Books Read in 2024
It’s
mid-January and I'm finally posting about my 2024 reading wrap-up and talking about my 2025 goals. Better late than never!
2024 Reading Wrap-Up
- Total books read: 77
- Total pages read: 25,190
- Days read: 360
- Average rating: 4.09
- New books bought/received: 34
My goal was to read 50 books, so I definitely surpassed that goal! I did pretty great with my other reading goals as well. I took part in Jane Austen July as planned and annotated a book during that reading challenge. My goal was also to take part in Victober, but because I decided to write a completely new novel in November, I didn’t have time to focus on reading in October. I did read one Victorian book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, but I’m just going to say that I did not reach the Victober goal.
I also wanted to read more library books and ebooks. I did read a few ebooks, but I still have way too many waiting in my Kindle app. I read more library books than I had expected, but since I still own a lot of unread books, I didn’t utilize library as much as I could have.
The last two goals I had in 2024 were to review all books and fill out a book bingo. I did write some sort kind of review of all the books I read, so that goal is accomplished. Unfortunately, I did not completely fill out my book bingo, although I did get several rows filled. I missed a book with disability representation, a book with LGBT+ representation, and a science fiction book. I did read books with LGBT+ characters and characters with disabilities, but as they were not the main character, I’m not counting those as filling the bingo square. These three items got moved to my 2025 book bingo, and I'll try to do better this year!
As an unofficial goal, I wanted to read more fantasy books, and I definitely did that. I had especially hoped to read books with dragons to go with my dragon-inspired reading journal, but unfortunately, not many of the fantasy books I read included dragons. But it’s a genre I want to continue exploring, so hopefully there are more dragons in my future!
I also had writing and social media goals. I’m making a separate post about how my writing goals went and what my goals are for 2025, so stay tuned for that. My social media goals included posting consistently on Instagram as well as starting a blog and posting long-form videos on YouTube, all of which I accomplished.
So all in all, I did pretty great with my 2024 goals!
Top 3 reads of 2024
Top 3 Books of 2024
So let’s
talk about my three favorite books of 2024.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Charmus
When chemist
Elizabeth Zott is forced to resign from her work at a research institute due to
her unwed pregnancy, she accepts a job as the host of the TV show Supper at
Six. Her scientific approach to cooking glues women in front of the TV five
days a week, while her revolutionary social commentary challenges the viewers
to change the status quo.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
If you read my review of Lessons in Chemistry, you’ll notice that I had a rocky start with this book. But in the end, I loved the book, and it stayed with me a long time. One of the first reads of the year ended up being my favorite by far. Six-Thirty is still one of my favorite characters of the year. If you decide to pick up this book, don’t be fooled by the light-hearted tone. The book is marketed as fun and witty, but if you’re not a fan of dark humor, I suggest you go for another book.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
My last novel of the year ended up being my second favorite book in 2024. The
Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a historical fiction novel set in France
during the Second World War. Vianne Mauriac only wants to survive and protect
her daughter, even if that means becoming friends with the enemy. Her
headstrong little sister Isabelle Rossignol, on the other hand, joins the
Resistance and becomes The Nightingale, rescuing Allied soldiers and helping
them out from the occupied France.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale was a moving and at times harrowing story of the lives of women in Nazi-occupied France during WWII. This book made me think about how I would react in the situation the characters were in. If you’re looking for a historical fiction novel, I highly recommend this book.
Of Love and Beer by Amanda Darcy
Of Love
and Beer is a debut
novel by indie author Amanda Darcy, and my third favorite book of the year. Craft
beer brewer Ellis Bourne meets a handsome vintner Dean Pembrook in this modern
retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The story is told from a
dual point of view, and it’s full of witty and fun banter and enough twists and
surprises to keep even a seasoned Jane Austen fan on their toes. I loved how
this novel reinterpreted Austen’s characters in the modern setting.
Of Love and Beer by Amanda Darcy
This contemporary romance is kiss-only, so if you’re looking for a steamier read, the book might not be for you. But if you like fun, non-steamy romances, I whole-heartedly recommend this book to you. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda on my blog!
2025 Reading Goals
2025 Reading Goals
Now it’s time to set new goals. This year, I want to:
- Read 50 books. This is a goal I’ve had for several years now. Some years I have just reached it, other years I go over the goal, but all in all, fifty books seems manageable to me.
- Fill out book bingo. See more about my bingo card below.
- Read e-books. No numerical goal for this, but I want to knock out at least a few e-books from my Kindle app.
- Read more library books. Last year, I read eight library books, so it would be nice to read more than that.
- Take part in Jane Austen July. I had a blast last year, so I want to do it again this year! This year is extra special, as it is Austen’s 250th birthday. That’s one of the reasons why this year I’m using a Jane Austen themed reading journal.
- Try a buddy read. I’ve never tried a buddy read before, so it would be interesting to do it this year.
- Review all books. I want to review all books in my reading journal and also write something about then here in my blog.
I also have some writing and social media goals for 2025 as well. I want to post consistently on Instagram, YouTube, and this blog. Writing goals deserve their own blog post, so more on them later!
Book Bingo
 |
| 2025 Book Bingo |
I have twenty-five items on my book bingo card. Hopefully by the end of the year, I’ve filled the bingo out completely. Here's what I have in my bingo this year:
- E-book
- Romance
- More than 600 pages
- Banned book
- Jane Austen retelling
- Classic
- Library book
- Disability representation
- Children’s book
- Book with a prologue
- Fantasy
- Person on a cover
- White cover
- LGBT+ representation
- Duology
- Main character with a pet
- Sci-fi
- Debut novel
- Book with magic
- Audio book
- Historical fiction
- Short story
- BIPOC representation
- Shy main character
- Indie book
If you’re looking for ideas for a book bingo, I have a separate blog post on the topic!
~ ~ ~
If you want
to see more about my 2024 reading recap and 2025 goals, check out the video
below! I’m showing you a flip-through of my dragon-inspired reading journal for
2024 and the set-up of my 2025 Jane Austen -themed reading journal.
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