2018 was a very slow reading year for me — especially considering the number of long flights I had across the Pacific Ocean. But even though the number was small, I still read some wonderful books.
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan is a World War II page turner based on the true story of an Italian boy you have never heard of. Trust me, read it!
A Woman’s World: True Stories of Life on the Road by Marybeth Bond and Asha Patel – this book is old which for me made it all the more fun to read. This book consists of short essays by amazing women who have left their comfort zones and traveled. Some of their adventures are life changing and harrowing and some are simple trips in their own backyard. This was a book I had to re-gift and pass on.
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park is a moving memoir of Salva a refugee from Sudan.
American by Day by Derek Miller. This is his third book and while nothing will top Girl in Green, this was wonderful and examines US race relations through the eyes of a foreigner.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee was my favorite book of the year and I read some great ones. Pachinko tells the story of several generations of Korean immigrants living in Japan through the 20th Century.
The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli: I read this book while flying to Vietnam. It is a wonderful fiction story of a female photographer during the Vietnam War. The war spans more than a decade of the war and takes through the streets of Saigon as well as the horrors of battle. The novel is also a moving and compelling love story. What’s not to like?
Honorable Mention: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. I read this because a Gentlemen in Moscow was so fantastic. This was also an excellent read of friendship and love.
Life Kinetic Travel Research 