As per tradition, I thought it about time I compiled a post on my 2024 year in books. So lets have a look at my stats throughout the year, as well as my favourite reads.

Reading Slump

I’ve mentioned a couple of times throughout the year that I’ve been struggling through something of a reading slump. As usual, I’ve no idea as to what causes it, or when it will end, but the only way out is through. It certainly feels that I haven’t read as much this year and I expected the stats to bear this out.

Back in 2023, I managed 52 books. Funny enough, 2022 was the same total, so I suppose ‘a book a week’ has a nice ring to it. 2021 was a bit better, at 57. I don’t use Goodreads anymore, but pre-blog, looking at years before that, I was averaging 30 in a good year.

2024

This year I managed 40, so a bit less than previous years but not as low as the years before that. Honestly, I was surprised that I got to that figure, and it felt about right.

Why less reading? A couple of reasons I think. Firstly, I’ve become very much a mood reader, and whilst that means I read what I want, it also means that I read when I want. Often is the evening I’ve finally got sitting down at 730pm after a days work and I can’t summon the energy for a reading session. Saying that, I always try to commit to one chapter or twenty pages - If I put a book down for a couple of days, I’ll lose the flow of it, fatal to my enjoyment of a book.

Tiredness is an issue - Insomnia issues are as boring for me to write about as they are for you to read. In saying that, these same issues have forced me to change my reading habits slightly - more on that below.

I also largely stopped reading in public places. Rather than ploughing through books whilst waiting in doctors surgeries, or even coffee shops, I instead found myself practicing mindfulness and remembering nonduality techniques for staying present. Reading books, as enjoyable as it is, takes me out of the momment.

Stats and Format

Using the 2024 Bookriot Reading Log was a handy way of keeping track of things. 10878 Pages read, which is around 30 a day.

What was most interesting was that I spend a total of 3 days, 8 hours and 42 minutes listening to Audiobooks. I mentioned insomnia earlier, which certainly helped with this - there was a lot of listening at 4:44am. It sounds like a lot of audiobooks, but when you consider that Stephen Kings 'You like it Darker’ came in at 20 hours, it’s understandable. I also listened to audiobooks whilst chopping veg and doing the dishes, so it all adds up. There were plenty of occasions when I struggled with the written word, but audiobooks weren’t a problem. Plenty of good audiobook subscription services available too.

Books of the Year

Enough with the stats. Lets get down to my favourite books of the year. Of the books released in 2024, I absolutely savoured every momment reading ‘Intermezzo’ by Sally Rooney. A beautiful, complicated book about grief and family ties, with a final chapter that broke me.

Honourable mentions also to ‘Long Island’ by Colm Toíbín. A knock on a door launches the reader straight into the life of Eilis Lacey, in a stylish and beautifully realised world. So readable, and had me gripped.

I enjoyed a couple of good thrillers this year - ‘The God of the Woods’ by Liz Moore. A Literary thriller, a family mystery with well developed characters and a great setting of a summer camp in the Adirondack mountains in the seventies.

‘All the Colors of the Dark’ by Chris Whitaker appeared more on my bookstagram feed than any other book, and for good reason. Spanning two decades, a coming of age story, a love story, serial killer chase, missing persons mystery - there’s a bit of everything here and it all works seamlessly. Be ready to have your heart broken by this one.

Another fine Irish thriller came in the form of ‘Wild Houses’ by Colin Barrett, dark but with moments of real humour, this was tight and superbly written.

Any year that Amor Towles releases another book is a welcome one, and I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Table for two’ a short story collection, and a novella featuring Eve Ross. Another fine short story collection was the dark, moving and occasionally absurd ‘Quickly while they still have horses’ by Jan Carson.

It’s easy to forget books that I read earlier in the year, but I enjoyed ‘Saltblood’ by Francesca De Tores, a rip roaring nautical epic based on the real life historical figure of Mary Read. Lyrical and wise, it explores freedom and and identity whilst never forgetting it’s a page turner. ‘Migrations’ by Charlotte McConaghy was an emotionally devestating read

Non-Fiction

As usual, I took part in the 2024 Non-Fiction Reading Challenge but only managed four out of twelve. Will do better next year.

One of my favourites was ‘Madhouse at the end of the earth’ by Julian Sancton. In 1898 the Belgica set off on a three year polar expedition to the Antarctic. It became the first ship to winter in the region, in a survival story about illness, endurance and inventiveness. And penguins.

Books of a spiritual nature have occupied some of reading time this year, and some of my favourites amongst those were the extraordinary ‘I am that’ by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaja and ‘Stillness Speaks’ by one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our time, Eckhart Tolle.

Summary

So there ya go, that’s another reading year rounded up to a blog post. I hope you are happy and healthy wherever you are, and have a book that you are currently enjoying. As always, thanks for subscribing and reading, and let me know your own favourite reads below.