I read 58 books in 2024. Not quite as many as I read in 2023, but quality over quantity, right? Among them were some absolute gems I’d recommend to anyone, so here’s a rundown of the standouts.
Books I’d Gift Again and Again
This short novel (just four hours on audio or half a day in print) is a quiet masterpiece. It follows a man and his daughter, the last humans on Earth, as they live in harmony with nature. I’ve read it three times already—twice on audio, once in paperback—and it still feels like sinking into poetry. If you need a dose of peace and perspective, this one’s for you.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
This book isn’t for the faint of heart. Butler paints a dystopian world where the rich only care about labor, and religion is all about control. Sound familiar? It’s chilling, heart-wrenching, and brilliant. It made me question the direction we’re headed as a society. If you’re in the mood for a book that hits hard and stays with you, this is it.
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
This was a journey through ideologies as much as it was a story. The tale of Shevek, caught between an anarchist society and a capitalist one, got me thinking: Could there ever be a sweet spot between those two extremes? If you’re into big ideas about how we live and govern, this one’s a must-read.
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
I thought I knew Shackleton’s story, but it turns out I had no idea. This true account of survival and resilience is jaw-dropping. Spoiler: everyone survives, but how they do it is nothing short of miraculous. It’s a testament to sheer grit, and it left me awestruck.
Series That Hooked Me
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Imagine a part-human, part-machine “murderbot” who just wants to be left alone to binge-watch TV shows but keeps getting roped into saving people. Turns out, Murderbot is the most human character in the whole series. I loved every minute spent in this universe.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman
This one caught me by surprise. It’s crude, bloody, and unapologetically wild. Carl and his cat navigate an alien dungeon, and somehow, it works. Six books later, I’m hooked. Carl is the anti-hero we didn’t know we needed.
Other Noteworthy Reads
The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy
Short, powerful, and existential. I read this while battling food poisoning, which felt oddly fitting. (Pro tip: don’t eat day old beans before diving into Tolstoy.)
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
Set in the ’90s—my Gen-X heart was thrilled—this time-travel story hit all the right nostalgic notes. It’s about fixing what went wrong, with plenty of heart along the way.
Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
A fresh, insightful take on neurodivergence wrapped in a time-travel bow. Smale’s writing is both funny and deeply empathetic.
This was my October horror pick, and wow, it disturbed me so much I might swear off the genre for a while. If unsettling is what you’re after, this is the winner.
Non-Fiction That Stuck With Me
The Singularity Is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil
This one left me feeling hopeful about the future of AI—like, we might not be doomed after all!
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari
And then there’s this book, which took all that AI optimism and threw it in the trash. It’s fascinating but left me feeling a little grim.
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
Klein dives into the strange mirror we call social media and how it shapes our political and personal lives. Eye-opening and thought-provoking.
Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well by Amy C. Edmonson
If you’ve ever failed (and who hasn’t?), this book is a guide to doing it better. It’s all about learning and making the right kind of mistakes.
That’s my year in books! If you’ve read any of these or have recommendations for 2025, let me know in the comments. Here’s to another year of turning pages and getting lost in great stories.