It's My Seventh Blogiversary!

I published my first post on This Side of Storyland on June 11, 2018. While I haven't blogged continuously in the intervening seven years, I am still counting this as my blog's seventh birthday! In celebration, I'm sharing my favorite books from the past seven years. (Note: this does not mean the book was published in the year I read it.) 

I have limited myself to one book per year, which means I will be leaving out many beloved books. I also gave myself a few rules:

1. It had to be the first time I'd read it.

2. I could only choose a book by the same author once.

3. I could only choose the first book in a series.

All covers are linked to Goodreads in case you'd like to learn more about a certain book.

2018

Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

I can't believe this has only been one of my favorite books for seven years! I discovered it on the shelf at the library when I was sixteen and it enchanted me instantly.

2019

Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

I want to read more books like this! Does anyone have any recommendations?

2020

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman

One of my favorite Backman books. I love how he keeps the reader guessing throughout the entire book!

2021

Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

I always feel like I have to apologize for liking this book, but I've never met another protagonist quite like Scarlett O'Hara, and I will always love her for that even as I shake my head at what an unlikable idiot she is.

2022

A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles

My friend gave this to me for my 20th birthday and I have read it twice! I love the writing, the setting, the plot–everything!

2023

The Weekend Homesteader, by Anna Hess

I have never read a more helpful gardening/homesteading book (and I've read a lot). Someday, when I have my own yard, I intend to follow the projects in this book through an entire year and hopefully document the journey!

2024

Starless, by Jacqueline Carey

There were so many other great fantasies I read last year, including Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, Helene Wecker's The Golem and the Jinni, and Leigh Bardugo's The Familiar. But this is the one that took my breath away.

2025

Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty

I'm still on the lookout for new favorites in 2025, but this was my favorite book from the first half of the year (I couldn't use The Winners because I already used a Fredrik Backman book AND it's third in a series). It was so thought-provoking, and I loved Cherry and her unconventional life story.

Have you read any of these books? Do we have any favorites in common? Let's chat!