If you had asked me a few weeks ago how I fared with reading in 2024, I would have been appalled. I didn’t finish a SINGLE BOOK in November and December. Between NaBloPoMo and end-of-year activities with the kids and hosting company for weeks on end and Christmas festivities…there just wasn’t time.
But when I took the time to look at my year-end stats, they weren’t too dismal.
Here’s a rundown of my highlights and lowlights in the reading world.
I usually set a goal through Goodreads but don’t really care if I complete it or not. I read 69 books in 2024 (between January and the end of October).
I read 72 book in 2023, 75 in 2022, and 89 in both 2021 and 2020 so I seem to be on a slow and steady decline…
2024 STATS
- Shortest Book: The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (95 pages)
- Longest Book: Upstairs at the White House by J. B. West (541 pages)
- Average Book Length: 288 pages
- Average Rating: 3.7 stars
- Total Books: 69
ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE NON-FICTION
* I often don’t rate memoirs, so only some of these were literal 5-star.
- Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan [I could not put this book down.]
- Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman [A modern classic and my favourite “self-help” book of the year; this was a re-read for me.]
COULDN’T-PUT-IT-DOWN NON-FICTION
- Hello, Molly!: A Memoir by Molly Shannon [Celebrities all seem to have the MOST TRAGIC back stories.]
- Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out by Gracie Gold [I discovered a lot of reflective quotes, though I found some of the book very frustrating to read.]
OTHER NON-FICTION THAT I RATED FAVOURABLY
- What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by Carole Radziwill [She was best friends with Carolyn Kennedy.]
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence [Short, but intense. Easier to read than to put into practice…]
- Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant [I can’t remember anything from the book, but I gave it 5/5 stars.]
- Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry [Trigger warnings abound; I found this sad and yet beautifully written.]
- To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson by Courtney Anderson [A classic missionary biography. A re-read.]
- The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchannan [One of the better books I read about rest for my Year of Shmita; the first half was amazing, the second half wasn’t as inspiring.]
- Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West.
- Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood by Jessica Grose
- Paris in Love by Eloisa James [Again, I remember nothing about the book, but it was a quick, light read.]
- Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport [Another modern classic and timely reminders that bear repeating on a regular basis.]
- I’m So Effing Hungry: Why We Crave What We Crave – and What to Do About It by Amy Shah [I feel like I need to read an anti-diet book every year.]
- On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger [An interesting book by an undercover reporter who goes to work at Amazon, McDonald’s and a call centre.]
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer [A re-read, but I get something new out of this book every time. VERY faith-centric.]
- The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man by Joshua Abraham Heschel [A classic in Jewish literature and basically a must-read for anyone considering the Sabbath or a Year of Shmita.]
- Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar [Maddening and enlightening.]
- What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry. [Phew. It has been a HARD few years with a fair bit of trauma and this book was a good read. 3.5 rounded up to 4. My favourite quote: “Your past is not an excuse. But it is an explanation…there is no doubt that our strengths, vulnerabilities, and unique responses are an expression of what happened to us.“]
- Good Morning Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery by Catherine Gildiner. [Yikes. This book does include some composite story-telling, but it shines a light on the ramifications of child neglect/emotional abuse and how that can echo through generations.]
- The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi. [The original The Lazy Genius Way is, to me, the best book Adachi has written.]
- Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection by Kate Bowler [I was surprised just how devotional this book was; I think reading one entry per day would be the perfect pace for working through this book.]
HARD-TO-READ NON-FICTION
- Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself by Crystal Hefner [Expectedly sad and horrifying.]
- Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Scheff [Devestating and frustrating. Very mixed emotions reading this book.]
- The Woman in Me by Britney Spears [Sad. Just…so sad.]
LEAST-LIKED HYPED NON-FICTION
- A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal by Jen Waite [This was a crazy story – basically a sociopath who creates a fake identity and his wife eventually finds out. This book drove me crazy.]
- Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne [I think the author has a mental health disorder, but I’m not convinced she is a sociopath or, at the very least, I don’t think this book would be an overly helpful resource to someone struggling to love and care for a sociopath.]
- Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May [This was the second time I tried to read this book and both attempts were such a slog. It’s clearly not for me!]
- Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture by Sara Petersen [I was SO excited to read this book and I ended up wanting to scream through much of it. Argh. A very annoying book for me.]
- Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade [I LOVED Remember Love – a 5/5 read – but was not a fan of Heart Talk.]
- In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom [I struggled to get engaged in the story, had some moral quandaries, and found the flip-flopping timeline confusing and distracting.]
- Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski [Meh! Some chapters were helpful, but I found most of this book a slog.]
ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE FICTION
*I read soooo little fiction. There weren’t a lot of options and these are the only fictional books that got 4 or 5 stars.
- Every Living Thing by James Herriot [A classic. SO GOOD!]
- The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson [Golly, I love Calvin and Hobbes.]
- The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman [Good but not as good as his early books…]
OKAY FICTION
- Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan [I should have stopped with Nora Off Script. Her books feel too formulaic to me.]
- The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz [Meh. This was confusing and I was quite happy when I got to the end.]
- Keeper of the Lost Cities (Book #1) by Shannon Messenger [I only read this because Belle was into the series and wanted me to read a book. It was fine and I think I would have liked it when I was a teen.]
FICTION THAT CONFUSED ME/MADE ME THINK
- Yellowface by R. F. Kuang [I came late to this reading party, but I can see what all the hype was about; I also understand how this tends to be a polarizing love/hate novel for readers. I liked it, didn’t love it.]
FICTION I DIDN’T ENJOY
- My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. [Another polarizing book. I read it because of Engie’s CBBC. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a hit for me, but I’m glad I read what The New York Times has dubbed the best book of the 21st century. Do I agree? No. But I’m glad I can discuss it.
Your turn.
- How many books did you read in 2024?
- What do you think is the “best book of the 21st century?”
- Favourite book read in 2024?
- Least favourite?
Header photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
Discover more from The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Kyria @ Travel Spot
Interesting that you did not like In Love; I enjoyed it a lot. I guess it made me think about what I would do if faced with that situation, whether I was the partner or the actual person. So the fact that it made me think was probably part of what I liked about it. As far as The Last Devil, I completely agree. I liked it but definitely not as much as his prior books. In fact, I think I listened to it, but didn’t really pay attention, which kind of shows that it was not as captivating to me. I still thought it was good, but after I read the first Thursday Murder club book I was looking forward to the next one, and in this case, to be honest, I can’t even recall what the Devil was about, so I think I am ambivalent about the next one in this case.
As far as non-fiction, I really enjoyed Indifferent Stars, and his other book Facing The Wall, which was about the Nesei Soldiers. I like the way that he writes; he goes over things in a lot of detail but is not boring, like some non-fiction writers can be for me. I also already have Brain on Fire on hold, probably based on your recommendation, but I am still waiting!