In honor of the new year, I’m taking a break from my ongoing series on life with autism to look at what I read in 2024.

This past year was a good year for me for books. I aimed to read just 48 books but ended up at 65! This is a number I haven’t gotten even close to hitting since 2021, and that year, I was doing my masters, so I had a ton of required reading, plus I finished off with a ton of comics that I read in one sitting. So to see that I hit this number this year with, primarily, novels was startling.

However, looking at the actual stats behind what I read (thanks to StoryGraph!), there’s a pretty obvious answer as to how that happened:

This year was the first time I really leaned into using audiobooks to supplement my reading. I’m rediscovering my love of listening to stories. When I have an audiobook I’m really enjoying, I will take any opportunity to listen to it, even if just for a few minutes, and my memories of the story are much more intense than with reading alone. And my enjoyment of audiobooks is clearly reflected in these stats, with almost half of the books I read this year being in audiobook format.

Which brings me to my first top book (or, really, series) of the year. I’m counting it as one, even though it’s actually a series of 5 books. It’s my blog, I do what I want.

reading that feels so genuine to Pratchett’s Discworld that I couldn’t imagine it without him as its narrator.

On a whim, I checked out a copy of Wee Free Men early on in 2024 when I wasn’t in the mood to read a physical book but wanted someone to tell me a story. I wasn’t sure what to expect—in fact, I expected it to be a kid’s story that might be amusing but would be a fleeting interest. I was wrong.

I instantly fell in love with Tiffany Aching and her community. I loved the characters and the folklore and mythology elements interwoven throughout, along with Pratchett’s brand of British caricature. I ended up listening to all of the audiobooks, one after another (being careful to ensure I got the versions ready by Stephen Briggs) within a single month. I cried when I found myself at the end of The Sherpard’s Crown, listening to Pratchett’s publisher’s message.

It was the final book Terry Pratchett wrote before his Alzheimer’s became too advanced for him to continue, and he finished it shortly before he died. And in many ways, that book felt like his final goodbye to his fans and the world he had so lovingly created over the years. It was a book about change, growing up, and moving on. It was beautifully done, and I highly recommend this series. I know it’s one I will find myself returning to.

overcome their self-destructive tendencies as part of their character development, which this book delivers in spades–and not only from the most obvious candidates.

Many books I’ve read that involve Eastern European folklore, especially those focusing on the history of Jewish oppression, end up being very literary, which, I want to be clear, is not a bad thing. But it usually means they’re slower-paced, maybe quite dense, and harder for me to get through. I had none of that with Thistlefoot. Nethercott’s voice is engaging, and she expertly balances the heavy literary themes with more modern, character-driven scenes. This book’s story and writing style stuck with me this year long after reading.

I can’t wait to see what else Nethercott comes up with (though I know I’ll likely remain at least two years behind).

only just reading it now, four years after its release.

And I’m so frustrated with myself because it was so good. And worse, the audiobook is narrated by Avi Roque, who played Rain in The Owl House, and they do such a fantastic job!

If you like books with supernatural themes but contemporary settings, you need to read this. If you want spooky but LGBTQIA+, this is the book for you. If you want to read about a group of diverse teens facing real-life problems AND spooky ghosts, look no further. Plus, it has a sequel coming out in 2025!

With my track record, I should get to it around 2029, but Lost in the Never Woods is on my TBR shelf, and I should definitely get to that this year.

my usual young adult fantasy/supernatural. Still, it has all the elements that got me interested in these genres in the first place. The book challenges the reader to question long-established norms about religion and good versus evil without falling into the typical cliche of simply reversing the narrative. It delves into the true complexities of humans and love while exploring complex subjects related to abuse and trauma.

I read this book way back at the beginning of 2024, but it still sticks out to me when I think back on what I read this year, the best indicator of a fantastic book. Minor Prophets, another book by Jimmy Cajoleas, is also on my radar, and I can only hope it’s as impactful.

human race. That it is the epitome of who we are as a species. The main character was born to be a storyteller in a society that no longer sees value in such things, and she ends up seeing exactly what humanity might look like if it were stripped of this vital part. She sees their very humanity stripped away.

This book’s other question is: How do we recover from that? If all our stories are gone, if all of that history and tradition is lost to time, is it even possible to recover? And what would a future starting over look like?

This book had me thinking a lot about why storytelling is so important to me, and it has really reinforced why writing and storytelling are so essential to who I am as a person. It also reminded me that I must add more speculative fiction to my reading. Especially ones like this, where the author manages to balance the speculative nature and narrative so well.

The Drowned Woods was like if a fairytale and a heist movie had a baby, reminding me a lot of Six of Crows but with heavy Welsh influences. But I think The Bone Houses felt more genuine to Lloyd-Jones. Both are very good and top reads for me, but the former seemed more guided by marketing trends, while the latter felt more immersed in the universe Lloyd-Jones has created and the folklore at its base.

And what can I say? I’ll always be a sucker for anything related to Celtic mythology and folklore (even if Irish is my main forte).

Speak explores the intersection of my favorite subjects: folklore and nature. This book takes you on a journey across some of Ireland’s most well-known historical sites, connecting them to the oral folklore traditions of the past. It emphasizes how intricately entwined folklore was with the land and how, in an oral culture, the land itself becomes a part of the story.

I’ve been fascinated by folklore and mythology since I was very young. And I remember being upset around the age of 8 or 9 because it felt like everywhere around the world had this folkloric tradition that America didn’t have. As I grew older, of course, I learned more about the folklore traditions that the Americas do have and the horrible things that have been done in the attempts to eradicate not just those traditions but the people connected to them.

Books like this one bring to mind how I felt as a child, so disconnected from the land I lived on and its history, and get me looking at the area in which I live from a different perspective. Even if the “land” spoken about in this book is the land of my ancestors and not where I live today, it helps me feel more connected to the world around me. It helps me shed the American capitalist idea of nature being an inanimate object and start viewing it as a living being with its own story to tell. A living being that I am a part of, that I need to live in harmony with, that is essential to who I am.

I’m sure this sounds like a bunch of hippy nonsense to many people, but learning to see myself as part of nature was one of the big turning points in my life. It’s when I finally started to understand what made me happy and whole. And books like this one help me connect my lifelong passion for Irish mythology with my current efforts to connect more with the earth.

But then I read it and remembered why the summary had such an impact on me. Because this isn’t just another dark academia book. And it isn’t set in some fantasy boarding school. It’s a very modern Irish setting, with enough idiosyncrasies of contemporary teenage life in Ireland to read very believably. And then you add in a dash of the supernatural with a main character whose former best friend disappears after she accidentally wishes she would just disappear. Like most books that really capture my attention, this book explores folklore themes, bridging the gap between what is and what could be. O’Donoghue also does a great job of creating a character who is quite unlikeable and yet endearing at the same time.

I will not be giving away my copy of this book.

This book has been on my list since it first came out, but it’s always been a little daunting. It was only this year, after my therapist recommended it to me again, that I finally decided to just sit down and read it. At this point, a lot of the information it provides about trauma are things I already know. Still, it’s the most comprehensive book I’ve read on the subject. It gives many clinical explanations behind current teachings and best practices that you might not get elsewhere.

This will remain one of the most influential books I’ve read for quite a while. I’m still going back and rereading different sections. Highlighting things and even taking notes. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about trauma and how it affects your body and mind, this is definitely a book you need to read. My only caution is to take breaks when you need them and not push yourself to get through quickly.

suspense.

I actually ended up buying all of these books in paperback, even though I read the first couple via audiobook. It was that good.

I had a few other books this year that I rated 5/5 stars, which I reserve for books that impact me, but when I think back on the year, these were the top 10. These books deserve a special place on the bookshelf of my mind (and the real one in my living room).

As I begin my readings for 2025, I can’t wait to see what I find next. I’ve always got a full TBR bookshelf and hundreds more saved on StoryGraph! But that doesn’t mean I’m not still on the lookout for something more. There are always new stories to explore and new authors with something unique to say, and I want to hear about them all!

What about you? What was the best thing you read this year? Did you find something that really blew you away?

Happy reading, folks!