Yearly Reading Wrap-Up: 2024

It’s that time of year again! The 2nd ever Yearly Reading Wrap Up where Kristin and I go back through our favorite book discoveries or re-vists throughout the year. Thanks so much if you’ve been reading along with us thus far! As always, let us know if you see any of your favorite reads, something on the never-ending To-Be-Read list, or if you know a comparable title we might enjoy. Thanks again for reading! Write on.

Kamryn:

I have a little bit of back-tracking to do first as we’ve not done a Reading Wrap-Up since October due to the holidays. Since last time, I’ve finished two and a half books: Amie Kaufman’s sequel to her The Isles of the Gods duology, The Heart of the World, which I’d mentioned having started in October, and Alexandra Bracken’s Arthurian-legend/treasure-hunting duology, Silver in the Bone and The Mirror of Beasts (which I ended up finding due to Amie Kaufman’s monthly newsletter recommendation list).

I’ve done significantly less reading this year due to a busier schedule, reading roughly half of the books I’ve been averaging for the last year or so, but that happens sometimes. 

My favorite read of 2024 actually surprises me a little as it is a non-fiction choice, but I think the book I have to say I enjoyed the most this year was Loren Grush’s extensively researched and engagingly written, The Six. This book topic-wise is actually something I’ve wanted for a while, being as women in the space program is a topic I really enjoy reading about, but hadn’t seen a lot specifically detailing the first six women introduced into NASA’s astronaut corps: Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Rhea Seddon, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, and Shannon Lucid. This book not only followed everything these women went through, good and bad, in their time as astronauts, but Grush told each story focusing on the women themselves: their thoughts, feelings, dreams, and personal lives, giving the readers a wonderful view not only of the legacy of these women but humanizing them as well. I absolutely loved it.

Another great non-fic read I’d advise for all you writers out there that I found this year was Dr. Jan Yager’s How to Promote Your Book, which is a fabulously helpful guide to getting your book together and just good general and promotional advice. I’ve found it really helpful so far, so if that’s the kind of book you think might be helpful to you, I’d advise checking it out.

My most anticipated book of the year, obviously based on how much I loved B1, was Amie Kaufman’s The Heart of the World. The sequel did not disappoint. We had lots of new dynamics and fun additions to the cast on top of a dire situation. It was fun to sink back into the world again and see how everyone’s stories played out. I especially love what she did with Jude and his role in the larger story. I’m sure this is a book I’ll be rereading again very soon.

Unlike last year, I really didn’t do a lot of rereading older series, so I’m not sure that I have a favorite rediscovered series for this year, the only series that would kind of apply would be Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead’s Jack and Louisa series. I had previously read the first book, but not the following two. The first book in this Middle Grade series is the absolutely adorable tale of two theatre-loving best friends and I enjoyed getting to continue to venture through shows with them.

Favorite new series, I have two I really enjoyed going through this year. I didn’t actually do a lot of series-reading, looking back on it. The only longer series I read this year was Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles series, which is essentially a sci-fi retelling of famous fairytale characters, such as Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. I’d previously really enjoyed Meyer’s Renegades series (which I’ve been pondering rereading) and wanted to try out one of her other series that I’d heard people had enjoyed. Book 3, Cress, (the Rapunzel retelling) was my favorite of the series, but the whole story is filled with romance, interesting mind powers, and high stakes involving plagues, politics, and life on the run. I thought it was a fun series to finally get to read.

Secondly, I actually really liked the Silver in the Bone series I just finished. I know Alexandra Bracken is famous for some of her other books, but this was the first of her work I’d read. I really love the treasure hunting trope that’s creeping its way into fantasy and Arthurian legend is a fun dive. This series had a rivalry, romance, but I also really liked how much of it was just about friendship and learning to count on others. Tamsin, the main character, is hilariously dry and dower in her humor. The only thing I will say is this series is kind of dark and could be gory at times, but if the main villain is someone using death magic that kind of makes sense. I liked the characters, Bracken’s prose, and the balance between hilariously funny and horrifically devastating that’s woven through these two books.

Well, that’s my high points from 2024’s reading list. I’m excited to see what new stories I discover in 2025 or what old ones I might go back to as well. Thanks for reading and I hope you have lots of new stories to find as well in the new year!

Kristin:  

If you’ve been following along on these monthly wrap-ups, you probably noticed that I have not read nearly as much as I had last year. Sadly, I have DNF’d quite a few books and don’t want to use this space to speak negatively about a book (one I don’t like could be your favorite, or vice versa) which has led to some not very extensive wrap-ups. But my overarching favorites would have to be the comic version of The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Tao Zhu Shi. Are you surprised? You probably shouldn’t be. I cannot tell you how excited I was that the comic version was being released AND there is a manga adaptation that I am excited to read when it comes out in english. Look, it’s my favorite story so with each and every adaptation that comes out, I’m going to consume it. 

The comic is illustrated in color and really highlights things you can easily miss in the novel. All the blushing and humorous moments being illustrated is just chef’s kiss. This year, 8 volumes were released and seems to be following directly from the novel’s pacing. Which you know if you’ve seen the Donghua or live-action, they tell the story in a bit more linear-fashion. 

On that note, there were also several manga that I stayed up to date with including Toilet- Bound Hanako Kun, Seraph of the End, Sasaki to Miyano, and My Hero Academia. Starting with TBHK, I can honestly say that this series I feel is going to break my heart. In fact, it’s already broken and the current chapters are just stomping my heart on the ground and smearing it. It’s sad and crazy and it’s impossible to know if the story is going to have a happy ending for Hanako and Nene. But I love the character arcs, it’s also one of the more unique stories and the art is so beautiful. I am avoiding spoilers for ongoing series so I’ll leave it with, I can’t wait to see how they fix their mess. 

Next, with SOE, I have no idea what’s going on in the story. I feel I must continue it because of the effort I have already put into catching up on it and the hope that my two favorite people will end up together (it’s confirmed semi-canon already) but I can definitely say that I am very lost as to what is happening with the plot. Some huge plot twists were revealed and since then it’s definitely seemed like the story is going into its final arc, but hopefully it will all make sense at the end. 

Sasaki to Miyano is still the best comfort read. They are so sweet, so funny, such a green-flag romance that I absolutely adore. I thought maybe this series would be complete after Sasaki’s graduation, but I was surprised that the manga has kept going and the new challenges the couple is facing with growing up and maintaining a relationship. I love it! But! I recently discovered an AU from the author about if the two characters met as adults…AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES. Oh yes, it went there, and I am all about it. I cannot wait until the second part releases. It’s so interesting but also has nod’s to the original story and it’s so good. 

Finally, MHA. The series came to a conclusion this year after I believe close to a decade since it first released. While some people are divided, I personally love it. It’s an underdog story that always walks the line of bittersweet and dazzling. I loved Deku’s journey and I personally enjoyed the controversial ending. I’ve even written about it in a previous blog if you would like to check that out. But! Adding to that, an additional chapter has been released since then and I feel it appropriately addressed the concerns of the readers without compromising on the ending that was released prior. He’s happy, he’s doing well, he has great friends and a promising relationship, it felt, to me, complete. Some still won’t like that and that’s fine too. Remember, you can always write your own story if you don’t feel like you got what you wanted. Obviously not a direct copy, but the parts that spoke to you and made you love it can always inspire and original story of your own that encompasses what you felt were missing. Make it happen then send me the link for it!

Another honorable mention is The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang. I recently talked about this book in a wrap up so I won’t babble too much but this was definitely the book I needed to get back into fantasy. It was violent, and so well-written. I loved the historical theme and all the effort to make sure everything was connected and the world building was top-notch. 

Another great read was The Stolen Heir by Holly Black. This is a spin-off to the Folk of Air series that brought its own unique mysteries. I missed Jude, but the story in true Holly Black fashion was amazing. An adventure full of twists and unique characters and of course Holly Black is one of my favorite authors for description and world-building. The next book in the duology is currently staring me down and waiting for me to read it. Which hopefully I will get to in 2025. 

That’s all for this year! Be sure to let us know what you’ve read and we’ll see you in January 2025! As always, write-on!