I read a lot of books this year (anything over 50, I consider a lot). Much of what I read was for work, either sabbatical (and I’m not counting all the articles and chapters, but not whole books), or for class. Later on this year, I turned to reading some things as consideration for class, especially my gender studies classes. There’s been a lot of good stuff published recently, and I’ve also been trying to keep up with some of the NY Times picks for books of the year. Things in bold are recommended for general audiences of people like me.
1. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Erika Sanchez)
2. Talking as Fast as I Can (Lauren Graham)
3. Juniors (Kaui Hart Hemmings)
4. Behind the Beautiful Forevers (Katherine Boo)
5. Sisters (Lily Tuck)
6. A Dog’s Purpose (W. Bruce Cameron)
7. The Penderwicks in Spring (Jeanne Birdsall)
8. The Penderwicks on Gardham Street (Jeanne Birdsall)
9.The Penderwicks (Jeanne Birdsall)
10. The Penderwicks at Pointe Mouette (Jeanne Birdsall)
11. Camino Island (John Grisham)
12. Who Would Have Thought It? (Ruiz de Burton)
13. Critical Theory Today (Lois Tyson)
14. Young Jane Young (Gabrielle Zevin)
15. The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion)
16. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Thorne, et al)
17. The Power (Naomi Alderman)
18. The Penderwicks at Last (Jeanne Birdsall)
19. Confessions of a Domestic Failure (Bunmi Laditan)
20. Sing, Unburied, Sing (Jesmyn Ward)
21. Dinner, A Love Story (Jenny Rosenstrach)
22. The Poet X (Elizabeth Acevedo)
23. Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
24. Modern Lovers (Emma Straub)
25. Laura & Emma (Kate Greathead)
26. Ordinary Grace (William Kent Kruger)
27. Sorority (Genevieve Sly Crane)
28. Calypso (David Sedaris)
29. Educated (Tara Westover)
30. American Panda (Gloria Chao)
31. Less (Andrew Sean Greer)
32. Lucky Boy (Shanthi Sekaran)
33. The Kids Will Be Fine (Daisy Waugh)
34. All Joy and No Fun (Jennifer Senior)
35. Exit West (Mohsin Hamid)
36. American Women Writers and the West (Nina Baym)
37. Everything is Illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer)
38. Circe (Madeline Miller)
39. Juan Bobo (Aurora Lucero-White Lea)
40. El Iluminado (Ilan Stavans and Steve Sheinkin)
41. Make Your Home Among Strangers (Jennine Capo Crucet)
42. You Think it, I’ll Say It (Curtis Sittenfeld)
43. Rilla of Ingleside (LM Montgomery)
44. Tell Me How It Ends (Valeria Luiselli)
45. The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas)
46. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (JK Rowling)
47. Cherry (Nico Walker)
48. No Ashes in the Fire (Darnell Moore)
49. Sabrina (Nick Drnaso)
50. American Born Chinese (Gene Luen Yang)
51. Marilla of Green Gables (Sarah McCoy)
52. Sex Object (Jessica Valenti)
53. Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family (Anne-Marie Slaughter)
54. Girls & Sex: Navigating the New Landscape (Peggy Orenstein)
Well, 21 out of 54 that I absolutely loved reading for the first time (I didn’t count them in my favorites if they are re-reads) is not a bad ratio for the year! Also, I read three graphic novels this year, trying to diversify a little. I read 17 books by writers of color, which is a little low for me, seven for book club, and at least five from the NY Times best list.
Academic Leigh Speaking 
Counted my 2018 reads on my goodreads app. I read a lot this year, about 114. I say about because there were a few that I think got added this year that I actually read in a previous year. I looked at your list above.and there is an overlap of two books: “Circe” & ” Calypso”. It helps that I am now only working part-time. I also have no children and am a terrible housekeeper. And I now no longer bother to finish anything that doesn’t hold my interest. If I don’t finish it I don’t add it to the goodreads app. There is a five star rating system. Most of my ratings are 3 or 4. Very few books are anything I would read again my criteria for 5 stars. I rarely finish 2 star books. 4 stars has me searching for other books by the same author.