I only seem to manage to write an annual book highlight review every few years. It’s a shame because now I can’t remember what my best books were in 2023. Or the two years before that.
This year has been a challenging year health-wise. I’ve spent almost more time off-work dealing with chronic health conditions than at work.
While this has at times allowed for more reading time, one of my new fun symptoms has been severely inflamed eyes. So reading (or writing) has been difficult for most of the year. As a result I’ve ‘read’ more audiobooks than in any other year.
Still, I’ve managed to log about 70 books, though admittedly some were rather short so I could reach my reading goal! 🙂
Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links.
MY 7 BOOK HIGHLIGHTS OF 2024
As I’ve mentioned before, my reading taste is relatively broad and includes both fiction and non-fiction. But what I don’t really care for is sci-fi, thrillers or romance stories.
I’ve always liked cozy mysteries of the Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes kind (I read the entire Sherlock Holmes collection in 2018!) but over the last few years I’ve developed a real liking for Scandinavian crime stories, especially Icelandic ones. Ideally, they are set in winter or at least snowy conditions (and are to be read in the middle of a heat wave for mental cooling).
Not the gory, gruesome kind but the kind where the murder somehow happens and then it’s all about the ‘dysfunctional’ detective and the drudgery of police work.
I’m equally partial to crime stories set in Australia, best with harsh outback conditions but that’s not a must. I have somewhat higher expectations here though and find most fall short. One of the best ones remains Jane Harper’s The Lost Man.
Over the last few years, one of my goals has been to read more by Indigenous Australians but I’ve only managed a couple of books this year. Perhaps because I actually want to read the books and that has been somewhat difficult lately. More books have wandered onto the (virtual) bookshelf than having come off it.
Overall, there are a few real standouts so here are my book highlights of 2024 (in no particular order).
[Note: These books weren’t necessarily published in 2024, it’s just that I read them this year.]
1. “BULLIES AND SAINTS: AN HONEST LOOK AT THE GOOD AND EVIL OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY” | JOHN DICKSON
I read my first John Dickson book (A sneaking suspicion) over 25 years ago when I was exploring God, Jesus and the Christian faith. I loved that first book because it gave me new questions (and answers) to ponder.
25 years later I read another outstanding John Dickson book: Bullies and Saints. It came out a couple of years ago but it took me until this year to delve into the good, the bad and the very ugly of Christian history.
Dickson does not shy away from tackling the dirty laundry of the Christian story (think the crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, or more recently the evil of child sexual abuse in the global church) whilst also doing a stellar job highlighting lesser known (and more well-known) saints that have shone brightly for God through the ages.
It is a fascinating ride through 2,000 years of Christian history, and Dickson’s conversational tone makes for quick reading. Highly recommended for anyone interested in religion, history or even just if you’re wondering why we now regard human rights and dignity as so untouchable in the Western world.
Book details on Goodreads | Find it at QBD Books
2. “STORYTELLERS: QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND THE CRAFT OF JOURNALISM” | LEIGH SALES
I watched journalist Leigh Sales on the ABC’s 7:30 report for years, being especially drawn to her tenacious interview style when someone gave evasive answers.
Storytellers is filled with interviews but not so much of the insistent kind but one that is full of astute insight, empathy and a shared passion for the craft of journalism.
For the book, Sales interviewed a raft of Australian journalists, some I’d heard of, read or listened to on podcasts, while others were completely unknown to me. You are basically presented with the (edited) transcripts of these interviews. Reading these may not be to everyone’s taste but I found them highly illuminating.
A standout was the interview with Stan Grant, both because of Stan’s story of growing up Aboriginal in Australia and becoming a foreign correspondent for CNN, and the fascinating insight into how live broadcasting from disaster zones works.
Book details on Goodreads | Find it at QBD Books
3. “VIEWS” | MARC-UWE KLING
Views is nothing like anything I’ve read before. It’s futuristic yet current, full of ordinary people and raging people, and most frighteningly, AI is an ever present, unpredictable force.
At its core, Views is a crime story about a missing 16-year-old girl and a detective squad racing against the clock to find her. Simple enough in its premise.
But nothing is as it seems. From the moment you open the book (or press play since I listened), it’s a rollercoaster of a thriller (not usually my thing but it’s Marc-Uwe Kling so I had to read it) that throws you around so violently that you come out with a dazzling headache and an intense desire to hide away in a lonely cabin in the middle of nowhere, shut off from the connected world forever.
If the power of AI doesn’t frighten you (yet), you should read this book. It’s in German but I’m sure AI will happily assist with the translation.
Book details on Goodreads
4. “SUDDENLY” | ISABELLE AUTISSIER
Suddenly is a quiet book about a young couple in love who end up shipwrecked on a small barren island in the Southern Ocean. What begins as a romantic sailing adventure around the world ends up being a tale of desperate survival.
Lyrical in its language, Suddenly is haunting and confronting, forcing us to stare at our own mortality. How far would we go to survive? Who do we become then?
I listened to the German version (the original is French) in almost one sitting, I found it utterly captivating.
French writing tends to be understated (in my experience), and that’s exactly what works so well for this icy, desolate island setting here.
Book details on Goodreads | Find it at QBD Books
5. “SHIP OF DESTINY” (LIVESHIP TRADERS #3) | ROBIN HOBB
The last in the sweeping Liveship Traders trilogy, Ship of Destiny was a magnificent way to finish the rather hefty three volumes. It clocks in at just over 33 hours of listening, and not surprisingly took me a while to finish.
A high-fantasy trilogy, the fates of the seafaring liveship traders stretch across realms and the seas beyond. Along the way there’s plenty of intrigue, power brokering and conniving with a good mix of sea serpents, pirates, magic wood and more thrown in.
If you’ve not read any Robin Hobb, I’d start with The Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer trilogy) rather than the Liveship Trader trilogy (though you can just read that on its own).
Book details on Goodreads | Find it at QBD Books
6. “THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS” | PIP WILLIAMS
Although a bit of a slow start, stepping behind the scenes of the compiling of the first Oxford English Dictionary on the eve of the Great War is more fascinating than you might think.
The story centres on Esme whose father works in a garden shed, the ‘Scriptorium’, sorting sent-in paper slips with words, phrases and definitions to be included – or excluded – in this first great dictionary.
When you realise that Esme, a young girl unseen and unheard, begins to collect these ‘discards’, words not deemed fit or important enough to be included in the dictionary, the story takes a more thought-provoking turn. Not surprisingly, Esme begins to add ‘women’s words’ and words from lower socio-economic groups to her collection of ‘lost words’.
If you love language, you’ll enjoy learning more about this forgotten, albeit fictionalised, part of history.
Book details on Goodreads | Find it at QBD Books
7. “HIDDEN IN SNOW” (ÅRE MURDERS #1) | VIVECA STEN
Technically, I read this book right at the cusp of 2024. But I feel I had to include at least one Scandi crime novel in my 2024 count. 🙂
I honestly only listened to Hidden in Snow because the German cover looked so enticing (unlike the English one). It’s the first in the Hanna Ahlander (Åre Murders) series, of which there are three published in English so far.
While not the absolute best crime fiction you’ll ever read, Hidden in Snow offers up an engaging and fast-paced plot with some unpredictable twists and turns. Hanna is the usual emotionally dysfunctional detective but still quite likeable. Viveca Sten also gets a big plus for making the detective a young woman who deals with DV and violence against women.
This is the perfect book for (mentally) cooling you down on hot days.
Book details on Goodreads
So these are my book highlights for 2024.
What are yours? I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below. 🙂
Happy reading,
MORE POSTS ON BOOKS
If you’re keen to read more about the Australian Outback, here are 6 fascinating books I’ve particularly enjoyed about the Outback.
I didn’t manage any posts in the last few years but I do have one on my 2020 favourite books and also my list of 2018 favourite books.
1 Comment
Spophy
10 January 2025 at 3:00 AMFind ich super, dass du einleitest damit, dass du keine Thriller liest und dann Marc-Uwe kommt 😂 Aber ich kann’s verstehen, war einfach ein hochspannendes Buch mit viel cleverer Kritik. Aber bei dem Ende, das das Buch hat, hatte ich nicht so den Drang mich in einer verlassenen Hütte im Wald zu verstecken … 🥲
Und krass, dass Suddenly es auf diese Liste geschafft hat. Ich mochte das damals auch, aber nicht SO sehr. Interessant, was du über den französischen Schreibstil sagst, ich würde den ganz anders beschreiben. Finde den immer sehr elegant und fließend.
Schön, dass Robin Hobb auch mit dabei ist <3
Da du ja immer fleißig bei GR alles getrackt hast, könntest du übrigens ziemlich leicht bei deinen Bookshelves auf "Reading Stats" gehen (unter den shelves) und da einfach das Jahr anklicken, aus dem dir die Highlights fehlen. Da sortiert er es dir auch nach Bewertung, also du siehst gleich deine 5-Sterne-Bücher. Nur falls du die Highlights der letzten Jahre doch genauer wissen willst.