My Annual Reading List - 2024
For the last 3 years I’ve kept a list of all the books I’ve finished (both physical and audio books), and I’ve published my list as an annual blog. It started in 2022 when I made the decision to read more books and I started keeping a checklist on my phone where I’d tick a book title off once I’d finished it. This simple practice really motivated me. In 2022 I finished 26 books. Prior to that I was lucky to finish 4 books a year. In 2023 the number of books I finished doubled to 52, and in 2024, I finished 56 books.
Books I finished in 2024 (in chronological order of reading):
KEY:
🎧 = Audiobooks I listened to
📖 = Books I physically read
F = Fiction
M = Memoir
NF = Non Fiction
Bold = My 5⭐️ favourites or the ones that had a heartfelt impact on me. These I recommend.
One Italian Summer - Pip Williams 🎧 M (dragged on a bit) 3⭐️
Pageboy - Elliot Page 🎧 M (heavy and depressing) 1⭐️
Breakfast at Tiffany’s - Truman Capote 🎧 F (weird) 2⭐️
Period Power - Maisie Hill 🎧 NF (empowering) 3.5⭐️
Love Warrior - Glennon Doyle 🎧 M 4⭐️ (liked)
Carry on Warrior - Glennon Doyle 🎧 M (not as good as her first book) 3⭐️
The Shack - WM. Paul Young 📖 F LOVED IT! 5⭐️ for the concepts/messages
Scary Smart - Mo Gawdat 🎧 NF (super interesting) 4⭐️
When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi 🎧 M (I found this sad, depressing and disempowering) 1⭐️
Piglet - Lottie Hazell 🎧 F (boring and disappointing) 2⭐️
What all Spirit Babies Want their Mamas to Know - Kate Street 📖 NF (disappointing and not much depth) 2⭐️
Kill Your Husbands - Jack Heath 🎧 F (couldn’t stop listening, so many twists) 5⭐️
The Maze of Bones Book 1 - The 39 Clues - Rick Riordan 🎧 F (basic plot - for young adults) 2.5⭐️
Profit First for Tradies - Katie Crismale- Marshall 📖 NF (very helpful and practical concepts for business) 4.5⭐️
Girlcrush - Florence Given 🎧 F (I finished it in two days. I wasn’t expecting that much, but it really surprised me. It’s feminist and explores sexuality. I’ve not read anything like it before, so it was refreshing) 5⭐️
The Darlings - Hannah McKinnon 📖 F (boring) 2⭐️
Tell Me Again - Amy Thunig 🎧 M 3⭐️
Million Dollar Habits - Rachel Rodgers 🎧 NF 3⭐️
Plan your Year like a Millionaire - Rachel Rodgers 🎧 NF 3⭐️
Six Figure Side Hustle - Rachel Rodgers 🎧 NF 3⭐️
Solve for Happy - Mo Gawdat 🎧 NF 3⭐️
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone - Lori Gottlieb 🎧 M (binged it) 4.5⭐️
Dying to Be Me - Anita Moorjani 🎧 M (very interesting story / experience) 3.5⭐️
Boy Swallows Universe - Trent Dalton 📖 F (liked the writing style and characters) 4.5⭐️
Maybe in Another Life - Taylor Jenkins Reid 🎧 F (I can’t remember how I heard about this, but someone raved about it. I didn’t think it was that good) 3.5⭐️
Dare to Dream - Izzy Rudd 🎧 M (fertility / IVF journey) 3⭐️
Regrettably, I am About to Cause Trouble - Amie McNee 🎧 F (witchy, swearing) 4⭐️
Rowan of Rin - Emily Rodda 🎧 F (nostalgic, as I read and loved this book when I was in primary school. I remembered it being magical and adventurous which is why I wanted to read it again. It’s part of a series which I may re-read in 2025) 3.5⭐️
The Blossom Tree of Dreams - Holly Martin 🎧 F (easy, romantic, heartfelt listen) 4⭐️
The Christmas Tree Cottage - Holly Martin 🎧 F (I wanted more after reading the first book. It wasn’t as good) 3.5⭐️
The Wisteria Tree Cottage - Holly Martin 🎧 F 4⭐️
Ask and it’s Given - Esther & Jerry Hicks 📖 NF (RE-READ. This is an all time personal development fav) 5⭐️
A Court of Thorns and Roses (book 1) - Sarah J. Maas 🎧 F (loved this but not the best in the series) 4.5⭐️
Present Over Perfect - Shauna Niequist 📖 NF (Re-read as I love the messages in it) 4.5 ⭐️
A Court of Mist and Fury (book 2) - Sarah J. Maas 🎧 F (Spicy. Better than the first book) 5⭐️
Rebel Rising - Rebel Wilson 🎧 M 3.5⭐️
The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka 📖 F Novella (This was reading part of my writing course. Very unique story) 3⭐️
A Court of Wings and Ruin (book 3) - Sarah J. Maas 🎧 F 4.5⭐️
A Court of Frost and Starlight (book 4) - Sarah J. Maas 🎧 F 4⭐️
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert 🎧 F (This was reading part of my writing course and found it a struggle to finish. very boring 👎🏻) 1⭐️
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamont 📖 NF (This was reading part of my writing course. I enjoyed it and found it funny and practical. It’s about the craft of writing) 4⭐️
A Court of Silver Flames (book 5) - Sarah J. Maas 🎧 F (Raunchy. My favourite out of the series!) 5⭐️
Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro 🎧 F (This was reading part of my writing course. It was an enjoyable story, interesting themes) 4⭐️
The Wishing Game - Meg Shaffer 🎧 F (a bit basic - young adult fiction?) 3.5⭐️
The Prosperous Coach - Rich Litvin and Steve Chandler 🎧 NF (a re-listen, a fav in business) 5 ⭐️
The Household Guide to Dying - Debra Adelaide 🎧 F (This was reading part of my writing course. It surprised me. I really enjoyed it. Love the voice of character and the plot. 4⭐️
Losing My Virginity- Richard Branson 🎧 M 3⭐️
The Innocent Reader - Debra Adelaide 📖 NF 3⭐️ (This was reading part of my writing course but I struggled to get through it)
5AM Club - Robin Sharma 🎧 NF (I love all Sharma’s books but The Saint, The Surfer and The CEO is still my favourite, maybe because there’s more adventure in it) 4⭐️
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches - Sangu Mandanna 🎧 F (an easy, witchy, heartwarming listen) 4⭐️
The Housemaid - Freida McFadden 🎧 F (binged this but if felt a bit rushed or shallow, like it was over too quickly) 4⭐️
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab 🎧 F (Unique story. Liked how it jumped back and forth in time. Didn’t predict the ending) 5⭐️
The Book of Doors - Gareth Brown 🎧 F (Well written. Loveable characters. Lots of unexpected plot twists. Touching moments. I cried) 4.5⭐️
The Honey Witch - Sydney J Shields 🎧 F (Loved the characters and the plot. Romantic. Witchy. A bit spicy. Bridgerton vibes.) 4 ⭐️
Weyward - Emilia Hart 🎧 F 5⭐️ (WOW! Multiple point of view. Beautiful writing. Powerful imagery. Some uncomfortable topics/events Eg rape and abuse. May be triggering for some.)
A Cosmic Bond - Emily Greene 📖 NF (A great book about spirit babies and spirit baby communication) 4⭐️
Here’s the list of the books I started but DIDN’T finish in 2024:
Drop Bear - Evelyn Araluen 📖 P - This poetry book was one from my reading list as part of my writing course. I borrowed it from the Library and just ran out of time to read it as I had multiple books on the go at the time. It was very different but what I did read, I liked.
Eva Luna - Isabel Allende 📖 F - This was another book from my reading list as part of my writing course, which I got about 1/3 of the way through. It’s magical realism, so it has long, flowing, poetic sentences which is beautiful, but I didn’t find it an easy read. I do intend on finishing it in 2025.
Story Genius - Lisa Cron 📖 NF - This was another book from my reading list as part of my writing course, which I got about 1/3 of the way through. I intend on finishing it in 2025.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman 📖 F - I’m half way through. I found it really slow and boring, and got distracted with other books. Not sure if I’ll finish this one. If you’ve read it let me know if the ending is worth it.
Joyful - Ingrid Fetell Lee 📖 NF - I got distracted by other books, but I’d like to finish this one. It was interesting.
You Might Die Tomorrow, So Live Today - Kate Manser 🎧 M - I stopped because there was a guided meditation towards the end and was meaning to come back to it.
The Emotional Craft of Fiction - Donald Maass 🎧 NF - Again, I got distracted by other books, but I’d like to finish this one. It was interesting and helpful for my book writing.
The Energy Codes - Dr Sue Morter 📖 NF - This was a lot of information and a lot of practical exercises to apply. I got halfway through and highlighted a lot. Will finish it when the time is right. It’s not one to rush through.
Wild Feminine - Tami Lynn Kent 📖 NF - Loved it. Got halfway. Highlighted a lot. Will finish it when the time is right. It’s also not one to rush. Lots of wisdom.
The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes 📖 F - This is my current read, which I started in late November. I’m half way through this and loving it.
Are you a fellow book lover? What did you read in 2024? Send me an email to jaynemartin2012@gmail.com and let me know your favourites.
If you’re wanting to read / listen to more books this year, here are a few tips:
Use a checklist. Once I set my goal to read more, I created a checklist in the notes app on my phone. I used numbers to list out some of the books I wanted to read. Having them listed in a checklist where I could tick each one off when I completed it, gave me a dopamine hit and encouraged me to read the next one, so I could tick another one off the list. I copied and pasted the list (above) directly from the notes on my phone. Alternatively you could use an app such as Good Reads to track the books you read.
Make reading a part of your bedtime routine. If you’re guilty of hopping into bed, reading one page then falling asleep, decide to go to bed either 1 hr, 45 mins, or 30 mins earlier to allow enough time to read. Beware - this may mean cutting your evening TV time short. It may even be helpful to set an alarm on your phone as a reminder.
Speed it up. If you enjoy listening to books, play around with the playback speed for each book. I usually speed up the playback speed from somewhere between 1.2x - 1.4x, depending on the speed of the narrator. Some narrators are slower than others and speeding up the playback can save you 1-3 hours in listening time per book.
Multitask. I’ve been able to get through so many books this year because I listened while I was driving, walking, cleaning, getting ready for the day, hanging washing, putting clothes away, doing a puzzle and cooking etc.
Save money. The price of books can add up quickly, so don’t forget to utilise libraries, secondhand bookstores and street library boxes. If you have a bunch of books sitting around that you no longer want/need, I suggest organising a book swap party. I hosted one a few years ago with a small group of friends. It was great fun. We all came with a stack of books we no longer wanted and left with a pile of new gems to read. Donate any leftovers.
Move on. If you’re not enjoying a book but you keep pushing on because think you should or need to finish it, don’t. I used to try to push through to the end, but one day realised that life’s too short and there are plenty of other books, more enjoyable books, out there to read. If you’re not into a book, I recommend gifting or donating it, or popping it in your local street library and moving onto the next one. Although it’s good to experiment with different genres, my advice is not to waste your precious time reading something you don’t enjoy.
If you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy my 2023 Reading List.