In January 2024 I took a reading vacation. It was amazing and I want to do it again. 2025 is already fully booked, among other things I’m going to Worldcon in Seattle, but maybe I’ll be able to squeeze another one into 2026. Because of the reading vacation, I finished 18 books (5,491 pages) in January. I read the fewest books in May (4 books/1,356 pages). Even though I started January off strong, I read 14 fewer books in 2024 compared to 2023 but only 283 fewer pages¹.

Half of my books were science fiction and/or fantasy but mystery was my second highest genre. I had trouble finding science fiction I wanted to read this past year. I like reading escapist science fiction and, understandably, a lot of the science fiction right now is pretty depressing. The opposite of the depressing fiction is cozy SFF but it often falls flat for me. After some thought, I believe my very favorite plot is cranky (or angry) person goes on a rampage² and ends up making the world a slightly better place.

Here are my StoryGraph stats for 2024. Speaking of StoryGraph, this year I started logging when I started a book in addition to when I finished the book. In addition, just last month StoryGraph added a “paused” feature that I like because if a book isn’t immediately working for me I can set it aside and try again a bit later. This year, I have a goal of rating the books I read. I expect most of my ratings will be pretty high, because I rarely pick up a book unless I think I’m going to enjoy it, but I think it may be interesting to see the distribution.

As far as reading goals for 2025, I don’t think I have any major new ones. 2025 does not seem like a good year to do any stretch goals. However, like normal I am going to try to read the Hugo Award Nominees. In addition, I’ve joined a local book club. They’re picking books that I normally wouldn’t read myself so it’ll provide some interesting diversity to my list. February they’ll be discussing Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, March There There, and April will be Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table. Of those three, Ruch Reichl is the only author I’ve read before. I enjoyed Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise but just recently gave up on The Paris Novel.

Favorite 2024 Reads

• I re-read A Deadly Education in January and The Golden Enclaves in October. Remember how I said I like cranky people who make the world a little bit better? That’s describes this series’ protagonist in a nutshell.
• Book of Night – Holly Black is a very good writer and I thought the premise interesting.
• Iris Kelly doesn’t Date – A delightful sapphic romance.
• The Housekeepers – A fun historical heist.
• Loki’s Ring – Space Opera!
• Designing History: The Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House – This was a bit different than the normal interior design books I read but it was really interesting. There were all sorts of tidbits I learned such as that the oval office has three sofas in rotation because nervous visiting guests tend to leave sweat marks on the sofas and they have to be cleaned often. Also, this book definitely invoked a bit of nostalgia because I miss having a president who has a yearly recommended reading list.
• Paladin’s Faith – The fourth in a the Saint of Steel fantasy series. I was particularly fascinated by how depictions of demons in this universe changed.
• Pride and Prejudice – I got the 2021 edition illustrated by Marjolein Bastin and it’s beautiful. I read a little bit every night right before bed.
• Soul Taken (February) and Winter Lost (September) – Patricia Briggs writes very engrossing stories. However, I think half the fun of these books is it being set in the Tri-Cities, close to Walla Walla. In fact, in this universe Walla Walla is a fey reservation.
• Encore in Death (February) and Payback in Death (June) – These days I get a little cranky with the woman marries rich man trope (honestly, I’m a little cranky with rich men in general). Also, Roarke’s help in Eve’s cases is often illegal which bothers me. However, the relationships in this series are wonder to watch.
• The Deep Sky – Another space opera. I particularly liked the scenes in the ship itself but the flashbacks were interesting.
• Starling House – I love houses. I can spend hours browsing Zillow house listings so having mystery that revolved so much around the house was a great combination for me³.
• The Tainted Cup – This had a definite Sherlock Holmes feel to me. It was a good mystery in a very unique world.
• The Late Mrs. Willoughby (read in March) and The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh (read in August). – Jane Austen inspired mysteries. Both of these I listened to the audiobook versions.
• The Husbands – This book has a delightfully bizarre premise. The ending didn’t quite work for me but I really enjoyed everything else about the book.
• Unraveller – This is a YA book but it manages to avoid some of the relationship drama a lot of YA can have. This was a really good story with a lot of depth.
• The Bezzle – A short book with a lot to think about.
• Some Desperate Glory – This book took me two tries to read. The first time I put it down after one chapter because I just couldn’t deal with the opening scenario. However, it was a Hugo nominee so I managed to push through and really enjoyed it by the end.
• Diving the Deep – This series is a bit hit or miss for me. I enjoyed the first and couldn’t get through the third book. This is the second book and it is my favorite of the three I’ve read.
• The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate & Live Well – I didn’t read as many interior design books this year as last which I suspect means I’m feeling a bit more emotionally stable. However, I read and enjoyed this one. It’s published in 2011, which is a bit old for an interior design book, but using drawings instead of photos made it feel fresher.
• The Wings Upon Her Back – Somewhat similar to Some Desperate Glory, this is the story of a woman who discovers she’s helping the wrong people.
• How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying – There’s been a spate of books recently about evil people who aren’t really evil, they’re just flawed people. This one worked better for me than several of the others I read⁴.
• The Unwedding – A multi-layered mystery set in Big Sur. I was reading this in early November when it was still way too hot so the rain in the book was very theraputic.
• The Luck Runs Out – This mystery series is about the same age as me and is sometimes a bit dated. However, I like Peter Shandy’s personality. I listened to the first book in the series but sadly it appears it’s the only one available as an audiobook so this one I read as an eBook.
• We Solve Murders – A nice murder mystery.
• The Dead Cat Tail Assassins – Well written and an interesting fantasy universe.
• Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me – Always great to hear someone talking about books.