2024 book list.
It’s funny. Every January, I come here to document what I read the year before and lament how little time I spend on this site anymore. At this point, it has existed since 2010, when I found myself laid off from my first significant job out of college. That was an important period on the internet, some might even say it was the heyday of blogging. It’s funny to feel nostalgic for an online era, but looking back, it felt substantial. As if we were all connected through these micro-communities, comment sections, niche conventions, blogrolls, and the like. There was also a lot more positivity in the world back then, punctuated by “Hope” and “Change,” versus whatever’s happening now. Who knows, maybe blogs will come back into fashion in 2025. Maybe I’ll have more I’m willing to put out into the void. Maybe I won’t. In the meantime, here’s what I read these last 12 months:
Behind the Seams by Dolly Parton
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: January 4
Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: January 5
World Travel by Anthony Bourdain
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: January 9
Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: January 11
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: January 18
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: January 23
The Love Season by Elin Hilderbrand
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: January 26
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: January 31
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: February 2
The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: February 3
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: February 8
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: February 11
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: February 13
House of Hearts by Francesca Lia Block
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: February 14
Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: February 20
Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: February 22
The Beach Club by Elin Hilderbrand
Rating: 2.5 stars
Finished: February 28
Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: March 6
Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: March 13
Among the Bros by Max Marshall
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: March 15
Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: March 19
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: March 22
Rating: 4.5 stars
Finished: March 28
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: March 30
Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: April 4
Freaks Came Out to Write by Tricia Romano
Rating: 2.5 stars
Finished: April 14
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: April 16
Tell Me Everything by Erika Krouse
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: April 23
Piglet by Lottie Hazell
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: April 26
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: May 3
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: May 9
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: May 14
Accidentally a Martyr by James Campion
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: May 15
Murder in Canaryville by Jeff Coen
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: May 16
Tales from the Wine Floor by James Quaile
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: May 17
Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hanna
Rating: 2.5 stars
Finished: May 26
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Rating: 1 star
Finished: May 29
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: May 31
Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: June 6
You Deserve Good Gelato by Kacie Rose
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: June 8
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: June 13
How to Know a Person by David Brooks
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: June 20
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: June 26
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: July 9
If You Can’t Take the Heat by Geraldine DeRuiter
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: July 12
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: July 14
Within Arms Reach by Ann Napolitano
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: July 19
A Life of Adventure and Delight by Akhil Sharma
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: July 22
Rating: 5 stars
Finished: July 23
All About Love by bell hooks
Rating: 2.5 stars
Finished: July 25
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: July 30
Social Engagement by Avery Carpenter Forrey
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: August 4
Get Pay Right by Heather Bussing
The Busy Mom’s Guide to Event Planning by Sarah Heald
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Searle
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: August 12
Rating: 4.5 stars
Finished: August 13
A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
Rating: 2.5 stars
Finished: August 15
Long Island by Colm Toibin
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: August 21
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: August 26
Down With the System by Serj Tankian
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: September 5
College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen
Rating: 2.5 stars
Finished: September 8
The Love of My Afterlife by Kristy Greenwood
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: September 12
Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: September 19
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: September 27
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: September 30
The Power Broker, Part 1 by Robert Cato
Rating: 3.5 stars
Finished: October 10
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: October 15
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: October 21
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
Rating: 2.5 stars
Finished: October 24
The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: October 29
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: October 29
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
Rating: 2.5 stars
Finished: November 8
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: November 14
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: November 27
Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner
Rating: 3 stars
Finished: December 8
The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin
Rating: 2 stars
Finished: December 11
Green Tea by JS Le Fanu
Rating: 2.5 stars
December 16
Another year heavy on the beach reads and book of the month club picks, cause that’s about all I can handle outside of the headlines and that’s A-OK. Had a hard time deciding my favorites so ultimately went with the ones that felt the most memorable (not necessarily in a good way). So there you have it. Until next…? Only time will tell.
