It's finally 2019! It doesn't feel much different from 2018 to me, but a new year always has some sort of surprise in the future. So I thought maybe this would be a good time to highlight some of my high and low points of 2018 and then get into best reads of 2018, similar to a post I did last year.

• I took a trip to Washington DC for the first time with my family. We decided to tour the Smithsonian museums and some of the government buildings, and it was so so so cold. and cool, but mostly cold. Literally it was like 17 degrees outside and we decided to walk to all the monuments. O.o However, I loved riding the metro everywhere; that was super fun. :D
• I went to prom! First time, and it was super fun. My mother made this fabulous dress for me since we couldn't find anything cheap enough or worth altering. Prom was also my very first date. O.o So...I guess this is a sign I'm growing up? XD
• Girls camp in the summer was super lit but also extremely challenging. I went as a junior counselor for the first time and lets say that things didn't exactly go to plan, but I learned so much out of that experience, especially how to love people and not judge them.
• Youth conference to Palmyra, New York was also an amazing journey. I made a couple of new friends, and while the trip was mostly the bus ride up there, seeing the sights was like a spiritual bolster that I really needed. 
• Starting dual enrollment classes was also a major highlight for me. I loved my first semester, especially my English class and my math class. I set ambitious goals for this year education wise, and now I'm on a pretty good path to college. I just have to keep my grades up this year. ;)
• I took the ACT three times, and the second time they lost my test scores (>:[]) but I let it slide since on the third time I finally reached the score I wanted. :D I was actually pleasantly surprised because I got higher than I had expected. (Grateful for that timer breaking during the science portion!)
• I binged way too much Merlin last year, guys. Way too much. 
• My brother left on a two-year church mission. I'm super excited for him and proud of him too, because I know it's been a difficult year for him, but seeing him happier than he has ever been in his life is worth letting him leave. <3 
• I would say that my mental health has improved a lot this year. I'll talk about that more in a future post, but for now let's say that the worst phase I had was way back in the summer. Since then, I haven't fallen into any depressed stage for longer than a couple of days. :D

Wild Pennings reached thirty-eight subscribers this year! That may not seem like much, but it's a lot to me. Hopefully this year we can grow our little club some more. :)

The two most popular posts of the year were...



Five Struggles of a Blogger with Online Social Anxiety, with 14 comments and 125 pageviews, and 10 Middle-Grade Books YA Readers can Enjoy Too, with 22 comments and 117 pageviews.

I did my first collaboration with Lila Kims @The Red-Hooded Writer. We shared our experiences about pantsing and plotting our stories, and how it affects our writing. You can read Lila's post here and my post here. Thank you for working with me, Lila! :D

I started an Instagram account for Wild Pennings! You can check it out through this link or see my feed scroll by at the bottom of the home page. :)

Wow. I reviewed only four books this year...hmmmm. I don't know how I feel about this. I'll have to up that number this year and out-do myself. XD

Thank you for a wonderful 2018 of blogging! This blog would literally not exist without you. I've almost given up several times, but reading your comments and interacting with you guys motivates me to keep writing and expressing myself through blogging. Cheers to another year! :)


And now that highlights are out of the way, it's time for—*drum roll*—best of 2018!


Why does it not surprise me that it's another Ally Carter series. Y'all know how I rave about her books but this one maybe beats them all. I love how the series is written episode-style, so it's better of your read them in order, but it's not impossible to grasp if you read them out of order (like me, oops). I also loved the characters; they were stereotypical, but they fit the flow of the story well and made it fun and cozy. I wasn't a fan of some factors, but I honestly could not figure out half of hte plot twists. So if you like a twisty, unpredictable, mysterious action story, this is for you.



Not too much romance, and plenty of family bonds and history. It was slow but enchanting and I loved every second. Most importantly of all, this book made me think and feel. You can read my full review here.




I learn something every time I read this book, and I'm glad I read it again. I was at camp and going through a rough patch emotionally and needed a pick-me up. Reading this book reminded me how to care about other people and see the good qualities behind the surface. Later in the year, I bought a second copy just because mine is so worn. ;)




I don't remember the titles of many books that set me on edge, but hmm...The Alex Rider books always give me a thrill. So let's say Point Blanc. Honestly loved the action and suspense and it's been so hard to find good action books lie those.




I don't know if this counts as a genre...but I have officially fallen in love with The Silver Eye web-comic by Laura Hollingsworth. Definitely one of the best things I've discovered this year, but it's agony to wait for a new page each week. I guess that's why there's binge-reading. XD

The characters are complex and relatable, and somehow she manages to make me love every single one of hte,, even the villains, who I SHOULD be hating. D'X The story is an epic fantasy. which I haven't read much of for a couple of years, but this really helped me engage back into that genre. Also the artwork is just gorgeous.



I didn't have any issues with this book about the story or the characters or the cleanliness. In fact, there really isn't any major reason why this book is on here other than the author repeated Ryan's name about every other sentence and it drove me nuts. I honestly couldn't finish it because I was so aggravated. Mentioning a character's name more times than necessary is a pet peeve of mine, especially when the character is the only one in the scene. It is middle-grade, so if you want to read it, the story wasn't bad and the characters were okay. The thriller part was taking too long for my taste, but ugh. No. I cannot handle the name thing. Thinking about it makes me slightly riled. X'D



I think the only classic I can remember reading this year was Wuthering Heights. As much as I hated the characters, I loved the story and the ending was an unexpected surprise. Also Emily Brontë has the most beautiful story-telling voice.