2024 Recap

 What a crazy year 2024 was!  We had so many milestones and life changes.  I still found time to read but it was less consistent than in years past.  I ended up reading 103 books and 28,066 pages.

Looking ahead to 2025, I will set the standard goal of reading 100 books.  After a few years of adding an A-Z challenge I'm going to change it up and instead of having specific books meet a challenge, I'm trying a new mindset in how I purchase books.  I will try to read anything I buy within 6 months of buying it, and I want to read all the books I received as Christmas gifts this year by the end of 2025.  I don't usually re-read books so I'm hoping the focus on what I already have and what I choose to buy will lead to less books in the house...we have so many and I'd rather have them find new readers instead of collecting dust on shelves or in boxes.

The Des Moines Public Library had an interesting 2024 book challenge and while I didn't participate this year, I'm going to see what 2025's is and maybe do that as well.

As far as reviews, I need to find a middle ground.  Some years I would get so far behind because I didn't review them right away but this year the reviews didn't have much thought because I wanted to get it done as soon as I'd read the book.  I want to lean more into the subjective parts of reading and what feelings the books actually generated in me.  I think I will also include more reflection, like maybe revisiting reviews and seeing if the books have lasted with me at all.

The 12 Days of Murder

 Book 103 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from December 27 - 31

The 12 Days of Murder

by Andreina Cordani

My Opinion

4 stars

I picked this book out on vacation in Bath and my husband saved it for me to open on Christmas.  It was the first of my presents I chose to read because of the holiday theme.

I really liked how the POVs added another layer each chapter instead of flashbacks back and forth.  Although it veered justthisclose to going off the rails, things seemed just plausible enough when accounting for how rich everyone was; money can create lots of over-the-top scenarios and attitudes.

This is one I will pass around to anyone that enjoys this genre and I would read this author again.

The Highest Calling

 Book 102 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from December 21 - 30

The Highest Calling

by David Rubenstein

My Opinion

4 stars

Information wise, this was a 5 star read.  Reading wise, it's a very high 4.  The style of interview transcriptions helped present the information as cleanly as possible without extra bias but the interjections of basic questions such as "what happened next?" was a little tiresome.  The last few presidents where the interviews were more conversational were much easier to read.

I had already thought the audiobook version might be a better format because of the interviews but it was also noted in the acknowledgements that there are interviews included in audio that weren't in this book because of space constraints.

To note two glaring date typos, at the end of Truman's chapter it says he wanted to go to Herbert Hoover's funeral in 1984 (Hoover died in 1964) and at the end of Clinton's, it referenced Al Gore talking about using generic drugs to treat AIDS in other countries during the 2020 election (it was 2000).

A Little Christmas Spirit

 Book 101 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from December 24 - 25

A Little Christmas Spirit

by Sheila Roberts

My Opinion

4 stars

A reader knows exactly what to expect when reading the description so if this is your type of book, it will not disappoint.  It was heartwarming and emotional but not over-the-top saccharine.  It was the perfect read for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to wind down after each day's festivities.

The Author's Guide to Murder

 Book 100 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from December 17 - 22

The Author's Guide to Murder

by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

My Opinion

4 stars

This was my 100th book of 2024 so I've met my reading goal!

Either I'm in the holiday spirit or the authors are really good at toeing the line because there were elements that I would typically find annoying that didn't bother me during this read.  Sometimes things getting resolved by a random new character would bother me but during this read, a romance author also knowing how to fly a helicopter makes perfect sense.  Sometimes so many subplots would feel unnecessarily convoluted but during this read, having them revealed right away through access to all their inner thoughts helped; even though they weren't telling each other, the reader wasn't in the dark.

Part II flew by since it didn't have the interview format and was also the "live" portion of the story.  I was fine reading it here and there over the past few days but then it hooked and I finished at least half of the book in one sitting late last night.

The Bad Friend

 Book 99 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from December 20 - 21

The Bad Friend

by Caroline Kepnes

My Opinion

2 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  When I woke up this morning and got onto my Mac, this story popped up because I'd started reading it yesterday but walked away and completely forgot about it.  That's not a good sign.  Also, the story itself was an odd combination of people being so distant they didn't know the basics about each other yet also telling deep secrets within 5 minutes of seeing each other because it was needed for the plot.

Jackrabbit Skin

 Book 98 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 20

Jackrabbit Skin

by Ivy Pochoda

My Opinion

5 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  It was absorbing and so vivid even with the starkness of the land and loneliness.

Scorpions

 Book 97 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 14

Scorpions

by Rachel Howzell Hall

My Opinion

3 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  It was fine while I was reading it but unmemorable when it was over.  I wish there had been a more resolute ending.

The Other Side of the Road

 Book 96 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 11

The Other Side of the Road

by Andrea Bartz

My Opinion

3 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  The story kept my interest but it was so heavy-handed on the suspicion toward one person that I knew that wouldn't be the outcome and a "twist" was coming.

The Ghost Writer

 Book 95 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 10

The Ghost Writer

by Loreth Anne White

My Opinion

5 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  It was gripping from beginning to end and I was constantly flipping on who was telling the truth.

I've heard a lot about this author recently and will definitely read her novels.

Everywhere You Look

 Book 94 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 10

Everywhere You Look

by Liv Constantine

My Opinion

1 star

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  There were too many things that happened so implausibly that I couldn't come close to justifying it.  To have something be secret for 10 years (and actually almost her whole life) just to come together and be solved in 48 hours was a letdown, even without the unnecessary shoehorn of the plagiarism.

Good Wives

 Book 93 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from November 16 - December 9

Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women 

in Northern New England, 1650 - 1750

by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

My Opinion

2 stars

I know, I know, how am I going to complain about how dry this book was with a title like that?  But the cover is beautiful and it's a thinnish book and I really thought it would read like engaging non-fiction.  Unfortunately that wasn't the case and although there were pockets of interest, I found myself zoning out frequently while reading.  I would not be able to pass a test on the information I just read.

So why 2 stars instead of 1?  Because the book is well-researched and could be a good resource to someone.  So it could have a purpose, just not in my casual reading.

Obitchuary

 Book 92 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from December 3 - 8

Obitchuary

by Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes

My Opinion

3 stars

This is on the low end of 3 stars because I'm the target audience for a book with this subject and I was only "meh" interested.  It wasn't awful but it didn't stick with me either.

I did love the line, "Age is a number, and mine's unlisted", from Mickey Easterling's obituary, and the idea of a heart being removed from a body that died too far away from home to travel so at least a part of them could be buried in their area was beautiful.

The Keep

Book 91 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from November 29 - December 2

The Keep

by Jennifer Egan

My Opinion

4 stars

This is the kind of book that I can't really describe even after reading it.  It gave me Shutter Island vibes with the gothic, isolated setting and unclear narration.  

I'm pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book so much because I usually get frustrated quickly when I can't get a firm grasp on what's happening.  But this book sailed along and even though it didn't make sense, it made sense.  If that makes sense.  Like the characters weren't acting rationally and there were fantastical elements but they were also acting in a way that made sense based on how they were written.  Alternating scenes from the castle to the prison helped a lot.

 

Dead Feminists

 Book 90 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from November 26 - December 1

Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color

by Chandler O'Leary & Jessica Spring

My Opinion

3 stars

This book was an unique combination of information about historic women as well as the art design behind creating the series of broadsides that honor them.  It was really nice to have the extra "behind-the-scenes" details broken down to give more resonance to each creation.

When I went to their website for further information, I was sorry to learn that Chandler O'Leary passed away last year.