YEAR IN REVIEW: A Breakdown of My 2024 Reads
I always get so excited about this post!
I love getting the chance to reflect on my favorite reads for the year and the chance to dive into all of the data. Now that I’ve been tracking my reading for a couple of years, there’s even more to look at and compare.
In 2024, I read a total of 86 books!!! I really had no idea I was reading so much. Usually, I’m in the mid to upper 60s range. (For comparison, I read 79 books in 2023, 68 books in 2022, 72 books in 2021, and 65 books in 2020.)
Let’s get into the specifics!
2024 Reading by the Numbers
– Out of the 86 books, 77% were fiction and 23% were non-fiction. Since I’ve started tracking my reading, this is the highest fiction percentage I’ve had for the year. Usually, it’s much closer, though fiction does always seem to win out.
-About 74% of the books I read in 2024 were written by women. (This is very similar to last year, which came in at 73%.)
-My top three genres for the year were thriller/suspense/mystery at about 36%, fantasy/romantasy at about 22%, and self-help/self-improvement/psychology at 8%. Science fiction was a very close fourth.
My Top Picks from 2024
Non-fiction (not in any order):
- Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
- Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
- Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
- Tactical Barbell II: Conditioning by K. Black
Notable mention: The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey (I don’t even play tennis and enjoyed this one! It’s really more about sports psychology and mindset.)
Fiction (not in any order):
- All Systems Red by Martha Wells (science-fiction)
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (thriller/suspense/mystery)
- The Twilight Wife by A.J. Banner (thriller/suspense/mystery)
- The Wicked King by Holly Black (YA/fantasy)
- Fate Calls the Elf Queen by J.M. Kearl (fantasy/romantasy)
Notable mention: A Court This Cruel and Lovely by Stacia Stark (fantasy/romantasy)
Final Thoughts
I am honestly very surprised I read so many books this year. I’m wondering if it’s because I’ve been running more consistently? I love to listen to audiobooks while I run, so maybe that’s how I’m squeezing it all in. (Also if you’re wondering where I get all my books, I mostly get them from the library. If you’re not using the free Libby app yet, you need to be!)
I’m also surprised that fantasy/romantasy wasn’t my top genre. After reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas in 2023, I’ve been on a major fantasy kick ever since. But somehow thrillers won out in 2024.
What’s in store for 2025? Who knows!?
It seems like whenever I make a reading related resolution or goal, I just ignore it completely. (Thinking about my previous goals to read more classics… and then proceeding to read basically no classics… twice.) That said, I would like to try to expand my reading a bit. I’m considering trying to finally read some classics, but I’m also finding myself drawn to checking out some memoirs or biographies of influential people. If you have any recommendations, please leave them in the comments below!