My 2024 in Books
I live by the saying “you are what read” and I think it’s incredibly important to never stop reading. The hour or so of reading time before bed every night is my absolute highlight of every day (unless the book is bad, but still, hehe) and I’m always incredibly grateful to the stories that help me escape normal life and adventure into magical worlds.
Last year I read 46 books, and I’m happy to say that this number has increased to 59 (although, to be fair, quite a number of them were short stories and novellas). It’s not really a numbers game for me, but I do like to brag a bit, I’ll be honest, lol. And while I usually challenge myself to read something specific, 2024 was just about reading whatever I felt like. It was pretty liberating, I won’t lie, and I’ll do it again in 2025.
So without further ado, let’s have a look at the books that shaped my reading year.
(PS: If any of these books interest you, please consider using my affiliate links. They won’t cost you any extra, but I will get a small commission to fuel my book-reading habit. Thanks!)
Books About Travel
Wow, I can’t believe I only read this one! (I didn’t like it either, which might be what put me off reading more about travel this year.) The book was organised by longitude and latitude, which I found really impractical and annoying, and there weren’t many ideas I found interesting in it either. Disappointing.
Books on Writing and Marketing
A bumper year for writing books! And although most of them were ultimately disappointing, I was dazzled by Subscriptions for Authors and Become an Unstoppable Storyteller, both of which inspired me to take my flash fiction writing further. Honourable mention also goes to Writing the Shadow and The Successful Author Mindset, which offered up some good food for thought as well.
Other Non-Fiction Books
This year, I discovered that my favourite historian on television has also written numerous books! I quite enjoyed Venus & Aphrodite (although it felt a bit short and rushed), but I absolutely devoured The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and it has sparked quite a few story ideas and, ironically for the neglected travel section of my reading list, inspired lots of travel must-go’s.
Books that were Okay
Reading is subjective, and although some of these have rave reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, they just didn’t do it for me, for whatever reason. Don’t let that deter you though – you might just love them.
Books that I Liked
I really liked all the books on this list! This year I delved into romance with Emily Henry (and although they’re a bit spicier than I’d prefer to read, they were a lot of fun!) and I tried out horror with Joanna Penn, which is not normally something I’d read either. Marissa Meyer and JA Andrews are both insta-buys for me, and I enjoyed the follow ups to Miss Percy’s and Emily Wilde’s adventures.
Books that I Loved
All of these books delighted me and I recommend you grab them and add them to your TBR as well! The Fate’s Forsaken series was epic fantasy like I haven’t enjoyed in a long time, and Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series just blew me away. Alix Harrow is also an insta-buy for me, and it was on her recommendation that I tried out The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, which instantly shot HG Parry into my insta-buy list and I have two more of her books already waiting on my to-read list for next year.
As you may have guessed, The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is also my book-of-the-year recommendation (followed closely by Starling House) – so if you’re looking for a good period fantasy with a touch of the fae in it, then go read it!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What was your favourite book of 2024? Do you have any recommendations for books I should read in 2025?
