2024 Year in Books

What did I read last year? Plus some bonus stuff

Every year, I drop my reading list for the year on my Facebook page, but this year, I have a blog, so I wanted to post it here as well. Next week, we’ll see a return to the normal TTRPG content, but I always LOVE to see what other people are reading, so I thought I’d share it in case anyone else is interested. Yes, I’m that nosy guy in the coffee shop who is trying to glance at the title of your book) Without further delay:

2024 Year in Books

All I'm gonna say about this year's reading is thank God for the Kindle. It lets me read while I take Andre (my son) on hour-long walks. I don't think I get more than 15 minutes a day of sitting still long enough to read a book.

My favorite book this year was Hunt Gather Parent. It offered a very different perspective on parenting than most books that you'd read, and if you have kids, I'd highly recommend it.

Since plenty of people don't, my second recommendation this year is Son by Lewis Lowery. You sort of need to have read the other three books first, but honestly, they are all also incredible, and they're all pretty short, so I would recommend all of them. It's just that Son connects the first three books in a way that none of the others do, and it's incredible.

Full list below by category and rating.
24 books; 8,429 pages
Longest book 1,006 pages

FANTASY

• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (3/5) - Honestly, I would have rated this book higher if it wasn't so long, you do not need 1,000 pages to tell a story

• Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire 1) by Michael J Sullivan (5/5)

• Age of Swords (The Legends of the First Empire 2) by Michael J Sullivan (5/5)

• Age of War (The Legends of the First Empire 3) by Michael J Sullivan (5/5)

FICTION

• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (5/5)

• Messenger (The Giver 3) by Lois Lowry (5/5)

• Son (The Giver 4) by Lois Lowry (5/5)

• Eve by William Paul Young (4/5)

• The October Country by Ray Bradbury (3/5) - though The Scythe was incredible

• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (4/5) - Good lord, this book was heartbreaking

GAMING

• ShadowDark RPG by Kelsey Dionne (5/5)

• Dolmenwood Player's Book by Gavin Norman (5/5)

• The One Ring by Francesco Nepitello (5/5) - this is by far the most beautiful well constructed physical book I have ever owned

HORROR/SUSPENSE

• Dracula by Bram Stoker (3/5) - I did not realize how poorly this book aged

• Coraline by Neil Gaiman (5/5)

• Starling House by Alix Harrow (5/5)

NON-FICTION

• An Immense World by Ed Yong (4/5)

• How To Make The Best Coffee At Home by James Hoffmann (4/5)

PARENTING

• The Danish Way of Parenting by Jessica Joelle Alexander and Iben Sandahl (5/5)

• Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff (5/5)

PHILOSOPHY

• How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur (4/5)

PSYCHOLOGY

• The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey by lan Morgan Cron (4/5)

• It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn (2/5)

• Nudge: The Final Edition by Richard H Thaler (4/5)

Bonus Stuff!

I thought this year I'd also mention anything else I watched or listened to that was particularly excellent. It's like my miscellaneous best of.

Blogs:

• The Honest Broker

• Castle Grief

• The Alexandrian

Podcasts:

• Chasing Excellence

• Out There

• Worlds Beyond Number

I would also really enjoy any recommendations people have! If you’ve got a book I should check out, drop it in the comments.

Finally, if you’re a fellow book lover, you can follow me on Goodreads, where I log every book I read and where I will one day, hopefully, get back to reviewing them.

I hope everyone had a great holiday, and I’ll see you all next week with my normal content.