Precious humans,
It’s my favourite time of year. Not because of that whole Christmas thing, though that’s fine too. This is something better than that. I GET TO TALK ABOUT MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR. *AND* IT IS WORKBOOK SEASON!
If you’ve been around these parts for any length of time, you’ll know this is an annual tradition I’ve been doing since 2012. You can find all the yearly book lists here.
As always, this is not a list of the best books published for the year – just the books I read in that year. As they say in High Fidelity, the records are organised autobiographically.
How many books I read in 2024
First up: the big question! How many books did I read this year?
This year I read just 64 books. This is the smallest amount I’ve read in a long, long time. In recent years I’ve read between 100-500 books a year.
I think this year I was mostly distracted by some big life things including our across-country move and I fell out of my normal reading habits. I’m excited to get back on the reading track soon. Plus – I need to remind myself that 64 books is still 6x the amount of books the average Australian reads annually.
And on the plus side, I read some truly wonderful books this year… so much so that there’s a THREE WAY TIE for my favourite book of the year (for the first time ever!)
Let’s dig in!
Best Book of the Year
What About Men? by Caitlin Moran
I freaking ADORE ADORE ADORE Caitlin. I could just squish her up and put her in my pocket (but in a healthy non-stalkerish way) you know what I mean? I just think she’d be adorable to bring out of my pocket from time to time for her to say something pithy and insightful and jolly and delightful. Her books How To Be A Woman and More Than A Woman appeared on previous years’ of my best books list. I fervently believe that More Than A Woman is a middle-aged women’s bible – so much so that I bought a bulk pile to fling at every woman of a certain age within reach.
ANYWAYS… her previous books have been deeply centred in womanhood and feminism. What About Men? is her thoughtful, compassionate, brilliant response to every wife, mother and daughter who asked her for advice and insight on the men in their lives. I found it incredibly powerful, and continue to think through some of the ideas she raised in it. Highly, highly recommend.
Here’s what I posted on Instagram when I read it earlier this year. I feel like it says it all:
And my other absolute favourite of the year was this utterly delicious romance novel. All Olivia Dade’s books are wonderful, but I feel like she outdid herself with this one. One of the most perfectly written romance novels I’ve ever read. It seamlessly integrated some really challenging normal life issues like depression, and met it with such love and empathy from the characters. Completely charming and beautiful.
Non-Fiction
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder In An Anxious Age by Katherine May
This book was close to forming an unheard of FOUR WAY TIE in the best book of the year, largely due to my rabid and abiding obsession with all things Katherine May. Her books Wintering and The Electricity of Every Living Thing were a revelation to me. There’s a certain way Katherine writes that feels intensely connected to my insides. Honestly, she could write about the different textures of cat shit and I would froth madly over it. That’s how good she is.
Intentional Profit: Master Your Mindset & Money for a Wildly Wealthy Business by Clare Wood
I read this book early in the year and found it a really helpful, useful primer on creating and keeping revenue and profit in your business. Clare is an Australian-based profit coach with a background in Accounting. I loved it so much so that I ended up writing and illustrating up my notes to share with you here!
Later in the year I got to actually meet Clare IRL at the Heart Centred Business Conference in Noosa and we became mates and it was just glorious. Here’s us with our crew of biz besties:
Clare and I also discovered in a wild serendipity that we were born mere metres away from each other just a few months apart in the same tiny town. Or as I said to her with my usual grace and decorum: “Your ancestors definitely drunkenly dry humped my ancestors at the back of the pub.”
Also: isn’t it incredible how skillfully I can weave a sordid tale into a book report? It’s a real gift from the Goddess, I tell you!
I’ve followed Peter for 15+ years since he ran the game-changing PR website Help A Reporter Out. He’s a consummate entrepreneur which is why it’s not surprising he also has ADHD. A ridiculously high proportion of entrepreneurs do! One study found that the majority of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies either had an ADHD diagnosis or displayed strong ADHD characteristics.
Anyhewsles, this was a great book on recognising the power of the ADHD brain, along with Peter’s hacks and tools for harnessing it for great momentum. Freaking loved it!
Never Alone: A Solo Arctic Survival Journey by Woniya Dawn Thibeault
I’ve adored the reality TV show Alone for years now. It took me by surprise that a show that involved hunting and wilderness skills would be such a wonderful fit for me. I really do think the show is a beautiful meditation on human ingenuity, psychology and what it has taken for the human species to survive. Plus each season there’s often a standout participant who touches me with their spirit and connection to nature. Woniya was my favourite of the American series, so I was thrilled to read her memoir of her experience. Absolutely stunning, and I’m so excited to read her next one.
(Sidebar chat: Gina Chick has been my favourite participant in the Australian series, and I’ve got her book “We Are The Stars” on my To Be Read pile for 2025. Judging by long voicemails from friends who’ve already read it and were profoundly touched by it, I fully expect it to be on my favourite book list for 2025 as well.)
The House That Joy Built by Holly Ringland
If you like Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic or Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit, I reckon you’ll love Holly Ringland’s beautiful book on creativity as well.
Here’s how I read it:
I got so obsessed with it in fact that I took all my notes and musings from the book and made a 50 page illustrated fangirl zine about the book.
You can download and read it completely free here (no opt-in required). It’s one of those wild glorious creative ideas that I let overcome me and I just ran with it. An excellent use of my time I think!
Graphic Novels & Memoirs
Sunshine: A Graphic Novel by Jarrett J Krosoczka
I stole this one out of my eldest daughter’s graphic novel stash and I am SO GLAD I did. It really was a beam of sunshine and joy.
It’s a memoir recounting the author’s time as a teen counsellor at a summer camp for seriously ill children and their families. Heart warming and heart wrenching in equal measure… I have goosebumps just thinking of it!
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Another sweet graphic memoir that I stole from my teen daughter’s collection. This one follows the author as a teenager on a European travel adventure. It was lovely and thoughtful and completely enjoyable.
Another stunning graphic memoir – this time of the author losing his home and neighbourhood to Californian wildfires. I find graphic memoirs incredibly helpful in helping me develop more understanding, empathy and compassion for other people’s lived experiences that I haven’t been through. This one is no exception.
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916: The Graphic Novel by Lauren Tarshis
I love reading this graphic novel series to my kids… they make history so real and vivid for us all! I also recommend I Survived Hurricane Katrina, I Survived September 11, I Survived The Attack of the Grizzlies and I Survived The Nazi Invasion. The only reason I haven’t recommended the rest of the series is I haven’t read them yet!
Romance
And YAYYYY! Now onto my favourite kind of reading… ROMANCE!
Giles Ashby Needs a Nanny by K. Sterling
This was the cutest gay romance… thoughtful and sweet!
Romancing Mister Bridgerton and When He Was Wicked
Bridgerton, again, obv. To prep myself emotionally for the release of Bridgerton Season 3, I re-read Penelope & Colin’s novel. Then I read it again afterwards to emotionally process, along with vast quantities of fan fiction. And OBVIOUSLY, after seeing the finale, I needed to re-read Francesca’s story and imagine what it will look like for Season 4. Anyways, I’m a pretty chill gurly like that. 🥰
Funny Story and Happy Place by Emily Henry
Every single book Emily Henry has ever written has appeared on my best books lists over the years. Now I’d adding her two latest on here for obvious reasons. She continues to be smart, wonderful, delightful and touching.
Another romance queen whose every book makes my best of list each year. Ali’s books always feature hot nerds, usually in the academic science fields. This time for something different: hot nerds in chess! YES!
Made me say two kinds of awws throughout: awwww 😢😢😢 and awwww 🥰🥰🥰.
Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young
This was an ultra sweet romance between two gorgeous humans with disabilities. Freaking LOVED.
This was a standout for me from YA Queen Rainbow Rowell. Utterly lovely.
Star-Crossed Letters by Sarah Deeham
I need to be real with you: I read this so early in the year I can’t remember what it was about, only that I loved it enough to be 5 stars. So that’s all I’ve got for you. I really should be a professional book critic.
The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée, Just Not That Into Billionaires & Return Billionaire to Sender by Annika Martin
Billionaire romance isn’t usually my kind of thing, but I got one of Annika Martin’s books for free and read it and found it very cutesy, very demure (I’m trying to speak in a language my teenager will understand me in). Muchos rizz, 10/10 gyatt, +1000 aura points.
Speaking of, Chris and I bought him this shirt to wear on Christmas Day:
If there is an earthquake in Canberra come December 25th, please worry not. It is merely caused by the combined groans of our blessed children.
It’s at this stage in the proceedings I remember how often things start going a little sideways in my annual book review posts. NONETHELESS WE PERSIST!
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
I’ve yet to read a Christina Lauren book that makes a misstep. This one is delightful. I always enjoy a fake marriage that ends in them falling in love trope!
Oh look! Another Ali Hazelwood book! And look! I told you she loves hot science nerds in academia! Perfect form!
The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary
Heyooo! It’s another Beth O’Leary romance, because they all end up on here on my best book list inevitably. Ha! It’s enemies-to-lovers which is not my favourite trope, but she made it work, and it was hot, and for that, I give her the begruding Jennifer Lopez applause:
And lastly, but not leastly:
2025 My Brilliant Year Life & Biz goals workbooks!
I spent some glorious months this year doing a major redesign of the workbooks this year, and I’m so thrilled with how they are looking. I first created these goal workbooks for myself in 2009, and am ASTONISHED that they ended up becoming an enormous cult hit – used by over half a MILLION people worldwide to plan out incredible lives and businesses for themselves. It fills my heart with so much joy and gladness.
Even if nobody ever else used them, they’d still be my favourite… they are still such an important ritual for me to do each year!
Happy reading, my darlinghearts!
I hope this brings so much booky inspiration to you… I’m excited for another beautiful year of reading ahead… all the wonderful things I’ll discover along the way, and all the joy I’ll receive from it.
Aren’t books one of the most miraculous inventions?
Big big love to you all, my friends,
