My Goodreads goal for this year is 18 books, but in my mind, it’s not just any 18 books, it’s these 18 books. I’ll be doing a full post on my other reading goals soon but these are the top picks that will be set aside from my shelves and hopefully, over the year will find themselves on my ‘read’ bookshelf.
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
I bought the audiobook of this last year and have started it at least 3 times since. I need that last push to get me over that hour mark so I can really immerse myself in this story. It sounds like something I’ll like; a woman doing her best as men try and complicate everything.
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
I have the Penguin Clothbound Classics box-set of 4 of the Brontë’s works and the only one I didn’t read in 2017 was Villette. So, even though Charlotte is my least favourite Brontë, I do want to read this and see if I prefer her more autobiographical work.
Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion by Jane Austen
Another box-set of Penguin Clothbound Classics I have (after it was put up for sale for £10!) is the Jane Austen complete works. I read Emma and Pride and Prejudice in 2017, and I’d quite like to finish her full novels this year. I really enjoy them, even though I’m still waiting for a favourite.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
Spoiler alert for my Christmas presents post, I was lucky enough to get the gorgeous Folio Society copy of my favourite book and it seems like a very good time for a re-read!
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I can’t believe I haven’t read this yet if I’m honest. I thought when I made my ‘Stop Delaying’ reading goal in 2017, that this would find it’s way into my hands sooner or later. Seriously, these books have been to Norway, Milan, Germany… I even bought the audiobooks! I think it’s book anxiety; when you really want a book to be good but you fear disappointment. Speaking of…
Empire and Dominion by Jennifer Ridyard and John Connolly
Talk about book anxiety! I first read Empire almost exactly two years ago and loved it, and since then these two have been to Northumberland, Corfu, Norway and Mexico all without a page being turned. But 2018 is the year I find out what happens to Syl and Paul.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
I’ve slowly been making my way through the Harry Potter books and since my library app has the audiobooks, I’m ready to finish my re-read with the two that I only read once on release days as a child. Of all the books on this list, these two are probably the ones I’m least looking forward to if I’m honest.
The Fear Within by J.S. Law
This is the much-awaited follow-up to Tenacity (now called The Dark Beneath) that blew my mind when I first read it. Released at the tail end of 2017, I didn’t manage to pick it up but I am so ready to jump back into Leitenant Dani Lewis’s world in these NCIS-type thrillers.
Coming Out Under Fire by Allan Bérubé
On the topic of the military, I want to read some more non-fiction this year and Coming Out Under Fire seems like the perfect blend of my interests in the military, the LGBTQIA+ community and WWII. I’ve only read the introduction so far but I can tell this is going to be fascinating.
Please Take Me Home: The Story of the Rescue Cat by Clare Campbell
As I’ve mentioned before, I started fostering cats and kittens back in 2017 and it’s been wonderful. I just got an email today that a cat that needs a home will be joining me next week! So I’m taking an interest in the history. This covers how stray cats went from being pests to being what they are today: the best pet.
The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements
This is being published on February the 8th and I am so excited. I’ve been a big fan of Katherine Clements in past years. Her debut; The Crimson Ribbon was beautiful and The Silvered Heart was a heartbreaker, but she hasn’t published anything since 2015 so news of a 2018 release was music to my ears. This Yorkshire Moors ghost story is top of the list for the cold winter nights in the early year.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Being published March 8th we read the story of how, in 1969, four children go out to learn their fortune. This is the story of what they do with that knowledge and I love this premise. I think this sounds really imaginative and I haven’t read a good one of these long-term type of tales in a good while.
Never Greener by Ruth Jones
I adore Gavin and Stacey and Ruth Jones is such a funny woman that when I found out she’d wrote a book, you can bet I was waiting by the letterbox for my proof copy. It’s another long-term, where do these two people who had an affair end up, type story and I’m hoping for some uplifting wise words from Jones. It’s being released on April 5th so look out for it!
Imogen's Typewriter. 