2024 Books

I look forward to writing this wrap up all year, and while I've considered writing it as I go, I sort of like comparing all the books all at once. There were some that I thought would be clear standouts, that at the end of the year didn't even make the list. And others that I hated, but didn't hate as much as some that came after them. Except One by One. That was my first, and worst, book of the year. Sorry Freida. 

If you want to go back to see past years' wrap ups, they're here: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 (also holy shit. I've been doing this for eight years now?!)

This year my goal was 75 books. I didn't quite make it, but I figure 64 is a very respectable number, nonetheless I definitely raced to the finish line to avoid ending the year at 63. And I got messed up because I finished Part 1 of an audiobook and Part 2 hasn't been released yet. And also, as I was writing this I'm realizing that there are a few missing from my Goodreads. So I read somewhere between 64 and not 64 books this year. My life is very hard. 

Books I have recommended to almost everyone and/or bought for people and therefore forced them to love:

Margo's Got Money Problems. I LOVED this book. It was such a sweet father/daughter/redemption story and I genuinely enjoyed all the characters. OnlyFans, professional wrestling, robots. And for being that the whole premise was around porn, it was pretty smut-lite (especially for this year)

Butcher and Blackbird. This book was recommended by my brother, so you can imagine my surprise once I actually read it. I love recommending it but definitely warn people that it will make them question their own social-appropriateness. I liked Leather and Lark too, but I think it didn't live up to Butcher because I was better prepared. Also, this is the first "Trigger warnings" I've laughed out loud at. 

When the Moon Hatched. I was intimidated by the length of this book, but it went really fast. The world building was done so well. 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea. TJ Klune is a gift to the world. It would've been so hard to meet my expectations for the sequel to House in the Cerulean Sea but this was exactly how the story should've progressed. 

Sarah J Maas got a lot of play this year, especially after I found Graphic Audio books. I'm really enjoying the Throne of Glass series and from what I hear, it's most people's favorite. Crescent City on Graphic Audio though is PERFECTION. 

Great books without faeries:

Happiness Falls. I listened to this one, and I think having it read added to the experience. I really appreciated the research that the author put into this book and the way she made neurodivergence a character trait and not an entire personality. 

The God of the Woods. There was a lot of hype around this book and it was absolutely well-deserved. 

Sweet books featuring magical creatures (because it can't all be wings and smut):

Bookshops & Bonedust. An orc finds community in a small village after being injured in battle. The characters were all precious and I can't wait to read the prequel. 

The SpellShop. I was sold on "sentient spider plant" The love story was sweet and I think I needed a bit of a palate cleanser. There was a lot of smut this year...

Non-Fiction Standouts:

I don't read a ton of non-fiction, but this year's been good for informational books. 

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts. Read this. To date, there's still been less than 100 women in space. I geeked out about this book for awhile, both for the women's history but also for the NASA history. 

Counting the Cost. I remember when the Duggars got TLC to build them that gigantic house with the commercial kitchen, buffet, and giant "Boys" and "Girls" rooms. Shocker that the family got so weird... 

We all know I love a historical fiction:

The Briar Club. This book made me wish I had more girlfriends and a stairwell to paint. It also brought a lot of Kate Quinn's past characters together which was fun. 

The Divorcees. This book revolved around a Divorce Ranch in Nevada. I didn't know much about them so this was fascinating, and I loved the different characters and their backstories. Also I read this and immediately got back into my southwest vibes so we can blame Rowan Beaird for the reemergence of turquoise in my life. 

The Women. Military nurses in Vietnam. I think the theme of female veterans was one that hasn't been explored as much as you'd think it should be. 

These books were so awful it was almost fun to hate them:

Haunting Adeline. Did not finish. Didn't even make it 25%. Here's the TL;DR so you don't have to. Haunted house. Lots of sexual innuendos. Done. Also, right off the bat some rando punches a hole in her wall (covered with antique wallpaper) because she decides not to fuck, and her thought is "Well if my hole isn't getting plugged, I may as well check out the hole in the wall." If that's not a direct quote it's very close, but I can't check because I literally threw this book in the garbage. 

One by One by Frieda McFadden. OMG. This was so bad but I had it on audio book and stuck with it because at some point it became so bad it was good. There was a lot of time spent talking about how out of three grown ass, accomplished, seemingly functional women, not a single one knows how to pee in the woods. And the car breaks down but instead of walking to the hotel ON THE ROAD, they go traipsing in the woods for several days. Also, one of the guys has a daypack with water purifying tablets and a rifle, but not a flashlight? I legitimately considered starting a podcast just to bash on this book.

Incidents Around the House. WTF? This was like someone took acid and then watched Sesame Street. Yep. That's all I can say. It was fucking weird and not in the fun way. I read it clear to the end waiting for it to make sense and it never did. 

Bride: Here's the thing. It's not awful. It's actually pretty good. But I couldn't get past "knotting." And then because I fell down that rabbit hole of WTF, my algorithm got really disturbing for a minute. So it's on the list as retribution. You should definitely read it and definitely don't google "knotting." 

2025 is starting off strong. Lights Out and Rental House both arrived on the same day so now I'm faced with the impossible decision of smutty BookTok or Literary Sweetheart...