#bookishhighlights

Hey guys! Damn I have written this post already once but since my computer decided to delete it, here we go again: 2018 is almost over, can you believe it? On the one hand, I cannot believe that we are already so close to 2019, on the other hand, however, I feel like 2018 has been going on forever! So even if I am not quite ready for New Year’s Eve yet and would prefer to still have a little bit more time in 2018 for some reflection, I am excited to see what the new year is gonna bring (please, let it be good!)

Anyway, today I wanna show you some of my bookish highlights of this year, books that touched me, inspired me or were really thought-provoking.

Does my Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

A funny, warm and yet thought-provoking read about a teenage Muslim-Australian girl deciding to start wearing the hijab. Offers great family dynamics, amazing friendship, and important notes on every day racism, prejudice, and fitting in. The protagonist really made her way into my heart!

The Power by Naomi Alderman

A shocking, emotional story set in a world where women start to take over because of their new acquainted power of being able to electrode. Will make you question and think a lot about society, feminism and power. Probably one of the most impactful books I have read in a long time.

Golden Boy by Abigail Tartellin

Absolutely heartbreaking, shocking and emotional, this book tells the story of young Max, who is intersex and confronted with many hardships in life. This book will make you cry and hope and stick with you long after the last page. Even though it is a very though read, I feel like this story has great importance to it, not shying away from controversial or taboo topics and being brutally honest.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

A Latinx fantasy novel with Hispanic witches, cute bisexual girls, great friendship, clever parallel worlds, amazing family dynamic and plenty of magic! This diverse, interesting and engaging adventure made me fall in love with YA fantasy again and has me hoping for more diverse fantasy stories.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

A friend’s recommendation that turned out to be one of the most memorable books I read this year. A historical fiction masterpiece following a 500-years-old Haggadah through centuries of history, entwining many different fates and beliefs and stories into one clever, inspiring novel. A truly amazing book.

Daughter of the Dragon by William Andrews

A story about a very dark chapter of East Asian history rarely talked about, the story of so, so many Korean women being forced into being “comfort women” and serving the Japanese military as sex slaves. Shocking, emotional, but, most of all, incredibly important, these are the adjectives that I would use this truly memorable novel.

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

A funny, cute and yet thought-provoking read about a fat teenage girl entering in a beauty pageant and challenging societies perception of beauty. Loved the many amazing girls in this book that come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes and make me smile and cry and learn so much about self-love and body positivity. I want the movie on German Netflix now.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

This year, I finally turned vegetarian and am now on my journey to adapting a plant-based diet. Apart from watching many well-made documentaries, this book was also very shocking, eye-opening and thought-provoking. Foer makes sure to include many different perspectives and ideas, and in the end leaves it to the reader to decide for themselves what eating animals means for them.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Even though my and Taylor had a rough start, I now am just in love with her poetic, colorful way of writing and her clever, magical stories that always make me marvel at her way of stringing words together. A fantastic story with a lot of magic between its pages.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Another contemporary book that showed me that this genre has much more to offer than just “boy meets girl” stories. This funny, cute story includes bisexual and Chinese-American rep, a fancy art school, some high school drama, finding yourself, fitting in, and so much Acapella! Made me smile a lot.