2018 in Review | Most-Read Authors

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be looking back at my reading habits of 2018. I went into my goodreads challenge page and went through my list of 100-odd books and tracked down my most read authors. 

When getting this post ready, I really thought that I read several authors a lot. But it seems like I really just read three authors very frequently in 2018. Without further ado, here are my most read authors of 2018! 

Jane Austen

 link

Okay, so funny story I never actually finished a Jane Austen novel this yer. I read two of her novellas this year, Lady Susan and Love and Friendship. I also read half of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma, and a couple chapters of both Mansfield Park and Persuasion. I had good intentions when it came to Jane Austen, but when I only had five days to read each book and other schoolwork, Austen went to the wayside. Even though I didn't get to finish any novels by her, I did spend a lot of time reading her books. I definitely want to finish Pride and Prejudice and Emma next year though! 

William Shakespeare

 link

Oh Will...I read so many plays from his this year! I had a Shakespeare class and was quizzed every day, so I was held accountable (unlike my Jane Austen class). I never rated the plays, simply because I wasn't too sure how to rate them. Objectively, they were written masterfully. But subjectively, there were some plays I found dull. Either way, here are the 7 plays I read this year!

• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Measure for Measure
• The First Part of King Henry V
• Romeo and Juliet
• Hamlet
• Macbeth

After reading all these plays, I seriously deserve a break...maybe I'll actually watch an adaptation instead of reading the play! 
 

 Christina Lauren

 link

And here's the kicker...I read 11 books and 2 novellas written by Christina Lauren! I really just went crazy with CL this year, and I've enjoyed every single one of them. I haven't loved every single one of them, but they've all been entertaining. I'm actually in the midst of reading Love and Other Words, and I'm really loving it. While it may be the 26th as I'm writing this post, I'm mostly likely going to finish my 12th before the end of the year. Here is a list of everything I've read by the author duo.  

• Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful #1)
• Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful #2)
• Beautiful Player (Beautiful #3)
• Beautiful Bitch (Beautiful #1.5)
• Beautiful Bombshell (Beautiful #2.5)
• Sweet Filthy Boy (Wild Seasons #1)
• Dirty Rowdy Thing (Wild Seasons #2)
• Dark Wild Night (While Seasons #3) 
• Roomies
• Autoboyography
• Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
• Dating You / Hating You
• My Favorite Half Night Stand

Whew, what a list! Christina Lauren has taken over my life. I really need some more romance authors that speak to me like CL does. This next year I'm going to be on the lookout for some other romance authors. If you have any recommendations, please leave them down in the comments! 

Wonderfully, I would recommend every single book on this post! What are some of your most-read authors of 2018? 

Thank you so much for stopping by and I'll see you in the next year! 

Happy Reading and Happy New Year!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

2018 in Review | Best Books

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be looking back on some of my best reads of the year.  As of December 25, I've read 109 books, and there have been 13 standouts! I've had a wonderful reading year and getting the list to just 10 was impossible.

As was the case with my previous post, "2018 in Review | Worst Books" I went over to my goodreads and looked over the books I read. There were so many that I enjoyed, so trying to whittle it down to my favorites was quite difficult. My current read (Queen of Air and Darkness) might become a favorite, so hopefully I can finish that up before the end of the year! Keep in mind that this list is purely my opinion, and this list might not be indicative of your tastes.

Without further ado, here are 13 books that were above and beyond.

Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I've always heard amazing things about Simon vs., and I am so glad I decided to read it! The book was spectacular, as was the movie adaptation. I haven't read this since February, but I'd love to revisit the book one day so I can bask in all the cuteness. 

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

I mean....it's Jenn Bennett! How could she not be on this list? Her YA contemporaries always deliver, and I should probably try out her adult novels. Starry Eyes was a wonderful read, and also another book I really want to own but don't. Starry Eyes is a combination of friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and exes to lovers all in one relationship and I loved it. Also, there is a great relationship between the main character and her step-mom, which was great to see! 

2018 In Review | Worst Books

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be reviewing some of the worst books I've read this year. In 2018, I was pretty strict on what I did and did not read.When I first thought about the worst books of this year, nothing immediately came to mind. I take this as a great sign! I'd be less happy if several books came to me right away.

Since I couldn't think of anything off the bat, I trotted my way to goodreads and looked at what I read. While the year isn't over yet, it doesn't seem like either of my current reads (Lovestruck by Kate Watson and Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare) will make the list. Keep in mind that this list is purely my opinion and that if a book makes this list, I probably didn't despise it with the passion of a thousand fiery suns.

Without further ado, here are seven reads of the year that fell short. 

The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

The Marriage Bargain was just so bland. This book feels like it was published in the early 2000s, maybe late 90s, but it was actually published in 2012. The sexist language and borderline sexual assault made me super uncomfortable. There's a scene where the protagonist voices her reluctance during a sexual encounter and the love interest responds with, "I don't care." WHAT!! Needless to say, The Marriage Bargain does not stand the test of time.