travel)
That's a wrap for 2018 - happy 2019!
I will continue to post Media Monday on the last Monday of each month.
And you can catch the New Books I'm interested in reading on the second Tuesday of the month.
What have you been reading,
watching and listening to this month?
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Media Monday 2018
New Books That Look Interesting 2018
Linking to:
Quick Lit with Modern Mrs. Darcy
Book by Book with Taz and Belly and Rachel Dawson
Happy Monday with My Glittery Heart, The Sirois Family and Lindsay’s Sweet World
Welcome Wednesday with Polka-Dotty Place, Lindsay's Sweet World and others
TBR Mix’n’Mingle~Never Enough Novels, Literary Quicksand & My Novel Life
High Five for Friday with Whitney, Becky, Tif, and Della
Friday Loves Link Up with The Blended Blog
Best of the Weekend with Calypso in the Country
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What a fantabulous post, Tanya! I especially liked the segment on podcasts because I am always on the lookout for a good one. I hope you and your family have a happy, healthy new year.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Elin's new book; it really made me want to get back to the Virgin Islands too. I can't wait for the next in the series to come out. I too really enjoyed The Great Alone. So many great books listed here!! Pinning!
ReplyDeleteEvery year I buy the Richard Paul Evans holiday book & this is the first year I missed it. I need to look in bookstores & see if its on clearance :)
ReplyDeleteYou sure read a lot! Some of them are on my future to be read list too.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. The Great Alone and The Kind Worth Killing were both favorites of mine this year too! I haven't read Lululemons and Winter Paradise yet but they are both on my list.
ReplyDeleteI love this list. When Life Gives you Lululemons was one of my favorite books of the year as well. I am going to have to check out some of your podcasts. Have you listened to Lara Casey's new podcast? It is so good. I love Lisa Whittle's podcast too. I hope you have a very Happy New Years!
ReplyDeleteSo glad that we both had at least ONE book on our top of the year lists! I'm finishing up Winter Paradise now. Really enjoying it so far! Happy 2019 to you, Tanya!
ReplyDeletethe kind worth killing is on my list, hoping to get to it this year sometime. i also really liked the great alone. i haven't read a book by Hilderbrand but i own a couple, so eventually i hope. that sucks about that one audiobook, a bad narrator can really ruin a book!
ReplyDeleteI read one Christmas book this year. They are not for me.
ReplyDeleteWith all the driving I'm doing between my house and my parents' (it's a 4 hour drive), I've decided to give audiobooks a try. I normally do them when I have my daughter in the car but since it's just me, I figured why not. I'm starting with Jen Hatmaker's newest. At least I think it's her newest. It's pretty good so far.
I always mean to read Christmas books in December but end up reading them other times of the year. I liked Winter in Paradise!
ReplyDeleteThe Great Alone made my favorite list for 2018 too!
ReplyDeleteI don't read many Christmas books.
I loved Winter in Paradise and dislike a lot that we have to wait for the next one to be released.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any Richard Paul Evans books but keep meaning to. I love audiobooks too - they really help me get through mundane tasks and running. I also loved some of your favourites this year - especially The Great Alone :)
ReplyDeleteOkay I am cracking up cause last Christmas I read three of these books in the exact order you listed them, starting with Blue Christmas, and I Just don't feel like I see people talking about them!
ReplyDelete