First: Favorites of 2024
I kept track of my reading on paper this year and not electronically; I’ll bring back a books page for 2025, promies! Reviewing my list, I only commented “loved!” next to 5 titles – so here they are, my favorites of 2024:
NONFICTION:
You Only Die Once by Jodi Wellman (2024). Probably not a surprise to anyone! I LOVED this book all about our limited and finite lives. I credit this book for inspiring my 2025 word of the year, finite.
Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman (2024). Totally different vibe, but some common themes.
FICTION:
Wellness by Nathan Hill (2023; paperback out 2024). This novel follows a Chicago-based couple through decades, satirizing a lot of aspects of modern life and the wellness industry. It’s LONG and polarizing. I loved it, but admit was probably the target audience.
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (2023; paperback out 2024). Another one that got mixed reviews and I adored! The characters, the plot, total page turner/mystery but deeper than that for me, too, with themes about disability, family dynamics, race, and more.
Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand (2024). Beachy and propulsive with fun characters – I love Elin Hilderbrand and her final Nantucket novel was delightful.
Total books read: 40, though I’m almost done with 2 more. 18 F / 22 NF (I prefer a ~50/50 split or even 60/40 F/NF, but my fiction dry spell in the fall prevented this!)
Total books abandoned: ONE. NOT ENOUGH!
2025 Reading: Process Goal Style
Reading goals centered around outcomes stress me out (“X books read”) and also influence my book choices in certain ways; I might shy away from denser or longer books, and I don’t want to do that!
I do want to read more in 2025. Even though 40 books sounds good, the year was very uneven. I really didn’t read much in the back half of the year (especially August on) and I REALLY missed it! Part of the reason was that I was doing more of my own writing, but I also think I made a big mistake in not abandoning some books that really weren’t thrilling me, and I just got stuck. I am vowing not to let that happen in 2025!
So, for 2025 I am aiming to read 10 minutes of nonfiction + 10 minutes of fiction each day. Of course, I can always read more, but I’m setting 10 minutes as a very viable and realistic minimum. I am framing my reading goals in 2025 as purely a process goal that can also be considered a habit goal, since I aim to do it daily, or “daily-ish” (I get stressed out at the thought of a perfect streak, but the plan is to aim for daily).
Nonfiction I typically read in the morning, and fiction is either at bedtime or in random down times. A secondary goal here is to abandon more books (or, if it helps me to reframe things – put aside for another time).
Super excited to jump in and I have a number of novels I’ve seen 50 times on others’ “Best of 2024” lists that I’m amped to read (The Wedding People, Here One Moment, Colored Television, Long Island Compromise, and Real Americans are top of mind). Additional recs are always welcome, though! Nonfiction I’m a bit less sure — any great NF titles you loved last year, or interesting new ones coming out? I’m almost finished with The Extinction of Experience by Christine Rosen and I might end up diving into Sam Harris’s back catalogue (have been enjoying his podcast lately). But definitely in need of ideas!
Book recs?
Do you set reading goals?
Anyone else recovering from a lackluster reading year?
22 Comments
I’ve had a strong reading year this year. My favourite books this year were:
The Paper Palace by Miranda Crowley Heller
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim
28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Looking forward to diving into non fiction this year including
The Power Pause by Neha Ruch
Over Work by Brigid Schulte
Will be interested in more NF ideas from other readers!!
For sure! Hard to carve out the space to read but I got some good ones in too.
I don’t read non fiction in general… and my tastes run a bit darker than yours. But fiction wise I enjoyed:
We need to talk about Kevin
The English understand wool
Sorrow and bliss
Giovanni’s room
Horse
The horse
The plot against America
My dark Vanessa
My reading goal this year is to always be reading a book I like. I usually read 10 min or so per day.
I got a lot refs from Ann Patchett, but unfortunately she seems to be outsourcing this role to other people whose tastes I don’t share so I’m going to have to start looking elsewhere for recommendations.
I like that you had Horse AND The Horse on there (and for the record I kind of want to read both, have heard good things!). I didn’t read a lot of dark in 2024, it’s true. But in the past i have and I think I’m ready for more. Maybe not super dark but I think we both like Emily St. John Mandel. Wonder when she will come out with another . . .
Lol about horse and THE horse. Both very good, but different! I do hope Emily St. John Mandel comes out with another book soon! Glass Hotel is my favorite of hers but obviously Station Eleven is a close second.
I think abandoning more books is a great goal. I use the library so have an easier time DNF’ing than I would if I had bought the book. I DNF’d 13 in 2024 but I had a good number of 2 star books (including Wellness – that book did not work for me!!) which I should have DNF’d. My favorite book of 2024 was The Wedding People. My fave non-fiction was Ina Garten’s memoir. I will be doing my best of book post next week so stay tuned!!
Ooh looking forward to it !!!
A nonfiction book I’m looking forward to: “The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered” Resource by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. It comes out this month.
oh that is SO up my alley 🙂 thank you for the rec!
I’ve been dnf more this year, I’m just increasingly intolerant of bad writing? Everyone loves Abby Jimenez but I made it 10 pages, same with Mockingbird Summer.
I read 120 books in 2024 but think I want to read some longer books this year – maybe Wolf Hall, an Anna Karenina reread, that Norwegian classic that Laura loves so much.
For you I would recommend:
Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan
Hum by Helen Phillips
And I would also recommend Nathan Hill first book The Nix since you liked Wellness
My two favorites of the year were Wellness and Brotherless Night (very sad but so well done). Other favorites were Bear, King (the only nonfiction–Jonathan Eig’s new MLK bio), Real Americans, and God of the Woods. I also think you’d love Wedding People which Lisa mentioned above.
Ooh I liked bear but it also creeped me out!!! Definitely enjoyed though. Same with Piglet.
My 2024 favorites:
Gilead
Holly
The Frozen River
James
All the Colors of the Dark
The God of the Woods
I read 32 books this year, which is a bit lower than prior years. I had a couple slumps and should have DNF’ed a few more books. I’m so much happier when I’m reading a great book and am going to focus on consistent reading and DNFing books I don’t love in 2025
I really want to read Gilead and James!
You had a slow reading year and yet my number pales in comparison! I hit a reading PR with 24 books this year- most I’ve read since I started tracking in 2018. I am super proud of that though 🙂 I am going to break it down and aim for 3 books a month in 2025- so 36 books. I think I can do it! I am reading Elin Hilderbrand “The Rumor” right now, listening to “The Boyfriend” by Frieda McFadden and I have “Wellness” on my nightstand so I’m off to a good start 🙂
North Woods by Daniel Mason!
Have you read Kara Goucher’s bio? Or Des Linden’s? May be fun reads given all of your running, and having podcasting in common:).
Also..The Other Wes Moore, Dictionary of Lost Words (mega recommend)
Your goal sounds like a good one. I’m going to aim to read 25 books in 2025- not a huge number but doable for me and if I read more it’s a bonus.
I’d recommend Matthew Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. It was funny, touching and heartbreaking, and gave me new perspectives on addiction.
oh I would love to read that. Adding to TBR!
Love your resolution to abandon books! I do this all the time without guilt but I’m not an upholder. 🙂