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!
Elisabeth
I think I’m over the Thursday Murder Club; like, I’m not sure I’ll read any more if he writes them.
I had Indifferent Stars from the library but ended up not getting to it before it needed to go back to the library.
I hope you like Brain on Fire. I read it on a plane so managed to read it in a single sitting!
coco
I read 50 books and more fiction than previous year. The one that I like the most were: sapiens and ray dalio’s book about economic cycles. The fiction I liked the most was the year of wonder, the god of woods. I also didn’t like my brilliant friend and can’t see the hype.
I will try some of your non-fiction books, trying to define my TBR list for 2025. Thanks for sharing your honest reviews.
mbmom11
I had a hard time reading in 2024. I couldn’t settle on new books – there were so many that I read the first few chapters, skipped to the end to see if it was worth it, and never went back to complete. I reread so many books instead – I can pick up and put down old favorites without feeling guilty. I still read a lot, and I don’t keep track of the number of books I read. (Easily over 100, not counting DNFs).
Concrete Rose was interesting and thought provoking to me. Not my typical read, but my son had it for school so I picked it up. I kept thinking about it. I then read The Hate U Give to find out more about the characters.
I do read non fiction but nothing memorable pops into mind.
I should keep track of what I read- iit would help me stop picking up things I read 4 or5 years ago and don’t remember. (I did this just this weekend with Peace Like A River. )
Elisabeth
I definitely DNF a lot more books now than I used to. Life is just too short, though I agree that it can be hard to tell if a book will get better and sometimes it does end up being worth it to “stick it out”. When I don’t know I generally abandon it because, again, life just feels too short.
I still haven’t read The Hate U Give but have heard so much about it.
Nicole MacPherson
Oh, I love What Remains. I have read it many times. It is such a fascinating story on so many levels. There’s a part where Anthony is dying (spoiler alert for anyone reading this twenty year old book) and she says “someone needs to call Carolyn and John so I’m not alone at the hospital” and everyone just stares at her. It is one of the most moving paragraphs I’ve ever read in a memoir.
I read 130 books in 2024, but I don’t know which was my favourite favourite. I had quite a few five stars. I also don’t know what is my least favourite but I did just comment on Engie’s post that my goal (it’s always my goal and I’m always failing, Elisabeth, but every day is a new day) to DNF if I’m not loving it.
As for best book of the 21st century so far – I have no idea! I’ll have to think.
Elisabeth
Carole has such a crazy, traumatic life (as did the Kennedy’s). It’s almost unbelievable. So sad.
It can be hard to DNF, though I feel like I do it much more quickly now. Life just feels too short to keep reading a book when it doesn’t seem fun and engaging.
Lisa’s Yarns
Like Kyria, I also really enjoyed in love. Although using the word enjoy feels wrong given the subject matter. maybe I should say I appreciated it? I can understand why her husband made the choice that he did. I had a discussion about it with Phil after I read it since his dad died from early onset Alzheimer’s. We read it for book club, and everybody in the room had been personally impacted by Alzheimer’s, including someone whose parent died from it. It was a really interesting conversation.
I read 100 books last year and had a hard time narrowing went down to my 12 favorites! From your list of books, I added on the clock to my TBR list. That book sounds really interesting! I also want to read the Kate Bowler devotional. But it sounds like something I might want to buy so I can have a physical copy to slowly read throughout the year.
Elisabeth
I would definitely recommend buying the Bowler book. I read it over the course of a few sittings and know I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I read one a day (how it’s designed to be consumed).
Jenny
I’m reading Yellowface right now! I’m about 1/3 through and reserving judgment for the time being. Right now I would agree with your “confusing” label (not that the story is confusing- I’m just confused about my reaction to it.)
I read 52 books in 2024, and my reading also fell off alarmingly in November and December. You read a LOT of non-fiction! I read almost all fiction. My favorites were probably the Ken Follett Century Trilogy.
Calvin and Hobbes is the best. My son re-read one of them while he was home and we were laughing about it.
Elisabeth
Yellowface is…bizarre. But I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed it. So, I guess that’s a win!!
I don’t know if I have the guts to attempt something as thick as the Century Trilogy, though they sound (and look!) epic.
Michelle G.
You keep some good stats on the books you read! I would have no idea, except that Audible sent me a year-end report of my audiobooks.
I listened for 125 hours and 34 minutes.
My favorite author was Steve Hockensmith.
My top listening month was October
And my top genre was literature and fiction.
By the way, I got the lovely Christmas card you sent! Thank you! ❤️
Jessica
I think I’m the outlier here with Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan, I very much enjoyed that book but Nora Off Script was a DNF for me. I also enjoyed What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by Carole Radziwill. I added On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger to my TBR.
I read 93 books in 2024 and my favorite fiction was God of the Woods by Liz Moore and The Women by Kristin Hannah. My favorite non-fiction was Ambition Monster A Memoir By Jennifer Romolini. I thought it was going to be more about her journey realizing she’s more than her career but it’s so much more. She goes deep into her childhood and how life experience shaped her. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
Happy Reading in 2025!
Elisabeth
I always like behind-the-scenes books and the Radziwell book very much felt like an all-access pass.
I am on a list for God of the Woods AND for The Women. I think when we take our next vacation, I’ll get a month-long Kobo membership so I can just get various books I really want to read without having to wait FOREVER for library holds.
I went and looked up Ambition Monster and it sounds like something I’d really enjoy – I’ve got a library hold on it now. Thanks for the rec.
Birchie
Well well well I was just thinking that I don’t have a lot of non-fiction audio books that I want to hear for roads trips and I do believe you have solved that problem for me.
It’s hard for me to come up with absolute best & worst books of the year, but it’s fair to say on the good side that the Linda Castillo Amish murder mystery series was my jam. On the bad side, well, My Brilliant Friend didn’t do it for me either, though I loved the folks that I read it with.
Elisabeth
Eeks. Hopefully at least some of the non-fiction I mention end up being enjoyable.
J
I loved reading the entire series that started with My Brilliant Friend. I don’t think I have a favorite book of 2024, but MBF might be it. I have no idea how many books I read, and I maybe read one non-fiction book? I know I read at least one. Not really my thing, though I have two memoirs that I got as gifts that I will read in 2025. 🙂
Elisabeth
I know of a lot of people that LOVE MBF. I think it’s like cilantro. You love it or you hate it, there’s no indifference. I really strongly disliked the book, but as I’ve mentioned a few times I was engaged enough to want to know how the story arc plays out and read synopses of all the other books. What depressing books (to me), but masterful storytelling that’s for sure.
Joy
It’s fun to see this recap – you are my reading inspiration, Elisabeth! I’m an aspiring reader so I only read/listened to 27 books this year (which includes some read-alouds).
My favorite books this year were both non-fiction:
Where The Light Fell by Philip Yancey, and The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore (same author as Radium Girls which was also good but 4/5 stars). Also should mention a glowing bronze medal for Jennie Allen’s Untangle Your Emotions – a very pragmatic little book that has some great practices for emotional literacy.
I also enjoyed Hidden Potential and also don’t remember anything from it! I wrote down “keyword: scaffolding”, which jogs my memory a little.
Started using Storygraph for tracking reading this year and I LOVE it! They have half and quarter stars and a section to write private notes about a book so I can remember my impressions as I read without necessarily having to write a public review. Highly recommend!
Elisabeth
You are a huge reader! That 27 books does not account for the literal thousands of picture book pages you read!!!
I probably should make the switch to Storygraph since I really do hate that I can’t do 1/2 stars (and to be able to do QUARTER stars is just incredible),.
Allison McCaskill
I read 111 books in 2024, which was my goal but it was a bit of a scramble to get the last one read on December 30th. I agree with you on both Yellowface and My Brilliant Friend. If I had to pick a favourite without overthinking, probably James by Percival Everett. I am not great at the ‘pick a best book of the century’ – too many different qualities and reasons for ratings, I would have to pick many favourites for different reasons.
Elisabeth
I agree that it really depends on the category what book I’d say was the best! I have different favourites in different genres (and sub genres!).
NGS
We have such divergent tastes in books! It’s truly a wonder that people’s brains can be so different from one another and yet still be friends!
I loved My Brilliant Friend and thought Yellowface was super insightful, so I think we’re just looking for different things in books!
Elisabeth
I think that books are one place where it’s SO interesting to note the extreme differences people can have; we literally read the exact same words in MBF and yet you loved it and I didn’t. Fascinating and pretty great, if you ask me, since things like this make the world go ’round.
Ernie
Wow, you read a ton of nonfiction. So many of these books sound interesting to me.
The only book I read from your list is the Molly Shannon book. Technically I listened to it. It was so good, but oh my gosh- so tragic.
I do not track what I read, bout unlike MBMOM11, I did not read anywhere near 100 books. Maybe a dozen? I liked the Covenant of Water, but a little too long for me. I’m looking forward to reading the Ina Garten book for book club soon.
Elisabeth
So tragic, right? I felt the same way about Ma Ingalls (Karen Grassle). Celebrities ALL seem to have such horrible back stories. Demi Moore?! That was another one that gave me all the feels.
Ernie, I am very sure you will LOVE the Ina Garten book. It is absolutely lovely. Like sinking in to a warm hug.
Joy
I read 88 books, which is a little low for me but I hardly read at all in April and May and never fully recovered from that reading drought.
I loved reading your book list and have a few to my tottering TBR tower.
My favorites were nonfiction, which is unusual for me: It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping by Lisa-Jo Baker, Reclaiming Quiet by Sarah Clarkson, and Prayer by Tim Keller. I’m still thinking about them months later.
In the last few years, I have tended to quit reading a book I don’t like so I don’t know that I have any I really disliked. I would have bailed.
Off to put some books on hold from your list!
I was riveted by Saturn’s Run, but while I enjoy a good thriller, I don’t reread them, which is usually part of what makes a book good for me. Now, A Lantern’s Dance by Laurie King, I will definitely reread at some point just to see how she pulls the details together again. It’s part of her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.
Elisabeth
I just added some of your mentions to my holds list! I’m feeling new-year excitement about reading again.
Diane
I loved The Inquisitor’s Tale, though perhaps it works better on audiobook? I think there is something about having a different “voice” for each story teller that really helps.
I haven’t looked over my reading stats for 2024 yet, though I think I read about 60 books. I didn’t have as many “Wow” reads as I usually do, though.
Elisabeth
Ohhh. I agree that I think it would have been more engaging as an audiobook. That never crossed my mind.
Suz
I’m gonna guess that your decline is because of your blogging; reading, writing, commenting. Those take time. Right? I blame the internet for most things, both good and bad. 🤣
I listened to 28 books last year and went old school with about four, maybe five. I don’t keep a running list, but for me that is more than I’ve done in the last few years…mostly because of the internet. 🙂
I’m currently listening to What Remains, by Carole Radziwell. I’m enjoying it, but I do think that she should have had someone else read it; she’s a better writer than narrator.
Elisabeth
Yes! I spend a lot of my “free” time on blog things (reading, commenting, writing) and that used to go toward reading so it makes sense. No regrets about the tradeoff.
I rarely listen to audiobooks. Right now I’m listening to Ina Garten’s memoir and she reads it and it is PERFECT. But in general, I’m not a fan. I liked the book, but it sounds horrible to hear a great book poorly read 🙁
Stephany
I love how much nonfiction you read! This was one of my lowest years of reading nonfiction in a long time, but I’ve already read 2 nonfiction books in 2025 so we’re off to a good start.
The books I’ve read from your list:
– Brain on Fire – YES. What a scary but insightful book.
– The Woman in Me – so sad. Britney’s life has been so hard.
– Summer Romance – I loved this, but I love romance novels. They ARE formulaic but it works for me, haha.
And I DNF-ed My Brilliant Friend, womp womp.
I read 110 books in 2024 and my favorite was The Women by Kristin Hannah. Least favorite? Hmm… probably The Husbands.
Elisabeth
I remember years ago coming to the realization that reading in university had sort of “burned me out”. I was shocked and sad that I no longer loved escaping into a book and then I read a non-fiction book and LOVED it and that was the start of my non-fiction phase which is still going strong 15 years later.
I’m on the waiting list for The Women…it’s a LONG holds list.
Katy @ Practical Walk
Love this post!
One of my favorite reads recently was The Well-Watered Woman. I have a review of it here: https://practicalwalk.com/2025/01/03/book-review-the-well-watered-woman/
Other books that were great: Trust by Dr. Henry Cloud and Boundaries also by Dr. Henry Cloud.
I also read Naturally Curly, which was a memoir by Kristi Sanders Lasher. I’m a big fan of biographies.
And Learning How to Learn was great
Oh and another book on personalities, but the title slips my mind at the moment.
Elisabeth
I also read Boundaries and it was GREAT and so helpful for me because of some things going on in my life. I really should re-read the quotes I wrote down from that.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
So many non fiction books. I need to have a closer look to some of these.
I totally agree with you on Wintering. It was disappointing.
Also I didn’t even make it through A Brilliant friend.
I read 92 books last year. My favorite non fiction was probably Women on Fire (only German) and The creative act.
My favorite Fiction: The Girl who fell beneath the Sea and Cartographers.
Marcia from OrganisingQueen
I’m scrolling right down and avoiding all comments because I LOVE talking about books and I’m quickly reading this on my lunch break.
Also agree the first lazy genius book was the best. I loved Summer Romance (I loved it as much as Nora) and Yellowface.
I read 133 books; it could have been a bit more but I got sidetracked by Bad Sisters 🙂 My goal for this year is 100 because I like long books and find myself chasing numbers instead of quality if I don’t lower my goal very intentionally.
I am sooooo not a “award-winning book” reader type person. On that famous list, I’ve only read two and only want to read two. Olive Kitteridge and Small things like these.
I love how much non-fiction you read (I’m about 30% non-fiction). Let’s be friends on Goodreads.
Elisabeth
I tried looking you up, but not sure how to find you? What’s your Goodreads handle?