I wasn’t sure how my reading was going to fare in 2024. This year was a such a different year for me. I spent the first half cramming a year’s worth of work into a few months, and the second half settling into a new house. But, not surprisingly, reading remained my anchor throughout all the hectic change. I reignited my love of fantasy, after having fallen away from it in recent years after some disappointing series, and I went down many a fascinating rabbit trail that originated from my interest in exploring the witch trials after visiting Salem, Massachusetts, last November.
Today, I’m sharing my top five fiction and top five non-fic for the entire year. I’ll hope you’ll chime in at the end with some of your faves!
Total books read: 70
Fiction to non-fiction ratio: 46:20
Number of books per rating: 5 stars (5), 4 stars (17), 3 stars (24), 2 stars (12), 1 star (2).
(Note: All links are Amazon affiliate links.)
My Top 5 Fiction Books of 2024
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
I was not expecting to like this so much, but the characters sucked me in to the point where I couldn’t stop reading. It has its clunky moments, mostly in explaining the worldbuilding, but it’s a smart, well-realized fantasy that is noticeably grounded in the author’s understanding of the military. Can’t wait for the sequel!
In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros
When I skimmed through this to begin with, it didn’t grab me, and I almost didn’t read it. I’m so glad I did! Beautifully executed love story with excellent characters and an aching realism in the Afghanistan war scenes. The story is masterfully crafted, rising above genre tropes into an ode that seems to have come from deep within the author’s heart.
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
It wouldn’t be an end-of-year book list without a Pratchett novel. Pratchett does this thing where his comic fantasy books just sort of ramble along. They’re funny and enjoyable, but not amazing. And then the Third Act hits, AND THE WHOLE THING GETS EPIC. Granny Weatherwax bumbling through most of the book, fooling even the readers into thinking she’s just a dealer in folk remedies and superstitions, only to have her best the entire school of wizardry in an epic show of skill, was one of the best things I’ve seen so far in the series.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Truly, this is one of the most powerful narrative voices ever put on paper. The nuance and complexity of Holden’s pain, the dissonance between what he says, what he believes he believes, and what he really believes is beautifully captured. The love between him and his sister is deeply touching, and the overall effect tragically thought-provoking.
Caught Up by Liz Tomforde
I wasn’t expecting this one to get me in the feelz so hard, but it surely did. The characters were beautiful, the unfolding relationship always felt spot-on without any unnecessary drama, the characters felt true and well-realized, and the FMC’s relationship with the baby boy had me in tears multiple times. Beautiful.
My Top 5 Non-Fiction Books of 2024
The Witch by Ronald Hutton
After visiting Salem, MA, last fall, I have felt a driving need to understand the history of the witch trials. This is, so far, the single best resource I’ve found. It is dense and extremely conscientious in its details, but the scholarship is top-notch. It speaks less to the actual historical events and more to the anthropological development of the circumstances and cultures that led to the European witch hunts. Fascinating, disturbing, and ultimately hopeful, it moves beyond pop culture or pat answers to shed light on a dark time, the details of which are too often painted with a thin brush.
Biohack Like a Woman by Aggie Lal
This book presents a relatively simple approach to basic holistic good health practices, but I definitely picked up some new tips and inspiration. I have to admit I hadn’t even really considered that many of the most basic premises of healthy living are different for women than they are for men. Gave me lots of food for thought and has helped me hack some of my own health practices to better effect.
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
Exceptionally thought-provoking, even though the title might more appropriately (if less punchily) have been, simply, Food Production. The book creates a new baseline through which to understand ancient history and particularly the course of social development. It gets a bit repetitive in areas, but at the end of the day, I didn’t mind since the information is dense and there’s a lot to process.
Feng Shui for Dummies by David Daniel Kennedy
Despite its title, this is the most detailed and useful feng shui guide I’ve read so far. It gets down to the practicalities while still presenting the larger system and philosophy. It’s what finally helped me “get” it.
The Ethical Investor by Nicole Haddow
The only thing I didn’t like about this book was… it was for Australians. If it had been country-specific to me, I would no doubt have found it as useful as Haddow’s countrymates probably do. As it is, much of the specific info wasn’t of much use to me. However, I did felt her approach offered me information and ideas that were invaluable for carrying over to my own financial structure, especially since surprisingly few books exist on this topic as yet.
My Books
And if all these goodies aren’t enough to fill your To Be Read pile next year, here are a few more! 🙂
Wordplayers, tell me your opinion! What were your top books of 2024? How many books did you read? Tell me in the comments!
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