For the Love of Books
Reflecting on a year of reading
This is a special, end-of-year For the Love of post about books and the act of reading.
You can look at the previous posts with links and recommendations here and last year’s reading reflection is here.
At the end of last year, I brainstormed what I wanted more of in the new year. More reading was at the top of the list. There were other things, too. The results were variable. My views on New Year’s related goals have changed, and I have abandoned that approach for this coming year, but that is a reflection for another day. The point is that I wanted to read more in 2024 and I did. I am ending this year at 70-ish books (I will read a couple more before January 1st). It’s not really the number of books read that is important, but I know that is an easy way to measure a reading habit. I did things differently this year and that supported the goal of reading more.
I experimented with new reading habits, made connections through reading, and reconnected with an old friend—fiction. I couldn’t pick a “best books of my year” list if I tried. I am really bad at picking favorites for most things…except maybe desserts. So, as a psychologist, I decided to explore my 2024 reading by looking at behaviors and patterns/themes. And, of course, I’ll throw out some book recommendations, too.
Reading behaviors
Enjoying the whole process of reading. It’s not just the act of reading a book but I also love to research books and joyfully construct my To Be Read (TBR) list. When I started prioritizing reading again in parenthood, there was some overwhelm and FOMO. So many books, not enough time. That has eased up now, once you realize you are never going to catch up with all the “cool reading kids”(And yes, there are cool reading kids). I enjoy the process of discovering future reads—and there are so many ways to do this. I subscribe to many book-related newsletters, read The New York Times Book Review, and listen to book-related podcasts. I love The Mindful Librarian by
and Literary Leanings by for book recommendations here on Substack.Deepening my reading experience. I started writing in a very simple reading journal this year. I wanted to get better at thinking about why I liked or disliked a book. And I often need to get my messy thoughts out on paper to make sense of it. Another way I have extended the reading experience is based on a recommendation from
. After I finish a book, I look for a related podcast. All you need to do is search on your chosen podcast platform by the book title or author name. Sometimes, I listen to an author interview, a review of the book, or a related topic to the genre.I did not finish books. I didn’t finish eight books this year. I have room for improvement here. There were a couple of books I read to completion that I probably could have abandoned but felt like I should read them. I am not going “to yuck someone else’s yum” here, so I won’t name the DNF list. Some were about timing so maybe I will read them in the future. Some I know I will not return to.
I stopped watching TV in the evening. This was not a conscious decision, I kind of just drifted away from it. I wanted to have more time to read, and now I read more in the evening. I love TV, so I will not be slamming the watching of TV. I trust that I am using my time for what I need and want at this moment.
Connections
Reading can be a rather solitary act, but I wanted to take this hobby beyond me and my couch. I joined a book club. I previously had not because I worried about committing and not following through. My book club meets at our local independent children’s bookstore (we read adult books), and I love it. We installed a Little Free Library in our yard. This is helpful in the management of my book habit by giving me a place to distribute books. But it also is another way to connect to others through the experience of reading. Parallel reading in the evenings with my oldest kiddo has been a pleasant development this year, too. We read side by side, and although we are reading our own books, it feels very connected.
Fiction was always there
Of the books I read this year, 71% were fiction. This was a radical change as someone who previously was mainly reading all non-fiction. This return to fiction provided some insight into how I drifted away in the first place, more on that in a couple of weeks.
Other reading themes this year
I read a lot of books about witches or witchy themes. Something about powerful, magical women pulls me in, what can I say? Weyward* by Emilia Hart which portrays strong women across multiple timelines so it has a mix of magic and historical fiction.
I love to working through an author’s backlist. I read multiple titles from authors like
, including Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win*, You Were Always Mine* (co-authored with Christine Pride), and The Sicilian Inheritance*. I also started my way through J. Courtney Sullivan’s books including Saints for All Occasions*, Friends and Strangers*, and The Cliffs*.Although I read much less than usual, the non-fiction I did read was excellent. I read Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia* by
when it was released in January, and it has stuck with me throughout the year.I still overwhelmingly listen to non-fiction audiobooks, but I did listen to a handful of fiction titles this year. I enjoyed Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House* read by Tom Hanks.
Some books just stick around in your head after you finish them. The Mighty Red* by Louise Erdich is one of those books. This book is hard to describe but I could not put it down. After enjoying God of the Woods* by Liz Moore, I picked up her previous book, Long Bright River* which is about complicated family dynamics within the context of a series of murders. But the book also captures the complicated impact of addiction on individuals, families, and communities. And I read The Women* by Kristin Hannah for my book club. It will forever be associated with the sunroom at the rental house we stayed at this summer.
Reading in 2025
And do expect more bookish parenthood writing in 2025. “A Bookish Mess” now lives on the homepage of this newsletter with all book-related writing. This new year will bring essays exploring parenthood concepts through the lens of fiction, insights from children’s books for adults, themed book collections, as well as the usual book recommendations that show up regularly.
Additionally, here is another form of reading recommendations. For the month of December, I’ve been sharing great Substacks each day on Notes (the social media component of Substack). All the recs are catalogued here for your perusal:
I love the idea of a TBR cart!
I loved This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan this year and am looking forward to Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan coming out in May. Jasmine Guillory also has Flirting Lessons coming out this spring, and my mom got me Life Almost by Jennie Agg for Christmas because Jennie Agg has been one of my favorite Substack authors. I got myself the paperback of Fat Talk for Christmas (Kate Mann wrote a new foreword).