Bonjour, I'm Julia.

Here's a quick rundown of all the books I read in 2018. Books I particularly enjoyed and would recommend are in bold. Total books read: 52.

• Oranges by John McPhee
  The writing is amazing - how anyone can write so much on a seemingly neutral subject like oranges is beyond me.

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
  Loved this book with every fiber of my geeky being. I loved the characters, the crazy world they live in and the entire storyline. I finished the book feeling sad that it was all over and immediately wanted to read it again.

• How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  Simple insights into human nature when you boil it down, but makes it no less powerful.

• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
  Great insights into the mind and perceptions, and the feelings of loss, grief and letting go.

• After the Quake (audiobook) by Haruki Murakami
  Definitely not my favourite of Murakami's, but it might have been due to the translation and voices in the audiobook. My favourite stories were "Thailand" and "Honey Pie".

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts I and II by John Tiffany, Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling I sort of wished I hadn't read this and wouldn't recommend it to hardcore HP fans. I'm hoping it transfers a lot better to stage.

• Audition by Ryu Murakami
  80% of the book was buildup, with the last 20% being an utterly ridiculous "climax".

• Home (Myron Bolitar #11) (audiobook) by Harlan Coben
  It's the first of the Harlan Coben books I've come across, probably won't be my last.

• Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
  Excellent reading for a person with a severe lack of knowledge in geopolitics. I feel like I understand so much more about current day international politics, just from analysing 10 regional maps.

• The Sellout by Paul Beatty
  Gave up on this about a quarter of the way in.

• Into the Water (audiobook) by Paula Hawkins Couldn’t get into it. Too many character POVs which didn’t add to the suspense or story.

• Hag-Seed (audiobook) by Margaret Attwood
  Based on The Tempest, which I've never read. Not bad.

• Fortunately, the Milk (audiobook) by Neil Gaiman
  Utterly ridiculous in a great way. Even better when narrated by Neil Gaiman himself.

• The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
  A great story which held its mystery right up until the end.

• The Muse by Jessie Burton
  Not as good as The Miniaturist, but still a well-written and entertaining story.

• Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
  Nowhere near as good as the other books I've read of Liane Moriarty's.

• Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
  I’m undecided about the main characters, but intrigued enough to continue reading the second volume to see where they lead.

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (audiobook) by Newt Scamander
  Nothing much to be excited about here, but I did enjoy listening to Eddie Redmayne's narration.

• Lullaby by Leila Slimani
  Set in France and written by a French author, the book touches on women in the workplace, the choice between children and career, immigration, solitude, class and race.

• The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer by Elizabeth Blackburn, Elissa Epel
  Starts off great, but gets increasingly repetitive.

• The Longevity Diet by Valter Longo
  It's a simple book (and not the best in terms of writing style) which caters more towards casual readers rather than folks interested in getting deep and dirty in the research.

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez
  I really wanted to like the book but it was just too strange for me, and not to mention, confusing. I loved it for the sheer fact that it was just so imaginative and different from anything else I've ever read, but this is just not the genre for me.

• The Imposter's Handbook by Rob Conery
  Offers a good introduction to the topics of computer science that make up the foundations of computers and coding.

• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
  A fun book to read on one woman’s year long project to find personal happiness.

• What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey
  A short book filled with anecdotes from Oprah on what she’s found has contributed most to her happiness over the years.

• Armada by Ernest Cline
  I liked this book and read it in 3 sittings but felt it could’ve been a lot better.

• La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
  Great to be back in the world of Lyra, Dust and daemons.

• Hacking Growth by Sean Ellis
  Found the 1st part really good. Didn't get round to reading the 2nd part as it's not relevant to me right now.

• Origin by Dan Brown
  Another classic Robert Langdon book. Really like the premise of the book and the unanswered philosophical questions at the end.

• The Airbnb Story: Inside the company disrupting the world by Leigh Gallagher
  This is a great account of the Airbnb story so far. The author doesn’t look to be taking sides, but the company and its founders are definitely shown in a highly positive light. Highly inspiring.

• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
  Funny but really poignant. A “should read” for all of society (we’d all be better off for it).

• The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future by Kevin Kelly
  The author seems to be very optimistic about where he sees the world going though (I am less so!).

• Holistic Anatomy: An Integrative Guide to the Human Body by Pip Waller
  Found it a bit unstructured at times though, and was a little wary of some of her claims and opinions.

• The Happiness Hypothesis: Putting Ancient Wisdom to the Test of Modern Science by Jonathan Haidt
  This book covers a broad range of subjects, from science, to psychology, history and philosophy, all to do with what makes us happy.

• Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition by T. Colin Campbell
  Reread from 2015. Still repetitive, but have a new-found appreciation for the necessity of it.

• Simple Happy Kitchen: An Illustrated Guide for Your Plant-Based Life by Miki Mottes
  Helped fund the Kickstarter and happy to finally be able to read it.

• The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity by John Mackey, Alona Pulde, Matthew Lederman
  Really enjoyed reading this book for its straight forward and simple nutrition message. It just makes sense.

• Unlocking French with Paul Noble by Paul Noble
  Felt that I actually came away from reading this book with a French level up! Wish there was a book 2.

• Nutrition Counseling and Education Skill Development by Kathleen D. Bauer, Doreen Liou, Carol A. Sokolik
  Covers a broad range of topics, but still manages to be a very practical guide.

• The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary
  A must read for anyone intending to start a tech company.

• Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living: How to Accept Yourself and Others by Pema Chödrön
  Common sense maxims that we can all put into daily practice to make the world a calmer place. ✌🏻

• City of Thieves by David Benioff
  I was immediate engrossed in the excellent storytelling. It’s been a while since I enjoyed reading a book this much, and it’s all the more surprising that it was this one as I’m generally not much of a fan of holocaust stories.

• A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey
  I liked it for the leadership lessons it offered.

• Coaching for Performance: The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership by John Whitmore
  Useful for understanding why you'd want to use coaching techniques as a leader in your organisation.

• 101 Coaching Strategies And Techniques by Gladeana McMahon
  I found the strategies a bit hit and miss - some really resonates, others don't sit with me as well. Suspect this will be very individual to each and every coach, so perhaps manage your expectations.

• Great Thinkers: Simple Tools from 60 Great Thinkers to Improve Your Life Today by The School of Life
  Such a great idea for a book. This is basically a selection of “great thinkers“ from a number of different fields, where a 3-5 page profile is dedicated to each great thinker.

• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight
  I knew I was going to like this book, but it exceeded all my expectations.

• The Cows by Dawn O'Porter
  Quite intriguing initially but became super ridiculous. The underlying message is a good one though.

• The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
  A great read on what it truly means to be in a long-term relationship.

• Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimised practices for waking, working, learning, eating, training, playing, sleeping and sex by Aubrey Marcus
  Helpful that he summarises all of his tips together, in chronological order, for what he calls the optimum day. This covers everything from waking up, to diet, movement and exercise, play, sex and sleep.

• Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
  I read this and then started getting a bit anxious about my sleep duration and quality. Has been immensely useful in motivating me to prioritise sleep.

• Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
  This was a real slow burn and I kept waiting for something to happen... which eventually something did, but in the most ridiculous way.