{"id":589,"date":"2025-01-06T17:20:59","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T17:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/?p=589"},"modified":"2025-01-06T17:24:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T17:24:36","slug":"my-reading-2024-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/06\/my-reading-2024-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"My Reading: 2024 in Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to Goodreads (and my own records), I read 30 books in 2024. My Goodreads stats:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average rating I gave:<\/strong> 2.8*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most shelved book I read:<\/strong> People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Least shelved book I read: <\/strong>Isle of Beasts and Shadows by McCayleigh Daniels<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*A # out of 5 might seem a bit low as an average rating, but here’s my rating structure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • 1 – Terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad. Probably was physically and emotionally unable finish it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2 – Able to finish, but with some major problems. Maybe the writing was good, but the story was terrible. Maybe the story was good, but the writing was terrible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 3 – A good book.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 4 – A REALLY good book! I’ll probably enthuse about this book to others.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 5 – Holy shit, this book is amazing. It’s a top tier read. I’m going to keep my copy of it probably forever. I’m very stingy with my 5 star ratings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Without further ado, here is a list of the books I read in 2024 in order of rating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Shark Heart: A Love Story – Emily Habeck \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong>\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Absolutely beautiful prose, and the story was superb. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star novel was continuing the story after Lewis went to sea. Everything prior to that was stunning and perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2023 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Fiction and Readers’ Favorite Debut Novel; Editor’s Choice for New York Times and Booklist; USA Today best seller; Massachusetts Book Awards Fiction Honor selection; shortlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood – Sarah J. Maas<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is the second time I read this book because I wanted to get back into the story before the release of book 3. It’s still really fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Winner of the 2020 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Fantasy; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Science Fiction & Fantasy<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath – Sarah J. Maas<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is, again, the second time I read this book because I wanted to get back into the story before the release of book 3. It’s still really fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    New York Times bestseller, winner of the 2022 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Fantasy; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Science Fiction & Fantasy<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadow – Sarah J. Maas \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The third book in the Crescent City series. It holds up really well to the others. I didn’t necessarily love the crossover; despite that, the book was still very enjoyable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Winner of the 2024 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Romantasy; Amazon #1 Best Seller in Demons & Devils Paranormal Romance<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    This Spells Love – Kate Robb<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong>\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This was a super cute fantasy rom-com. It’s sweet and straight-forward, and it has that friends-to-lovers angle I like. I love the family shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Romance; Good Morning America Buzz pick<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Linghun – Ai Jiang<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong>\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Delightfully creepy and heartbreaking novella. An excellent example of the gothic genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Winner of the Nebula and Bram Stoker Awards for Best Novella\/Long Fiction<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    The Bodyguard – Katherine Center \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong>\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Delightful rom-com. Predictable, and that’s why I loved it. Katherine Center’s books stay true to genre conventions, and they are deeply satisfying. And adorable. I love that Emily Henry calls this book “my perfect 10 of a book… a shot of pure joy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2022 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Romance; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Romance<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Ink Blood Sister Scribe – Emma T\u00f6rzs \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This book ended up being better than I expected. The standout character was absolutely Collins, and he drove my wanting to finish the story more than any of the actual main characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2023 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Fantasy and Readers’ Favorite Debut Novel; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Science Fiction & Fantasy; New York Times Notable Book of the Year<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Killers of a Certain Age – Deanna Raybourn<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This was apparently the first in a series, though I didn’t think a sequel was in any way necessary. It was a fun book, but I think the premise was so much better than the execution. A lot more fun could have been had here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2022 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Mystery & Thriller; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense; New York Times best seller<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up – Alexandra Potter<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cricket is an awesome character. There were some extremely relatable things that came up in this book, and I enjoyed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is the basis for the television show Not Dead Yet (which I haven’t seen) and has made a bunch of bestseller lists.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI – David Grann \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Such a terrible tragedy. I appreciate that this book brought light to the story of the Osage people, and reading about how those event led to the FBI was interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2017 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite History & Biography; finalist for The National Book Award; winner of an Edgar Allan Poe Award; Amazon #1 Best Seller in Native American History; Edgar Award winner; Anthony Award winner; New York Times best seller; also a movie<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Let Us Descend – Jesmyn Ward \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did. Loved the magical realism aspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2023 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Literature & Fiction; Oprah’s Book Club pick; New York Times best seller; named one of the best books of 2021 by The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe, TIME, The New Yorker, and more<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Love, Theoretically – Ali Hazelwood \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I do enjoy Ali Hazelwood’s rom-coms. However, the super tiny and short protagonist matched with a super tall love interest is really awkward and getting tiresome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2023 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Romance; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Romance; Indie Next and Library Reads pick<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    People We Meet on Vacation – Emily Henry \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I don’t know what it is about protagonists named after flowers, but I automatically like them. There were several times when the main characters talked about their feelings and it was like, “Oh. Oh, I understand that.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Winner of the 2021 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Romance; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Romance; named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Newsweek, Oprah Magazine, The Skimm, Marie Claire, Parade, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, PopSugar, BookPage, Good Housekeeping, BuzzFeed, Business Insider, Real Simple, SheReads, and more.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Rosemary’s Baby – Ira Levin \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A classic horror story that I fiiiiiinally got around to reading. It was pretty good, but I am not sure why it’s considered as mind-blowing as people say… or why it’s considered a cornerstone of the horror genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    New York Times best seller (one of the first in the horror genre); multiple adaptations exist<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    The Husbands – Holly Gramazio \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What a fantastic premise! I think the author could have had a lot more fun with it, but she played it pretty safe. Worth the read, but I definitely think it could have been even better with more risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Books of the Year 2024; New York Times best seller; Read with Jenna Book Club pick<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Sleep Tight – J. H. Markert<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Decently creepy, and I appreciated one of the characters’ actions at the end. I wasn’t really thrilled with the ultimate reveal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for 2024 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Horror<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    The Wishing Game – Meg Shaffer \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This was simultaneously very cute and very dark. I loved how the setting was a character which is one of the things I love most about Lucy Foley books… so I’m looking forward to reading the other Meg Shaffer book I picked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2023 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Fiction; finalist for 2023 Book of the Month Book of the Year; winner of the 2023 Reader’s Digest, SheReads, Book Reporter, and Washington Post Best Book of the Year<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    The Unmaking of June Farrow – Adrienne Young \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This had some interesting timey-wimey magic going on, but I never got to the point of liking June enough to feel strongly about her choices. The grandmother is the standout here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2023 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Fantasy; New York Times best seller; Best Book of the Year from Good Housekeeping and SheReads<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    What Moves the Dead – T. Kingfisher \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This was an interesting retelling of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” but I don’t think it needed to be related at all to be good. Not sure what it is about recent gothic horror’s focus on mycology, but a fun read for sure. There’s apparently another book that follows Alex, and I definitely want to check it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nominee for the 2022 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Horror; Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Science Fiction & Fantasy; Locus Award winner; Barnes & Noble Book of the Year finalist; USA Today best seller<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    A Winter in New York – Josie Silver \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A cute story that centers around a gelateria and an old family recipe. The intrigue involving the main character’s mom and the love interest’s uncle was interesting. A solid holiday romance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    PopSugar’s Best Book of the Year 2023<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Middletide – Sarah Crouch \u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This book is primarily described as “atmospheric,” and I think that’s a great adjective. I don’t generally like the kind of twist this story has, and running across that took me out of the book almost entirely. The setting is great, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Again and Again – Jonathan Evison<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This started off really well, but I feel like it started fizzling about halfway through. I loved the magical realism aspects, but when those started getting stripped away, I lost interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Literature & Fiction<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Camp Zero – Michelle Min Sterling \u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There were some good pieces in it, and I like the idea in general. The execution was, in my opinion, a bit on the boring side, and I felt the story kept going long after it should have been done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Science Fiction & Fantasy; Libby Book Award Winner for Best Diverse Author; Today Show Book Club Pick<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    When I’m Dead – Hannah Morrissey \u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ugh, one of those annoying things that doesn’t tell you it’s part of a series until you’re already into it. The new covers indicate that, but when it first hit as a Book of the Month choice, there was nothing to suggest this at all. So annoying, and it definitely colored my rating of the story. Also, the parents are just… shitty people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    A Talent for Murder – Peter Swanson \u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I probably would have liked this better if it hadn’t been the third in a series. The biggest problem? I didn’t KNOW it was the third in series! There was nothing at all to indicate this until the main character started referencing past events. This lack of indicating books are part of a series is getting REALLY common, and I hate it. My rating of this story suffers because of it, I think, though I don’t think it would have broken past a 3 star anyway.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Firekeeper’s Daughter – Angeline Boulley \u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reviews for this were really high, but I just couldn’t love it. I eventually put it down around a third of the way through. Apparently, there’s a sequel, too, and the first book is being adapted for Netflix. It has SO MANY awards and honors, and I have no idea why I didn’t feel the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Winner of the 2021 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Young Adult Fiction; nominee for the 2021 Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Debut Novel; Amazon #1 Best Seller in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Self-Esteem; winner of the Printz Medal; Morris Award winner; American Indian Youth Literature Award YA Honor Book; Reese Witherspoon Book Club YA Pick; New York Times best seller; TIME Magazine Best YA Book of All Time selection; Amazon’s Best YA Book of 2021; Kids’ Indie Next List selection; Entertainment Weekly Most Anticipated Books of 2021 selection; PopSugar Best March 2021 YA Book selection<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    The Resort – Sara Ochs \u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Called a “searing vacation thriller,” but it was a snooze fest. I couldn’t finish and finally put it down about halfway through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    The London S\u00e9ance Society – Sarah Penner \u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I enjoyed Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary, but this book didn’t quite stack up. I ultimately did not finish as I found Lenna to be an unlikable protagonist who I didn’t want to see succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense; New York Times best seller; named a Most Anticipated Book by Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, Bookpage, CrimeReads, Reader’s Digest, PopSugar, LitHub, E! News, and more.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Isle of Beasts and Shadows – McCayleigh Daniels \u2605\u2606<\/strong>\u2606\u2606\u2606<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I picked this book up to support a local author. The ideas are solid, but the book reads like a first draft. Given how many rave reviews are available on Goodreads, I can only assume she used her friends as beta readers, and they did not give her good feedback to really make this book shine. It was a DNF for me, unfortunately.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One of the biggest takeaways from this year is that Amazon has incredibly low standards for their Best Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense category. I also noted that there were a LOT of books I didn’t like at all that were very well-received and got tons of awards, and I’m not sure what’s up with that (ex. Firekeeper’s Daughter.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What were your reads in 2024? Do you have any recommendations?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    According to Goodreads (and my own records), I read 30 books in 2024. My Goodreads stats: Average rating I gave: 2.8* Most shelved book I read: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry Least shelved book I read: Isle of Beasts and Shadows by McCayleigh Daniels *A # out of 5 might seem a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=589"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":630,"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589\/revisions\/630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefoxae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}