All The Books I Read In 2024
Table of Contents
It’s time for my FAVORITE post of the whole year!
A total roundup of all the books I’ve read over the last twelve months, whether I loved them or not.
This has become an annual tradition on the podcast. It’s become kind of cathartic for me because part of my soul just needs to go on a long, uninterrupted spiel about the books that have entered my life most recently.
And trust me, I spare you the BULK of the thoughts I have about each book for the sake of avoiding spoilers. But just know that I have many MANY more things to say about each of these books and if you ever decide to read them, make sure to message me so we can actually talk about the details!
I feel like this is the post that no one asks for but most people seem to enjoy it. And honestly it’s the type of episode that I create for the pure joy and love of books. It makes my heart happy and I hope if you choose to read that you’ll walk away with many awesome recommendations to add to those never-ending TO BE READ lists.
This will probably be a long one so let’s just get started.
Number of Books Read
At the start of 2024, I was pregnant and at max capacity. I had terrible pregnancy brain and had very little energy for reading. Even audiobooks took too much out of me. So I read very little until the second half of the year.
I don’t set “reading goals” so I wasn’t super concerned about reaching a particular number. But I will say my heart ached for a fantastic story and I could tell that there was just a little less magic in my life. That little break from reading definitely reminded me why I love books so much.
The grand total of books read this year is *drum roll* 35!
- 23 novels
- 12 nonfiction
That’s a pretty big number considering I didn’t really start reading until the summer. And as I’m writing this, I have plans to read at least one Christmas themed novel to be festive.
There’s also at least 10 books that I started reading and didn’t finish–because life is too short to force yourself to read books you’re not enjoying!
Now comes the part where I start listing the books. And not in any particular order because I didn’t organize my massive book tracking spreadsheet in the order that I have read them.
The titles on this list are all affiliate links that will take you directly to the book.
Ready? LET’S DO THIS.
Nonfiction Books Read in 2024
These first two nonfiction books of 2024 were actually rereads. I remember that I did read these in January because that’s the time of year I always feel like I need a refresher on my career goals at the start of the year. And one of my biggest career focuses is writing and publishing more books! I’ve already self published a few that I am very proud of. And I intend to keep that goal through 2025 and beyond. Which should be much easier now that I’m not pregnant and done having babies!
Anyway the Relaxed Author, just like all of Joanna Penn’s work, is a wonderful motivator if you have any aspirations at all to write books like me. Whether or not you make a business out of it, I definitely recommend this one.
Now if you do want to make a business out of writing books like myself, then this book is amazing. I’ve read it before and I revisited it again this year. It’s very simple, easy to understand, and makes the whole idea of advertising books you’ve written much less intimidating. So again, if you do have aspirations of making money as an author, check out any of the books or podcasts by Joanna Penn.
This one was okay. I honestly forgot I even read it. Which is why I keep massive lists of what I’m reading. Once I remembered this one, it made me realize that I am probably going to try stepping out of my nonfiction book bubble. For at least the last decade, most nonfiction books I’ve read were along these lines. And this book was short so I read it one sitting, but there was virtually no new information. If you’re new to spirituality and energy perhaps you’d find this one revolutionary. But for me, I realized I want to find something a bit more advanced for my own reading so I can continue learning.
So with that being said, I then reached for this book which was exactly what I needed at the time. Another short and sweet read but quite profound. I picked this one up at the library and instantly remembered that it’s been on my TO BE READ list for a long time. Then it found me right when I needed it. This was one of a small handful of books I read while I was pregnant with my son Brock. It was light enough that it didn’t rack my brain but also profound enough to leave me thinking a lot afterwards. I renewed it a few times before finally returning it to the library. I think any regular listener to this podcast would find value in this one.
This is one of the few other books I read while pregnant earlier this year. And it convinced me that I need to read many more history books written by comedians! First of all, David Mitchell is hilarious and very well articulated. He is a quintessential British man writing about his own country’s history. It was indeed ridiculous and funny while also being quite insightful. I discovered this book while listening to my personal favorite podcast titled You’re Dead To Me by BBC Radio 4. Both are the exact intersection of comedy and history that I adore.
This one wasn’t nearly as funny but just as insightful. If not more. It was all about aging with grace and focusing on what matters as you get older. Many elderly people are expected to live out their lives in a certain way that isn’t good for their personalities, their needs, or their preferences. It was kind of a grim topic discussed in a nonjudgmental way. It definitely made me rethink what I’m “supposed” to do as I get older, especially having parents who are retired. It made me rethink what I can do to support them too as they enjoy their golden years. This one was good, although it might be slightly triggering for some.
This one was okay. Not super remarkable in my opinion but I did enjoy it. It had a lot of great little tidbits that I thought were helpful. But overall I didn’t get nearly as much out of it as I thought I would. Maybe it just didn’t quite resonate with me because of where I am in my life now. I felt like it was validating because I already figured out a lot of the revelations the author was writing about. But with that came not a lot of new information for me. Maybe you’d enjoy it if you feel like you have no idea what you want to do with your life?
This one I revisited a few times this year. It was a quick read and definitely very actionable which I highly appreciate. I already planned my work year in quarters (or 12 weeks) and this book gave me so much more to work with within that time frame. If you’re a business owner or just building a career, or simply trying to make the most of your time throughout the year, I recommend this one. It makes achieving goals so much better. And a lot of the goal achieving concepts I talk about alongside manifesting is discussed in this book so I think it supports my personal beliefs really well. So if you resonate with that on this podcast then you’ll probably resonate with this one too.
Another book I’d recommend if you are entrepreneurial in any way. I thought this book was quite refreshing in this particular niche. I appreciated her chit-chatty style and it sparked a bit of inspiration to rethink how I do things online. She also laid things out in convenient steps and bulleted lists which I absolutely need when it comes to any sort of information that needs to be implemented. She also has a nice email newsletter that I enjoy reading each month.
This book was pretty good. It was actually three books in one. Dale is another author like Joanna Penn that I follow because I want to build a career as an author. If you do too, follow Dale! He’s great and makes everything very simple and actionable. I read this book because I wanted to make sure the books I’ve already self published were doing the best they can. And I can definitely say I saw a difference in my sales when I implemented these strategies.
Okay this one and the next one made me realize that I really enjoy reading memoirs. This book was incredible, heart wrenching, and relatable in so many ways. Jeanette Mccurdy is the actress who played Sam on iCarly if you remember that show. She was also Sam on Sam and Cat which I never watched but she wrote about extensively in her memoir. She talked about her struggles with alcohol addiction, anorexia, and dealing with her horribly narcissistic mother along the way. I recommend it for all who love to hear real raw stories of women who overcome generational trauma.
This is also a memoir, and has convinced me to add “pilgrimage” to my travel bucket lists. I have always been interested in hiking, but pilgrimage is more than hiking. And I have never really considered what the differences were until I read this book. The author is again Joanna Penn, and she wrote about her struggles with depression, menopause, and being incredibly sick and how taking three ancient pilgrimages changed her life. Very inspiring and beautiful. I hope I can go on a pilgrimage or two one day.
Fiction Books Read in 2024
This series is about a race of owls that have to overcome a shadow government, essentially. It’s good for kids who enjoy fantasy for sure,
Do you guys remember this series from when we were adolescents? It’s my husband’s favorite book series, there’s probably a dozen or so books in it. And I’ve now read the first three. I don’t know if I will keep going with them honestly. I didn’t dislike them, I just kind of forgot about them. I got caught up with wanting to read other books. Maybe I’ll keep going some time in the future.
A young girl is growing up with her foster family and her best friend in Nazi Germany as she comes to terms with the harsh realities of war.
This is a classic book that I’m sure many of you have read. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, because I like to go into books completely blind. I prefer knowing almost nothing about the story I’m about to read so I can really enjoy the ride. For this one, I only knew it took place in Germany during the second world war and followed a girl who loved books.
And while that was true, I wasn’t expecting Death to be the narrator, or for the extremely heavy ending. But it was pretty good overall. The movie did not do it justice at all. The book was much better. If you like historical fiction like me, you’ll like this one for sure.
A young woman who is resigned to a quiet life is cursed by a witch and must break the spell with a wizard and his companions.
I went on a kick of reading books because I wanted to watch the movies. I really wanted to watch Howl’s Moving Castle, but then I learned it was a book first and I just had to read it. And let me tell you, it was SO cute and charming and delightful. I absolutely adored it. I wasn’t expecting it to be as enjoyable as it was. Imagine my excitement when I learned it was a trilogy too!
The movie was good too, by the way. Stunning animation. But I’ll say that it deviates from the book quite a bit so I probably didn’t need to wait to watch it.
A young carpet salesman who daydreams a lot acquires a magic carpet that takes him to meet the love of his life.
The second book of the Howl’s Moving Castle series. In this one, we follow a completely different character. He was just as intriguing as Howl in the first book, even though we don’t see Howl or the moving castle again for a while despite the book’s title.
I enjoyed this book but out of the three, I would rank it third. But I definitely think you should read both of these books JUST so you can read the next one, which lives on in my heart because I enjoyed it so much.
A sheltered young woman begins to house-sit her great-uncle’s labyrinth house filled with magic while also taking on a personal assignment from the King.
THIS book was sooooo wonderful. I absolutely loved it. I have a really positive association with it, sitting under my deck umbrella in the middle of summer rocking my brand new baby while listening to this story. Even without that positive association I still adored this story. It was just as charming and delightful as the first in this trilogy. Along with tons of character growth from the main character which is my favorite thing to see in a story. I might reread this one soon.
A 13 year old girl sues her own parents for medical emancipation so she wouldn’t have to be her sister’s donor anymore, even though that means she’ll likely die of cancer.
Another book I picked up because I wanted to watch the movie. After crying at the end of the book, I decided not to ever watch the movie. I literally don’t think I’m strong enough to watch that movie. It was such a good story all along until a crazy twist right at the end that I did not see coming that absolutely wrecked me. I didn’t read for multiple weeks after this one. So if you love soap opera drama-type stories that make you ugly cry, you’ll like this one.
An Israeli soldier turned Oxford academic has to team up with a secret organization (that specializes in curating powerful religious artifacts) when her sister and niece are kidnapped.
JF Penn is the same person as Joanna Penn. I feel like every year I read at least a few of her books. She’s got an extensive backlog and now I am finally starting her main thriller series. Although I will say I wish this first book went a little deeper with the characters and the plot line, it’s clear the focus is actually the adventure not necessarily the development. I’ll keep going with the series to see if I like the rest of them. Even though I wouldn’t say I’m dying to pick up the next one. If you like short, action packed reads with strong female leads then I’d recommend this one.
The only woman mage in hundreds of years finds herself falsely imprisoned and her magic suppressed, while a conspiracy rages outside the prison walls that threatens England and King George.
You might recall that my favorite series of all time is called Manners and Monsters. This book is #5 of the prequel series called Tournament of Shadows. I liked this one quite a bit because the overall setting of the story was so much different than any of the other ones. Sera is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read. I want to be her when I grow up.
The conclusion of the story of a young female mage fighting for her right to freedom in Georgian England.
What I loved about this series is the strong feminist themes, the endless magic, the cozy mystery vibes, and the romance that comes along with the self discovery. I could go on and on about how wonderful all 12 of these books are, but that would be multiple hours worth of a podcast and I won’t rob you of the joy of discovering the themes for yourself.
I said it last year and I’ll say it again–someone needs to make a detailed TV show in this story! There’s so much going on and yet it’s easy to follow and lighthearted. If you love fantasy and magic as much as I do, I know you’ll love all of Tilly Wallace’s books.
Speaking of Tilly Wallace, I read even more of her books this year than I normally do!
This Highland Wolves series was so much more awesome than I thought it was going to be. It’s a four part series that is so well written, magical, and takes place between the events of Tournament of Shadows and Manners and Monsters. It doesn’t follow Serafina or her family, but rather a pack of Highland Wolves as they work to prevent an impending magical attack on English soil from the French. All while finding true love and discovering what they’re capable of too.
I will warn you, these books are much spicier than the other two series in this universe. Manners and Monsters is closed door romance–where the scenes that involve sex fade to black and you as the reader don’t actually see any of the intimacy happening. Tournament of Shadows is somewhere between closed and open door romance–it’s not like you’re reading porn but nothing is really inferred when it comes to the sex scenes.
The Highland Wolves series, however, is a totally open door romance. And let me tell you, I was NOT expecting it! I’m totally okay with it–I’d even say I prefer open door romance that leaves nothing to the imagination.
These four books are very heavy in the spicy romance department. There is still a great plot line that connects all the books, but the romance is the focus. I think if you like supernatural romance with some magic and historical fiction thrown in, you’ll enjoy these ones.
This first book was a lot of set up, but also quite romantic and also had a “found family” feel to it. That’s a trope I really enjoy in books, where people come together to form a new family when they didn’t have one before.
This one had the most interesting plot line between the lovers I think. It wasn’t quite enemies to lovers but it was similar in the sense that one person was much more reluctant than the other one so it was a bit of a slow burn.
I think this one was my favorite of the four in this series. It was very romantic and I loved the way the two characters created such an intimate relationship despite the fact that neither one of them ever wanted to have that in the first place. I don’t want to spoil anything but there was an awesome amount of character growth for the couple together and as individuals.
This one was the closest to sweet romance out of all of them. And the overarching story came to a head in this one so it definitely focused more on that than any smutty romance. Not that the smut wasn’t there, it just wasn’t most of the book the way the other ones were. So to me, they were the perfect amount of sex and story.
Okay I’ve been really excited to talk about this one. This was probably one of the most interesting and unique books I’ve ever read. The official description is: “Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building. Its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues.”
I normally get really frustrated with books that slowly reveal the truth of the characters and the situation they’re in. This book does just that, but you as the reader know just as much as the narrator, Piranesi does. So it’s not like the narrator is purposefully omitting information. You go together on a journey of literal self discovery in this crazy world that doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s trippy and I genuinely loved it. Although I will say that I sincerely wish that the antagonist suffered more. I don’t want to spoil it but they got off too easy in my opinion and I just need to say it out loud!
Read this one if you like magic and mysteries and things that are slightly weird. Then message me and tell me your thoughts because I haven’t met anyone else that’s read it and I have many opinions.
Feyra and her family are nearly starving when she finally kills a faerie wolf in the woods. But then she gets kidnapped and taken to the faerie lands where she’s sentenced to live out the rest of her days.
Okay okay, this series is pretty well known and I’m sure at least some of you listening have read it. I totally loved it. I thought it was a near-perfect series, with plenty of character development and flaws, intense world building, very graphic sex scenes and battle scenes too. If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen me posting in real time about how this entire series swept me away! I don’t normally go after best sellers, but I’m really glad I did with this one because it was awesome all the way through.
This first one in the series took such a wild turn towards the end. And there were so many details and mysteries to uncover that I never felt like there was a lull in the story. It’s the type of story that is best read a few times so you can really soak up all the details. The cast of characters are awesome even if some of them are highly unlikeable.
This one and the last one fight for my favorites in the whole series. This one is beautiful, romantic, heroing, and builds so much story that you can’t help but immediately pick up the next one.
“As Feya navigates a dark web of politics, passion and power, a greater evil looms.” The way she starts in this book and the way she ends it makes me love this main character. She might not be perfect but I think she is very complex and interesting.
I am definitely going to read this one again. It was super romantic despite the fact that it banks on one of my least favorite romance tropes ever: enemies to lovers. But the way it ends makes up for it! So damn intense and such a cliffhanger that I am very grateful I was able to immediately pick up the next one.
This book was super duper intense as well. And quite bloody too. The battle scenes were just as graphic as the sex scenes. It felt right in the series and this book. There’s so much happening in this book that it took me almost two full weeks to read it. But honestly loved every second of it. It’s so hard to tell you my thoughts on it without spoiling anything! Just know that there’s a massive war and the WOMEN are the reason anyone survives.
What I really liked about this book is that every character reacted normally after some incredibly traumatic events. It’s also a Christmas book–it’s significantly shorter than its predecessor and it takes place over all of their winter solstice celebrations. I loved it, it was such a nice reprieve from the intensity of the first three books.
Let this book be the reason why you read this entire series. This one, and the second one, are the absolute best ones in the entire series. This book might even be one of my favorite novels I read all year. It had everything I love in it–explicit sex scenes, immense character growth, women supporting women, and great twists at the end too. I absolutely loved this one. It shows how anyone can heal no matter how broken they are.
This book follows Feyra’s sister Nesta, probably one of the absolutely worst characters ever written. She’s bratty, entitled, cold, mean, and so much more. But she’s eventually forced into a situation where she must improve her life or leave everything and everyone behind. This book is fantastic for book club discussion–the internet has so many opinions on it. I have lots of opinions on it myself, mostly good.
- Stray Spells (Nine Lives Magic #7) by Danielle Garrett
- Mystic Meow (Nine Lives Magic #8) by Danielle Garrett
- Catnip Charms (Nine Lives Magic #9) by Danielle Garrett
So these three books are part of a much larger series of cozy mysteries that also have overarching stories that connect them all together. And I have a love/hate relationship with these ones. I’ve read almost all of the books in this series already, despite the fact that I don’t love the relationship between the two main characters. And I don’t typically go after urban fantasies (stories where magic exists in the modern world) but I feel very invested at this point.
The entire series follows Cora, an air witch who lives in the magical town of Winterspell in the Pacific Northwest. She owns a very successful candle shop where she hand creates illusion candles infused with her magic. She has a cat familiar named Selene who is “sassy.” I read the first few in this series because I loved Selene. But now that I’m waist deep in the series, I have to say that Cora and Selene’s relationship is highly toxic and it’s extremely frustrating to read about. Selene is insufferable, yet I keep reading the books. It’s weird but I can’t stop! Would I recommend it? Yeah, maybe, if you like the type of cozy mysteries where everything always conveniently works out for the main characters. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.
“An 11-year-old boy, his dachshund and an outcast demon must stop hell on Earth on Halloween night after the hadron collider malfunctions.”
I picked up this one because I wanted to read a Halloween book to get in the mood. I enjoy reading books for the season and this one was not really what I thought it was going to be but I was very pleasantly surprised.
This one read with the wit of a Neil Gaiman book, and it was very charming and weirdly adorable all throughout. It was a bit predictable, but the more I read the more it became about the style of the story rather than the outcome. I highly recommend this one to anyone who likes bizarre things and coming of age stories.
Thank you so much for reading! I’m Sara Rae, your manifesting coach and crystal reiki master, and as you go on your way today, know that I’m sending you an abundance of love, light, and inspiration. Blessed be!
