2024: Bookish Year in Review

In December 2023, I made a list of books to read throughout 2024, and I wanted to see if I would willingly and happily stick with that order. Previously, I would just look at my shelves and pick a book based on how I was feeling. I was very generous with myself, and I told myself that I would only stick to the list if I enjoyed doing it; I’m not gonna ruin reading for the sake of a trivial challenge. On the other side of 2024, I think I’ll continue with this method for 2025, at least. I found myself spending less time wondering what I was in the mood for, because I already had a book laid out for myself. I also looked more towards my own shelves rather than shopping for more books under the mindset that I “don’t have any books” when I definitely do (though I definitely didn’t keep to my “No Buy Books” resolution).

I did keep to my list, except that I had to skip The Count of Monte Cristo, because I belatedly realized that I only had the abridged version. I picked up the full version recently, and it’s two times the size. That’s now on my TBR for 2025. I also added five books that were not originally on the list: The Choice because my mother recommended it and gave me her kindle login to read it, I’m Glad My Mom Died because I started listening to that as an audiobook on one of the many road trips in Italy, Robinson Crusoe, USN because my dad let me borrow the memoir and I had to give it back to him, Paradise Lost that I picked up on and off throughout the year because I knew people who were reading it and it seemed relevant to my life at the moment, and Someone Named Eva because it was a short book to end the year with.

I read 30 books this year, but I’ve been horrible at writing reviews in a timely manner. I posted half of them in mass a couple weeks ago so that I’d have all of them published before the end of the year. I’m not sure why I’ve been so lazy in writing them, since I love solidifying all the books in my mind through forming opinions and leisurely (meaning unscholarly) analyzing them through reviews. Hopefully I’ll do better next year. 

But now to the rankings, which are obviously entirely subjective and subject to change based on my whims. I’m not sure it’s fair to include my three rereads of the year in the official rankings, since they will automatically go to the top, since I reread all three because I knew I already loved them. So I’ll just include my mini reviews of those first, and then we can get to the ranking of the books I read for the first time this year.

Rereads:

• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
  • My favorite character study of all time and a wonderful psychological exploration of a disturbed mind. An iconic story that I love revisiting and finding aspects of the narrative I didn’t catch the first couple of reads.
• Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
  • My favorite children’s/middle grade novel. It teaches children an important part of history and portrays excellent complexity of emotion. A story that has stuck with me since I was a child.
• If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
  • An atmospheric writing style that builds palpable tension. Baldwin goes beyond the surface and emphasizes humanity amidst social injustice. I’m not sure where this would rank amidst the favorites of the year below, but it would definitely be in the top category.

My Favorites of the Year:

• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
  • Masterful blend of developmental psychology and compelling character growth. I loved the attention to detail, and the ending was heartbreaking. Definitely my favorite nondystopian science fiction, because I have read so few of that genre.
• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
  • The writing style was the star here, and I can’t wait to read more from her. I was also struck by the sincere description of grief.
• Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
  • I actually started and finished this one in the last days of December, which I wasn’t expecting. But since I already mentally closed the chapter on 2023, we can count this as a 2024 read.
  • This book was so much fun. It’s a cute, light, humorous fantasy read with great banter that was an excellent start to the year. I’m getting ready to read the second installment of the series. 
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller
  • A true surprise this is so high on the list, as the dull beginning and frustrating middle of the play were far from enjoyable, but the ending truly has my heart. It broke me.
• On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
  • I respect this choice of topic so much in our culture of oversexualization, and the climax was excellently written. I love McEwan’s prose, and I already know I will probably read this again.
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  • Perhaps my biggest surprise of the year. I loved the setting so much, which I was really not expecting. I could find faults with everything else, but the fantastical setting overwhelmed my impression toward favorable. 
• My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
  • An unsolved mystery and a masterful exploration of a narcissistic character that are both designed to be up to interpretation by the reader. Reading my review of this novel reminded me of the many reasons I like this novel, but it unfortunately has not proved the most memorable. But it is a mystery that makes you think, and Maurier is such a great storyteller. 
• The Choice: Embrace the Impossible by Edith Eva Eger
  • A well-written WW2 memoir that details not only the horror of the war but also how Eger rebuilt her life afterward with an outlook of admirable grace. 

Mid Tier:

• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
  • This book is so heavily flawed, but I was engrossed by Vianne’s storyline just the same. Isabella’s was cliche, but Vianne’s made up for it.
• The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
  • The premise was very interesting and right up my alley, but I wish the execution was a bit better. I think the unraveling of the mystery was what made me keep coming back, and the other aspects weren’t necessarily displeasing, but they weren’t engrossing either.
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
  • I liked every single aspect of this book except for how they all fit together. I felt like the central thread, or the meat, was missing, and the book felt aimless at times.
• Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
  • Rooney has an incredible knack for realistic characters. Something about her writing style, her dialogue, her portrayals of mental health, feel so real to me it’s painful. But this book also has the shadow of a celebrated unethicality, which is why it ranks a bit lower on this list.
• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
  • Another one where I felt like something was missing. There was some seriously beautiful, lyrical, poetic prose here, but it also had its pretentious moments. Something about it felt hollow amidst real pain.

• I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

• • I feel like I can’t fairly rank this one because I read it as an audiobook and picked it up off and on across a few months. I need to read it again with a physical copy. But it covered important topics, displayed a perfect sarcasm to provide a break from the sadness, and had the most shocking twist that had my jaw on the floor. I send my sympathy out to Jennette.

• Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

• • This one did not have me truly invested, but it was so educational about a part of history which I had forgotten. The ending chapters were the best part, but the journey there was a mite dull.

• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

• • This was interesting, and I want to revisit Hemingway’s philosophy towards writing, but a lot of it was mostly gossip about influential figures, which proves unmemorable. A good reminder that gossip tends to lack substance.

• The Human Stain by Philip Roth

• • Topical exploration of cancel culture and hypocrisy, but the structure and length made it drag a bit. But I also annotated this heavily, because there were a lot of tidbits that were interesting.

• Paradise Lost by John Milton

• • I haven’t published my review of this yet, because I’m still processing. This feels like it has no place in this ranking since it’s so far removed from all the other books I read this year. I’m pretty sure it’s the only epic I’ve read that I actually liked, but it’s definitely something to be perused at leisure for mostly learning purposes, not for entertainment. But Milton was something of a poetic genius.

• A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman

• • I didn’t find Ove as endearing or sympathetic as I think Backman intended. According to my review earlier this year, I found a lot of it charming and laughed out loud at times. But at the end of my review, I said I didn’t think the story would stick with me. Gosh, I know myself so well. 

• The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

• • Light, easy chick-lit. A lot of it was unrealistic and underdeveloped, but I enjoyed the moments of banter between the main romantic couple.

• Robinson Crusoe, USN by George R. Tweed

• • I think this WW2 memoir ranks so low because the basic story wasn’t new to me, so I was reading it more as an accompaniment or a comparison, and the writing wasn’t anything special. But it was also fascinating because the real story differs so much from the Hollywood depiction that I was used to. It’s truly a story that could not be told by anyone else, since only one soldier survived to tell the tale.

• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes AND But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes by Anita Loos

• • These novels are ranked together because they are practically one in my mind. I do appreciate the intelligence in Loos to create such humorously dumb characters, but satire isn’t my thing.

• Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

• • There was really only one emotionally charged scene that I thought was worth reading. I never fully understood the characters, and I felt they were poorly drawn. I did like the central metaphor, though.

• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

• • The main thing I remember about this book was that it was a disappointment. From my review, I apparently enjoyed the historical chapters of the novel, but I think I only remember one or two of them. The premise was amazing, the execution incredibly lacking.

Dirt Additions to My Least Favorites of All Time Shelf:

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

• • Everything annoyed me: the narrative structure, the characters, the melodrama, the fake pretention, and the contrived ending. Why this is on the best books of the 21st century I do not understand.

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

• • Such a struggle not to DNF this one. I proudly admire my stubbornness for getting through it. I’m thinking magical realism just is not my thing, and I hate themes of pedophilia and incest. 

I’ve already made my TBR list for 2025 and knocked out the first one on that list today (Phantom of the Opera). As usual, I’m more excited for my life within book worlds than outside of it.