Books Read of 2024

I set myself a goal of reading 52 book this year, somewhere near what I used to read before smart phones came in and made our lives "better". I broke the goal at the start of December, and have finished the year with 60 books under my belt. I do include audio books and the longer books I read to the children.

Posting this a little earlier than I normally do, but I can't see me finishing another book before New Year now!

I can remember being on holiday with some friends in The Gambia (must have been around 2004ish), and we were sat in a bookshop having a few beers with the owner, as you do. It wasn't really like any bookshop you've been in, more a booth, and he kept sending a younger underling to go and get us beers out in the oppressive African heat.

I said to the book seller that I was a big reader, and he asked how many books I read in a year. I said probably 52 books a year, my friend who was with me couldn't believe that I read that many and tried to say I wasn't telling the truth. But that was just one a week. 

Well at the time I'd read every night for a good hour or so, and I'd read in both of my two half-hour breaks at work where ever I was working, and often for a short bit of time when I got back from work, before dad would call me outside to do something on the farm. Reading was a big part of my day. I was consuming books, I'd buy them from carboot sales, and my brother (another big reader) would share books with me. When my wife was at uni, I looked at her reading list and worked my way through some of those as well (classics). I just love a good story really. 

It's fair to say my reading habits have changed now. I'm far more likely to listen to a book than read it, but I still have a good mix of audio books to one's I've read on paper. If you're someone that doesn't believe listening to books is the same as reading one then you'd best look away now. My argument would be that for hundreds of generations our story telling was verbal. I'm very lucky I can listen to so many books while I work, I can do some very boring tasks and my mind can be in a completely different world, or learning about a subject I'm interested in. 

Book highlights of the year -

Fiction

Shogun by James Clavell - I loved Shogun, although so far I've only listened to part 1, it's been great and completely immersive. 

EarthSeed by Octivia E Butler - I'm late to the party, but finding Octivia E Butler as a author has been great, I read her two Earthseed books (Parable Or The Sower and Parable Of The Talents) and found them dark and brilliant, probably hitting too close with what's been going on in the world, but still great readable books and really clever with what it creates in a world falling apart. Not easy reads, but still ones I recommended to anyone that likes post apocalyptic. 

Halo, by John Loveday - This book took me completely by surprise, beautifully written about a group of families crossing America, but goes in directions I hadn't even considered, with weird feelings and emotions. I couldn't stop reading this one. 

Of Mice & Men, by John Steinbeck - Not sure how I'd never read this one in the past. This is the type of book just stays with you. I read the last page and just lay there for ages, staring at the ceiling. 

Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E Taylor - I've got a lot of my friends into this series of books. There is a genre called cosy crime that people love, well this is cosy sci-fi, it goes in the direction you want it to, but keeps it interesting with plenty of twists. I love these books and will happily re read them all soon I'm sure. 

First blood by David Morrell - Don't be put off if you've only seen the film, this guy is a master story teller. A great book I'll remember for a long time, told from two perspectives and deals with PTSD and fallout from soldiers not having anything to go back to. 

Non-fiction

Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken - Changed the way I look at food. We're pretty good with food anyway, but it really made me look at a few more things a bit closer, and made me understand that you need to look at the purpose of the food, is it to feed you or to make profit? We have to be careful anyway, I can't have cows dairy, wife can't have soya and eldest is diabetic, so it makes sense that we're cautious with food, but this is a book to solidify your thoughts and push you to the next level on processed food. Simply brilliant and one I recommend to anyone that struggles with food or diet. 

Irresistible by Adam Alter - A fascinating look at addiction and how habits are formed. Some really interesting case studies are used to help arguments. 

Stolen Focus by Johahn Hari - This one hits close to home, about why we can't focus any more and how we form habits (either healthy or not). I think it pairs well with the book above and gave me a good understanding to some of my own shortcomings. 

Disappointing books 

Part of me doesn't want to do this, but also I don't want anyone to look at my list and think they should read it just because it's there. 

What's That Lady Doing by Lou Sanders - I started reading this book thinking she was a funny likable woman, by the end I wasn't so sure. I'm fairly sure I wasn't the target audience for this book, but it really wasn't for me. 

The lost flock by Jane Cooper - I found the first few chapters really interesting, the rest struggled to hold my interest. It's rare I'll give up on a book but nearly did with this one as it lacked story or a path for it to follow. 

Rambling Man by Billy Connolly - I grew up listening to his comedy, I love what he does/did, but this book just didn't land with me, the stories were too short and didn't build to anything. Made quite a long book a slow, monotonous read for me. 

So rather than increasing my goals for next year, I think 52 books is a good goal to hit again, so I'll try and get around that number again. 

Would people be interested in regular, short, book reviews on here? As I finish books I often do short reviews on social media but as yet haven't put many on the blog. I suppose I could make a new page for it. 

I do this post not to boast about what I've read, but to encourage myself to keep my nose out of my phone a bit more, it's nice to think I've read all these books rather than argued with strangers on the internet, about things neither of us will change our minds over. Books will always have a high level of importance in my life. 

Who would like to see my wife's reading list for the year as well?

How many books do you read a year? 

What was your most recent favourite that you think I should read?