My Year in Books 2024
The nitty gritty of what I read this year
Let’s talk books. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, and I make time for it in my busy life. In fact, I read almost 100 books this year. I was pretty surprised by that number, but Goodreads doesn’t lie. About 10 of those are read aloud to the kids for school, so I tend not to count them in my actual total, but 90 books is still a lot, and I am pretty pleased. You can check out my entire reading challenge on Goodreads here.
I have been calling this year my Year of the Classics. I finally finally finished Les Miserables, which I have been working on for a year and a half. I also finished Moby Dick with the kids in school. I’ve read some new-to-me Shakespeare plays, Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park (a reread), To Kill A Mockingbird (also a reread), and my first Trollope.
So without further delay here are my top books in my usual categories with a brief review of each.
Fiction:
What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama
This was my favorite fiction read this year. It was recommended in my homeschool community group here on Substack and I had no idea what to expect. This book was delightfully humanizing and sweet. Five different character stories, each lost in their phase of life, and each finds their way by going to the same library. There is also a thread of connection between all the characters which isn’t apparent at first but binds everything together in the end. Lovely.
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
This is actually a trilogy of books. I read this as part of
membership ‘slow read’. I had never heard of this book but as usual, I trust the picks from Close Reads. This series covers the life of one person, Kristin, as she grows from childhood, through womanhood, and on to her end of life. It lovingly explores her life choices, both good and bad, her character and its flaws. Basically, it holds a mirror up to the reader and asks us to relate to this woman whose life isn’t so different, even if her life and culture and very different from us today. It was a life-changing read for me, bringing about healing and growth in many areas of my life and marriage. Highly recommend.I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
Leif Enger is a favorite author of mine. I recommend all his books, and this new one is no exception. I appreciate he takes so long in-between his publishing of books because the quality of his writing is so good, though a part of me wishes for more books from him. 😉
Non-Fiction:
Surprised by Oxford Carolyn Weber
I just read this one and it shot to the top of my list. This is a memoir of one lady as she attends Oxford for her post-graduate studies. This is a story of faith, of love, and even a coming of age. It gave me so much joy to read her journey from agnostic to Christian. I listened to this on audiobook around my kids and I was pleased to see them so into the book as well.
Sonorous Desert by Kim Haines-Eitzen
This book was my number-one pick for most of the year until the previous book jumped the line. I know it wouldn’t be everyone’s favorite though. It is about early Christian fathers and desert sounds. It includes sound files at the end of each chapter that you can scan and listen to on your phone. It brings a whole new level of understanding of sounds of the Bible that surprised me.
Tending The Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian
This was a book club read. It’s all about how reading fairy tales to our children teaches them about virtue in their own lives. I loved the discussions that this book brought about in our little group. It made me want to haul out all my fairy tales and read them to my younger crew, whom I’m afraid haven’t read nearly as many as my older kids.
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle
I love Madeleine L’Engle. Fiction, non-fiction, doesn’t matter. This book was about the time between her writing A Wrinkle In Time and its being published- ten years. It’s about being a creative and a mother. I loved every page.
Read Aloud to Kids (not for school):
The Vanderbeeker Series by Karina Yan Glaser
Basically these books were the only thing I read aloud for our tea-time all year. We got the entire series as a family present last Christmas and started them promptly in January. It took nearly all year to read the series but we did it and our lives are forever enriched because we know the Vanerbeeker family. This is a sweet loving family of five kids and several pets. I love books that show healthy sibling relationships and happy marriages. Of course, there are struggles but they are of the normal kind in a loving family, nothing too traumatic. Each book makes you laugh and cry, though the last book was a tear-jerker. Highly recommend.
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
This is a classic Christian fiction book that I loved as an older teen and I was uncertain if my kids would like it. But they did and I was pleased to see them so excited to read about what happens next in this slow quiet book about personal growth and deeper spiritual understanding.
Poetry:
The Echoing Green by Cecily Parks
This book was a collection of poetry from Everyman Library’s Pocket Poet series. Oddly, it’s an anthology of poems that revolve around grass. That might seem strange, but the beauty of the arrangement of the poems and the selection of poems was truly lovely. I have been buying other Pocket Poets all year and so far, I have enjoyed them all.
A Net of Fireflies by Harold Stewart
I know I like haiku poetry but this particular curation of selection was truly lovely. Arranged by season, you really feel, taste, and touch each season.
Surprises:
Not surprising that both books in this category came from Close Reads. I might never have heard or picked up these books but because they picked them I did read them and I was impacted by both.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
A delightful book of memories of a young girl and her grandmother when they live on an island in the gulf of Finland for the summer. It’s about fears and love and family.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
This book was so surprising to me. It’s a post-apocalyptic journey of a father and his son as they move through the ruined geography of the US to find anywhere warmer and better than where they currently live. It is dark and hard, but brilliant and powerful. So many people cringe at the description but I can say it is worth the horror to see the beauty in the end. The relationship between the father and son is truly moving.
Thanks for hanging in there for this very long post! I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy new year!