In 2024, I decided to rediscover my love for reading.
I set myself a challenge to read 24 books. Two a month.
With two small kids, I needed to find time to read. For me, this meant reading 10 pages a night (at least) before sleeping, and reading while I sit with the girls to fall asleep.
In the final days of of the year, I thought I’d share the books I’ve read and a quick thought about them. There are 30 (so far) and 8 audiobooks. It’s tricky to choose books, and I purposely tried different ones, pushing myself out my comfort zone.
Books I’ve read this year – Your reading list for 2025
The Bullet that Missed. Richard Osman – A group of unlikely friends in a retirement home solve a murder mystery. Funny. Easy to read.
Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. Maggie O’Farrell – A family story with a twist.
Man Called Ove- I’ve read this twice now and enjoyed it both times. Ove’s wife dies and he wants to die too, though he keeps getting interrupted by a new neighbour.
Sister. Rosamund Lupton. A thriller that explores sibling relationships.
Instructions for a Heatwave. Maggie O’Farrell. Another family drama with a complex family dynamics.
The Man Who Died Twice. Richard Osman – Following the same group in the retirement home as they solve another mystery.
Failosophy. Elizabeth Day. A quick read on how to fail. Inspirational quotes and chat.
My Mess is a Bit of a Life. Georgia Prichett. Short chapters, and very funny. Also sad at times. Loved it.
Lily. Set in Victorian England. This story follows Lily after she’s murdered someone.
Tin Man. I actually can’t remember anything about this one! Probably suggests it wasn’t my favourite.
Unsettled Ground. A family drama with a few twists and turns. Makes you want to live off the land. Well it did me anyway!
The Life of Edgar Mint. I kept waiting for something to happen. Nothing really did.
The Summer I Turned Pretty. A quick young adult read. Sped through it.
Grief is a thing with feathers. A mix of poetry, prose, and play. It was a beautiful read. You’ll cry.
The Sky Is Everywhere. A book about grief and siblings relationships. Another teary one.
Not About The Burka. Essays by Muslim women discussing what life as a Muslim woman is like.
Marriage material. A family drama based in a corner shop. Funny, heart warming. Great characters.
Landlines. Amazing. A must read. Follow Raynor and Moth as they set out on another epic adventure.
We all want Impossible Things. A book about a woman who is dying. Explores friendship. Pretty sad.
Walking Away. A book by poet Simon Armitage. He hikes to different destinations for his tour, meeting people along the way.
No such thing as naughty. The author helps parents understand children’s brains and how we can speak to our children to get the best from them.
Song of Achilles. A retelling of the battle of Troy from the perspective of Patroclus. Wonderful. Loved it.
Notes On A Nervous Planet. Matt Haig shares his thoughts on the modern world and its impact on our mental health. Practical tips and wonderful writing. Loved it.
Letters on Motherhood. Giovana Fletcher writes letters to her boys. A nice quick read. Emotional at times.
His Dark Materials. Northern Lights. I wanted to love this, but I didn’t. A fantasy story.
Beautiful World Where Are You? A book about friendship and relationships from Sally Rooney. Liked this, but felt like the story never really got started.
Tangine. A story of two friends who went through something when they were younger. I spent lots of time checking which character was talking.
Good Material. A funny one from Dolly Alderton about a man trying to get over his ex.
The Psychopath Test. John Ronson meets different people with stories on psychopaths. A great one that’s easy to dip in and out of.
Sweet Sorrow. I’m a big fan of David Nichols. This one had its page turning parts but also felt like I could skip chunks and be okay. A family drama/coming of age novel.
Undoctored. Not on par with This is Going to Hurt, but okay. I liked the flashback stories and insight into his life after doctoring. Some of it was pretty sad and shocking.
Best Audiobooks of 2024
These weren’t necessarily released in 2024, but they were by best audiobook listens of 2024.
The Satsuma Complex
Surreal comedy and the nicest guy called Gary. You’ll fall in love with him and Grace.
Frankenstein and Cleopatra
A family/relationship drama. Loved this one. The narration was tricky at times but I got more used to it as I got to know the characters.
You Are Here
A story that follows two people on a walk across the country. Funny, heart warming, an easy listen.
The Life Impossible
Joanna Lumley narrates this one and does it perfectly. A story about magic, Ibiza, and the environment. Go into this one with an open mind, it’s wonderful and funny, too.
Lessons In Chemistry
A story about women supporting women. A must read or listen if you like stories about strong women. It’s sad, it’s smart, it will stay with you.
There are all the books I read in 2024.
The best book of 2024? Has to be Landlines by Raynor Winn and The Song of Achilles. I also loved Not About The Burka.
The best audiobook of 2024? Lessons in Chemistry and The Satsuma Complex. Hands down.
Fromthemotherside 
Leave a comment