My Year In Books 2024

My Year In Books 2024

Another year has passed! HOW?! I say it every year, but each one seems to go by faster and faster than the last. How was yours?

Overall, my 2024 as far as reading goes was… a little odd! Not my favorite year by any means, though I did read many great books. After the first/second quarter of the year, I started to feel really disconnected from my reading journey and somewhat isolated from my bookish community — and that definitely affected my reading in general. By the end of the year, I was feeling a little better and more invested in my journey again, but I have to say, reading started to feel kind of like a chore rather than a cherished past time and I hate saying that or feeling that! But it did.

I neglected many of my reading goals and fun challenges I had set for myself for the year. Why, you ask? That’s a great question and I don’t have an answer! And I just barely, by the skin of my teeth and the help of audiobooks at 2x+ speed, met my numbered reading goal for the year. That’s never once happened to me. I’ve typically always surpassed, but the last 2 years, I’ve struggled. In 2023, I set my goal way too high and I anticipated that going into it, but it was a personal ambition of mine, something I wanted to achieve, so I allowed myself to try and it just didn’t work out. I lowered it significantly for 2024 and still… I had trouble.

So, let’s get into the nitty gritty of why and what books propelled my reading experience forward and dragged it back.

There were also, of course, so many personal life changes during this time that I know trickled down to affect these reading goals of mine and my work focus also shifted pretty drastically during the whole of 2024. I was purposefully focusing on other creative areas of work because I wanted to! And that also equaled less time to read. But regardless, I still read a lot and enjoyed so many new stories this year. And above all, I am still a reader regardless of hitting (or not hitting) any type of reading goal. And you are too — if you can relate!

Blog Contents

MY 2024 READING GOALS & PERSONAL CHALLNGES

MY YEAR IN REVIEW: 20 PROMPTS TO RECAP

PIN ME FOR LATER

2024 Reading Goals & Challenges

I had high reading aspirations going into 2024. Despite not meeting my 2023 “number of books” reading challenge, all that did was solidify that I should definitely pull back the number, maybe even further than I thought I should, and give myself some breathing space. I originally set my goal in 2023 to 100 books. That’s finishing two a week from the tip top start of the year, alllll the way until the end. I knew it would be a lot and I knew it would be tricky, but I started out at a great pace. Halfway through the year, I knew it would be unlikely that I would meet it, so I pulled the number back to 85, but made it just shy of 10 books left unread to meet that. I’d also spent time in November 2023 wrapping up about 40 unread books that I already owned, hoping to entice myself to read from my shelves first rather than focus on all the shiny new ones coming out and what other people are loving. And with a successful backlist book challenge in 2023, I opted to do that again in 2024. So, here were my main reading goals and personal reading challenges going into 2024:

• Number of Books Challenge: 50

• 24 Backlist Books in 2024

• Wrapped TBR Series: And honestly, now that I think about it, I don’t think I really had a set process or goal for how I would tackle these 🫠🤣 I think my hope was that I would rotate between my backlist challenge and my wrapped TBR predominantly throughout the year.

And the only one that I actually completed was the number of books challenge. So, yes, I did read 50 books in total in 2024! I did read several backlist books as well as a couple of wrapped TBR books, I just didn’t complete the challenge — i.e. I didn’t read all 24 of the backlist books I wanted and I still have a bunch of wrapped books sitting in my book cart lol.

As well, I predominantly read from the fantasy genre in 2024, but also spent some time within the romance and mystery/thriller genres. According to Fable, these were my genre breakouts for the year! And knowing myself, the young adult category can likely be broken out further into fantasy, romance, and mystery/thrillers, too.

Let’s be friends on Fable!

Okay, without further ado, let’s officially get into it!!!

20 Prompts to Recap My Reading Journey in 2024

I stumbled upon this story template on bookstagram by @theclockworkbook, one of my favorite bookish accounts, and had to participate! When you “add yours” and share to your story, you’ll add a Question Box with a prompt for your followers to pick a number 1-20. Then you’ll answer the prompt! I had such a fun time doing this on my stories, I thought it’d be a great way to recap the year in this space. So, I’ll be answering all of the prompts in this blog and digging deep into all the books I read in 2024. Many kudos to Maryam for creating this! Be sure to check out her bookstagram page!

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If you’d like to access the template directly, click here.

1. Books I Gave 5 Stars

These were all solid 5 stars for me in 2024. And I’d highly recommend ALL of them, so this is your sign!!

reread

reread

read AEITA* series FIRST!!

*AEITA: An Ember in the Ashes

2. Least Favorite / Disappointing Books

The biggest upset for me in 2024 was HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW by Sarah J. Maas. I know, I am still so bummed about that, but it really just missed the entire mark for me. I loved the first 200 pages, but honestly, between the unnecessary circles the plot went in (and it was a solid 800 page book), the amount of info dumping, the disappointing crossover (there should have just been one), the characters all acting out of character, and essentially this series going from 4 books to 3 based on this book’s ending… it really just let me down.

A couple other books that I was highly anticipating, but that ultimately left me wanting more were RUTHLESS VOWS and IRON FLAME. Not as drastically as Flame and Shadow, but they certainly didn’t wow me as much as I was expecting and like their first books had.

I know, for sure, that all of these combined put me in somewhat of a reading funk early on in 2024 and I had a really hard time bouncing back!

3. Favorite Authors

I read many seasoned favorites this year and also discovered a couple new ones!

Already Favorites

• Carley Fortune: I got caught up on her books and finally read MEET ME AT THE LAKE as well as her new release of the year THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT. I also got to attend her book tour for TSWBD in Charleston, South Carolina in May!

• Emily Henry: As well, I got caught up on Emily’s books too! After getting lucky enough to read an ARC copy of FUNNY STORY and finally being able to purchase the paperback of HAPPY PLACE, I was living in EH romance heaven this year.

• Sarah A. Parker: Sarah surprised us late in 2023 with the announcement of a new release AND a new series, WHEN THE MOON HATCHED. I spent the start of 2024 immersing myself in this stunning, beautiful, and wholly unique story with dragons and star-crossed lovers. It was such a special time and special read of the year. I find myself nostalgic and longing to recreate that time when I was reading WTMH. I definitely see a reread in my near future!

• Sabaa Tahir: An Ember in the Ashes is one of my all-time favorite fantasy series, and when I heard Sabaa was releasing a spin-off duology, I was stoked and lucky enough again to receive an early copy of book one, HEIR. Now all I want to do is go back and read An Ember in the Ashes!

• V.E. Schwab: Remember when I mentioned earlier that I hit my numbered reading for the year by the skin of my teeth? Well, one of Schwab’s books helped me get there! Who knew Schwab in the dystopian fantasy space was all I really needed? THIS SAVAGE SONG was one of the backlist books I got to this year and it was 100% worth it! That book has been sitting on my shelf since 2020!

• Rebecca Ross: Despite my lack of enthusiasm towards Ruthless Vows, Ross is still one of my all-time favorite authors. I love her stories and absolutely adore her writing - every. time! Another backlist book as well as wrapped TBR read for me this year was A RIVER ENCHANTED and boy did it enchant me! I can’t wait to complete the duology with A Fire Endless.

• Lynn Painter: Lynn is one of the most hilarious romance authors out there. I absolutely live for her romance stories and humor. This year I read BETTER THAN THE MOVIES and while it left me wanting a little bit, that ending was ON POINT. Wes just came out of nowhere and literally swept me off my feet. Excited to read the next book in this little YA romcom series!

• Holly Jackson: If you haven’t read her Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series, you need to ASAP. It’s a young adult mystery series with true crime vibes and a beyond layered mystery that will keep you guessing from start to finish. I loved the mixed mediums in the books and the audio would also be a great addition to your reading experience! This year I read her newer release, THE REAPPEARANCE OF RACHEL PRICE. I went through a thriller kick over the summer and this was one that really lit me up and held my attention. I had starting forgetting what it was like to read a story that really spoke to me. This one definitely got me out of a little summer reading slump - that’s for sure!

New-To-Me Authors (who became instant favorites)

• C.S. Pacat: One of the highlights of my reading year was experiencing DARK RISE by C.S. Pacat. This was another backlist book of mine that had been sitting on my shelf for about 2 years! And let me tell you — it wildly exceeded my expectations. Think The Lord of the Rings meets A Darker Shade of Magic. I am so obsessed. And dying for news about book 3!

• Samantha Shannon: THE BONE SEASON, while not on either of my personal challenges for the year (backlist or wrapped TBR), it absolutely falls within both categories regardless. I believe this one sat on my shelf for roughly a year… maybe 2 (or close to anyways) before I finally decided to dive in and buddy read with my mom! She is currently ahead of me in the series, but I am absolutely loving the whole vibe of it. I’m so glad it’s a hefty series, too — currently set at 7 books with the 5th coming out in February of 2025!

• Olivie Blake: ALONE WITH YOU IN THE ETHER was one that nestled it’s way into my heart and soul, one that end up staying with me long after I’d finished. I’m not sure what made me pick this one up, but I devoured in it one sitting while listening to the audiobook. I could not get enough of it!

• Penn Cole: SPARK OF THE EVERFLAME was one of those books that I just felt really at home and wildly content with. I can’t really explain why, but something about this story, with it’s fresh take on overused fantasy tropes, just really hooked my heart… and I’m so looking forward to continuing the series!

4. Series I Finished

Uhhh, well. I am 1000% a serial series starter (lol). I don’t think I finished any significant series in 2024, though I would like to make this a future goal. A lot of the series I read or start are unfinished, so that can’t really be helped. BUT. I did finish 2 duologies: LETTERS OF ENCHANTMENT by Rebecca Ross and THE BLOOD OF STARS by Elizabeth Lim. I definitely want to get better at this where I can!

Incomplete Series

• Moonfall Series by Sarah A. Parker (new series: book one is out)

• Alex Stern by Leigh Bardugo (books one and two are out)

• Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas (one more book to go, but it’s unlikely I’ll finish this one anyways)

• Windy City Series by Liz Tomforde (4 books are out)

• Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat (books one and two are out)

• The Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros (books one and two are out with the third incoming!)

• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (books one thru four are out with five on the way imminently)

• Heir by Sabaa Tahir (new duology: An Ember in the Ashes series spin off)

• Quicksilver by Callie Hart (new series which is going to made into a movie!!!)

• Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole (indie series that got picked up traditionally — books one and two, traditionally published, are available)

• Ready Player One (two books are out with likely a third on the way to complete the trilogy)

• Crowns of Nyaxia by Carissa Broadbent (books one thru three are out)

Completed Series & Duologies

• The Beautiful Series by Renee Adieh (I have 50% left in the last book which I should have been able to finish in 2024 lol)

• The Warrior Witch Duology by Greta Kelly (I’ve read book one)

• Elements of Cadence Duology by Rebecca Ross (I’ve read book one)

• Monsters of Verity Duology by Victoria Schwab (I’ve read book one)

5. Best 2024 Releases

Though I got to read Empire of the Damned at the tail end of 2023, it still stands out as one of the best releases of the year for me.

6. Books I Did Not Finish (DNF)

• Flame and Sparrow by S.M. Gaither

• A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden

7. Best Sequels

Despite being let down by a few highly, highly anticipated sequels this year, these three were the best ones I read hands down.

8. New Genre I Explored

I doubled down a bit this year on fantasy and reading much more of that genre in general more than anything else, but HISTORICAL/LITERARY FICTION and ADULT EPIC FANTASY would fall within this category for me. I’ve read both genres before and do enjoy them, but just tend to not read from them the most. Adult epic fantasy is one I do want to get more into and hope to explore more in 2025.

historical/literary

adult epic fantasy

9. New Favorite Couples

I always love having a couple to ship in my favorite fictional stories!

• Kaan x Raeve (When The Moon Hatched)

• Arturus x Paige (The Bone Season)

• Alex x Darlington (Ninth House)

• Sirsha x Quil (Heir)

• Will x Fern (Meet Me At The Lake)

• Elizabeth x Calvin (Lessons in Chemistry)

I also really loved:

• Miles x Daphne (Funny Story)

• Harriet x Wyn (Happy Place)

• April x Eddie (Murder Road)

• Marshall x Kerrie (Lost Man’s Lane)

• Felix x Lucy (This Summer Will Be Different)

• Kai x Miller (Caught Up)

10. A New-To-Me Author I Tried and Whether I liked Their Books or Not

1. C.S. Pacat: a gazillion percent, YES. DARK RISE is a must read for YA fantasy lovers.

2. Samantha Shannon: AHHHH, absolutely YES. THE BONE SEASON has the perfect storm of elements for me: a little sci-fi, a little paranormal, a little creature feature, big twists. LOVED.

3. Olivie Blake: YUP. Her writing is so profound and her romances angsty and true. Really loved ALONE WITH YOU IN THE ETHER.

4. Penn Cole: Completely. SPARK OF THE EVERFLAME felt like home and I can’t wait to continue the series.

11. First and Last Books

• FIRST: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

• LAST: Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

12. Books I Wanted To Read But Didn’t Get The Chance To

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t prioritize this challenge very well this year (though I did read 8 of the 24!) and I’m bringing these into 2025 regardless (🤞🏻).

Two others I really wanted to get to were DAUGHTER OF NO WORLDS by Carissa Broadbent and A PROMISE OF FIRE by Amanda Bouchet, both I’m striving to also read in 2025.

13. Top 5 Books

This prompt was surprisingly easier than I expected this year. I usually struggle to pick favorites or “top” anything, so this was a nice change for me! In no particular order, here they are:

1. WHEN THE MOON HATCHED by Sarah A. Parker

2. DARK RISE by C.S. Pacat

3. THE BONE SEASON by Samantha Shannon

4. MEET ME AT THE LAKE by Carley Fortune

5. SPARK OF THE EVERFLAME by Penn Cole

14. Books That Surprised Me (in a good way!)

The big one for me was QUICKSILVER by Callie Hart. I almost skipped it because the hype was rather excessive, and lately, books that have been really hyped on Bookstagram mixed with the fantasy romance genre have not worked out for me or have just let me down significantly. BUT. I decided to start this on a whim and I am SO glad I did. For me, it really was surprise after surprise after surprise, and it ended up having a perfect storm of elements that really spoke to me. Not perfect by any means and the romance was just fine in my opinion — nothing really new or special, but I liked it!

The other significant one for me was THE BONE SEASON by Samantha Shannon! This was another one that I went into basically blind, and it ended up having SO many elements that just spoke directly to the heart of me. Several of my all time favorite tropes were in this and discovering what the title means was an even BIGGER element that put this book over the top for me - in the best way.

I recommend going in blind on both of these.

15. Favorite Standalones

Did I actually read any standalones is the question! I am such a series lover and serial series starter lol. But it looks like I did. Here they are!

Fantasy

• For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga

• Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Isabel Cañas

Mystery/Thriller

• The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

• We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

• Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson

• Murder Road by Simone St. James

• The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Romance

• Funny Story by Emily Henry

• Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

• Happy Place by Emily Henry

• Alone With You In The Ether by Olivie Blake

Fiction

• Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

16. A Popular Book That Lived Up To The Hype and One That Didn’t

These didn’t…

• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

• House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

These did!

• Quicksilver by Callie Hart

• Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

17. Number of Books I Read

50!

18. Most Read Genres

Fantasy and Romance

19. Books I Reread

• Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

• House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

20. Reading Goals I Achieved

My big one this year, that I completely fully, was my number of books read challenge. Despite that, I still believe I achieved a lot! I read several backlist books and tackled a lot of my physically owned TBR, found some amazing new authors I’m excited to read more of, and some new stories that have become all-time favorites. All in all a good reading year! Sometimes I think not setting goals is a better way to do reading. Less pressure, less “stress”, less comparison and feeling insufficient when life just doesn’t work so you can reach that goal. I’m such a mood reader, too, so sometimes that also gets in the way of setting reading goals and “achieving” them. Regardless, though, reading is reading! No matter how much you do or don’t do and whatever goals you set and achieve… or don’t, reading IS READING!

Answer any one of the prompts above in the comments and share some of your 2024 reading experience with me!

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I’m Leah. Book blogger and content creator, I love guzzling coffee and endlessly reading fantasy books while thinking up and designing bookish content. I'm just a bookdragon and homebody at heart with a knack for content creation and cozy shots. This is my creative space.

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