2024 books

I always like year-end lists, especially of books. I look at my own list and can see things about my year, such as I needed lighter-hearted stories, like romance, although several went deeper than I would have expected. Even so, I apparently just didn’t have the mental capacity for historical fiction. I enjoy memoirs as audiobooks.

Regadless of life circumstances, I’ve liked to read for as long as I can remember. Here’s why:  

• Fiction novels are an escape from real life. 
• Yet fiction stories can also bring real life into perspective. 
• Writing — the act of stringing words together — is therapeutic for me, so I like to read others’ words. 
• Books are better for my mind than scrolling. And I usually learn something.
• The world is noisy, and books help quiet my soul. 
• Endless options! I don’t plan what I’ll read next but just choose what’s available and fits my mood. 
• Stories — both true & fictional — are great conversation starters. 

Romance / Romantic Comedy

1. “Great and Precious Things” by Rebecca Yarros {Facebook Review}
2. “The Things We Leave Unfinished” by Rebecca Yarros {Instagram Review}
3. “Ready or Not” by Cara Bastone {Goodreads Review}
4. “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle {Goodreads Review}
5. “Indigo Ridge” (Edens #1) by Devney Perry {Facebook Review}
6. “Juniper Hill” (Edens #2) by Devney Perry
7. “Garnet Flats” (Edens #3) by Devney Perry
8. “Jasper Vale” (Edens #4) by Devney Perry {Goodreads Review}
9. “Crimson River” (Edens #5) by Devney Perry
10. “Sable Peak” (Edens #6) by Devney Perry
11. “Just for the Summer” by Abby Jimenez {Facebook Review}
12. “This Summer Will Be Different” by Carley Fortune {Facebook Review}
13. “When in Rome” by Sarah Adams {Instagram Review}
14. “Let’s Pretend This Will Work” by Maddie Dawson {Facebook Review}
15. “The Off Limits Rule” by Sarah Adams {Related Post}
16. “The Temporary Roomie” by Sarah Adams {Related Post}
17. “The Cheat Sheet” by Sarah Adams {Related Post}
18. “One-Star Romance” by Laura Hankin {Facebook Review}
19. “The Rom-Commers” by Katherine Center {Goodreads Review}
20. “Funny Story” by Emily Henry {Facebook Review}
21. “Authentically, Izzy” by Pepper Basham {Goodreads Review}
22. “A Winter in New York” by Josie Silver {Goodreads Review}
23. “Variation” by Rebecca Yarros {Goodreads Review}
24. “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” by Sophie Cousens {Goodreads Review}
25. “The Paradise Problem” by Christina Lauren {Goodreads Review}

Contemporary Fiction

1. “Blank” by Zibby Owens {Goodreads Review}
2. “Any Other Family” by Eleanor Brown {Goodreads Review}
3. “What We Find” by Robyn Carr {Facebook Review}
4. “The Lighthouse Keeper” by Cynthia Ellingsen {Goodreads Review}
5. “The Road Before Us” by Janine Rosche {Review}
6. “Expiration Dates” by Rebecca Serle {Facebook Review}
7. “Between the Sound and Sea” by Amanda Cox {Review}
8. “Tea with Elephants” by Robin Jones Gunn {Review}
9. “P.S. I Hate You” by Lauren Connolly {Goodreads Review}
10. “Definitely Better Now” by Ava Robinson {Goodreads Review}

Historical Fiction

1. “The Women” by Kristin Hannah {Facebook Review}
2. “The Lost Letters of Aisling” by Cynthia Ellingsen {Facebook Review}
3. “The German Wife” by Kelly Rimmer {Goodreads Review}
4. “The Secret Midwife” by Soraya M. Lane {Goodreads Review}
5. “Hill of Secrets” by Galina Vromen {Goodreads Review}

Thrillers

1. “First Lie Wins” by Ashley Elston {Facebook Review}
2. “The Other Mothers” by Katherine Faulkner {Instagram Review}
3. “Darling Girls” by Sally Hepworth {Facebook Review}
4. “Before She Disappeared” (Frankie Elkin #1) by Lisa Gardner {Facebook Review}
5. “One Step Too Far” (Frankie Elkin #2) by Lisa Gardner
6. “The Summer House” by James Patterson {Goodreads Review}
7. “The Truth About the Devlins” by Lisa Scottoline {Goodreads Review}
8. “The Night We Lost Him” (audio) by Laura Dave {Goodreads Review}
9. “The Perfect Marriage” by Jeneva Rose {Goodreads Review}

Memoirs

1. “Thicker Than Water” (audio) by Kerry Washington {Facebook Review}
2. “How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told” (audio) by Harrison Scott Key {Instagram Review}
3. “Tell Me Everything” (audio) by Minka Kelly {Goodreads Review}
4. “Saving My Assassin” by Virginia Prodan {Facebook Review}
5. “Mrs. Kennedy and Me” by Clint Hill {Facebook Review}
6. “It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping: Interpreting the Language of Our Fathers Without Repeating Their Stories” by Lisa-Jo Baker {Facebook Review}
7. “It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs” (audio) by Mary Louise Kelly {Goodreads Review}
8. “The Third Gilmore Girl” by Kelly Bishop {Goodreads Review}
9. “The Deaf Girl: A Memoir of Hearing Loss, Hope, and Fighting Against the Odds” (audio) by Abigail Heringer {Goodreads Review}
10. “Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human” (audio) by Carlos Whittaker {Goodreads Review}
11. “Dinner with Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!)” (audio) by Bethany Joy Lenz {Goodreads Review}
12. “Hey, Jesus, It’s Me: I Have Questions, Comments, and Concerns” (audio) by Ellen Skrmetti {Goodreads Review}

Non-fiction

1. “Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship” by Justin Whitmel Earley {Instagram Review}
2. “Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere” (audio) by Savannah Guthrie {Facebook Review}
3. “Holier Than Thou” by Jackie Hill Perry {Instagram Review}
4. “Strangely Bright: Can You Love God and Enjoy This World?” by Joe Rigney {Facebook Review}
5. “Clear Mind, Peaceful Heart: 50 Devotions for Sleeping Well in a World of Worry” by Lysa Terkeurst {Review}
6. “How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away” by Emily Freeman {Goodreads Review}
7. “The Gift of Limitations: Finding Beauty in Your Boundaries” by Sara Hagerty {Goodreads Review}
8. “Praying Through Loneliness: A 90-Day Devotional for Women” compiled by Kristen Strong {Review}
9. “Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV” (audio) by Emily Nussbaum {Goodreads Review}

I’d love to hear what books you’ve loved recently and if you’ve read any on my list!

*****

Here are some other tips & tricks to make time for reading:

• Nine tips to read more books
• How reading on a Kindle works for me
• How to make time for books

Need more recommendations? Here are #KHTreads from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017. I share reviews on Goodreads throughout the year and about every other week in my #PorchStories emails.