2024 Year in Review
The year of slowing down, falling back in love with nonfiction, & finding my joy through a newsletter
It’s hard to believe we are bidding adieu to 2024 - a year that was simultaneously an eternity and over in the blink of an eye (but don’t we say this every year?). One of my favorite traditions, that I started years and years ago, is curating my own sort of “Goodreads” wrapped to tally the books, pages, and authors that I’ve discovered over the course of the year. Sharing this last year with this newsletter community was one of my great joys, and an early milestone in the “it’s a quick read” journey so I am elated to be back at it again.
In reflecting upon my reading habits this year, it stood out to me that this is the first year, in many years, that I have missed my reading goal and yet, also the year where I more deeply remember and appreciate the books I’ve read. I credit this in large part with this newsletter: because I was sitting down with books that were recommended (and in many cases gifted) by you and thinking through what I would want to include in a review, I intentionally slowed down and cherished my reading. Now, it is such a treat to reflect upon the range and quality of books I read this year, and how many of them I’ve discussed and connected with you.
This was a year of reading books that challenged me in rewarding ways (The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, Intimacies by Katie Kitamura, and Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart); knitted together humor with on-the-nose insights (Good Material by Dolly Alderton and Funny Story by Emily Henry); helped me finally understand the power of a truly great audiobook (The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop and From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough); grew my understanding of difficult and often stigmatized topics (Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra, Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler, and The Woman in Me by Britney Spears); and offered new insights on second (or third) rereads (Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta, and Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid). To put it simply, this was an exceptional year of reading.
This was also the year that I returned to my nonfiction roots, after taking a years-long hiatus. Excitingly, this means that I am sharing my top fiction and nonfiction reads, and I challenged myself to only include five for each category and not to include any rereads. I am also keeping last year’s practice of superlatives, a fun twist to bring a more whimsical element to my year-end reflection and push myself to think outside of the box about how and to whom I recommend books. I included some superlatives from last year and added a few new ones, and I’m looking forward to comparing notes on the books that stuck with you the most this year.
Truly, sincere gratitude for tagging along with “it’s a quick read” this year, for reaching out with your recommendations, and for joining so many Silent Book Clubs. This community has grown in completely unexpected and wonderful ways, and it’s meant more to me than you could ever know. Thank you, so deeply.
Now without further ado, the 2024 year in review!
Year-End Stats
Total Books Read/Goal: 40/50
Total Pages: 13,734
New Authors: 23
Total Rereads: 6
Audiobooks: 3 (a new personal best, believe it or not!)
Best Fiction of 2024
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
Best Nonfiction of 2024
Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra
Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
2024 Superlatives
Most likely to find me reading… at Union Market with a coffee or cocktail in hand
Best reading experience… Starting Silent Book Club at Lost Generation Brewing and watching it take off in truly amazing ways.
Favorite local bookstore… Politics & Prose at Union Market
Favorite long distance bookstore… The Strand in New York and City Lights in San Francisco
Best vacation read… The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Best commute read… The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Book most likely to impress your boss… Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Most enviable meet cute… Love Buzz by Neely Tubati Alexander
Most tender unexpected friendship… Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Best audiobook… From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough, narrated by the incredible Julia Roberts and Riley Keough
Character with the most enviable wardrobe… Carrie Soto because there’s no such thing as too much athleisure
Book most likely to induce crying in public… Good Material by Dolly Alderton (shoutout to everyone on my flight to San Francisco who tolerated my ugly crying)
Favorite reread… Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Best imaginary world… Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
Book I would adapt to a limited series… The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta and The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Authors I’d love to have coffee with… Gabrielle Zevin, Shefali Luthra, Riley Keough
Authors I’d love to have a drink with… Kelly Bishop, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Emily Henry
Book I would recommend to Stevie Nicks… A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
“On repeat” reading soundtrack… Midnights by Taylor Swift and The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams
Favorite book dedication… “To all the strangers who made a dreary moment magical” from The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Book most likely to utilize “it’s a quick read”… How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Best overall story… The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Lookahead for 2025
Setting a goal of 45 books for 2025, kicking off the year with a reading vacation with friends, and looking ahead to some highly anticipated new reads from favorite authors!
In no particular order, I am looking to prioritize these 10 books for the year ahead:
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (coming June 2025)
James by Percival Everett
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
We’ve Decided to Go In Different Directions by Tess Sanchez (coming April 2025)
Lovely One: A Memoir by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (coming April 2025)
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld (coming February 2025)
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune (coming May 2025)