And just like that, another year is gone! Where did it go? It was definitely filled with ups and downs for me medically, academically, and personally. But overall I’m feeling good about the year while still looking forward to 2019.

This year, I really started putting energy into this blog. While I started Reading with Moose in 2017, it wasn’t until May of 2018 that I really got into it and started taking it more seriously. I have my first giveaway, Baby Teeth through St. Martin’s Press, to thank for that.

Coming into 2018, I had a couple of goals. Now is the dreaded moment when I look back at them and see how I measured up. My goal for this year was to read 40 books and have 100 blog followers. How did I do? Drum roll please….

I read 44ish books and have 78 followers as of this very moment! Sooooo I halfway made my goals! I say 44″ish” because that is how many books I logged on Goodreads, but there are several books I read but didn’t count, such as cookbooks and craft books. I dunno, it feels weird for me to say I “read” them, but I read all of the words…. Do they count?!

I thought it would be fun to go through my favorite books of the year from different genres, but this turned out to be hard since there were so many good books this year! My eyes have been seriously spoiled. But I finally decided on the following:

Favorite Science Books 2018

1. She Has Her Mother’s Laugh by Carl Zimmer
2. The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke
3. Does It Fart? by Dani Rabaiotti and Nick Caruso

Favorite Mystery Books 2018

1. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
2. The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
3. Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

Favorite Young Adult Books 2018

1. Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
2. Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
3. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

While I was able to read more books than I had challenged myself to, I didn’t get around to reviewing them all. In total, I posted 65 blog posts in 2018, though still have 19 books from the last year or so that I have read but not reviewed. I should be ashamed of myself.

This year I have also been lucky enough to connect with so many fellow book bloggers from all over the world. You guys are just as awesome as the books I read, and make the whole process so enjoyable. I love you guys! ❤ ❤ ❤

And I especially want to thank all of my readers. I truly couldn’t keep doing this without you. I have learned so much this year about writing better reviews and engaging in literary discussions, and hopefully that comes across in my posts.

I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store. Did you meet all of your reading goals? What were your favorite books of the year?