My Year of Books 2024

I have had a very successful year reading and listening to books! At the beginning of the year, I set my reading challenge on Goodreads to fifty books, and so far, I have passed it by ten books.

I mainly listen to books through Audible, Hoopla, and Libby. Through my library, Hoopla, hands down, has the best selection of books and is very easy to navigate. Libby is a challenge to save books to a list and return them.

What I most enjoy about reading is being transported to a different world and time and exploring it through the eyes of my characters.

Some of my top genres are World War II fiction. I had listened to many different perspectives on WWII, from a nurse dealing with the surprise attack in Pearl Harbor in The Lieutenant's Nurse by Sara Ackerman to teachers having to keep their students safe in a Japanese internment camp in When We Were Young and Brave by Hazel Gaynor to sisters in Italy finding their way on surviving when the Nazis invaded their home in The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

Next, I am a massive fan of anything that Rhys Bowen writes. Bowen is a fantastic British author who writes about strong, resourceful heroines who work on finding the balance between personal and worldly problems.

Then there is Agatha Christie, who is the queen of mystery. I love following Miss. Marple or Hercule Poirot. The way Poirot intricately solves a murder is capturing to read.

Not all of my historical fiction is about WW II. I read a book on what it was like being a woman fighting to be respected as an lighthouse keeper in The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor. I have ventured into the American Western and tasted the hard, brutal life of a young couple in Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas.

I carefully choose my books to ensure that they will keep my attention when I watercolor or do the laundry and that they are not too scary.

I want to come away feeling like I have learned something and that it has touched me in some way. I can honestly say all my goods are four stars and above. I have put a star next to the ones that can’t be missed! They are my very special books that I highly recommend you check out!

So, without further ado, here is my reading list with links to Amazon for you to learn more!

Mystery/Thriller

1. We Three Queens by Rhys Bowen
2. The Proof of the Pudding by Rhys Bowen
3. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton
4. Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie ⭐️
5. The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie
6. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
7. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
8. A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie ⭐️
9. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
10. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie
11. Death in Avignon by Serena Kent
12. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
13. A Very English Murder by Verity Bright
14. Death in Provence by Serena Kent
15. Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney ⭐️
16. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And for my top favorite book, I have included the trailer for this one, Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney.

Historical Fiction

1. Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen ⭐️
2. The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen
3. The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen
4. The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen ⭐️
5. Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi ⭐️
6. When We Were Young and Brave by Hazel Gaynor ⭐️
7. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See ⭐️
8. The Island by Victoria Hislop
9. All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio ⭐️
10. The Lieutenant's Nurse by Sara Ackerman
11. The Paris Secret by Lily Graham ⭐️
12. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor
13. Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson ⭐️
14. Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas ⭐️
15. The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy
16. A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor
17. Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor ⭐️
18. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
19. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
20. Go As A River: A Novel by Shelley Read ⭐️
21. Think of Me by Frances Liardet ⭐️
22. The Girl From The Grand Hotel by Camille Aubray ⭐️
23. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

For this group of books, The Nightgale by Kristin Hannah wins.

Also I have a written a book review for one other book on this list, Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas.

Romance

1. The Prize by Julie Garwood
2. Only by Your Touch by Catherine Anderson

Contemporary Fiction

1. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
2. A Million Things by Emily Spurr ⭐️
3. Flight Patterns by Karen White

Poetry

1. 101 Two-Letter Words by Stephin Merritt
2. Aimless Love by Billy Collins
3. Love Poems by John Kenney ⭐️

Inspirational/Philosophy

1. Back to Joy by June Cotner ⭐️
2. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
3. Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
4. The Hummingbird’s Gift by Sy Montgomery ⭐️

Science/Health

1. Breathing by Andrew Weil, M.D.

Cookbook

1. The Easy Acid Reflux Cookbook by Karen Frazier ⭐️
2. Christmas Baking: Festive Cookies, Candies, Cakes, Breads, and Snacks to Bring Comfort and Joy to Your Holiday by Joyce Klynstra

Classics

1. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman ⭐️

Fear of Flying by Lisa Jennings

Fantasy/ Science Fiction

1. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Art/Photography

1. Marilyn Mon Amour by Andre De Dienes

Writing/Technology

1. An Illustrated Guide to AI Prompt Mastery by Jack Wylder

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I hope that you enjoyed my list and will check out some of the books! Happy New Year!