My favourite reads in 2024

The best books I read in 2024

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I’m very behind with this blog but I finally found some time and energy to review and reflect on all my favourite reads from last year. So enjoy!

I managed to read and listen to 28 books, across 10,402 pages. I didn’t hit my target of 35 books sadly but I did struggle with a couple of reading slumps. I read a lot more fantasy which I think was a sign of my need for escapism. It was tough year (and it seems my need for escapism is only going to continue in 2025, thanks world).

This is a long read, so I’d recommend reading it on the Substack app or website.

Fantasy

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H. G. Parry

This was a book club read I usually wouldn’t have picked up but I enjoyed it so much! The protagonist’s brother has the power to bring fictional characters to life in the real world with some funny, interesting and sometimes disastrous consequences! I imagine I didn’t get as much out of this book as Dickens fans would (my only experience of Dickens is with failing to finish Bleak House). But I loved meeting other characters I know well such as Dorian Gray and Fitzwillian Darcy!

It also touches on some interesting philosophical ideas. Such as, how people interpret and resonate with characters in very different ways and do fictional characters have a right to life once you pull them out of a book?

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn Book 3) by Brandon Sanderson

I’ve been dragging my feet finishing this trilogy because I love it so much and I didn’t want it to be over. The third book was as brilliant as I hoped, such a phenomenal emotional ending! Now I need to force myself to read the rest of the Mistborn books. If you love fantasy and haven’t read Brandon Sanderson yet, go do it now.

The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik

I told myself I’d grown out of young adult books but I think some of my reads last year suggest otherwise. I’ve been a long time fan of Naomi Novik. I grew up with her Temeraire series (dragons in the Napoleonic wars, it doesn’t get much better than that). I also adored Uprooted. So when I saw Deadly Education on offer I couldn’t resist.

This trilogy felt very different to her other books as a dark academic urban fantasy with some romance. I wasn’t quite sure I’d get on with it to start. But a few chapters in I was sucked in by El’s sarcastic, grumpy but vulnerable personality. The moral quandaries she found herself in as an ultimately good-hearted person gifted with evil power in a ‘survival of the fittest school’ were interesting to explore.

I also found how magic works in this world to be fascinating. Novik is almost scientific about it, spending so time explaining how it all works. It almost feels like you’re studying magic along with the characters. I love that much worldbuilding! Piecing clues together from all that information did become important as we follow the story to a perfect ending where all the threads come together.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries & by Heather Fawcett (audiobook)

These books combine my love of fae and cosy vibes! Some might say it’s a stretch to describe these books as cosy as the fae are truly terrifying (as they should be). But there’s the cosiness of Emily pursuing her research whilst living in a Nordic cottage in the snow on a Scandinavian island. There’s also the frenemies banter between her and fellow academic, Wendell Bambleby, which I fiercely enjoyed.

I deeply resonate with Emily Wilde’s struggles with socialising and understanding people, and preference for books and magical creatures! Is Emily Wilde autistic? As a neurodivergent, I’m suddenly wondering this!

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Another beautiful and powerful cosy story from TJ Klune of death, grief and found family. I loved everything about this book - the Scrooge-like protagonist, the cosy haunted café, the approach to death, and the romance! And I’m not a big fan of romance.

The Book that Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence

I adored this book, it’s exactly my kind of story. The fact it’s set in a huge magical library helps! It’s a slow but satisfying build, telling a story with two very different characters whose lives become intertwined over time and space. This is such a clever book that gets you thinking and resulted in some great book club discussions. It feels like there’s so much more going on in this world that I can’t wait to discover in the next book.

Also, a shoutout to having a content and fun main character with a fairly normal life (at least in the context of a fantasy world) with a job and friends. She is a loveable character who drives the story forward with her personality and goals, not some innate rare magic power or fate. That feels so rare in fantasy! It’s a refreshing change from all ‘the chosen ones’ who are often angsty loners. This is more a story of two people who just happen to be in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time.

I can’t talk about it too much more without giving things away but I highly recommend it. It gave me Strange the Dreamer and Wind Singer vibes, if you’re a fan of those books.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing (and the whole Empyrean series) have become a guilty pleasure for me.

It’s certainly got nothing on the original dragon riders of Dragons of Pern. But I can never resist a book about dragons. I’m mostly ambivalent about the romance but the two main dragon characters (if you’ve read it then you know) made this book for me.

I read it on holiday and devoured it. It’s also possibly the first book I’ve read since the Game of Thrones series where I got so addicted because you don’t know what will happen or who will die next.

Having a protagonist with chronic pain/joint issues was also refreshing and I certainly resonate a lot with Violet because of it. I was also pleased to see she got some accommodations for these health challenges rather than being presented as a hero that could overcome everything. Of course, being in a world with magic healers also helps!

The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre (audiobook)

This was such a whimsical, wholesome and cosy book that I loved listening to as an escape during a difficult time. It’s a diverse story of found family, magic, witches, romance, and finding yourself. I wish I could go live at Violet Gables and be part of their family. Also, one of the protagonists Iris definitely has ADHD, not sure the author intended this but she 100% does (and I love her for it)!

Apparently, diagnosing neurodivergent characters in books is a thing I do now.

Sci-Fi

Wool by Hugh Howey

The review on the front cover encapsulates this book ‘exhilarating, intense, addictive’. I read this book whilst travelling to the Scottish Highlands and the nine hour journey flew by as I was absorbed by this book. I’m a sucker for dystopian books like this with totalitarian societies and hidden secrets.

The popular Silo series on Apply TV is based on this book. But they do change some fundamental aspects of some of the characters so bear that in mind if considering what order to read or watch them in! As ever, book readers might get frustrated with the TV series. I still enjoyed it. I also stumbled across some potential spoilers in the show as I haven’t yet read the second book (even though the current series are based on this book only).

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

It’s difficult to know what genre this book even fits into, a blend of horror, thriller, sci-fi, biopunk, and dystopia. I’m not a fan of horror/thrillers usually but I was intrigued after watching the Netflix film and a friend recommended and lent the book to me. I also love the theme of nature and wilderness reclaiming its own and fighting back against our tyranny. Even if it might be an alien presence causing that to happen!

That’s not a spoiler, the source of Area X still remains unknown and I’ve just started reading the third book. Also, a heads up, the story is quite different from the Netflix film.

Nature

Groundbreakers: The Return of Britain's Wild Boar by Chantal Lyons

One of the best nature/science books I have read! A blend of stunning nature writing combined with fascinating facts and a deep exploration of wild boar living in the UK. It’s also a call for us to embrace rewilding in the UK and to step beyond our comfort zone to brave living alongside truly ‘wild’ creatures.

And I am not just biased because it’s written by a friend. It was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize and won the British Ecological Society Award. Proud friend moment!

Wonderland: A Year of Britain's Wildlife, Day by Day by Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss

Beginning of January last year, I set myself the challenge to read one entry in this book everyday for the whole year. And whilst I often forgot and had to catch up a few days/weeks at a time, I mostly managed to read it right along with the seasons. This was such an enjoyable way to read it!

There is an entry for every day of the year, each about a different wild encounter experienced by the authors. I felt this helped me connect with nature as it was changing around me. I’d find myself being more aware of the species they mentioned as I was out and about. Learning fascinating facts about wildlife as they emerge through the year helped build another level of connection to my local patch of nature.

I would love to discover more seasonal nature books like this that I can read in a similar way. Though perhaps not a day at a time, as it was quite a challenge!

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

This is technically a literary historical fiction rather than nature writing. But I was sucked in by the author’s dark and magical depiction of a true North American wilderness before it became irrevocably changed by European settlers. It took me to places I did not expect and made me grieve for a world long gone. Definitely a unique book that stays with you, I often find myself thinking about it even a year later.

Non-fiction

How to Keep House while Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis

A validating and practical book fit to bursting with ideas and routines for managing home life when things are difficult. Whether you live with ADHD or depression or grief, all of us at some point will struggle with keeping on top of life admin and that’s ok. This book is here for us when we are dealing with those times (or all the time like those of us with ADHD!)

One of the biggest changes this book has brought about in my life is reframing chores as ‘care tasks’. It’s a much kinder and more motivational way to think about the daily tasks we need to do to live. Instead of getting resentful about having to do the same tasks everyday, it helps me see it as something I’m doing with kindness to help my future self or my partner. It also helped me stop judging myself based on how tidy the house is. How messy your house is has no bearing on your value as a person!

Dog-Hearted: Essays on Our Fierce and Familiar Companions

This is such a heart-warming and heart-breaking book in equal measure. So many beautiful stories and experiences with dogs and how they shape our lives. A must read for everyone who has canine companions in their life! This book was a gift and it has become a cherished one.

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What were your favourite reads from the past year?