My 2019 Book List

I have read 118 books in 2018. Just like the previous years, most of them are by independent authors and are self-published. As a professional book reviewer, sometimes I feel like reading books become ‘work’ which, technically, in my case, is true. So, when writing reviews becomes too tedious and stressful, I read for fun. The following list is that of books that I chose to read for personal amusement.

1. Surprise Me by Sophia Kinsella

2. The Giver by Lois Lowry

3. Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by

4. Acceptable Risk by Robin Cook (reread)

5. Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts (reread)

6. Sands of Time by Sidney Sheldon

7. IQ84 by Haruki Murukami

8. The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

9. The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

10. Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (reread)

12. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (reread)

That looks like a short list, doesn’t it? Well, if you want, you may add your book to that list. Here is the list of the books I read and reviewed in 2018. Mainstream books, however, are not reviewed. They are popular enough as they are and some are even overrated and don’t need reviews for promotion.

1. Srepska by LucasSterling

2. You Can’t Pigeonhole Meby David M. Hood

3. Maggie ElizabethHarrington by D.J. Swykert

4. But My Brain Had OtherIdeas by Deb Brandon

5. Kitty Hawk and theIcelandic Intrigue by Iain Reading

6. Curses of Scale by S.D.Reeves

7. God is Alive and Wellby Dr. Robert Walker

8. Confessions of theHeart by Canaa L. Lee

9. Dawn of the Chrysalisby Sam B. Miller II

10. Sex and the Women byHeini Grunbaum

11. The Xeno Manifesto byBrysen Mann

12. Dodging Satan byKathleen Zamboni McCormick

13. Smith by Sam Miller II

14. Fiery Rivers by DaefydWilliams

15. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

16. The Bridge in the Fogby Marc Remus

17. The Simple Little Ruleby Mike Ellerkamp

18. The Witch’s Journey by Elaanie S.

19. Contract Pending by AlMarsiglia

20. A Chicken in the Windand How He Grew by Frank South

21. Madam Tulip and theBones of Chance by David Ahern

22. You Can’t Do That, YesI Can by Michael Attardi

23. Four Grams ofAffliction by Patricia M. Gunn

24. Brand Real by Vasken Kalayjian

25. Eyes Don’t Lie byCrystal Dawn Mason

26. Kitty Hawk and theTragedy of the RMS Titanic by Iain Reading

27. Marriage God’s Way byScott La Pierre

28. Tabikat by HarrietRedfern

29. Nightmares, The Lost Lullaby by Jason Segel

30. Pillow Talk: The Legend of Lorelie Begins by Daria J. Wagoner

31. Katseye by HarrietRedfern

32. Deadly Highway by J.Stewart Willis

33. Stop Whining; StartWinning by Tom Anslett

34. Driving in Reverse by LindsayWincherauk

35. Genna’s Ghost bySheldon Newton

36. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

37. Living with Uncertaintyand Still Enjoying Life by Karen Kay Dunn, M.A.

38. Patrick Kearney: TheTrue Story of the Freeway Killer by Jack Rosewood

39. The Manifesto Murders by Nick Airus

40. Invasion of the Ortaksby Sveinn Benonysson

41. That Place of Knowledgeby Phillip Shalka

42. The Wave and the Dropby Cindy Spring

43. The Golden Peacock byLauren B. Grossman

44. Hell Holes by DonaldFiresmith

45. The Fatness by Mark A.Rayner

46. Somewhere a Tree Growsby Kipling Keats de Magi

47. Voyage of Pearl of theSeas by Ruth Finnegan

48. A Distant Eden by LloydTackitt

49. Squelched by TerryBeard

50. Witchstone by VictoriaRandall

51. Bosnian Phoenix byMiljan Peter Ilich

52. The Language Thieves byMarc Remus

53. None Notches by TJSpencer Jacques

54. A Father Offers His Sonby Scott La Pierre

55. Kitty Hawk and theMystery of the Masterpieces by Iain Reading

56. American River:Currents by Mallory M. O’Connor

57. Angels among Us by Hannah Conway

58. World, Incorporated byTom Gariffo

59. Gone by Michael Grant

60. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

61. Revival from the Shoulder by Paul Juby

62. No Peace After War byClaire St. Hilaire

63. Highly EffectiveTeaching Strategies by Marc Hoberman

64. Fighting to Win byNicole Flockton

65. Eden Shrugged by EdmonMcGhee, Jr.

66. Tales of Gold by TLMarmon

67. Law of Attraction Masterby Steven Marie

68. Opus Singularis by RobertEarl Means, Jr.

69. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

70. When Angels Play Pokerby Maura O’Leary

71. Meditations from aPastor’s Heart by Jerome A. Jochem, M.S., M. A.

72. A Side of Faith byKrista Phillips

73. Templar Secrets byAndreas Economou

74. A Reunion in Time byRussell F. Moran

75. Spirituality in the 21stCentury by Frank P. Daversa

76. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

77. First Family by AliceLangholt

78. Chanctonbury by NatashaMurray

79. Accidents Happen bySharon Karaa

80. Empty Desk by JanetCall

81. Roadmap to the End ofDays by Daniel Friedman

82. McDowell by William H.Coles

83. Beyond Wealth to Long-Term Prosperity by Naseem Mariam

84. King of Time by SkySommers

85. Days of the Giants byRJ Petrella

86. A New Vision by MoriahMorningstar

87. The Ghost Writer byDamon Norko

88. Story Bends by S.D.Henke

89. The Crystilleries ofEcholand by Dew Pellucid

90. Garbageman by Erik Dean

91. Earthships, Book 2 byBonnie Jane Hall

92. Paralytic State bySteven Orlowski

93. Spin by Tina Sayward

94. Messed-Up Men of theBible by Tina and Dave Samples

95. For the Man in White byTyler Martin Sehnal

96. The Influence ofMilitary Strategies to Business by M. D. White

97. The Legacy of Job’sWife by Cynthia Koelker

98. Serpents and Doves byG. Lloyd Helm

99. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

100. The Easter Make Believersby Finn Bell

101. Vagrant by Janet Post

102. Chip’s World: Complex#31 and the Caretaker by Thomas Hill

103. Cyber-Thought Police byKyle Robertson

104. Ink by Amanda Anderson

105. The Mighty Blue SavedChristmas by M.A. Baer

106. Psychopath by JeffereyDawson

107. Chronicles of Pangea:Eve by Jay Mathis Horne

108. The Witch of Endor:Vampires by R.K. Wheeler

109. Unleash the Power ofYour Mind by Aaron Powell

110. At the Mouth of a Canonby Kevin Annett

111. Thomas Wildus and theBook of Sorrows by J. M. Bergen

112. Octavio and the Lotusby N. Pojk

113. A Bloody Book by ChrisBowen

114. The Watchmaker’s Doctorby G.M.T. Schuilling

115. The Uprising by MarcRemus

116. I Can See Peace by Julie Penshorn

117. The Woodspeople by Marc Remus

118. Of Zots and Xoodles by Zarqnon the Embarrassed

If you want to add your book on next year’s list, you may CLICK HERE. The blog author, however, reserves the right to refuse books that are beyond her field of expertise.  

My 2018 Book List

I have read 135 books in 2017. As a book reviewer, most of those books are by independent authors while a few are mainstream books which I read for fun an amusement. This year, I made a short list of only 10 books to give space for other and most likely books by indie authors. If you are a book author, you may want to add your book on this list. 

1. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

2. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

3. Gone by Michael Grant

4. The Girl on the Train by Tate Taylor

5. The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom

6. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

7. The 9th Life of Louis Drax

8. The Lost Lullaby by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

9. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray 

10. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Yes. There are two classic novels on my list and yes I seriously want to read them. 

Anyways, here is the list of books I read in 2017. You may click the title for the review of a particular book. Mainstream books, however, are not reviewed, basically because I do believe they don't need it.

1. The Key by Marianne Curley

2. Now I Know It's NotMy Fault by Laurie B. Levine

3. Beyond Acts by PaulR. Finch

4. Enchant: Beauty andthe Beast Retold by Demelza Carlton

5. Striking Blind byLonna Enox

6. Sapphire Ice byHallee Bridgeman

7. The Pharaoh'sBuilders by Heather Perrywinkle Smith

8. Get on Board LittleChildren by Victoria Randall

9. Faith, Grace andCancer by Stephanie Hoff Rodrigue

10. Winter by Marissa Meyer

11. EndSanity by JerryL. West

12. Strangers in AnotherCountry by G. Taylor

13. Agony of the Gods byTom Wolosz

14. Come on Home,Children by Victoria Randall

15. Whiteland King byAdrain G. Hilder

16. Stacked Case by AndyGruse

17. The Dark Companionsby M.A, Kassel

18. Ad Majorem by TomBeattie

19. Embellised by KarenGlista

20. Brainwalker by RobynMundell and Stephen Lacast

21. Betrayal of Faith byMark M. Bello

22. Yuri and the Legendof the Seventh Sea by Denis Boytsov

23. Bad War by SummerCooper

24. The Accelerating Worldby Emmanuel Cassimatis

25. City of HiddenChildren by Victoria Randall

26. Indeath by Cornelia Funke

27. Coffee-Drunk orBlind: An Alaskan Homesteading Adventure by Elle Knowles

28. The Seer by JDStanley

29. Alpha Wolves by JDSwykert

30. Me: AnecdotalEvidence that I Existed by Dan Reed

31. Bride of the Dragonsby Selina Cofey

32. Timmy, The FlyingMouse

33. The HackerChronicles by Patrick Oster

34. Lost Time by DLOrton

35. An Arabian Night byGaron Whited

36. He is With You byYnes Paulino Accilien

37. Dead Time by DLOrton

38. The Shadows of Olympus

39. Thrown Away bySheldon Newton

40. The Mark of theBeast Revelation 13 by Ezra Celestin

41. Nightlord Sunset by Garon Whited

42. Loss of Reason byMiles A. Maxwell

43. Deep Well of Time byMichael Dorer

44. Contingent UponMagenta by C. Drying

45. For All the CarolsOut There by Karyl Maier, M. Ed.

46. Lost and Forgottenby Maurice Barkley

47. Let No One WaitOutside Your Door by Lou Kief

48 Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

49. Hell Will Rise bySkyla Murphy

50. The Apostates Book Three: Lake of Fire by Lars Teeney

51. Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer

52. Blood Moon by JohnDavid Bethel

53. Chakaura by MicheleC. St. Amour

54. The Bordello Kid byKendall Hanson

55. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

56. The Necromancer by Michael Scott

57. There Was a LittleGirl by Edith Foote Carpenter

58. Justice by ScottHughes

59. The Dramen Lore by Mukta Sharma

60. Grey Areas by BradCarl

61. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

62. Role Reversal byIris Waichler, MSW, LCSW

63. 10 Step Plan to PromoteYour Book by Scott Hughes

64. The Old Guitar andOther Stories by KS Agustin

65. Science DeepensFaith by Thomas McAvoy

66. The Golden MapleTree by Marc Remus

67. The Afterlife:Hereafter and Here at Hand by Giulia Jeary Knap

68. Aaru by David Meredith

69. Domestic Violence in Lebanon: A Depth Psychological Perspective by Maysar Sarieddine

70. Ronaldo: TheReindeer Flying Academy by Maxine Sylvester

71. The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

72. Dear Maude by DeniseLeibig

73. The Power Experimentby Stephen Dimery, B. Sc.

74. _Shift by Brain Q.Webb

75. God Without Religion: An Alternative View of Life, the Universe and Everything by Dr. Michael Arnheim

76. Bullets and Babiesby Richard Ballo

77. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

78. Kitty Hawk and theCurse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading

79. Madam Tulip: AnIrish Cozy Mystery by David Ahern

80. Furthermore by Tahere Mafiti

81. Neostoicism 2.0 byRobert Woolston

82. Ronald: The PhantomCarrot Snatcher by Maxine Sylvester

83. God is a Woman byMichael Tavon

84. Living in Light, Love and Truth by Kaye Iliopoulos

85. Washed Away by NikkiDuBose

86. Harry the Happy Mouse by ngk

87. The Last Child ofLeif by Chris Pridmore

88. Men, Wars and Sex ofthe 60s by Lowell Hamilton

89. 2020 by Casey Dorman

90. Forged in Fire byFraser Scott

91. Pluto's Ghost byB.C. Chase

92. Have Amber - WillTravel by Keith Vlasak

93. We Are the Ants by Shawn David Hutchinson

94. Redemption: TheAdvent by Kimon Alexander

95. Madam Tulip and theKnave of Hearts by David Ahern

96. Holding Hope in OurHands by Kristin Skenderi

97. Origins by Dan Brown

98. Refugees by R.A.Denny

99. A Burning in theDarkness by AP McGrath

100. Hunting Nora Stoneby Colin Weldon

101. The Adventures ofFawn: 'Til the Last Snowflake Falls by Al E. Boy

102. We Won't Forget YouMr. McGillicuddy by Ira L. White

103. Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

104. Flames of Solsgardby Luke Manly

105. Brave and FunnyMemories of WWII by Lyndon Shubert

106. Kitty Hawk and theHunt for Hemingway's Ghost by Iain Reading

107. Johnny Quantum byTom Pawlik

108. The Hands of Ruinby Dylan Lee Peters

109. Frozen MomentsRevisited by Md Taslim

110. The Divinity Bureauby Tessa Clare

111. Midnite's Journeyby Dana Silkiss

112. My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

113. The Burgas Affairby Ellis Shuman

114. Programmed to Killby David J. Murray

115. Change; Become aWinner by George P. Boulden

116. SERIAL K by BrianGallagher 

117. Myth and Punishmentby Anoop Chandola

118. Seasons Change SoCan You by Alfreta Sailor            

119. Why We Crave Loveby Olympia Walker

120. The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom

121. A World WithoutColor by Bernard Jan

122. A Life Before byJulien Ayotte

123. The Yoke by DarrellDunham

124. Woman: The FailedMale by Dr. Geraldine Sharp

125. Hatching thePhoenix Egg by Joel Horn

126. Fifty Shames of Earl Grey by Fanny Merkin

127. Prayer Plus FaithEquals Miracles by Sharon Crittenden

128. Crossing the Lineby Elle Knowles

129. Superhighway by Alex Fayman

130. ImmaculateAssumptions by Cornelia Scott Cree

131. The Seduction ofReligion by Paul Singh

132. Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

133. The Golden Helm by VictoriaRandall

134. Da-Vid by StevenLancaster

135. The Bellringer byWilliam Timothy Murray

Brave and Funny Memories of WWII By a P-38 Fighter Pilot by Lyndon Shubert

Brave and Funny Memories of WWII By a P-38Fighter Pilot is an entertaining and heart-warming book written by Lyndon Shubert.

Unlike common stories about WWII, which tell of the horrors and the ravages of war, this book features a few light hearted even funny, albeit still frightening, events that took place in the author’s life during the war.

The author begins his story the night he received his order and said goodbye to his beloved wife whom he wasn’t sure he would see again. He was first based in Foggia, Italy in the 82^nd Fighter Group, 97^th Fighter Squadron to fly the greatest fighter plane of WWII, the P-38 Lockheed Lightning.

Because of his flying skills (at least as assumed by the 82^nd commanding officers) combined with unelaborated ‘incidents’ of misconduct, the author was eventually transferred to the 15^th Air Force Headquarters in Bari and was assigned to the 154^th Fighter-Recon-Weather Squadron whose job was to scout and report (by radio) the up-to-the-minute weather conditions at potential targets to help the Headquarters decide if bombers were to be dispatched or not.      

This is a very entertaining book about the experiences of a fighter pilot during the war. It is also a thin slice of history, seemingly insignificant but part of history nonetheless. The author wrote his story as he would tell it personally, with passion and a substantial amount of humor. That makes the book, and the experience itself, sound amusing and fun. The readers know, however, that there is nothing amusing or fun about the war, and I commend the author for sharing his story in such a light hearted manner because I assume that he did it deliberately to lighten up a dark part of his life that only a veteran like himself would understand.

Congratulations to Lyndon Shubert on such a great story! For more details about this book, click HERE.       

Washed Away by Nikki DuBose

WashedAway: From Darkness to Light is a touching and unforgettable book written by Nikki DuBose and co-written by James Johanson. It is a moving and shocking memoir of a former supermodel as she recounts her dark and painful childhood which deeply affected her self-perception and thrust her to a life of alcohol and substance abuse, eating disorder, psychosis, body dysmorphic disorder and suicide.  

As a child, Nikki, a product of a dysfunctional family, experienced various kinds of abuse including physical, mental and sexual. This constant abuse and her mother’s deteriorating mental health led Nikki to develop eating disorder and distorted perception of herself. Without any friends to turn to or guidance from the very person who was supposed to protect her and keep her safe, Nikki turned to food, alcohol and sex to fill the emptiness she felt inside. This feeling intensified through adulthood and further pushed Nikki to the brink of insanity and self-destruction.

Through it all, however, Nikki stood her ground as she battled against her demons, falling down again and again but got up each time armed only with sheer determination and dim hope that, somehow, things will get better.

This is a story of an extraordinary woman as she fought to overcome adversity she had always believed to be much greater than herself and emerged victorious as she finally learned to love herself and recognized herself as God’s child. This is a well-written memoir that vividly paints a picture of one woman’s pain and suffering due to abuse inflicted by both herself and others. It gives the readers a glimpse to the plight and agony of someone afflicted with body dysmorphic disorder, psychosis and depression. Finally, this is a beautiful story of hope and faith, that no matter how bad things get, there is someone out there looking out for us and loving us regardless of how we look upon ourselves.

Congratulations to Nikki DuBose (@TheNikkiDuBose) on such a great book.