2024 Reading Wrap Up - Falling Back in Love with Books

If one good thing came out of 2024, it was falling back in love with reading.

When I was little, I would never not have a book in my hand, and throughout school if I didn’t have a friend, well, at least I had a book. Then, in a bizarre twist I never saw coming, I started finding it a struggle to sit down and read a book; this lasted years, and it truly felt like I had lost a part of myself. Every year since, I’ve tried to add “get back into reading” to my New Year's Resolution lists, and every year I’ve read less than a handful of books. Until this year.

In 2024, I read a grand total of 27 books - which may not be a lot for some, but for me, this was beyond what I had hoped for, and even further beyond what I had expected. In fact, my Goodreads goal for the year was only ten, which felt ambitious, and to my surprise I surpassed that by August! I made a new friend, a fellow book lover, and together we joined a book club in Brighton and met even more book lovers. I started a BookTube channel, and I started posting and writing more about reading on my social media platforms and in blog posts. In 2024, I reconnected with books and reignited my love for reading.

If you’ve found yourself in a reading slump, take this as your sign that you can and you will emerge from it eventually - perhaps when you least expect it! It does not make you any less of a reader, any less of a book lover, and it is not a reflection of you. You will always find your way back to books.

So, with all of that said, let’s dive into my 2024 reading wrap up!

Quarter 1: January to March

January - ‘The Orange and Other Poems’ by Wendy Cope. You may be familiar with this book due to the popularity of the titular poem. I loved this book, and I think it was a great first read of 2024! I even ended up getting a tattoo inspired by ‘The Orange’ with my best friend when she came to visit in March.

February - Nothing! I was not quite back into the swing of reading in the first few months of the year, so I didn’t pick up a single book in February.

March -  ‘Open Water’ by Caleb Azumah Nelson. I really enjoyed this one as it was short enough to keep me from burning out, and the plot was great too. I believe this is being adapted for TV in 2025 so I’m really glad I got around to reading it in 2024.

 

Quarter 2 - April to June

April - Another bookless month…

May - ‘Bloom’ by Delilah S. Dawson. This book changed everything for me this year. It was another short read, one I picked up when my friends came to visit in March, and one that instantly reminded me why I love reading. I read this book in one sitting and loved it so much that I wished it was longer.

June - ‘A Botanical Daughter’ by Noah Medlock. I absolutely adored this book, and, spoiler alert, I think it is my favourite read of 2024. ‘Legends & Lattes’ by Travis Baldree. This was such a fun read as someone who plays Dungeons & Dragons - I can’t wait to read the prequel this year. ‘Everything Everything’ by Nicola Yoon. This one was given to me by my friend, who I was visiting in Liverpool for the Eras Tour, for my train journey home. I flew through this book in the first two hours of my six hour train journey - I loved it!

 

Quarter 3 - July to September

July - ‘Powerless’ and ‘Reckless’ by Lauren Roberts - both of which were a nice way of dipping my toe back into fantasy. ‘The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches’ by Sangu Mandanna. My first witchy read of the year which I really loved! She has another book coming out in 2025 and I am so excited for it! ‘Poems for Tortured Souls’ by Liz Ison. My second poetry book and unfortunately, my least favourite read of the year.

August - ‘Unmasked’ by Ellie Middleton. This was perhaps one of the most eye opening books I’ve ever read. I really loved this one and it was at this point that I surpassed my Goodreads goal of ten, as this was my 11th read.

September - ‘The Pumpkin Spice Cafe’ and ‘The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore’ by Laurie Gilmore, These two were perfect, cosy reads for the month! ‘Cackle’ by Rachel Harrison. My favourite of my September reads, and my second witchy read of the year. I loved Cackle, and I’m looking forward to exploring more of Rachel Harrison’s books in 2025.

  

Quarter 4 - October to December
October - The month I joined a book club! ‘Hidden Pictures’ by Jason Rekulak. Our first book club read. This was so fast-paced, I read ‘Hidden Pictures’ in one day, spent in London reading on the tubes between exploring museums and bookstores. ‘Mexican Gothic’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. My first real experience with Gothic literature, and what an introduction it was! I loved this book, and it has made me want to further explore both the genre and Moreno-Garcia’s other books. ‘Faebound’ by Saara El-Arifi. I didn’t love this book as much as I expected to, but it has influenced me to seek out some other fantasy reads for 2025.

November -  ‘Anatomy: A Love Story’ by Dana Schwartz was our November book club read; another gothic mystery with a hint of romance. I really enjoyed this book, and I think joining a book club was one of the best ideas I’ve ever had. ‘Rewitched’ by Lucy Jane Wood. I found this one slow to start, but I really got into it as the book progressed! 

December - ‘The Christmas Tree Farm’ by Laurie Gilmore. Our December book club read; this had been on my TBR since reading the first in the Dream Harbour series. I did enjoy this one, but it may be my least favourite of the three. The Eras Tour Book. Perhaps controversial to include, but it is a book I read so I am including it anyway! Obviously yearning for the Eras Tour ever since my last show, so this was really lovely to read through. What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher. I got this book for Christmas; it’s a gothic horror retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, and I loved this book a lot! Talking at Night by Claire Daverley. This is actually our January book club read but I got a head start, and oh my god I loved this one so much! Definitely one of my favourites from the year. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. This is one my friend Saskia has been telling me to read for months! It was a great, fast-paced read that I read in one sitting (staying up until 1:30am to finish). Flawless by Elsie Silver. Another recommendation from Saskia, and another one I read in one sitting! I do like a book that doesn’t require much thought, just an easy read, so I did like this one and I’m looking forward to the rest of the Chestnut Spring series. How To Be You by Ellie Middleton. I listened to the audiobook of this, which is actually the only audiobook I've listened to this year! I think this is a great read to go back to whenever you need it. It Lasts Forever And Then It’s Over by Anne De Marcken. This was perhaps the weirdest book I read this year but in the best way. Very haunting, beautiful, and a great short read to end the year.

 

Fun Facts & Stats

• I surpassed my goal by 180%
• I read 8,517 pages
• The shortest book I read was ‘The Orange & Other Poems’ at just 53 pages
• The longest book I read was ‘Powerless’ at 523 pages
• According to the Fable app, my most popular ‘hype train’ read was the Housemaid by Freida McFadden
• My best month for reading was December
• My most-read author was Laurie Gilmore

I had the most fun falling back in love with reading this year, discovering new books, and joining a community of other book lovers. I am so excited for what 2025 has in store for me in terms of books and reading! My goal for 2025 is 25 books - so check back at the end of the year to see how well I did. If you want to stay up to date as the year goes on, you can follow me on Goodreads, Storygraph, and Fable, and of course follow my socials where I will no doubt be talking about books all year.

I hope you had a great 2024 and that you’ll have an even better 2025! Thank you for being here.

Stay Cosy,
Kee