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Recapping My 2024 Reading List

The books I read this year were kind of all over the place. One minute, I’d be reading a popular fantasy series. The next, a niche film study. Then, I’d change course to humor essays. And then, I’d pick up a reimagining of a classic novel. There wasn’t much rhyme or reason to what I chose; just whatever sounded good in the moment. Honestly, that’s how I’ve been able to keep my reading list interesting year after year and ensure that reading as a hobby never becomes a chore.

Do you feel reading is a chore? Better question: Do you have a giant pile of books that you still haven’t read yet? It’s not that you’re bad at reading. Everyone reads at their own pace, in their own space. But it might mean you’re going about your TBR list in a way that’s not working for you.

Here’s a little trick I use that might help…

Whether you borrow books or purchase them outright, don’t grab all of your TBR list at once. Not even if there’s a really great book sale (The torture, I know). Instead, keep a running wishlist, and organize it however you like: genre, subject, mood, recommendations, etc. Now, here’s the crucial next part: Only borrow or buy a few books at a time—the ones that you’re excited to read right now. Don’t advance purchase or reserve something for the reader you think you’re going to be when the time comes. That’s how you end up with a stack of unread books that you’re no longer interested in.

Sometimes, you’re just not feeling it. And that’s okay. That’s why I advise you to wait to get the book until you’re ready for it. People change, and so do our tastes in media. You may not be the person (or the reader) you were six months ago when you grabbed that book. So stop forcing it. Let your current mood guide your choices, and baby-step it through that TBR list, baby.

All right, that’s enough unsolicited advice. Let’s talk about what I read this year!

Favorites

Here are the books I read in 2024 that had a big impact on me.

Yours for the Taking (Fiction) by Gabrielle Korn

You might think a sealed-off habitat for women run exclusively by women sounds pleasant, but author Gabrielle Korn is ready to pull the rug out from under you almost immediately. Set in a future where climate disasters have ravaged most of the world, Yours for the Taking follows several characters whose survival becomes an unexpected social experiment. It’s one of the better dystopian novels I’ve read in a while and tackles themes of gender essentialism, girlboss feminism, motherhood, and bodily autonomy. And for an “end-of-the-world” story, this one surprisingly doesn’t end with a bummer!

Saving Time: Discovering Life Beyond the Clock (Nonfiction) by Jenny Odell

Every time I finish one of Jenny Odell’s books, I find myself reevaluating how I think about life. Let me be clear right off the bat: Odell is not one of those grifter “life hack” types producing self-help, pop-psychology garbage like The Secret. Her books are musings on modern society and how our lives have been shaped by economics, religion, social structures, etc. This book, for instance, is about how every moment of our lives is beholden to the clock and how we got to that point. It’s an eye-opener—especially when you realize how much the productivity mindset has convinced you that “free time” isn’t a worthwhile use of your time.

The Shepherd King Duology (Fiction) by Rachel Gillig

I read a lot of fantasy this year, but this was one of the more unique stories I came across. It has some typical fantasy elements: blight upon the land, magical powers, estranged families, a corrupt monarch, slow-burn romance. BUT this one has a fun twist. The heroine has a monster residing in her head who’s slowly taking over her body and mind—and if she’s found out, she’ll be put to death, so she has to find a way to separate herself from the monster within (who may also be more than he seems).

The duology includes:

  • One Dark Window
  • Two Twisted Crowns

The Empire of the Vampire Trilogy (Fiction) by Jay Kristoff

I could NOT put this down. I haven’t been this enthralled by a fantasy series since A Song of Ice and Fire. The story is like Interview with the Vampire meets The Witcher meets The Da Vinci Code. Plus, there are incredible illustrations throughout the book, so it has a bit of a graphic novel feel. Basically, if you need a series where you can absolutely lose yourself in the world, then I highly recommend this one.

So far, the trilogy includes:

  • Empire of the Vampire
  • Empire of the Damned

FYI: The third and final book of this trilogy is expected in November 2025. Can’t wait!

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The Personality Brokers: The Strange History of Myers-Briggs and the Birth of Personality Testing (Nonfiction) by Merve Emre

Look, I already knew the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was pseudoscience, but the story behind how it came to be is bananas. The long-story-short version is Katherine Briggs was a homemaker who was obsessed with Karl Jung and used the upbringing of her daughter, Isabel Briggs-Myers, as a social experiment for regimented personality crafting. Then, Isabel took her mother’s quackery to a whole new level, watering down Jung’s theory into binary personality types that got packaged into a fun little “Get to know yourself” test and sold to businesses, schools, and even the U.S. government—which is why we’re still giving credence to this Barnum effect nonsense.

Also Recommend

Outside of my favorites, these were other books I read and enjoyed in 2024.

Not My Bag

As always, I want to clarify that these books aren’t necessarily bad. Sometimes, I just don’t jibe with the story or the author’s writing style, such is the case for most of the books listed here (with the exception of a few that I loathed).

Time to dive into my 2025 reading list now!

Featured image by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash

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