Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster: This epistolary novel from 1912 is on every thorough list of novels written in letter form so I had to start the year with this one. I’m on a mission to read many. Daddy Long Legs is listed as a children’s book, but it seems more appropriate for an older audience to fully appreciate the tone of the main narrator. I liked it! Though since the last book I read in 2018 was Dear Mr. Knightley,which was based on Daddy Long Legs, I had a hard time separating the two.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert: I read this a few years ago, but listened to the audio this time because having Elizabeth Gilbert’s voice in my ear is the perfect start to new creative endeavors in the new calendar year. I loved the book more this time than last time, and that’s saying a lot.

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes: I like to read a solid motivational book at the beginning of the year. Year of Yes was a good choice. Rhimes is (obviously!) an excellent writer and the details of her work schedule and family life were so interesting.

The Parting Gift by Evan Fallenberg: I’m still in a stage of reading novels in letter form. Fallenberg’s is a recent release about an unusual arrangement between two men that is really hard to explain. You have to just read the description in the link. It’s very good. Different. Very graphic (definitely “adult situations”) so consider yourself warned.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver: This was such a chilling book written entirely as letters from a wife to a husband. Almost painful to read (I did the audio, which was maybe even harder to take because I couldn’t skim the most difficult moments.) And yet, I could not stop listening to see what exactly would happen next. Things got worse for the characters than I even imagined, and I imagined a lot of bad things. Did I like this book? Like doesn’t seem to be the right word. I appreciated how it was crafted. I found it compelling. But its darkness has stayed with me in an uncomfortable way.

Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff: I loved this book! Acuff’s writing is both entertaining and extremely helpful. This is my favorite self-help book in ages. He also wrote a book called Start, but like many people, starting projects isn’t my problem. Finishing is!

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff: This nonfiction book of letters between Hanff and the employees of the little bookshop in London where she preferred to get her books is so charming. That’s the best word for it. Published in 1970, it’s the compilation of 20 years of correspondence with an abrupt and tear-jerking ending.