favorite books from 2024
or at least, the ones I'm including in this wrap-up
I love the sleepy, disorienting week between Christmas and New Year’s.
No one ever knows what day it is. The kids’ schedule is quieter, with everyone off from school. We alternate between healthy meals like chicken noodle soup, and unhealthy meals like candy canes. They get to watch movies while I get to read books.
Ahh, it’s lovely.
This week, I’m wrapping up two books before the year ends. It’s got me thinking of the other books I read in 2024. I won’t list all of them, but these are the ones that stood out:
Top Books of 2024
Salt to the Sea - (January) - Another incredible work of historical fiction from this author. I was hooked back in 2021 after reading Between Shades of Grey, which opened my eyes to an entire side of WWII that I (along with most of the world) had no idea happened. Salt to the Sea is similar in highlighting a tragedy we don’t hear about often. Neither are exactly happy books, but both need to be read.
The Health Catalyst: Harness the Power of Ayurveda - (February) - I adore Ayurveda and have returned to it at different points in my adult life. First introduced as a yoga student at 19 years old, I was captivated by its wisdom and holistic approach. I read this because I was meeting with an Ayurvedic practitioner-in-training, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a start, or refresh. (Disclaimer: I do not live an Ayurvedic lifestyle and am not an expert at all. I just take what I can incorporate into my life in this season.)
Outrageous Openness - (March) - My vibration instantly perks up when I think about this book. March was the second time I read it after it sparked such a lovely new way of looking at the Divine way back in 2018. It’s quick, delightful, deep, and mesmerizing. Each story is another gentle, humorous way of challenging your ways of thinking, of making decisions, of thinking about God, etc. Later in the year, I also read It’s Not Your Money and Change Me Prayers by Tosha. Change Me Prayers is amazing on audio…a great, easy “read” for all the driving I do with the kiddos.
Hyperbole and a Half - (May) - Does anyone remember Allie’s blog from way back in the day? I used to cry from laughter reading it as a new mom. I would get SO excited when I saw she published a new blog post. So this year when my amazing friend gave me her book for Mother’s Day, I couldn’t wait to dive in. I was literally wheezing and wiping tears away a few pages in. Between her illustration and storytelling, it was the comic relief I so needed. I shoved it at my 14-year-old and was like, “READ THIS.” I was also seeing someone at that time and made him read parts of it too. Hearing them both laugh was beautifully satisfying.
You Were Born For This - (July) - My fascination with Astrology is massive. My actual knowledge of it is minimal. But any sort of personality/human understanding framework piques my interest and supports me in relating to myself and others in deeper, more accepting ways. The only problem is that some frameworks are quite complex, and I often get overwhelmed with the details. “Just tell me what I need to know!” That’s why this book is soooo beautiful. It contains information for all the signs, but it’s set up in such a way that you get simple, easy-to-absorb information about your own chart without having to dig and/or know everything. I love it. Highly recommend.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - (September) - I’ve read this book more times than I’ve kept track of. It’s one of my absolute favorites. And I was lucky enough that my book club chose it for September, so I had another excuse to read it again. <angel smiley face> Set in post-WWII era (I have a thing for WWII historical fiction…), it’s just so precious. It’s not as dark or hard to read as the other ones I mentioned. It’s made me want to travel to Guernsey and possibly live there (who knows? We shall see). Please, read this book. And please, whatever you do, don’t watch the movie. It is terrible.
Stop People Pleasing: And Find Your Power - (September) - I was influenced by Instagram for this one, and I’m not sad about it. This book was super impactful for me, and the #1 reason was due to the examples she included to drive home a lesson or point. I felt validated more than anything else. The past few years have been a steady process of shedding people-pleasing tendencies from my life, and this book shed light on new ways to do that.
A Room of One’s Own - (Dec…hoping to finish it this week!) - One of the sweetest friends in the world gave me this book, and I was determined to finish it by the end of the year. It’s a short little thing, just over 100 pages, so you think I could. But it’s my first time reading Virginia Wolf, and well, iykyk. Her ideas are (obviously) incredible. But I do get lost in her sentences. I have to re-read them several times…so the book feels four times as long as it is. But I’m going to finish it. She’s clever and opinionated; the way she delivers her message is brilliant. And as a woman who yearns to create way more than I’m currently able to, I believe her message is one to be read.
That’s it for now! What have been some of your favorite reads from the year? Have you read any of these?
Share below in a comment. :)
If all goes well this week, I’ll be finishing up a post for paid subscribers. It’s Part II of the alcohol journey…! And a long time coming. Thank you for being patient while I finish it up. I’ve been going back and forth between making it a “how-to guide” or a “this is NOT a how-to guide; this is just what I did.” The tones of both are very different. Since I’ve decided on which way to go, it’s coming together much easier.
Also coming up in January, I’m hosting another Journaling Workshop! (Details coming soon.) That workshop will be FREE for paid subscribers, but available to others for a cost.
Can’t wait to share what I’ve got planned for Substack in 2025.
Happy New Years Eve! Stay safe, stay warm, and see you soon.
Love,
Maggs
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