2024 Reading: Habits, Highlights, & Intentions

Ever since bookstore trips became part of the Friday night habit when I was a kid, I’ve loved books and reading. Since I started to track my reading back in 2017, I’ve noticed that I read about 40-150 ish books a year. I used to read mainly non fiction, which if you look at the post from 2017, I read 39 non fiction and 3 fiction books. Over time, that fiction percentage has grown. This year, I will finish out the year around 200 books read with 2/3 of it being fiction.

Some things I found interesting for myself this year are new reading related hobbies or habits I’ve put into place. You’ll find a few of them below –

• Buying books – This may sound wild, but I really didn’t own fiction books until this year. The only ones on my shelves were Harry Potter, the Phantom Tollbooth, a few Nancy Drew, and some from C.S. Lewis. I owned a total of about 25 fiction books. By the end of this year, thanks the next habit on this list, that fiction section has grown by quite a lot.
• Thrifting Books – One of my favorite hobbies this year has become finding thrifted books, both for myself and others. Some of my top thrifts for the year was the Lord of the Rings trilogy in one bind up for $2 which normally sells for about $35 and then a Barnes and Noble edition with sprayed edges of the Throne of the Fallen. Thrifting books is very much hit or miss, but one of my favorite Christmas gifts I gave this year to my team at work and to friends were thrifted “blind date with a book” where I gave hints of the books on library check out inserts and wrapped them up.
• First Graphic Novel – This year I read my first graphic novel. It was Anne of Green Gables and I borrowed it on Libby and read it on my phone since it was in color on there vs my kindle. I had such a fun time reading this in the fall, and by the end of the year I’d read 4 other graphic novels.
• Connecting Reading + Travels – One of the highlights of traveling is really getting to understand the history of the place we’re visiting. This year, during our Colorado trip, I read some books about mining and the Durango Railroad, and then on our California trip this year, I read a lot about Yosemite before going and then quite a few books while on our trip. It just made everything so much more enjoyable when I had more of the backstory of how it came to be.
• Reading Journal – In years prior, I kept track of my books and ratings in a notebook but ended up using Good Reads for that as the years went on. This year however, I got into making a reading journal. While I didn’t start mine until early fall, I went back and listed my reads and ratings from each month, did some collages for my favorite series, and made some fun pages. I have had such a blast doing this to reflect on my reading and plan to continue with it in 2025.

Next year, some habits and book related hobbies I plan to do more of include buddy reading books with friends, rereading fiction books I’ve loved (Harry Potter coming right up!), expanding into genres newer to me, and partnering audiobooks with activities I don’t enjoy as much like chores.

Now let’s talk about some of my favorite fiction and non fiction reads of the year. While I loved more than just those on the list below, they are the ones that stood out more than others.

Fiction

• Inheritance Games Series ( + Grandest Game Series) – I found this author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and this series in January of this year, and by the end of the year read 11 books from her. This series reminds me of the board game Clue, but add in escape room and make it teenagers.
• The Naturals Series – Also by Barnes, this one is Criminal Minds, but with teenagers. This was my favorite series of the year and I loved how each book showed the backstory of the different teens working with the FBI to solve crimes. I don’t like really creepy books, and this one being YA was just enough for me.
• Anne of Green Gables – I mentioned above that this was my first graphic novel and I had such a blast reading it. I loved the illustrations so much and picked up the Secret Garden by the same illustrator to read next year.
• Vintage National Parks – I stumbled upon this in the library in the inspirational fiction section. They only had one at the time, so I got the third in the series and ate it up. Mix historical tale with National Park and a bit of a romance and mystery? Sign me up.
• Lightlark + Nightbane – I found these on Hoopla and borrowed them purely based on their covers. I love this world and the high stakes trials. I have yet to read the third book because I’ve heard some mixed reviews, but these are another favorite of the year.
• Zodiac Academy – I’ve only read 3 of the 9+ books in this series. I took a breather for some other books at the end of the year but plan to revisit early in 2025. This really feels like an adult version of Harry Potter for me with the magical school, teenagers making not great decisions, but this war of good and evil. It’s not wholesome like HP but is such a fun time.
• Happy Medium – This was an October read and honestly I had such a good time. It’s about a medium who is pretending that she can speak with the dead and gets called into a job where there is actually a ghost that she can see and speak to. The ghost was my favorite character in the story. It’s not a life changing book, but a fun and easy read during spooky season.
• Powerless Series – This series by Lauren Roberts gets a lot of hype, and while I was reading the first book, I wasn’t understanding it, but as I read the two full books and the novella, I better understood. I really did enjoy reading these and am looking forward to the next book in 2025.
• Listen for the Lie – This wasn’t my favorite storyline ever, but I listened to it on audio and that’s what made it great. It is about a girl who’s best friend was murdered and a murder mystery podcast that is revisiting this case trying to uncover what actually happened because no one has ever been arrested for it. The way the podcast plays in the audio book just made it such a fun journey.

Nonfiction

• Leadership and Self Deception – I found this one on Hoopla not knowing anything about it and it shocked me. I read this early in the year and have raved about it to quite a few people. While it’s more focused on leadership in business, it also gave me great takeaways for my marriage. Looking forward to reading another by this group next year.
• American Buffalo – This is about Steve Rinella’s trip to Alaska to hunt wood bison. If you know, bison are my favorite animal. I found it fascinating how he intertwines the history of the bison in North America with his hunt story. I really enjoyed this one and think about it regularly.
• Unreasonable Hospitality – When I was looking back at my list for the year, I was shocked that I only read this in February of this year. For the amount of times I’ve referenced it, I thought it was a 2023 read. It’s the story of what it looks like to redefining hospitality.
• Building A Second Brain + Para Method – I read these by the pool over the summer and they changed the way I organize forever. In terms of this list of books and which were most practically applicable for me, it was these two. Specific tools and implementation on how to manage all the things you’re thinking about and get them out of your brain and into an organized fashion.
• Freely and Lightly – This book found me when I needed it most. Teddy and I went on a scouting trip in the Spring and found a little bookstore where I picked this up. I read it on a solo glamping trip and devoured it. It’s everything I knew but needed to be reminded of and helped me become realigned to what was next.
• Get Your Life Back – I listened to this one on audiobook with Teddy during our time in Colorado. I didn’t know anything about the author when I got it, but as we were driving through Colorado Springs, I learned he lives in that area and it just felt like the right book at the right time.

The only reading goals or intentions I had for 2024 were to continue reading as a habit and to continue using the library. Both of those were a success. Looking at the upcoming year, some intentions I’m planning include keeping a reading journal, reading more physical books, expanding my book comfort zone by reading different genres, get back into more non fiction, reading from my physical bookshelf and using the library as much as I can. Outside of that, the aim is just to have fun and enjoy!