I adored Andy Weir's debut novel, The Martian. I probably am not alone on that. Of course, I was insanely excited to see what Andy Weir would do with his second novel. Sadly it was the dreaded sophomore slump. Artemis starts incredibly strong. You open up on the moon, in a colony called Artemis. We're introduced to Jazz, a young woman on her own, running a small smuggling operation. We learn that she's been estranged from her dad, dirt poor, and barely getting by.

I wanted to love The Bear and the Nightingale so much. It's a book that was written with my personal sensibilities in mind. It's a fairy tale set in the wilderness of Russia, a small village full of superstition and religion. It's a dichotomy that's lived in the village for generations and one that gets' altered when a new priest comes to join the village. 

Joe Biden has a story that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. He lost his wife and newborn daughter in a car crash in his 30's and now during the last years of his time as Vice President, he lost his son to brain cancer. Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose is a novel that looks back at this time of his life, with harrowing detail. 

For my first book of 2018, I have to say I'm incredibly conflicted by Little Fires Everywhere. It's one of those novels that challenged me at every page turn. Little Fires Everywhere is a story about a neighborhood outside Cleveland that reminds me so much of a place I've lived for the last decade. It's perfectly manicured, expertly planned, and developed with an idea that you can create a perfect community. And whether you believe that this community is real, there's no doubt that there are always little fires everywhere. 

I love to read. I genuinely get just as excited about a new book as I do a new video, tv show, or movie. It's the one thing that keeps me sane on my drives to and from work every day. I also like to push myself to read books out of my comfort zone. To both enjoy fantastic fantasy worlds but also read about history and culture. Although I don't always accomplish that I will say that 2017 was a solid year of reading and by mid-December, I completed my goal of reading 30 books for the year. 

I love Tom Hanks. I've never really thought about who my favorite actor/actress is but I think if I did I would probably put Tom Hanks as #1. So, when I heard that he wrote a book of short stories I immediately pre-ordered it. I've grown to love books of short stories this year and Uncommon Type: Some Stories is both the best and at times worst of a book of short stories.