With a few days left in the year, I have already met my new goal to read 60 books in the year. It is now exactly a year since I stopped teaching and I do not think that it is a coincidence that my ability to read more is a direct result of having more free time. Working at home allows me to take reading breaks at lunchtime when I am often on my own.
My favourite books for 2024 (in no particular order) are as follows:
- October, October by Katya Balen (paperback) – beautifully written, powerful and emotional material, gorgeous imagery. AND it is set in autumn!
- Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean (paperback) – another books with powerful descriptions of nature full of peril and emotion. These children’s books aren’t messing around!
- The Last to See Me by M. Dressler (paperback) – hauntingly beautiful prose, atmospheric in the best way. I will definitely be reading the next in the series in 2025.
- The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey (audiobook) – a glimpse at life in the 80s in Yorkshire when the Ripper was on the loose. Riveting and enlightening.
- The Storm Keeper’s Battle by Catherine Doyle (paperback) – the last in the trilogy – one of my favourite children’s series ever. Doyle’s writing is just brilliant.
- The Outsider by Stephen King (audiobook) – King at his creepy best. I love his books which are scary but not completely horrifying. This one was definitely on the scarier side but so utterly gripping, I was desperate to continue listening. The narrator Will Patton was fantastic too.
- Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood (hardback) – such a lovely cosy fantasy with heartwarming characters and lovely description. I am excited for her second novel, Uncharmed, which will be out September 2025 just in time for spooky season!
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (Kindle) – I started this book in paperback but had to return it when I realised I had borrowed it for way too long! I bought the Kindle version and finally finished it. Creepy, sinister and expertly crafted.
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (hardback) – this one was so much fun especially as I buddy-read it with my friend which made it even more enjoyable. There were some minor issues with this book as I felt that the release had been rushed off the back of the success of the first book in the series, Fourth Wing. I still devoured it and am very much looking forward to Onyx Storm, the last in the trilogy which is released in January 2025.
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë (paperback) – I have had this book years. I finally managed to read it and was so glad that I did.
I purposely called this list my favourite books of the year as these were the ones that had the greatest impact on me. I loved them, was thrilled, excited to read them and generally had the most enjoyment whether that was from entertainment or from the craft of the writing (or both!).
Of the 60 books I read this year, 30 of them were audiobooks yet only two appear on my top ten list. Only one of the Kindle books I read (ten in total) appears on the list which shows how I am reading more in the day than before (I only read my Kindle at night).
I will be setting myself a 2025 reading goal of 40 physical books (paperback or hardback) and 60 books in total. I do still consider audiobooks as being part of my reading life but reflecting on my reading in 2024, I think the ones that I have held in my hands have had a greater impact on me.
Notes From My Day 