Best reads of 2018 so far...

At the beginning of the year I set myself the challenge of reading 25 books this year. Now a few years ago this was doable in a few months for me but as I have found out that it's difficult to take out time to read when working and basically being an adult.

Last year I started lots of books but only finished a few as I kept getting distracted/bored/found a new book, so this challenge is keeping me on track to finish books! I've been using Goodreads to keep a record of my reads as I can update my progress page by page, as well selecting books I want to read next. 

So far this year I have read 9 books and I'm currently reading 7 books. It's already August so I had hoped I would be closer to the target by now, but I definitely read a lot more during the winter - when I have spare time in the summer months I'd rather go out and do something active  with friends/family instead of hiding away in a book. 

Here's a roundup of my favourites so far:

The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam
This novel has made it's way into my top 5 books of all time; it's the first time I've read anything by Nadeem Aslam and he just writes in such a beautiful way, as soon as I finished the book I wanted to pick it up and start it from the beginning.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (Still reading)

This book is so different to anything I've ever read before, it's a fantasy novel set in the enticing Daevabad, where there are all sorts of wonderful creatures, half-human half djinn's, evil spirits and much more.

The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla (Still reading)

This collection of short essays/stories by lots of well known writers was recommended to me by my best friend. If you've ever felt like an 'outsider' there's a chapter in here that you will be able to relate to. 

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

This YA novel was a quick read, with 3 main characters facing very different issues such as the fear of failure, identity crisis and grief, who come together under strange circumstances.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
This was a super interesting read, quite relevant to what's going on in the world right now. Whilst reading it I wasn't sure if I liked it, but once the story came to an end I realised I felt like that because it was shocking and tragic.