I’m finding it to be sad and difficult to let go of 2018. While so many social media posts that I see are saying good riddance and proclaiming that 2019 is going to be the best year yet, I am mourning the close of 2018. Personally, 2018 held so many untouchable highs and surreal moments. Between bridal showers, my Bachelorette party, our wedding, traveling, and settling into our first home, it was a year that will forever be etched into our hearts as one of our most memorable.

The biggest lesson I am carrying from 2018 into 2019 is to simplify and live intentionally. As undeniably beautiful as the year was, it was also hugely overwhelming. Toward the end of the year, I took some extremely difficult steps to trim back on my commitments so that I could refocus on the things that were getting short-changed in the middle of the chaos, like my new marriage, my friends, and myself. While 2018 wasn’t a year I wanted to rush out of, I felt holes in it that I want to make sure get filled in 2019. Life is an unbelievably short train that picks up speed with each rising and setting sun. I know that not every year is going to be drenched in joy and hard days are inevitable, but I don’t want that to shroud my ability to appreciate the beauty within each moment. So, I am entering 2019 not expecting a radical makeover but an adjustment of my perspective to focus on valuing the people and things that make my heart beat.

For starters, I am a lover of words and find so much pleasure in reading all types of writing. It can be difficult, though, for me to carve out time for reading, because my job is mentally exhausting, making even a leisurely activity like reading not always that desirable. Still, though, I set a goal of reading 21 books in 2018. (Side note: If you enjoy reading and aren’t already on Goodreads.com, get yourself there! It’s a wonderful website and app that helps you track reading goals, communicate with other readers and authors, receive book recommendations, enter countless book giveaways- I’ve won twice!-, and stay caught up on all sorts of delectable publishing news.) I managed to read 22 books, albeit, several were books that I was teaching. Here are some of my favorites from the year (click on any of the book images to be linked to the book on Amazon):

I soak up nearly everything Kristin Hannah turns out. Her writing has always been solid, but it has continued to improve by leaps and bounds over the years. The Nightingale is proof that she is an author worth following. If you’re looking for a page turner that has an intense historical backdrop, complex characters, and masterful storytelling, I highly, highly, highly recommend this one! Add it to your reading list for 2019! You will not be sorry!

I know I’m late to the game on this one, but oh my is Still Alice a reflection of writing that moves your soul! There is no denying that it’s heart-wrenching, but it’s entirely deserving of your time and tears. It took me all of two days to get through, and those were two days very well spent.

To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and Lord of the Flies are books that I had the honor of teaching and, subsequently, reading during 2018. I’m sure most of us were required to read this lineup while in school. If you were anything like I was as a teenager, though, you didn’t grasp the profound, timeless, immovable beauty of the writing. I strongly urge you to pick up at least one classic in 2019 and revisit a story that maybe you haven’t read in decades to rediscover, or discover for the first time, why these stories have received the well-deserved title of “classic.”

As 2019 begins, I’m setting a goal of 25 books. I’m striving to outpace my ordinary by reclaiming a form of self care that I love and creating intentional time to enjoy it. Here are a few books I’m itching to read at the start of this year:

It’s a little mix of a couple of newer literary releases, an authentically raw memoir, and a classic I loved in high school but haven’t read since. I’m eager to add to my list and open to reading anything that is good reading; please share your recommendations with me in the comments! What were your favorite reads in 2018? What are you looking forward to picking up this year?

I hope you have magnificent plans to outpace your ordinary this year. Whether you subscribe to the idea of a new year bringing a fresh start or not, I invite you to join me in slowing down and remembering the things that you love. Find time for them. Make time for them. 2019 has just begun but it will move by at the speed of light. Make sure that you walk in such a way that you will be able to stand at the end of this year and say, “I found the beauty in 2019, and despite anything negative that may have happened, I am grateful for and made the most of each day I was given.”