Is anyone getting sick of these listicle-type blog posts I keep posting? I’m not. They are so easy to write!

I read 44 books this year, falling well short of my 50-book goal. This is the second year in a row that I haven’t made my goal.

Here are the best books I read in 2024.

Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey by Marie Mutsuki Mockett
What is this book about? Life, death, meditation, religion, growing up caught between two cultures, being a mother, a daughter, a granddaughter, memory, mythology. Everything. Gorgeously written. After finishing this one I went out and got this author’s other non-fiction book and really enjoyed that one too.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
This was assigned by my book club and I did not think I would enjoy it as I actively dislike plants for the most part. But it ended up being more a meditation on human morality than anything else and I can see why this book is so hyped and beloved.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
The Bechdel Test is one of my favorite topics of conversation, so it’s really a shame it took me this many years to actually read Ms. Bechdel’s memoir. Chillingly honest, nicely drawn, and fascinating from beginning to end.

The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels by Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans
This book follows the stories of four people who end up dead and unclaimed in Los Angeles. The authors provide an in-depth look at the bureaucratic processes that occur when a person dies without an heir or claimant, while also writing wonderful narratives for each of these unclaimed person’s lives. There are so many ways for a life to unfold in such a way that you end up unclaimed in Los Angeles. If I had to describe this book in one word it would be: humbling.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
My mom bought this for me, I think purely due to the delightful cover art. And then it turned out to be really good and uplifting in a really reasonable way. Definitely read this if you’re a librarian, but anyone can find what they need in this novel.

Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Lovely and thought-provoking. I want to live in this world.

I lowered my goal for 2025 down to 30 books so maybe next year I can report success in meeting my reading goal, but I do still own a Nintendo Switch so… probably not.