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year in books 2024
happy belated new year! i don't think i've managed to get this post up on new year's day for like, years. or even the first week of the new year. this is the latest it's ever been lol. but i still always look forward to doing it and reflecting on my year of reading. quality-wise, i had a pretty good reading year, i think? for me, at least! i'm pretty sure i accomplished all the loose goals i set for myself. 2025 isn't off to the best reading start, but i have high hopes. also, i think i'll probably cross-post this to goodreads, so with that in mind, i'm going to try to be a little less rambly and a little less personal. which i probably for the best.
please forgive any typos! there will probably be a few.
here's my huge spreadsheet with all my 2024 reads. i love my spreadsheet; it's become my primary way of tracking my reading. also, here's goodreads' year in review thing. and also, for the first time, storygraph's. neither of these are totally accurate to my stats (especially storygraph; i imported my data and it didn't import everything correctly) but it's still fun to look at.
Number Of Books You Read: 364. do i kinda wish i'd made it to 366 so i could say i'd read a book a day? kinda.
Number of Pages Read: 111,176 pages.
Average Book Length: 305.4 pages
Your Average Book Rating: 3.53
Number of Re-Reads: 19.
Genre You Read The Most From: as always, contemporary romance, with 73 books.
Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2024?
i have two answers, though if i had to choose one, it'd be the first one i'm about to mention. and idk what that says about me.
• jawbone is a literary fiction/horror book that i read in january, and all year long, i couldn't get it out of my head. i originally gave it 4.5 stars, because even though i loved SO many things about it (in particular the language and lyricism and the weird things the author did with style and the themes) there were also some things about the book that i really disliked. i felt like it pushed the envelope a little TOO much, and i did not care for the ending. but i couldn't get this weird little lesbian book out of my head, and during the year, every time i would think about my favourite books, i'd of course think of my 5 stars, but i would always feel like something was missing. and i ended up rereading this for my last book of the year, and even though i still have issues, it's undoubtedly my favourite. there are pieces of writing in this... woof. i don't know if anything else in literature could ever make me feel this way.
• my second favourite (or tied for first!) is the fire next time. this is also a book i read twice last year, but unlike jawbone, i reread this, like, a couple days after i finished. in fact, i restarted it right after i finished, and it only took me a few days to finish because i made myself move slower with it this time. i read a lot of james baldwin last year, but this was unquestionably my favourite. really excellent essays about race and the place of black people in america, about community and history and a way forward. baldwin truly was a master when it came to prose, and every little insight and observation was so so well expressed. i want to make everyone i know read this. if you're reading this, please read the fire next time.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
• the mill house murders. this is the second book in a mystery series, and the first book (the decagon house murders) is one of my favourite mysteries of all time. it was one of those books that gave me what i think of as the perfect mystery experience, and not a lot of authors can do that for me, other than agatha christie. so i was pretty excited for the mill house murders and it turned out to be... good! but no more than that. i was really expecting to be wowed and gagged like i was with the first book, but instead i though this was just fine. and it was a little bit of a bummer. it has a great premise, classic locked room mystery in sorta the same vein as TDHM, with a quirky detective character whom i do like. but i guessed a lot of things about the solution pretty early on, and then i turned out to be right, and it just wasn't satisfying. (especially since i'm pretty sure i GUESSED; i didn't deduce.)
• i didn't love ten dry years like i wanted to. i first read from the author in 2023, with women in gray, a kind of fucked up sci-fi thriller that i ended up liking a lot. i expected to like her literary fiction even more, but ten dry years was just a bit too repetitive and vulgar for me. i went into it knowing that it would be explicit, and i saw all the trigger warnings at the start, but there was nothing in the prose or the themes to make this any more than just okay.
• i'd heard a lot of buzz about faebound, and was excited to pick it up, and perhaps read the author's backlist as well. it ended up being good, but not great. it's honestly one of those books that has soured in my memory, and the fact that i rated it 3 stars seems generous. i had lots of nitpicks, but in general, the book should not have tried to squeeze in two romances, along with everything else it was trying to do.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
literary fiction that makes the stylistic choice to not use quotation marks and other types of punctuation is extremely obnoxious to read. to me. i find it really difficult to read, especially if i don't have an audiobook. blame my tiny brain or whatever.
• so in that respect, i'm a little surprised that i enjoyed all this could be different and antiquity. or well, it's not that i expected them to be bad, but the lack of punctuation is usually a HUGE barrier to enjoyment for me, so i'm really glad i was able to look past that and experience those really excellent novels. all this could be different is about an insufferable, asshole lesbian millennial who is Going Through It and antiquity is a lesbian lolita story. so neither of them were exactly enjoyable reads, and you won't come out of it liking either protagonist, but the writing made me love them both in ways i didn't expect.
• mrs s also fits into this category of obnoxious sapphic litfic that i unexpectedly loved, except i did really like the main character in that one, and i DID have an audiobook, so i wasn't cursed to look at huge blocks of text and run-on sentences.
• as for another type of surprising... yuri espoir seemed like it was just going to be a cute little f/f manga, and it surprised me by being slightly bonkers and a little unhinged. while still being cute and gut-wrenching! i really enjoyed my time with it, and i'm really looking forward to new volumes.
• as for surprising in a bad way, i unfortunately have to mention fragmented, an m/m romantic suspense. this first book in this series surprised me because it had a trope i usually hate (love triangle) written in a way that i actually liked. but this book, sadly, pissed me off when it included one of my least favourite tropes in fiction (which is a spoiler) and sapped most of my enjoyment.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
• i barely read any arcs last year, because i was hesitant to commit myself to stuff. but i did read one arc, and i absolutely loved it, and i posted about it on my bookstagram (in my stories, at least) so i think that counts as 'pushing people to read it'. and i'm pretty sure some people picked it up on my recommendation, which makes me really happy! it is, of course, make room for love, a really swoony and emotional and sexy f/f roommates romance, with a butch lesbian electrician and a trans academic discovering that she’s bi. def. one of my favourite romances of the year.
5. Best series you started in 2024? Best Sequel of 2024? Best Series Ender of 2024?
i couldn't restrict myself to one, so i have two answers for each of these.
• best starters: the midnight lie. f/f ya fantasy with a romantic subplot that i was obsessed with. this has such great banter and really interesting worldbuilding, and even though i didn't love the second book as much, this was top-tier. also warchild. i've had this one my radar for years, and i'm so glad i finally got to it. one of the most engrossing scifi novels i've ever read; i remember sneaking on breaks during my workday to finish reading this.
• best sequels: edin. i really liked the first book in this m/m monster romance series, but this, the second one, made me fall in love. it's still my fave in the series thus far. WHAT'S BETTER THAN A GENTLE GIANT? NOTHING!!! also, tempting olivia. contemporary f/f romance that crept up on me. i didn't expect to love it as much as the first book, but the latter half made me SO emotional, god. i don't usually love celebrity romances, but i really loved this.
• best enders: parable of the talents. this was my year of catching up on octavia butler, and this was by far my favourite thing i read from her. the first book in the series was good, but this was INCREDIBLE; absolutely gutting, ideologically dense, and also scarily prescient. there are things in this book that haunt me. also, the slain divine. the book made me feel the way i think marvel movies are supposed to make me feel. such a good conclusion. i was yelling my head off about everything. so many characters got cool moments, and i loved where everyone's story went. and i think the author did a good job of skilfully incorporating some tropes that COULD have gone poorly, but instead were executed in just the right way.
6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2024?
• rawnie sabor. i read three books in her court of chains series last year, and honestly, i could have mentioned any of them for the best starter or best sequel questions above, but i knew i wanted to talk about her here. she writes queer paranormal romance that's pretty sex-forward, but also incredibly emotional and character-focused. the main two are like 500+ page chonkers that i devoured in a day each, which isn't something i do all the time these days (especially if i don't have an audiobook). there are a few hiccoughs in the writing, but i'm so impressed by her character work and development, and the worldbuilding is pretty unique. and the romances are sooooo sexy. so far i've read all the f/f books she has out; kiss of seduction is probably my favourite; instant all time fave. and green-eyed monster is one of my most anticipated releases for 2025.
• misha horne. they write a bunch of kink-heavy m/m romance i've that've really enjoyed, way more than i expected. again, it's because they take so much care with the character work and development, and the characters feel really well-realised. looking for trouble is the best out of what i've read, and i'm almost tempted to start their high school romance series. i really don't care to read about 18yos still in high school, but for this author, i might make an exception.
• and i have to mentionmónica ojeda, author of jawbone. i only read one book from her, but it's my favourite!! her writing is fucking amazing, and i can’t forget sarah booker, who translated it. i've bought ojeda's novella nefando, which i'm hoping to read this year.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
i read pretty widely, so don't think i really have a 'comfort zone' anymore. last year i answered this question with historical fiction, non-fiction, and classics, since i don't read much in those three genres, so i'll do so again.
• historical fiction: the dove in the belly. this is kinda cheating, because this has a pretty significant romance subplot, so it's almost a historical romance, which i DO read a lot of. but it doesn't quite fit the genre conventions. this is a sort of coming of age story about a gay college student and the closeted athlete he falls for, and the writing is exquisite.
• non-fiction: cobalt red. perfectly well-rounded exposé on the cobalt situation in the DRC. a great mix of investigative journalism, with on the ground reporting and interviews from the people impacted by the world' greed for cobalt, and just enough historical information to pull it all together. really informative, and i really recommend it.
• classic: loitering with intent. i can't exactly pinpoint WHAT exactly i loved about this so much, but i did really enjoy it. super witty, engaging, full of insight that seems ahead of its time, and the main character was so fucking funny. and i just really enjoy books about books, and books about writing.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
ironically, i don't think of any the thrillers or mysteries that i read this year would really apply for this question. but i do have a couple answers.
• the executive officedefinitely fits the bill; it's an action/adventure m/m romance about the president and his bodyguard. i've said it before, but tal bauer tends to write books that you can so easily picture as movies, and this is one of those cases. lots of big twists, explosive action, big set pieces, moving from continent to continent... this is far from my favourite work by him, but the entire series is just a lot of fun.
• the loop is primarily a horror, but it IS really action-packed, and once it starts moving it doesn't really stop. it's one of those books that packs a lot into a pretty short space of time. i actually didn't like this one a lot (it was gross and weird, but not MY kind of gross and weird), but i never really felt compelled to put it down, you know?
• i have to mention paladin's strength, the second book in the saint of steel fantasy romance series, which was super unputdownable based on the strength of how much i LOVED clara. what a woman! it lost some of the momentum on the second half, but the first half is a roadtrip/journey/chase, and it was soooo fun and engaging. i loved it.
9. Book You Read In 2024 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
• the appeal. like, IMMEDIATELY after finishing it, i was thinking about how much i want to reread it. it's such a well-crafted, complicated little mystery, which always kept me on my toes, always kept me reading, (now that i think about it, this WOULD probably work as an answer for the previous question) and i can't wait to see what kind of clues and hints i pick up on when i reread, now that i know the answers. i might not reread it in 2025, but it'll definitely happen.
• i also want to reread girls against god fairly soon. i loved certain parts of the writing, and while reading it, it sorta reminded me of jawbone. but i think it's the kind of book that i need to read physically, not with an audiobook, to really get the most out of it. so i look forward to revisiting it, and hopefully liking it even more.
• i reread the locked tomb almost every year; i didn't in 2024, so i'm more determined to in 2025.
• i do periodic rereads of the sherlock holmes series all the time. i think last year i reread the first four books, so maybe this year i'll do the latter five.
10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2024?
• because of the rise of genAI slop and a lot of authors gleefully using AI generated art (i.e theft!) for their book covers, this isn't as uncomplicated a question as it usually is. this past year, i've tried to be really vigilant about not accidentally reading books that use AI covers. i'm not telling anyone else how to feel, but i don't want to support authors who use genAI and stolen art for their covers or promotional material.
• anyway, all that said, i love a sweet sting of salt. so simple, so gorgeous. and i really enjoyed the book itself too!
• to be honest, because of the rise of shitty AI art, these days i'm more attracted to covers that use real people and models. but i still do love an illustrated cover!
• some runners up: she is a haunting; your shadow half remains; dear first love; yours truly; precious red pearls; principle decisions; house of hunger, sunsets and other dangerous things, antiquity, this gilded abyss, tempting olivia.
11. Most memorable character of 2024?
• i am obsessed with mina from #DRCL midnight children. sweet feral hellion-girl who loves her best friend SO MUCH, and will do anything to protect her. my love for her is definitely partially based on how the managaka drew her; i just love her weird little face, and the way she scrunched up her nose when she's angry or determined. she's the GOAT.
• shesheshen from someone you can build a nest in is so hilarious and ultimately loveable. monster women are my catnip. and i loved that she was ACTUALLY monstrous. not many novels have shapeshifting blob monsters as protags.
• i'll never forget my sweet, darling, wonderful malena from cantoras. <33333
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2024?
ooooh, i have several i want to mention!
• the last tale of the flower bride by roshani chokshi. plot-wise, this ultimately went in a direction that i didn't love, but i still really, really enjoyed this book for its writing. it's lush and beautifully-crafted and self-indulgent in the best way. i expected it to be fantastical, and it wasn't (or well, not in the way i expected) but the writing still made this feel downright magical. truly left a mark on me.
• icarus isn't my favourite book by k. ancrum, but it's up there. she's one of the few authors that writes with super short chapters that i actually really enjoy, and her prose is always beautiful and well-rounded. it always feels like each character in her books, not just the main couple, are vital to the story and the journey. her writing is simple, yet lovely, and always makes me FEEL things.
• on earth, we're briefly gorgeous is nothing short of masterful; it was not surprise to learn that ocean vuong is also a poet. there are some books that are so beautiful written that it almost feels choked, like the author is trying too hard, because every single line is a bar. this COULD have been that, but it wasn't. it's true that i highlighted like every other line, but it never felt like a performance, or like it didn't fit. each lien was beautifully rendered, wonderfully observed, and i loved every inch of it.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2024?
• i was always conscious and careful about my technology buying habits (like, i'll get rid of my phones when they stop working completely, and not a minute before) but cobalt red made me even more so, after showing all the pain and exploitation that goes into mining cobalt for batteries.
• i gotta say the fire next time again. both in terms of baldwin's reflection on the past and his hopes for the future, this is just galvanising.
• this is slightly embarrassing, but the way the main character in hot mess struggled to get his life under control actually really spoke to me?
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2024 to finally read?
• i read a lot of stephen king this year, and the one that i really should have gotten to sooner was carrie. i mean, to be fair, i've only really started reading horror in the past five years. but this book has been so much in the public consciousness and part of popular culture for so long, i'm surprised i didn't get to it sooner. i had been spoiled for some stuff, of course, but mostly, i went in completely blind. and i liked it! not as much as i would have wanted to, but it was still a win.
• cantoras. hsinju and gabriella have been raving about this book for the past several years, and i'm soooo glad i finally got to it. even though it broke my heart a little.
• i've been meaning to read the princess bride for the LONGEST while, so i could watch the movie. it's such a cult classic. unfortunately, i didn't much like the book, because i DESPISED westley, lol. sorry to be a hater, but he sucks. the movie version of him seemed way less annoying, but i never did finish watching the movie. whoops...
15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2024?
i HAVE to quote from jawbone, because it's my absolutely favourite book of the year. the only difficult thing to figure out is WHICH passage to choose. i have so many faves!!!! ultimately, i have to go with this, from the beginning of annelise's essay.
simple, nothing mind-blowing about it, maybe. but taken with everything that comes after it? oh god. truly, nothing in literature will ever make me feel the way chapter xxi of this fucking book did.
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2024?
• shortest: not just best friends, at 50 pages. short romance story, best friends to lovers. read it to see if i liked the author's writing, and i very much did!
• longest: 11/22/63, at 849 pages. i go back and forth in whether it needed to be this long, and ultimately, i think it does? i didn't mind that it got slow in certain places, and took its time in others. not a favourite, but i did like this.
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
• shocking? i think i remember being really bowled over by the ending of the centre; the different interpretations you could have and the implications of those interpretations. honestly, this book was brilliant, and it's another one i really want to revisit. some of the reception makes me scratch my head; i've seen a lot of people either wilfully misunderstanding the messaging or putting words in the author’s mouth. oh well. the girlies who get it, get it!! and this was incredible.
• her majesty's royal coven also had an ending that left me absolutely gagged. honestly one of my favourite endings i've ever read, and i need to remember to catch up on the series.
• i went into the darkness outside us completely blind, aside from knowing that it was m/m YA science fiction, and it blew me away with some of the directions it ended up going.
• the ending of memory mambo was also shocking, though not in a way i liked. this messy cuban lesbian litfic hit in a lot of great ways, but that ending was just too much.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
• touchwood was my favourite romance of the year, so i have to say louisa/rayann. god... they wrecked me. they are soulmates!!! this book made me feel like i was drowning, but in a book way, and i was just… blushing and swooning nonstop.
• because i spent so many hours with thecriminal intentions series, i have to mention malcolm and seong jae. slow burn romance is my favourite thing, so to have this slow burn, partners to lovers romance playout over the course of SEVERAL BOOKS? oh, i was in heaven. the author wrote the tension super well, and i was kicking my feet. i've reached book 17 in the series, and i'm still in love with them.
• honourable mentions: assistant/ari from the lily and the crown, PG/momo from if you'll have me, imogen/laudna from what doesn't break (imogen was barely in the book but IT COUNTS, OKAY!! other than reading, critical role is my biggest obsession, and imodna has had my whole heart for the past two years), jennifer/dosie from the lay of you, faisal/adam from the executive office.
19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
• cheris and jedao from ninefox gambit really won me over!! they have a dynamic that kinda (slightly, but not insignificantly!) reminds me of eddie and venom, lol. and i love them. i guess there's a chance their dynamic might turn romantic in the future books, which i wouldn't hate, but i do prefer the relationship they have now.
• the mother-son relationship in on earth we're briefly gorgeous also really got to me, even though they weren’t always close, and didn't always understand each other.
• i loved the romance in here we go again, but the relationship both women had with their teacher was really special. joe’s the best ;;
20. Favourite Book You Read in 2024 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
• i've read a few karin kallmaker books before, and liked but didn't love them. there was always something about her writing and the way she expressed lesbian desire that i really loved, and i had a feeling i could really love one of her books. but i expected that it would be one of her newer books, not something from her backlist. touchwood is her debut novel, and i adored it. completely blew me away. it's a book that has flaws, but i was swept away by the magic and chemistry of this romance. i can't gush about it enough; this book made me FEEL things. and i've read several more kallmaker books since then, and that earlier observation about her backlist seems to hold true. it's the books that are written pre-2000 that seem to hit hardest for me.
• i can’t not talk about james baldwin here. since i've already mentioned the fire next time a gazillion times, i want to talk a little about my favourite fiction novel of his that i read in 2024: tell me how long the train's been gone. really moving narrative following a bisexual black actor after he's just had a heart attack. it covers his childhood, rise to fame, and relationships with the two loves of his life; the white woman who's been his best friend for years, and the younger black man who barrels into his life.
• haley cass is one of THEE most consistent authors for me and one of the best in f/f romance. i've never given any of her books less than 4.5 stars, and there are very few authors i can say that about. on the same page was excellent!
21. Best Book You Read In 2024 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
i first saw both these books on booktube, so i think that counts as recommendations, right?
• passing is a classic that i first saw asunnybooknook talk about, and i really enjoyed it. an exploration of racism and colourism, but also friendship and desire. really fascinating look into the lives of light-skinned women who pass as white in the 1920s. the ending, to me, was really boring, but i did love the actual meat of the book.
• i forget where on booktube i saw care work: dreaming disability justice, but i'm really glad i read it. super engaging collection of essays about disability, mutual aid, activism, queerness.
• i was convinced to read game changer not based on peer pressure exactly, but i know it's such a beloved series, and i've seen it around a lot in m/m romance spaces. or well, the second book is really beloved, and i wanted to start with the first book. i liked but didn't love this; hopefully the second book will be better for me.
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2024?
• i can't pick a definite no. 1, but the woman who first comes to mind is louisa from touchwood. i got BUTTERFLIES; she's so kind and gentle and principled and caring. i was crushing from the second she stepped on page. and it was definitely influenced by the audiobook; angela dawe's voice for her made me melt.
• i was absolutely obsessed with jillian from loser of the year. she's ridiculous and i loved her. i'm not usually one for mean love interests, but she was cutting witty and acerbic in just the right way. and the way she was absolutely GONE for the main character in way that were obvious to the reader? i loved it.
• i was also crushing hard on reyna from a little sin. another example of a character with traits i usually don't like (cockiness and pride) but written in a really swoony way. the way she takes care of her girl... the best.
• i would be prepared to risk it all for lisavet from house of hunger. which probably proves that i'm an idiot and i would die if i stepped foot in this world, but it would be worth it.
• jamila from tempt me is an absolute dreamboat. can natalie fight? i want jamila to call ME babygirl.
23. Best 2024 debut you read?
most of the 2024 debuts i loved (that actually came out in 2024) are books that i talk about elsewhere on this survey, so i'll change the rules and just talk about debuts that i happened to read in 2024.
• leech by hiron ennes is such an incredible work. weird horror with one of the most unique premises i've ever read. the doctor as a character and the institute as an entity... so weird and satisfying in all their hive-mindy, mushroom-esque glory. i feel like when i usually come across this concept in books, they're usually side characters? not the protagonist. and i loved it. this was really engrossing.
• you exist too much by zaina arafat is a book i read pretty early in the year, but it stuck with me, for its portrayal of obsessive love and getting over it, queer identity, and the way it looks at the palestinian diaspora.
• notes of a crocodile was qui maojin's debut, which seems incredible, because it's so stunningly crafted and told. this book made me feel things i still don't know how to express. a queer masterpiece.
• honey in the marrow is up there with my favourite f/f romances of the year. a really quiet book that deals with grief and recovery in a way that resonated with me, with an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic that i adored. very much a character-focused book, and it deserves all the praise it gets.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
• i was a little let down by the mystery aspects of tread of angels, but it has SUCH a fascinating setting and worldbuilding. fantasy, angels and demons in an alternate history western setting seems like a lot of hats for one book to wear, but this book carried it off so well. i loved the sense of history that the author was able to convey, and all the little titbits we got about the war made me hunger for more backstory. the image of the dead abaddon's body and how it dominates the landscape... i love it.
• i really enjoy the world of the singing hills cycle in general, but in particular, i loved the setting of the brides of high hill. very atmospheric and chilling.
• perhaps this is cheating, but i adore the world of exandria from critical role SO MUCH, and seeing it in book form in what doesn't break was a delight to me.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
• definitely had a sappy smile on my face the whole way through you should be so lucky. m/m historical romance that's sweet and slow and quiet in THEE most perfect ways. i knew i was going to love this when they shared the haunting of hill house; when eddie sees mark's notation of 'lesbian?' in the margins, it made my heart SO FULL.
• scissor link was an f/f romantic comedy that i REALLY liked in the first half. not a lot of books can make me laugh out loud, and this made it happen multiple times. i didn't love the second half, alas.
• i can't not mention if you'll have me. SO cute and charming. everything about the art style and writing wn me over, and i read this entire thing with hearts in my eyes, and it's in my top 5 of the year!
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2024?
i thought i wouldn't have many answers for this, but then i went over my list, and quite a few books made me cry last year.
• the ending of here we go again left me a sobbing mess.
• the green mile squeezed more than a few tears out of me, even while i was busy being annoyed at stephen king for how he portrays black characters and racism.
• there's a certain passage in the trees that is simply a list of names, but in the moment, with the context, it made me put my face in my hands and cry my heart out.
• and there are probably others that i'm forgetting. i am a crybaby!
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
• the lay of you has less than 500 ratings, and that's completely criminal. f/f contemporary romance that verges on erotic romance, but one that’s very character focused and exquisitely written. this is in my top 3 favourite romance of the year.
• similarly, too like the lightning has less than 1000 ratings, which feels blasphemous for something as deep and quiet and beautifully written as this. it's an m/m romance between a professor whose life is in shambles, and the younger man who helps out at the house he's staying at. super atmospheric, and i loved their bonding over literature.
• of socialites and prizefights has way less ratings than either of those. it's one of the latest instalments in a series of interconnected but standalone historical fantasy romance, and it deserves way more readers. scratch that: more readers deserve to read this, because they'll love it!! f/f, short butch/tall femme, interesting plot that includes shapeshifting and prizefighting, but it’s also full of cosy vibes and whimsy.
• i can't exactly call my darling dreadful thing a hidden gem, since it has thousands more ratings than the other books i listed for this question, and it was in the goodreads choice awards to boot. but i was so disappointed that it didn't at least make the top ten; it deserves it, for sure. f/f ghost horror that broke my heart, but i still loved it.
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
• i remember thinking near the beginning of warchild that i wanted to kill every character that hurt jos, the protagonist. and unfortunately this means i have a lot of people on my hitlist. it's a sci-fi coming of age with a lot of military elements, that follows Jos from the time he's orphaned, kidnapped by slavers, and eventually ends up as a spy in the middle of an intergalactic war. this book put me through such an emotional wringer. it isn't completely soul crushing or devoid of lighter elements, but they're few and far between. jos is my SON, i love him so much.
• bittersweet is a lesbian book written in the 1980s about women living in the 1800s, and i mean, i didn't expect a lot of happy joyful things from it. especially with a title like that. but this WAS a really crushing read, a little more so than it needed to be, i think. even though the narrative was on the side of these women, it often felt like i was reading about sinners being punished for their crimes. chief amongst which was loving other women. and i really hated that there was so much sexual violence on page, which was made even worse because of how little of the women's consensual love was shown. yeah, it was a pretty depressing read.
• i loved cantoras, but it really did break me a little. i was so upset about [spoiler]'s death. :(
• her name in the sky didn't 'crush my soul', but it was extremely emotional, and hit me hard in ways that i just don't expect a YA book to be able to do. i really loved it.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2024?
• the concept and execution of monstrilio is like nothing i've ever read before. i knew it was an exploration of grief, and i knew it centred queer characters, and i knew it got weird. but none of that prepared for the places we went in this book, and what we got from the different POVs. and monstrilio is one of the most unique characters i've ever read. and one of the most lovable. he's just a lil guy. :(
• the trees was an excellent piece of literature, and i loved the ways we tackled racism and prejudice, and also poked fun at it. and the hook is a great one: the body of the same dead black man keepings appearing at and disappearing from different crime scenes. and it ends up going a lot of places i didn't expect.
• i don't read a lot of haunted house novels, so perhaps i can't best say what's unique or not in them, but both we ate the dark and i>delicious monsters were strange and beautifully written in their own ways, with haunted houses that were characters in their own right, and just did things that i haven't seen a lot before.
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
made me angry? oooooh three books immediately come to mind.
• the first offender is my worst book of the year: john dies at the end. edgy, gross horror that started out okay but devolved more and more as i read on. it wasn't anywhere near as funny as it thought it was. some books are convoluted in a way that makes your brain tick, makes you want to untangle its threads. this was convoluted in a way that was just annoying. i loved weird horror, but i don't like gross horror. at least not like this. also the title is a lie, which makes the title a gimmick, which is irritating. (i guess he might die at the end of the series... whatever.) honestly, what also makes me mad is that i was apparently SO convinced that i would like that this i bought the first three books in the series back in 2019. so now i just have these audiobooks in my library, unreturnable. sigh.
• dawn of swords made me so angry i wrote a 3,000+ word rant -- er, review. it truly feels like a weak hodgepodge of stuff that did not need to be written, with a bunch of ideas that were clearly handpicked from other fantasy series. which was disappointing because of how much i loved dalglish's vagrant gods series. i will never stop yelling about what a hypocrite karak is, and i need the characters to call him out on it too.
• trouble the living didn't quite make me angry, but it did make me upset. there were no indications that the book dealt heavily with pregnancy and abortion (and if i'd known that, i would have probably chosen not to read it; and if i had still read it, at least i would have been prepared). and i was really annoyed with the way it chose to deal with some of those issues. beautifully written, but it missed the mark for me.
Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2024 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2025?
my answer for this was gonna be heartstopper, but i took so long to finish writing this survey that i've already read it lol.
• so instead i'll say the raw shark texts, a mystery/thriller novel which i borrowed from the library months ago, and have had to keep renewing, because i just haven't managed to get to it. i refuse to renew it a third time, so it's getting read this month!
• i also meant to get to goddess of the sea, but i kinda wanted to wait for the audiobook, since that was how i read the first book. the audio comes out this year, so i'll do that!
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2025 (non-debut)?
• roslyn sinclair, my favourite f/f romance author is coming out with a fantasy romance, the woman from the waves and i'm bursting with excitement, oh my gosh.
• and speaking of f/f romance from authors i love, green-eyed monster doesn't come out until october, but i am already SAT.
3. 2025 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
i saw some buzz about these two books and i'm really intrigued!
• you'll never forget me is a sapphic thriller that takes place in hollywood. i don't really like books about celebrities, but this seems to have obsession as a theme, which i do love.
• the maiden and her monster is a sapphic fantasy based on jewish folklore about a girl who falls in love with a golem?? super excited for this one.
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2025?
• i think i've been saying alecto the ninth as an answer to this question since 2023, lol. maybe this will be the year!! fingers crossed!!!
• i'm really looking forward to daughter of the cursed kingdom. i think i'll reread the first book to prepare for it!
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2025?
last year i old myself i'd read less, and happily, i did accomplish that. i want to continue doing that; stick around the 350-ish range, maybe less. i also want to reread more. there are several books that i think of as favourites that i want to revisit, and solidify their status in my mind (or ask myself what i was thinking, lol). i've already reread a favourite this year (the lily and the crown) and adored it just as much. and rereads just feel so relaxing, because i don't have to trouble to write a full review again. i LOVE writing good sized reviews for all the books i read, but sometimes it does get tiring.
and i want to continue to prioritise authors of colour! about a third of the books i read in 2024 were by authors of colour (133 out of 364) and i want to see that number go up a bit more.
and now... CHARTS!!!
i don’t remember what happened in may… i think i started playing video games again, haha.
contemporary romance leading as it always does... but not by as high a margin as usual! i read more horror and romantic suspense this year (the latter thanks to the cole mccade series).
pretty happy with my ratings! if most of my reads are 3.5 stars and higher, then i'm pleased. i've gotten pretty good at knowing when to put down a book in the first chapter if i'm not feeling it, so i have less 3 star and lower ratings than previous years.
as always, audiobooks dominate, but i'm still pretty pleased with this. i haven't read this many physical books since... i don't remember. thank you @ my library.
i told myself i'd cancel KU, but that didn't happen. i just love reading indie romance, and KU is alas the best place for it, especially since i prefer to borrow rather than commit to buying. but anyplay remains my most used service for audiobooks. it's cool that the number is still that high, since for reasons too complicatd to get into, i didn't use it in the latter half of the year.
please forgive any typos! there will probably be a few.
here's my huge spreadsheet with all my 2024 reads. i love my spreadsheet; it's become my primary way of tracking my reading. also, here's goodreads' year in review thing. and also, for the first time, storygraph's. neither of these are totally accurate to my stats (especially storygraph; i imported my data and it didn't import everything correctly) but it's still fun to look at.
Number Of Books You Read: 364. do i kinda wish i'd made it to 366 so i could say i'd read a book a day? kinda.
Number of Pages Read: 111,176 pages.
Average Book Length: 305.4 pages
Your Average Book Rating: 3.53
Number of Re-Reads: 19.
Genre You Read The Most From: as always, contemporary romance, with 73 books.
Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2024?
i have two answers, though if i had to choose one, it'd be the first one i'm about to mention. and idk what that says about me.
• jawbone is a literary fiction/horror book that i read in january, and all year long, i couldn't get it out of my head. i originally gave it 4.5 stars, because even though i loved SO many things about it (in particular the language and lyricism and the weird things the author did with style and the themes) there were also some things about the book that i really disliked. i felt like it pushed the envelope a little TOO much, and i did not care for the ending. but i couldn't get this weird little lesbian book out of my head, and during the year, every time i would think about my favourite books, i'd of course think of my 5 stars, but i would always feel like something was missing. and i ended up rereading this for my last book of the year, and even though i still have issues, it's undoubtedly my favourite. there are pieces of writing in this... woof. i don't know if anything else in literature could ever make me feel this way.
• my second favourite (or tied for first!) is the fire next time. this is also a book i read twice last year, but unlike jawbone, i reread this, like, a couple days after i finished. in fact, i restarted it right after i finished, and it only took me a few days to finish because i made myself move slower with it this time. i read a lot of james baldwin last year, but this was unquestionably my favourite. really excellent essays about race and the place of black people in america, about community and history and a way forward. baldwin truly was a master when it came to prose, and every little insight and observation was so so well expressed. i want to make everyone i know read this. if you're reading this, please read the fire next time.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
• the mill house murders. this is the second book in a mystery series, and the first book (the decagon house murders) is one of my favourite mysteries of all time. it was one of those books that gave me what i think of as the perfect mystery experience, and not a lot of authors can do that for me, other than agatha christie. so i was pretty excited for the mill house murders and it turned out to be... good! but no more than that. i was really expecting to be wowed and gagged like i was with the first book, but instead i though this was just fine. and it was a little bit of a bummer. it has a great premise, classic locked room mystery in sorta the same vein as TDHM, with a quirky detective character whom i do like. but i guessed a lot of things about the solution pretty early on, and then i turned out to be right, and it just wasn't satisfying. (especially since i'm pretty sure i GUESSED; i didn't deduce.)
• i didn't love ten dry years like i wanted to. i first read from the author in 2023, with women in gray, a kind of fucked up sci-fi thriller that i ended up liking a lot. i expected to like her literary fiction even more, but ten dry years was just a bit too repetitive and vulgar for me. i went into it knowing that it would be explicit, and i saw all the trigger warnings at the start, but there was nothing in the prose or the themes to make this any more than just okay.
• i'd heard a lot of buzz about faebound, and was excited to pick it up, and perhaps read the author's backlist as well. it ended up being good, but not great. it's honestly one of those books that has soured in my memory, and the fact that i rated it 3 stars seems generous. i had lots of nitpicks, but in general, the book should not have tried to squeeze in two romances, along with everything else it was trying to do.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
literary fiction that makes the stylistic choice to not use quotation marks and other types of punctuation is extremely obnoxious to read. to me. i find it really difficult to read, especially if i don't have an audiobook. blame my tiny brain or whatever.
• so in that respect, i'm a little surprised that i enjoyed all this could be different and antiquity. or well, it's not that i expected them to be bad, but the lack of punctuation is usually a HUGE barrier to enjoyment for me, so i'm really glad i was able to look past that and experience those really excellent novels. all this could be different is about an insufferable, asshole lesbian millennial who is Going Through It and antiquity is a lesbian lolita story. so neither of them were exactly enjoyable reads, and you won't come out of it liking either protagonist, but the writing made me love them both in ways i didn't expect.
• mrs s also fits into this category of obnoxious sapphic litfic that i unexpectedly loved, except i did really like the main character in that one, and i DID have an audiobook, so i wasn't cursed to look at huge blocks of text and run-on sentences.
• as for another type of surprising... yuri espoir seemed like it was just going to be a cute little f/f manga, and it surprised me by being slightly bonkers and a little unhinged. while still being cute and gut-wrenching! i really enjoyed my time with it, and i'm really looking forward to new volumes.
• as for surprising in a bad way, i unfortunately have to mention fragmented, an m/m romantic suspense. this first book in this series surprised me because it had a trope i usually hate (love triangle) written in a way that i actually liked. but this book, sadly, pissed me off when it included one of my least favourite tropes in fiction (which is a spoiler) and sapped most of my enjoyment.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
• i barely read any arcs last year, because i was hesitant to commit myself to stuff. but i did read one arc, and i absolutely loved it, and i posted about it on my bookstagram (in my stories, at least) so i think that counts as 'pushing people to read it'. and i'm pretty sure some people picked it up on my recommendation, which makes me really happy! it is, of course, make room for love, a really swoony and emotional and sexy f/f roommates romance, with a butch lesbian electrician and a trans academic discovering that she’s bi. def. one of my favourite romances of the year.
5. Best series you started in 2024? Best Sequel of 2024? Best Series Ender of 2024?
i couldn't restrict myself to one, so i have two answers for each of these.
• best starters: the midnight lie. f/f ya fantasy with a romantic subplot that i was obsessed with. this has such great banter and really interesting worldbuilding, and even though i didn't love the second book as much, this was top-tier. also warchild. i've had this one my radar for years, and i'm so glad i finally got to it. one of the most engrossing scifi novels i've ever read; i remember sneaking on breaks during my workday to finish reading this.
• best sequels: edin. i really liked the first book in this m/m monster romance series, but this, the second one, made me fall in love. it's still my fave in the series thus far. WHAT'S BETTER THAN A GENTLE GIANT? NOTHING!!! also, tempting olivia. contemporary f/f romance that crept up on me. i didn't expect to love it as much as the first book, but the latter half made me SO emotional, god. i don't usually love celebrity romances, but i really loved this.
• best enders: parable of the talents. this was my year of catching up on octavia butler, and this was by far my favourite thing i read from her. the first book in the series was good, but this was INCREDIBLE; absolutely gutting, ideologically dense, and also scarily prescient. there are things in this book that haunt me. also, the slain divine. the book made me feel the way i think marvel movies are supposed to make me feel. such a good conclusion. i was yelling my head off about everything. so many characters got cool moments, and i loved where everyone's story went. and i think the author did a good job of skilfully incorporating some tropes that COULD have gone poorly, but instead were executed in just the right way.
6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2024?
• rawnie sabor. i read three books in her court of chains series last year, and honestly, i could have mentioned any of them for the best starter or best sequel questions above, but i knew i wanted to talk about her here. she writes queer paranormal romance that's pretty sex-forward, but also incredibly emotional and character-focused. the main two are like 500+ page chonkers that i devoured in a day each, which isn't something i do all the time these days (especially if i don't have an audiobook). there are a few hiccoughs in the writing, but i'm so impressed by her character work and development, and the worldbuilding is pretty unique. and the romances are sooooo sexy. so far i've read all the f/f books she has out; kiss of seduction is probably my favourite; instant all time fave. and green-eyed monster is one of my most anticipated releases for 2025.
• misha horne. they write a bunch of kink-heavy m/m romance i've that've really enjoyed, way more than i expected. again, it's because they take so much care with the character work and development, and the characters feel really well-realised. looking for trouble is the best out of what i've read, and i'm almost tempted to start their high school romance series. i really don't care to read about 18yos still in high school, but for this author, i might make an exception.
• and i have to mentionmónica ojeda, author of jawbone. i only read one book from her, but it's my favourite!! her writing is fucking amazing, and i can’t forget sarah booker, who translated it. i've bought ojeda's novella nefando, which i'm hoping to read this year.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
i read pretty widely, so don't think i really have a 'comfort zone' anymore. last year i answered this question with historical fiction, non-fiction, and classics, since i don't read much in those three genres, so i'll do so again.
• historical fiction: the dove in the belly. this is kinda cheating, because this has a pretty significant romance subplot, so it's almost a historical romance, which i DO read a lot of. but it doesn't quite fit the genre conventions. this is a sort of coming of age story about a gay college student and the closeted athlete he falls for, and the writing is exquisite.
• non-fiction: cobalt red. perfectly well-rounded exposé on the cobalt situation in the DRC. a great mix of investigative journalism, with on the ground reporting and interviews from the people impacted by the world' greed for cobalt, and just enough historical information to pull it all together. really informative, and i really recommend it.
• classic: loitering with intent. i can't exactly pinpoint WHAT exactly i loved about this so much, but i did really enjoy it. super witty, engaging, full of insight that seems ahead of its time, and the main character was so fucking funny. and i just really enjoy books about books, and books about writing.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
ironically, i don't think of any the thrillers or mysteries that i read this year would really apply for this question. but i do have a couple answers.
• the executive officedefinitely fits the bill; it's an action/adventure m/m romance about the president and his bodyguard. i've said it before, but tal bauer tends to write books that you can so easily picture as movies, and this is one of those cases. lots of big twists, explosive action, big set pieces, moving from continent to continent... this is far from my favourite work by him, but the entire series is just a lot of fun.
• the loop is primarily a horror, but it IS really action-packed, and once it starts moving it doesn't really stop. it's one of those books that packs a lot into a pretty short space of time. i actually didn't like this one a lot (it was gross and weird, but not MY kind of gross and weird), but i never really felt compelled to put it down, you know?
• i have to mention paladin's strength, the second book in the saint of steel fantasy romance series, which was super unputdownable based on the strength of how much i LOVED clara. what a woman! it lost some of the momentum on the second half, but the first half is a roadtrip/journey/chase, and it was soooo fun and engaging. i loved it.
9. Book You Read In 2024 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
• the appeal. like, IMMEDIATELY after finishing it, i was thinking about how much i want to reread it. it's such a well-crafted, complicated little mystery, which always kept me on my toes, always kept me reading, (now that i think about it, this WOULD probably work as an answer for the previous question) and i can't wait to see what kind of clues and hints i pick up on when i reread, now that i know the answers. i might not reread it in 2025, but it'll definitely happen.
• i also want to reread girls against god fairly soon. i loved certain parts of the writing, and while reading it, it sorta reminded me of jawbone. but i think it's the kind of book that i need to read physically, not with an audiobook, to really get the most out of it. so i look forward to revisiting it, and hopefully liking it even more.
• i reread the locked tomb almost every year; i didn't in 2024, so i'm more determined to in 2025.
• i do periodic rereads of the sherlock holmes series all the time. i think last year i reread the first four books, so maybe this year i'll do the latter five.
10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2024?
• because of the rise of genAI slop and a lot of authors gleefully using AI generated art (i.e theft!) for their book covers, this isn't as uncomplicated a question as it usually is. this past year, i've tried to be really vigilant about not accidentally reading books that use AI covers. i'm not telling anyone else how to feel, but i don't want to support authors who use genAI and stolen art for their covers or promotional material.
• anyway, all that said, i love a sweet sting of salt. so simple, so gorgeous. and i really enjoyed the book itself too!
• to be honest, because of the rise of shitty AI art, these days i'm more attracted to covers that use real people and models. but i still do love an illustrated cover!
• some runners up: she is a haunting; your shadow half remains; dear first love; yours truly; precious red pearls; principle decisions; house of hunger, sunsets and other dangerous things, antiquity, this gilded abyss, tempting olivia.
11. Most memorable character of 2024?
• i am obsessed with mina from #DRCL midnight children. sweet feral hellion-girl who loves her best friend SO MUCH, and will do anything to protect her. my love for her is definitely partially based on how the managaka drew her; i just love her weird little face, and the way she scrunched up her nose when she's angry or determined. she's the GOAT.
• shesheshen from someone you can build a nest in is so hilarious and ultimately loveable. monster women are my catnip. and i loved that she was ACTUALLY monstrous. not many novels have shapeshifting blob monsters as protags.
• i'll never forget my sweet, darling, wonderful malena from cantoras. <33333
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2024?
ooooh, i have several i want to mention!
• the last tale of the flower bride by roshani chokshi. plot-wise, this ultimately went in a direction that i didn't love, but i still really, really enjoyed this book for its writing. it's lush and beautifully-crafted and self-indulgent in the best way. i expected it to be fantastical, and it wasn't (or well, not in the way i expected) but the writing still made this feel downright magical. truly left a mark on me.
• icarus isn't my favourite book by k. ancrum, but it's up there. she's one of the few authors that writes with super short chapters that i actually really enjoy, and her prose is always beautiful and well-rounded. it always feels like each character in her books, not just the main couple, are vital to the story and the journey. her writing is simple, yet lovely, and always makes me FEEL things.
• on earth, we're briefly gorgeous is nothing short of masterful; it was not surprise to learn that ocean vuong is also a poet. there are some books that are so beautiful written that it almost feels choked, like the author is trying too hard, because every single line is a bar. this COULD have been that, but it wasn't. it's true that i highlighted like every other line, but it never felt like a performance, or like it didn't fit. each lien was beautifully rendered, wonderfully observed, and i loved every inch of it.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2024?
• i was always conscious and careful about my technology buying habits (like, i'll get rid of my phones when they stop working completely, and not a minute before) but cobalt red made me even more so, after showing all the pain and exploitation that goes into mining cobalt for batteries.
• i gotta say the fire next time again. both in terms of baldwin's reflection on the past and his hopes for the future, this is just galvanising.
• this is slightly embarrassing, but the way the main character in hot mess struggled to get his life under control actually really spoke to me?
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2024 to finally read?
• i read a lot of stephen king this year, and the one that i really should have gotten to sooner was carrie. i mean, to be fair, i've only really started reading horror in the past five years. but this book has been so much in the public consciousness and part of popular culture for so long, i'm surprised i didn't get to it sooner. i had been spoiled for some stuff, of course, but mostly, i went in completely blind. and i liked it! not as much as i would have wanted to, but it was still a win.
• cantoras. hsinju and gabriella have been raving about this book for the past several years, and i'm soooo glad i finally got to it. even though it broke my heart a little.
• i've been meaning to read the princess bride for the LONGEST while, so i could watch the movie. it's such a cult classic. unfortunately, i didn't much like the book, because i DESPISED westley, lol. sorry to be a hater, but he sucks. the movie version of him seemed way less annoying, but i never did finish watching the movie. whoops...
15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2024?
i HAVE to quote from jawbone, because it's my absolutely favourite book of the year. the only difficult thing to figure out is WHICH passage to choose. i have so many faves!!!! ultimately, i have to go with this, from the beginning of annelise's essay.
We all say different things depending on whom we’re speaking to, and we aren’t lying, it’s just that each person brings out a unique truth, distinct from the many we carry inside. For example, all this has been thought just for you. Each one of these lines is the way it is because it’s written for my literature teacher, who rips them from my body, from the center of my mind. I couldn’t tell anyone else what I’m about to write.
simple, nothing mind-blowing about it, maybe. but taken with everything that comes after it? oh god. truly, nothing in literature will ever make me feel the way chapter xxi of this fucking book did.
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2024?
• shortest: not just best friends, at 50 pages. short romance story, best friends to lovers. read it to see if i liked the author's writing, and i very much did!
• longest: 11/22/63, at 849 pages. i go back and forth in whether it needed to be this long, and ultimately, i think it does? i didn't mind that it got slow in certain places, and took its time in others. not a favourite, but i did like this.
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
• shocking? i think i remember being really bowled over by the ending of the centre; the different interpretations you could have and the implications of those interpretations. honestly, this book was brilliant, and it's another one i really want to revisit. some of the reception makes me scratch my head; i've seen a lot of people either wilfully misunderstanding the messaging or putting words in the author’s mouth. oh well. the girlies who get it, get it!! and this was incredible.
• her majesty's royal coven also had an ending that left me absolutely gagged. honestly one of my favourite endings i've ever read, and i need to remember to catch up on the series.
• i went into the darkness outside us completely blind, aside from knowing that it was m/m YA science fiction, and it blew me away with some of the directions it ended up going.
• the ending of memory mambo was also shocking, though not in a way i liked. this messy cuban lesbian litfic hit in a lot of great ways, but that ending was just too much.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
• touchwood was my favourite romance of the year, so i have to say louisa/rayann. god... they wrecked me. they are soulmates!!! this book made me feel like i was drowning, but in a book way, and i was just… blushing and swooning nonstop.
• because i spent so many hours with thecriminal intentions series, i have to mention malcolm and seong jae. slow burn romance is my favourite thing, so to have this slow burn, partners to lovers romance playout over the course of SEVERAL BOOKS? oh, i was in heaven. the author wrote the tension super well, and i was kicking my feet. i've reached book 17 in the series, and i'm still in love with them.
• honourable mentions: assistant/ari from the lily and the crown, PG/momo from if you'll have me, imogen/laudna from what doesn't break (imogen was barely in the book but IT COUNTS, OKAY!! other than reading, critical role is my biggest obsession, and imodna has had my whole heart for the past two years), jennifer/dosie from the lay of you, faisal/adam from the executive office.
19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
• cheris and jedao from ninefox gambit really won me over!! they have a dynamic that kinda (slightly, but not insignificantly!) reminds me of eddie and venom, lol. and i love them. i guess there's a chance their dynamic might turn romantic in the future books, which i wouldn't hate, but i do prefer the relationship they have now.
• the mother-son relationship in on earth we're briefly gorgeous also really got to me, even though they weren’t always close, and didn't always understand each other.
• i loved the romance in here we go again, but the relationship both women had with their teacher was really special. joe’s the best ;;
20. Favourite Book You Read in 2024 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
• i've read a few karin kallmaker books before, and liked but didn't love them. there was always something about her writing and the way she expressed lesbian desire that i really loved, and i had a feeling i could really love one of her books. but i expected that it would be one of her newer books, not something from her backlist. touchwood is her debut novel, and i adored it. completely blew me away. it's a book that has flaws, but i was swept away by the magic and chemistry of this romance. i can't gush about it enough; this book made me FEEL things. and i've read several more kallmaker books since then, and that earlier observation about her backlist seems to hold true. it's the books that are written pre-2000 that seem to hit hardest for me.
• i can’t not talk about james baldwin here. since i've already mentioned the fire next time a gazillion times, i want to talk a little about my favourite fiction novel of his that i read in 2024: tell me how long the train's been gone. really moving narrative following a bisexual black actor after he's just had a heart attack. it covers his childhood, rise to fame, and relationships with the two loves of his life; the white woman who's been his best friend for years, and the younger black man who barrels into his life.
• haley cass is one of THEE most consistent authors for me and one of the best in f/f romance. i've never given any of her books less than 4.5 stars, and there are very few authors i can say that about. on the same page was excellent!
21. Best Book You Read In 2024 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
i first saw both these books on booktube, so i think that counts as recommendations, right?
• passing is a classic that i first saw asunnybooknook talk about, and i really enjoyed it. an exploration of racism and colourism, but also friendship and desire. really fascinating look into the lives of light-skinned women who pass as white in the 1920s. the ending, to me, was really boring, but i did love the actual meat of the book.
• i forget where on booktube i saw care work: dreaming disability justice, but i'm really glad i read it. super engaging collection of essays about disability, mutual aid, activism, queerness.
• i was convinced to read game changer not based on peer pressure exactly, but i know it's such a beloved series, and i've seen it around a lot in m/m romance spaces. or well, the second book is really beloved, and i wanted to start with the first book. i liked but didn't love this; hopefully the second book will be better for me.
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2024?
• i can't pick a definite no. 1, but the woman who first comes to mind is louisa from touchwood. i got BUTTERFLIES; she's so kind and gentle and principled and caring. i was crushing from the second she stepped on page. and it was definitely influenced by the audiobook; angela dawe's voice for her made me melt.
• i was absolutely obsessed with jillian from loser of the year. she's ridiculous and i loved her. i'm not usually one for mean love interests, but she was cutting witty and acerbic in just the right way. and the way she was absolutely GONE for the main character in way that were obvious to the reader? i loved it.
• i was also crushing hard on reyna from a little sin. another example of a character with traits i usually don't like (cockiness and pride) but written in a really swoony way. the way she takes care of her girl... the best.
• i would be prepared to risk it all for lisavet from house of hunger. which probably proves that i'm an idiot and i would die if i stepped foot in this world, but it would be worth it.
• jamila from tempt me is an absolute dreamboat. can natalie fight? i want jamila to call ME babygirl.
23. Best 2024 debut you read?
most of the 2024 debuts i loved (that actually came out in 2024) are books that i talk about elsewhere on this survey, so i'll change the rules and just talk about debuts that i happened to read in 2024.
• leech by hiron ennes is such an incredible work. weird horror with one of the most unique premises i've ever read. the doctor as a character and the institute as an entity... so weird and satisfying in all their hive-mindy, mushroom-esque glory. i feel like when i usually come across this concept in books, they're usually side characters? not the protagonist. and i loved it. this was really engrossing.
• you exist too much by zaina arafat is a book i read pretty early in the year, but it stuck with me, for its portrayal of obsessive love and getting over it, queer identity, and the way it looks at the palestinian diaspora.
• notes of a crocodile was qui maojin's debut, which seems incredible, because it's so stunningly crafted and told. this book made me feel things i still don't know how to express. a queer masterpiece.
• honey in the marrow is up there with my favourite f/f romances of the year. a really quiet book that deals with grief and recovery in a way that resonated with me, with an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic that i adored. very much a character-focused book, and it deserves all the praise it gets.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
• i was a little let down by the mystery aspects of tread of angels, but it has SUCH a fascinating setting and worldbuilding. fantasy, angels and demons in an alternate history western setting seems like a lot of hats for one book to wear, but this book carried it off so well. i loved the sense of history that the author was able to convey, and all the little titbits we got about the war made me hunger for more backstory. the image of the dead abaddon's body and how it dominates the landscape... i love it.
• i really enjoy the world of the singing hills cycle in general, but in particular, i loved the setting of the brides of high hill. very atmospheric and chilling.
• perhaps this is cheating, but i adore the world of exandria from critical role SO MUCH, and seeing it in book form in what doesn't break was a delight to me.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
• definitely had a sappy smile on my face the whole way through you should be so lucky. m/m historical romance that's sweet and slow and quiet in THEE most perfect ways. i knew i was going to love this when they shared the haunting of hill house; when eddie sees mark's notation of 'lesbian?' in the margins, it made my heart SO FULL.
• scissor link was an f/f romantic comedy that i REALLY liked in the first half. not a lot of books can make me laugh out loud, and this made it happen multiple times. i didn't love the second half, alas.
• i can't not mention if you'll have me. SO cute and charming. everything about the art style and writing wn me over, and i read this entire thing with hearts in my eyes, and it's in my top 5 of the year!
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2024?
i thought i wouldn't have many answers for this, but then i went over my list, and quite a few books made me cry last year.
• the ending of here we go again left me a sobbing mess.
• the green mile squeezed more than a few tears out of me, even while i was busy being annoyed at stephen king for how he portrays black characters and racism.
• there's a certain passage in the trees that is simply a list of names, but in the moment, with the context, it made me put my face in my hands and cry my heart out.
• and there are probably others that i'm forgetting. i am a crybaby!
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
• the lay of you has less than 500 ratings, and that's completely criminal. f/f contemporary romance that verges on erotic romance, but one that’s very character focused and exquisitely written. this is in my top 3 favourite romance of the year.
• similarly, too like the lightning has less than 1000 ratings, which feels blasphemous for something as deep and quiet and beautifully written as this. it's an m/m romance between a professor whose life is in shambles, and the younger man who helps out at the house he's staying at. super atmospheric, and i loved their bonding over literature.
• of socialites and prizefights has way less ratings than either of those. it's one of the latest instalments in a series of interconnected but standalone historical fantasy romance, and it deserves way more readers. scratch that: more readers deserve to read this, because they'll love it!! f/f, short butch/tall femme, interesting plot that includes shapeshifting and prizefighting, but it’s also full of cosy vibes and whimsy.
• i can't exactly call my darling dreadful thing a hidden gem, since it has thousands more ratings than the other books i listed for this question, and it was in the goodreads choice awards to boot. but i was so disappointed that it didn't at least make the top ten; it deserves it, for sure. f/f ghost horror that broke my heart, but i still loved it.
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
• i remember thinking near the beginning of warchild that i wanted to kill every character that hurt jos, the protagonist. and unfortunately this means i have a lot of people on my hitlist. it's a sci-fi coming of age with a lot of military elements, that follows Jos from the time he's orphaned, kidnapped by slavers, and eventually ends up as a spy in the middle of an intergalactic war. this book put me through such an emotional wringer. it isn't completely soul crushing or devoid of lighter elements, but they're few and far between. jos is my SON, i love him so much.
• bittersweet is a lesbian book written in the 1980s about women living in the 1800s, and i mean, i didn't expect a lot of happy joyful things from it. especially with a title like that. but this WAS a really crushing read, a little more so than it needed to be, i think. even though the narrative was on the side of these women, it often felt like i was reading about sinners being punished for their crimes. chief amongst which was loving other women. and i really hated that there was so much sexual violence on page, which was made even worse because of how little of the women's consensual love was shown. yeah, it was a pretty depressing read.
• i loved cantoras, but it really did break me a little. i was so upset about [spoiler]'s death. :(
• her name in the sky didn't 'crush my soul', but it was extremely emotional, and hit me hard in ways that i just don't expect a YA book to be able to do. i really loved it.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2024?
• the concept and execution of monstrilio is like nothing i've ever read before. i knew it was an exploration of grief, and i knew it centred queer characters, and i knew it got weird. but none of that prepared for the places we went in this book, and what we got from the different POVs. and monstrilio is one of the most unique characters i've ever read. and one of the most lovable. he's just a lil guy. :(
• the trees was an excellent piece of literature, and i loved the ways we tackled racism and prejudice, and also poked fun at it. and the hook is a great one: the body of the same dead black man keepings appearing at and disappearing from different crime scenes. and it ends up going a lot of places i didn't expect.
• i don't read a lot of haunted house novels, so perhaps i can't best say what's unique or not in them, but both we ate the dark and i>delicious monsters were strange and beautifully written in their own ways, with haunted houses that were characters in their own right, and just did things that i haven't seen a lot before.
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
made me angry? oooooh three books immediately come to mind.
• the first offender is my worst book of the year: john dies at the end. edgy, gross horror that started out okay but devolved more and more as i read on. it wasn't anywhere near as funny as it thought it was. some books are convoluted in a way that makes your brain tick, makes you want to untangle its threads. this was convoluted in a way that was just annoying. i loved weird horror, but i don't like gross horror. at least not like this. also the title is a lie, which makes the title a gimmick, which is irritating. (i guess he might die at the end of the series... whatever.) honestly, what also makes me mad is that i was apparently SO convinced that i would like that this i bought the first three books in the series back in 2019. so now i just have these audiobooks in my library, unreturnable. sigh.
• dawn of swords made me so angry i wrote a 3,000+ word rant -- er, review. it truly feels like a weak hodgepodge of stuff that did not need to be written, with a bunch of ideas that were clearly handpicked from other fantasy series. which was disappointing because of how much i loved dalglish's vagrant gods series. i will never stop yelling about what a hypocrite karak is, and i need the characters to call him out on it too.
• trouble the living didn't quite make me angry, but it did make me upset. there were no indications that the book dealt heavily with pregnancy and abortion (and if i'd known that, i would have probably chosen not to read it; and if i had still read it, at least i would have been prepared). and i was really annoyed with the way it chose to deal with some of those issues. beautifully written, but it missed the mark for me.
Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2024 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2025?
my answer for this was gonna be heartstopper, but i took so long to finish writing this survey that i've already read it lol.
• so instead i'll say the raw shark texts, a mystery/thriller novel which i borrowed from the library months ago, and have had to keep renewing, because i just haven't managed to get to it. i refuse to renew it a third time, so it's getting read this month!
• i also meant to get to goddess of the sea, but i kinda wanted to wait for the audiobook, since that was how i read the first book. the audio comes out this year, so i'll do that!
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2025 (non-debut)?
• roslyn sinclair, my favourite f/f romance author is coming out with a fantasy romance, the woman from the waves and i'm bursting with excitement, oh my gosh.
• and speaking of f/f romance from authors i love, green-eyed monster doesn't come out until october, but i am already SAT.
3. 2025 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
i saw some buzz about these two books and i'm really intrigued!
• you'll never forget me is a sapphic thriller that takes place in hollywood. i don't really like books about celebrities, but this seems to have obsession as a theme, which i do love.
• the maiden and her monster is a sapphic fantasy based on jewish folklore about a girl who falls in love with a golem?? super excited for this one.
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2025?
• i think i've been saying alecto the ninth as an answer to this question since 2023, lol. maybe this will be the year!! fingers crossed!!!
• i'm really looking forward to daughter of the cursed kingdom. i think i'll reread the first book to prepare for it!
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2025?
last year i old myself i'd read less, and happily, i did accomplish that. i want to continue doing that; stick around the 350-ish range, maybe less. i also want to reread more. there are several books that i think of as favourites that i want to revisit, and solidify their status in my mind (or ask myself what i was thinking, lol). i've already reread a favourite this year (the lily and the crown) and adored it just as much. and rereads just feel so relaxing, because i don't have to trouble to write a full review again. i LOVE writing good sized reviews for all the books i read, but sometimes it does get tiring.
and i want to continue to prioritise authors of colour! about a third of the books i read in 2024 were by authors of colour (133 out of 364) and i want to see that number go up a bit more.
and now... CHARTS!!!
i don’t remember what happened in may… i think i started playing video games again, haha.
contemporary romance leading as it always does... but not by as high a margin as usual! i read more horror and romantic suspense this year (the latter thanks to the cole mccade series).
pretty happy with my ratings! if most of my reads are 3.5 stars and higher, then i'm pleased. i've gotten pretty good at knowing when to put down a book in the first chapter if i'm not feeling it, so i have less 3 star and lower ratings than previous years.
as always, audiobooks dominate, but i'm still pretty pleased with this. i haven't read this many physical books since... i don't remember. thank you @ my library.
i told myself i'd cancel KU, but that didn't happen. i just love reading indie romance, and KU is alas the best place for it, especially since i prefer to borrow rather than commit to buying. but anyplay remains my most used service for audiobooks. it's cool that the number is still that high, since for reasons too complicatd to get into, i didn't use it in the latter half of the year.