My 2024 Reading Wrap-Up

 

As reading goes, 2024 was not a year where I spent as much time with books as I used to do. Two jobs, a relationship, planning for a party, surgery, another round of COVID, and hosting an exchange student left me with less time to curl up with a book.

Last year also saw me falling back into a lot of re-reading. And while my total for the year is 123, there are many books I read again that I didn’t track, so that number is a bit higher (maybe 145?).

I solemnly swear I will track better in 2025.

2024 By the Numbers:

• Books in a Series: 83
• Rereads : 19 tracked, but probably closer to 35
• Mysteries : 66
• Non-Fiction : 4 memoirs, 2 non-fiction
• Romance : 10
• Paranormal/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: 16
• Young Adult/Children: 7
• Gender: 92 female authors, 30 males, one book written by both

 

Authors I read the Most:

• Craig Johnson: 12- his Longmire series is SO good. Caught up and now waiting to get my mitts on the next one
• Nevada Barr: 10, catching up on her Anna Pigeon series set at National Parks
• Elizabeth Peters: 9, eight were re-reads. The Dead Sea Cipher was one of her her early books, that I had never read before. It was OK. Peters discovered her niche when she created Amelia Peabody and focused on Egyptology.
• Anne Bishop: 7 All re-reads of her The Others series.
• Sue Grafton: tracked 7, but it is really 9 and eight of those are re-reads of her Kinsey Millhone series. Donating those books to the library, but re-reading the series first
• Rhys Bowen: 6
• Susan Wittig Albert: 4 (may be 2-3 more) as most of those were rereads of her China Bayles series

  My Top 10 Books of 2024:

The Firekeeper’s Daughter/Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angelina Boulley

Set in the Upper Peninsula, so far east it borders Canada, featuring Native American young women.  The author captured the voice of Yoopers while drawing attention to issues- loss of language and culture, sexual assault, addiction, and the disappearance of indigenous girls and women.

 

Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

Two young women struggle to survive living in the woods of Northern California, about 30 miles from their closes neighbor, as society begins to collapse (the cause of the collapse is not clear- tales of war and unrest in Congress). Written nearly 30 years ago, and apparently it was made into a movie that I’ll have to track down and watch.

 

Pageboy by Elliot Page

A memoir by the actor, detailing his childhood, career, coming out, and his transition from the gender he was born with to his true self. In a time when transgender people are being so demonized, I cannot recommend this book enough, especially the audiobook version of it.

 

A Heart that Works by Rob Delaney

A memoir by the actor on discovering his third son had brain cancer, and the impact that diagnosis had on his family. Utterly heartbreaking (it made me ugly cry). I listened to the audiobook version.

 

How to Age Disgracefully

This was a FUN read, with a mix of mystery, romance, and humor. It follows a group of senior citizens working to save their community center in the UK. It made me gigglesnort.

 

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

The author declared this will be the last of her Maisie Dobbs stories, which makes me sad, as I have absolutely loved this mystery series. It hit so many of my favorite reading genres: mystery, historical fiction (set mostly between WWI and WWII), with some psychological twists and a hint of romance.

 

What Cannot be Said by C.S. Harris

The latest in Harris’ Sebastian St. Cyr historical mysteries, this book was an excellent addition. Another book that hits many of my favorite reading genres: mystery, historical, with some romance thrown in.

 

The Sweet Blue Distance by Sara Donati

Donati writes historical fiction, mainly focused on members of a family in a time period that ranges from the 1790s to the 1880s. While most of the books are set in New York (but the city and northern parts of the state), this novel takes us out west to the New Mexico territory in the 1850s with the story of a young nurse/midwife dealing with misogyny, prejudice, and the perils of living in the frontier. It is a long read, but so very good. Intrigued? Start with “Into the Wilderness” and get drawn into an epic saga.

 

Misfit by Gary Gulman

A memoir by the author as he revisits his childhood while living at home while recovering from a bad bout of depression. I love Gulman’s sense of humor, and value his openness in talking about his mental health. I read the book, but think I also want to hear the audiobook version. 

Runners-Up:

• What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley- the latest in his young adult series featuring Flavia de Luce, an English orphan with a genius for chemistry who solves mysteries.
• The Hunter by Tana French- set in Ireland, it follows a retired American police officer trying to solve a mystery in a small-town. This is the second book featuring this character and setting, and I hope there will be more.
• Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller- a fun and engaging read set in a community where small-minded people ban books and how some in the community rise up to resist the ban.