Happy holidays! 2024 was a big year for me, and with how busy I was the first half of the year I didn’t expect to read as much as I did. Not only did I reach my reading goal of 40 books, I blew past it by 13 books! I wanted to start my reading wrap-up with a visual overview of my year so you could see how different the first and second halves of 2024 were for me.
It took me a second to remember everything, but it was interesting for me to go back through my year and think about what was going on in my life at the time to make me read more or less, traditionally or through audiobooks. At the beginning of the year I was taking classes while working so I had little free time. Then when my schedule opened up, I crammed my days with all the hobbies I could fit by listening to audiobooks while I did everything. December is when I got my two-week vacation so I had plenty of time to knock out 6 books in 2 weeks!
*All graphs come from my StoryGraph stats where I track all of my reading. See my comparison of Goodreads and StoryGraph for more info
A Year in Graphs
Last year 65% of my reads were fast-paced and 77% were less than 300 pages. I.e. I was mainly reading manga last year and mainly read novels this year. I read over 10 books more this year than last year, so it looks like I spent a lot more time reading overall. Looking at my 100% fiction graph I feel like I need to tell you that I do read nonfiction articles and listen to educational podcasts. I do take my head out of my fantasy books sometimes!
2024 was a big fantasy romance year for me, so it’s not surprise to see romance and fantasy at the top of my genres. I finished all of T. Kingfisher’s currently published Saint of Steel books so that’s why she’s at the top of my authors. Yuto Suzuki and Tatsuya Endo are actually the authors of Sakamoto Days and Spy x Family. I read both of these manga as their chapters are published weekly/biweekly and always include them in my reading progress once the chapters get grouped for manga publications.
I’m generally bad about tagging the books I’ve read even though I love how easy they make for me remember notable details. This year, I didn’t worry about tagging and just went back over the past weekend and tagged all of the books I’d read throughout the year. The process was satisfying the same way cleaning your room is. I was actually surprised how many books I categorized as found family.
Next year I want to get better about tagging books as I read them, especially because I want to tag more tropes, setting, and story details to make recommendations easier in the future.
Posts
- Review: The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
- Review: The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart
- Review: When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo
- Fantasy Authors to Keep on my Reading Radar
- Spooktastic Review: Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
- Spooktastic Review: My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen
- Review: The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri
Highlights
Most Surprising New Favorite: Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
I’m not exaggerating when I say I thought there was no way I was going to like Ninefox Gambit, but here we are. I already have the physical copy of book 3 and book 2 is on its way…
Most Thought Provoking Read: The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
I still don’t know if I loved or hated it… But it was definitely my most memorable read of 2024.
Books Recommended to Me: The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher and Rhythm, Chord, & Malykhin by Mariana Zapata
I love reading books with others, but I feel like my reading taste has been drifting further and further away from what my friends and family enjoy. My mom recommended a cute contemporary, slow-burn romance and by brother recommended a funny paranormal detective series. Neither of these are my usual types, but I’m glad I checked them out! I’m also in the process of finishing The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab recommended by a friend.
Books I DNFed: The Headmistress by Milena McKay
When I heard there were dragons I thought there were going to be actual dragons. Not just school girls sorted into dragon-inspired houses in a fantasy-less world. );
Best Overall: The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri
There’s no way I couldn’t pick my most highly anticipated read of 2024 and such a flawless conclusion to a beautifully written series.
I read a lot more this year than I expected, which made this wrap up so much more fun. Next year, I’m going to have more free time in the spring and will be busier in the fall/winter, so I expect my reading trends to look very different.
Happy New Year!
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I can understand why The Headmistress would be disappointing!! I felt similarily about The City in Glass, haha. I love everything I’ve read by Nghi Vo but that one was maybe just a bit too out there for me.
The City in Glass was very odd. I just remember listening to the entire audiobook on the way from Wisconsin to Minnesota and finishing as I was pulling into the parking lot of my sister’s hockey game thinking wtf??? I had to sit there a couple minutes after it ended just to process. Definitely not a book I will forget any time soon!