Books I read in 2024

07 Jan, 2025

• I’m including any book that I finished in 2024, even if I started it the year before. In kind, I’m also omitting any book I did not finish in 2024, no matter how close I am to finishing it at the current moment.
• I’m including audiobooks and will call them out.
• I’ll also call out re-reads, though there is only one this year.
• I’ll keep thoughts to 1-2 sentences for each. If I need to go any further, I’ll build a catalog entry for it down the road.

I didn’t track these during the year itself, so they’re not in chronological reading order (except where I can clearly remember because they’re a series).

1. ”Pyramids,” by Terry Pratchett - Cute and inconsequential. Quintessential early Pratchett.
2. ”We're Pregnant! The First Time Dad's Pregnancy Handbook,” by Adrian Kulp - a cheeky entry, but it got me to one book per month so I’m counting it! It was a fun read and I’m glad I read it, if only to put myself at ease.
3. ”The Obstacle is the Way,” by Ryan Holiday - 1 of 3 in Holiday’s first Stoicism collection. Nothing mind-blowing if you’re familiar with his podcast, but a solid and very digestible read if you’ve not spent any time with his writing, or with any Stoicism concepts.
4. ”Ego is the Enemy,” by Ryan Holiday - not my favorite of the three, but probably the most important one for me to have read.
5. ”Stillness is the Key,” by Ryan Holiday - my favorite of the three to read, and full of good reminders.
6. ”The Ocean at the E.O.T.L.” - I read this before all the nasty news about the author came out, so I’ll keep it vague to not give it or him any more positive press than is deserved at this point.
7. ”The Fall of Hyperion,” by Dan Simmons - audiobook - solid narration and a great book. I liked the first entry better, but it was still an exciting, if somewhat avant garde, conclusion to the first arc of Simmons’s cantos.
8. ”Small Gods,” by Terry Pratchett - excellent. Makes me excited to read more of Pratchett’s later works, and also just a wonderful standalone story with playful religious commentary.
9. ”The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,” by J. R. R. Tolkien - audiobook - re-read - I listened to the entire trilogy again just for an excuse to hear Andy Serkis’s narration. What a journey. Serkis is phenomenal. I also finally gave the Annals of the Appendices the time of day, and it makes me excited to listen to Serkis’s narration of The Silmarillion this year.
10. ”On the Shortness of Life,” by Seneca - I’ve not read much Seneca, but this is my favorite work of his so far. I appreciate its general conciseness compared to his Letters collection, and more resonant messages if I’m being honest.
11. ”The Wheel of Time, Book 1: The Eye of the World,” by Robert Jordan - finally taking it upon myself to work through these. Fantastic, my personal fiction entry of the year. Literally couldn’t put it down - I read it in three weeks, and that was with a newborn in the house and me being a notoriously inconsistent reader.
12. ”The Wheel of Time, Book 2: The Great Hunt,” by Robert Jordan - If “Eye” was an “A+,” then this was a solid “A.” It didn’t quite grab me as hard, but it kept the story going and was still a fast and easy read that sets up lots of interesting plot points that carried me into book three with plenty of excitement.

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This was the first time in a very long time that I can remember finishing more than three books in a year, let alone one book a month. I feel as if my passion for reading was finally reignited, and I have every intent to keep up the habit henceforth. Here’s to an even better year of reading in 2025!

#personal