Favorite Books 2024 & 2025 Reading Goals

🤔 Thought of the Week:

This year, I have read 75 books. Work has been busy and time-consuming, so I did not get into the nonfiction, SFF, mystery, or horror I wanted to this year. However, I enjoyed the romance-heavy year. I enjoyed writing more coherent book notes and reviews over the last few months. I enjoyed trying new authors and genres. I also enjoyed finding new creators and completing buddy reads with my best friend. Overall, my 2024 reading was less varied than 2023, but still a good year. I hope next year is just as good.

💻 2024 Stats:

I started and ended the year with romance. I think this set the tone for 2024. I knew work was going into a transition phase, and I had surgery early in the year. Romance gives consistency. There is always a happy ending, and the stakes usually aren't high. Romance can vary from light to dark romance, with the ability to find something that fits your mood while still getting a solid ending. Unfortunately, I did not leave this year with any favorites, so while some books came close to 5⭐️, none actually received it. 

My reading and mood were up and down throughout the year. There was so much happening personally and in the world that my reading reflected that more so this year than in recent years. It also led me to read shorter books. The nonfiction I did read took me super long. I did a lot of picking up and putting down this year. I did not finish 4 books this year. 

The highlight was buddy reading with my best friend. We had a 50% success rate in the books we read, but we had a great time passing voice notes back and forth as we read. Even though we have been friends since junior year in high school, I think this year we have learned new things about each other through our discussions on books. We tend to lean towards different books. I would say she enjoys character-driven emotional family dramas. I enjoy exploring new worlds, but character-driven books tend to get higher ratings. We both enjoy romance novels. 

📚 Favorite Books of 2024:

These are my favorites of the year and I would recommend them all.

The Attic Child

This was the first buddy read for me and my best friend and the most successful. This is a gut-wrenching book in some ways and a hopeful exploration of coming to terms with the past. Going into this book, I thought it would be another book focused on black trauma. This book has tough parts, but it also offers hope. It starts slow, but it does pick up up. My best friend and I sent voice notes increasingly as the story picked up. The main flaw for me was some of the characterizations. Some characters did not feel fleshed out, and I felt the romance was kind of pushed in there. I finished this book in June, and it has stuck with me. 

Topaz

Beverly Jenkins is one of my favorite romance authors. I love the history that she mixes with her romance. This story has always been a standout to me. While not a favorite, it is one that I enjoy re-reading. I love the history mixed into the narrative. This book displays some of the thinking during that time while also showing the character's humanity. The main issue for me is always the ending. It feels rushed and does not do the best job of wrapping up the story. 

The Lies of the Ajungo

This was a new to me author and a great entrance into their work. This novella is a quick read and a good place to jumpstart a reading journey or come out of a slump. I read this book in March while craving a short, fast-paced fantasy book after reading a few romance novels back-to-back. It packs enough punch to be interesting, and it got me thinking. This book is mainly about how truth and deception blur. The one who controls the narrative controls the truth. It asks a few questions: What stories are those in power telling to keep everyone under control? Are we blindly following our leaders? It is a part of a novella series, and I can't wait to read the other two books; the last comes out in 2025.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

P Djeli Clark is becoming a must-buy author for me. I loved the Dead Djinn Universe series and was excited about this book. I needed a good audiobook for a drive to visit my best friend and her family, and this novella delivered. It offered a humorous, morally complex character. It was action-packed and fast-paced. It captured me while driving. It is a fantasy book that mixes adventure and mystery. Like many novellas I encounter, the worldbuilding isn't fully developed, and some of the characters aren't distinct, but it is a good time. I could see myself rereading this novella, especially if more stories are set in this world. 

The Emperor's Soul

This is another fantasy novella and the best Sanderson book I have read so far. It is a captivating and thought-provoking story about identity, art, and the nature of power. I enjoyed the conflict in this story and the main character. One of my complaints about the female main characters in Sanderson's stories is they are a little bit annoying. But Shai was complex and had an inner strength that was both beneficial and detrimental. Although the magic system was explained through exposition, Sanderson did a good job showing the magic in impactful ways. One of the issues I have with Sanderson's books is his tendency to overwrite and wait until the end to pick up on the action. This novella is paced well, does not overwrite, and lacks his usual humor, which isn't that funny to me. While the end has a flurry of action, it does not seem rushed or forced like in other books I've read. I want to read more about this world. 

💡 2025 Reading Goals & Priority Reads:

Even though I read 75 books this year, my 2025 reading goal is 52. Out of that 52, I want to read 12 nonfiction books. I already have a rough idea of those 12 and am excited to dig into these books. They are a mix of history, biographies, and essays with varying topics. I also want to read a mix of genres. I love science fiction and fantasy. I love romance. However, I want to read some horror, mystery, and literary fiction.

Another goal is to read at least 10 pages daily, which is no more than 15 minutes, depending on the complexity. I use TheStoryGraph to track my reading for the most, so it will help ensure I read those 10 pages.

This year, I would also like to participate in buddy reads and/or book clubs. Reading and discussing books with other people is always a good time, and I look forward to participating more.

There are some series and authors that I want to prioritize this year.

• The Expanse Series. I want to get back into this series. I really enjoyed the first book, Leviathan Wakes, and the first season of the TV show. There are nine books plus the short story collection. I would like to finish this series this year before I get into another long series. 
• The Gunslinger & Extended Universe. Stephen King is a prolific writer, and I wanted to try him out. This year, I read the first two books in the Gunslinger series and enjoyed them. I decided to start with The Gunslinger series because I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction so that it won't be so jarring. I included books in the same universe to get my feet wet in some of his other genres. There are 11 more books to get through, and I am prioritizing The Stand and books 3 and 4 of the series. I also hope to get to 11/22/63, even though it is not a part of this universe. 
• Octavia E. Butler. I read a short story collection by Butler and a collection of her interviews as well. I have been interested in Butler's writing for some time. I am a fan of thought-provoking books (as you can tell by the 2024 favorites), and Butler's works offer that. I am excited to dig into her catalog. I have 11 books I want to get through, but I am prioritizing Fledgling and the Earthseed Duology. 
• The Sun Eater Series. I have heard a lot of good things about this story, and while I am interested, I am not sure I will get through much of the series this year. This is another long series with seven main books and a few short story collections. I will pick up books 1 and 1.5 in the fourth quarter of 2025 so the series can be a priority in 2026.

These are some series and authors I hope to read this year. While they aren't high priorities like the above, I hope to pick a book or two from each of these series and authors. 

• Silo Series by Hugh Howey
• The Riyria Revelations series by Michael J. Sullivan 
• The Blood Gift Duology by N.E. Davenport 
• Babel by R.F. Kuang 
• The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee
• Convergence Saga by Cadwell Turnbull
• Nicky Draven 
• Victor LaValle 
• Nnedi Okarafor
• NK Jemisin 

📚 Currently Reading & January TBR:

• The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan. 33% done. This is book 1 of the Empire of the Wolf series. I started this book, then put it down. On the way back from spending time with my family for Christmas, I listened to chapters I had previously read and got a little further in the book. So far, I am really enjoying the book. I like the narration style and the genre mix. I love being dropped in the world and letting the story build the world as I continue to read. Excited to see where it goes. 
• They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers. 27% done. I have picked up and put down this book so many times. It's not that I didn't like it, but I just wasn't in the mindset to read this type of nonfiction. The 27% is slightly misleading, as many of the book's end pages are citations. I will say that this book is kind of repetitive in some ways, but I enjoy the way the author includes a lot of examples based on what she is talking about. 
• The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates. As many people did, I bought this book after the viral interview. I was interested in it before that but was in no rush to buy a short hardcover for the price. However, the interview made me pick up this book as soon as I saw I could get it 50% off at the bookstore. I look forward to digging into this in January as soon as I finish my current nonfiction. 
• Fledgling. As I mentioned, Octavia E. Butler is one of my priority authors in 2025. I will start by reading one of her most divisive books and, unfortunately, her final novel, and I am excited. This is a dark fantasy horror that follows a vampire. It explores identity, power, and intersectionality. This could be a hit or a flop for me. 
• Reel by Kennedy Ryan. This will be a re-read for me as I started 2023 with this book and really enjoyed it. Since the book was recently released as a paperback, I decided to pick it up. 
• Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey. The Expanse series is a priority series for me this year, so I want to start the year off right by jumping back into this epic space opera. I am excited to see where the story goes after the ending of Leviathan Wakes. This may bleed into February. 
• The Tyranny of Faith. This is book 2 of the Empire of the Wolf series. I may not get to this book; it may be my first read in February. However, if book 1 ends great, I may pick it up very quickly. 

If you need some recommendations, check out my Goodreads or StoryGraph. And then follow me on Instagram.