This is one of those posts that does exactly what it says on the tin. This is a list of all the books I managed to read in 2024. At the beginning of the year, I had four books that I had to let go of. I simply couldn’t read them and was scared of having to go get them after dark – so if I had persevered with them my total would have been a bit higher, but still, this year… It was a relatively fruitful year of reading.
I usually make very short notes after I finish reading a book. It’s just 3-4 words to remind your brain whether you really enjoyed something or were disappointed. So I thought I’d include them as well. These are not reviews and were not written down with the intention of sharing them publicly, but I thought they would add some color and personality to an otherwise very boring list.
Let’s go. I don’t include the neglected books because it seems like I’m dissing them a bit and I don’t want to hurt people’s feelings…
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My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Otessa Moshfegh: Buy Here*
(Love this! Cracker idea. Bret Easton Ellis vibe. Messy.)
Claire Keegan, Antarctica: Buy here*
(11/10. Here are three short stories you can’t stop thinking about. They’ll change your mind.)
So Late In The Day, Claire Keegan: Buy here*
(Why is this so short? It’s great, but it could have been a pamphlet.)
10 minutes 38 seconds of This Strange World by Elif Shafak: Buy here*
(Sad. Great. I read through the first half, but found myself skipping pages during the second half!)
Another Life, Jody Chapman: Buy here*
(Another knockout! She writes so well that I ended up reading her shopping list.)
The Mad Women’s Ball, Victoria Mass: Buy here*
(Oh, wow! Too short.)
Strange Flower, Donal Ryan: Buy here*
(Incredible. We have another Tee** winner. We couldn’t love it more.)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey: Buy Here*
(Re-read. Don’t forget that this was too sad and horrifying. Everyone should read this.)
The Child’s Child, Barbara Vine: Buy here*
(I finished this one and wrapped it up way too quickly at the end. This is my 4th Vine book and I don’t know if she’s for me!)
Crook Manifesto, Colson Whitehead, buy here*
(I loved the first part of this trilogy and was impressed by how detailed it was, but it was quite a challenge.)
Minotaur, Barbara Vine: Buy here*
(I went in again. It was creepy and drew me in the whole time, but I was disappointed in the end.)
Patrick Gagné, Sociopath: Buy Here*
(Fascinating subject matter, but repetitive.)
All My Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews: Buy here*
(Beautiful! The opening chapters are some of the best I’ve read. Still left me feeling hopeless.)
All My Mothers, Augusta Hope: Buy Here*
(Great first half. A little poetic for me. Great cover design.)
I Who Have Never Known Men, Jacqueline Harpman: Buy here*
(Everyone should read this. Fulfill your school curriculum. Absolutely 11/10.)
Colm Toibin, Long Island: Buy here*
(Really great. I couldn’t remember what happened in Brooklyn, but that doesn’t matter.)
Everything I Know About Love, Dolly Alderton: Buy Here*
(I finished reading this. I felt like I was young, but it was interesting and very easy to read.)
My Favorite Mistake, Marian Keyes: Buy Here*
(Great dialogue, easy to read on holiday. I need to read more MK.)
In Memoriam, Alice Wynn: Buy Now*
(Sad and glorious. Tears in my eyes. Underground tunnel: Hard no.)
Interlude, Sally Rooney: Buy Now*
(party popper emoji)
Still Life, Sarah Winman: Buy Now*
(Awesome. Great characters. Fully alive to me. Just beautiful for so many decades.)
Fair Rosaline, Natasha Solomons: Buy here*
(A dark and twisted rewrite of Romeo and Juliet. I love it. It was a mess at the end.)
Rabbit, Hugo Rifkind: Buy Now*
(Relaxed pace, dark story.)
Blue Sisters, Coco Mellors: Buy here*
(Why were people moaning about this? The idea was great.)
All Fours, Miranda July: Buy here*
(It’s the worst. The ending tried me, but the rest was a complete mess.)
James, Percival Everett: Buy here*
(Best of the year? Feeling all the emotions and writing wonderfully.)
Tom Cox, Villager: Buy here*
(A marathon of books. Very detailed and complex. Good SOH.)
Our London Lives, Christine Dwyer Hickey: Buy here*
(Currently reading: No problems so far!)
**Tea is the most perfect friend with a taste for books. I mean, really. I get all the best recommendations from her and pass them on to you, but she really needs to start her own book blog. And a style blog. And generally tell everyone what to buy in life.
