2024 Reading Challenge

Okay, so this is a year overdue, but I only realized now that I never posted a summary for my 2024 reading list, which I really enjoy doing. 

First, a few stats:  

Total books read in 2024:  50

70% were fiction

38% of the novels were middle-grade (the consequences of working at a library and seeing so many great books in the children's section)

Again, one of my biggest non-fiction categories was Grand Canyon books, followed closely by history/bio/memoir, animals, and language/writing.

Best/most memorable books: (And because I'm writing this in 2026, these book really stood out for me)

How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims.  Slow-burn thriller taking place mostly in a library.

The Last Human, by Lee Bacon.  Middle-grade science fiction with reluctant friendships.

It Happened at Grand Canyon, by Todd R Berger.  Interesting non-fiction accounts of specific events through history at the Grand Canyon.

The Last One, by Will Dean.  A cruise ship where everyone has disappeared.  A great survival thriller until it sort of went off the rails.  

Five Epic Disasters, by Lauren Tarshis.  Very readable non-fiction disaster tales for kids.

49 Miles Alone, by Natalie D. Richards.  A tense YA survival thriller.

The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly.  A warm middle-grade contemporary novel...with birds.

Of a Feather, by Dayna Lorentz.  A warm middle-grade contemporary novel...with birds.  And no, that wasn't a mistake.  I for some reason read these back to back, and enjoyed both.

The Memory Palace, by Nate DiMeo.  Hands down the best book of the year:  short non-fiction accounts of strange historical people or happenings, based on the author's podcast.  

2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge

This year I didn't complete my Goodreads reading challenge goal of 50 books, but I read 33 and listened to 10.

Some interesting book stats:

Fiction was only 60%, the second-lowest percentage since I've been keeping track.  

Of that, about 27% were science fiction or fantasy (mostly fantasy).  Of those, my favorite was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab, about a young woman who no one can remember once she's out of their sight.  Really cool premise.  I also really enjoyed The Loss of the Burying Ground, by J Anderson Coats, a YA novel of that rare and wonderful genre that's basically historical fiction of a place that never existed--like fantasy with no magic or supernatural elements.   

About 15% were historical fiction.  My favorite was The Lost Passenger, by Frances Quinn, about a woman and her son who survived the sinking of the Titanic and took the opportunity to escape their old lives.  

Other favorites:

 -Stranded, by Melinda Braun.   A YA survival tale. 

-Tell Me an Ending, by Jo Harkin.  A sci-fi story about people paying to have memories removed.

-None of This is True, by Lisa Jewell.  A creepy sort of women's fiction thriller.

-Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng.  A really well written, character-driven story that takes place just long enough ago to feel not quite contemporary.

-The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett.  Clever and creative comedic fantasy by the king of comedic fantasy.

Nonfiction:

As with most years, the largest percentage (47%) were related to animals.  My favorite was a memoir by a woman who runs an animal rescue farm:  Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals, by Laurie Zaleski.  I also really enjoyed Vanishing Treasures:  A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures, by Katherine Rundell.  

I also read (or listened to) three book about thru-hikes (though they were all larger in scope than just the backpacking):  A Walk in the Park, by Kevin Fedarko (Grand Canyon), The Man Who Walked Through Time, by Colin Fletcher (Grand Canyon), and Wild, by Cheryl Strayed (Pacific Coast Trail).  

2023 Reading Challenge

This is the time of year I have fun reflecting on my last year's reading list.

Some stats:  

Books read:  50

But don't be too impressed:  36% were middle-grade and 12% were YA (which are no less valid, often very thought-provoking and well written...but generally shorter).  

Nonfiction:  46%, my highest percentage ever

Of the nonfiction, I read a lot of biography/history/memoir this year.  It actually beat my usual highest category:  plants/animals.  

Of the fiction, I read a good amount of science fiction/fantasy/spec, but the highest category was contemporary (non-thriller, non-mystery, non-romance)

Best-of Awards:

Most bizarre premise:  Hope Never Dies: an Obama Biden Mystery, by Andrew Shaffer.  Yeah, you read that subtitle right:  Biden solves a mystery with the help of his friend, Obama.  In FIRST PERSON.  Bizarre.  But I enjoyed it. 

Most light-heartedly enjoyable speculative fiction for adults:  Brandon Sanderson's The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England.  A bit repetitive in some parts, confusing in others, but the guidebook entries were priceless.   

Most light-heartedly enjoyable speculative fiction for kids:  Pip Bartlett's Guide to Unicorn Training by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater.  Not quite as darling as the first book in the series, but still great.  And the guidebook entries were priceless.  I think there's a pattern here.

Best guidebook for how to die while hiking in the Grand Canyon:  Tail of the Scorpion, by Mike Graf.  The guidebook parts were informative and seemed factually accurate.  But the story part should have been called How to Kill your Kids in Grand Canyon.  You can read my whole rant on Goodreads, but do NOT start on a major hike of the Grand Canyon at 3:00 pm in August.  Just don't.

Best guidebook for how not to die while hiking in the Grand Canyon:  Okay, so it wasn't a guidebook at all, but a quietly tense thriller which portrayed the canyon realistically:  Getaway, by Zoje Stage. 

Best book about people who actually did die while boating the Grand Canyon:  Sunk Without a Sound:  The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde, by Brad Dimock.  Well written, comprehensive (but not in a belabored way), and grimly fascinating.

Best relentlessly religious historical fiction book taking place at the Grand Canyon (yes, there were a couple of themes this year):  A Deep Divide, by Kimberley Woodhouse.  I didn't realize when I put this on hold that it was Christian fiction, but I should have, because there doesn't seem to exist a genre of clean historical romances that doesn't ram religion down our throats.  I loved the locale and the historical details, and if it hadn't been so preachy, I really would have enjoyed it.  But some people will enjoy it because of all the talk of God and scripture.

Best book about nature:  Around the World in 80 Birds, written by Mike Unwin, illustrated by Ryuto Miyake.  Interesting little write-ups of fascinating birds.  Beautiful illustrations. 

Author whose books I read the most of:  Kathleen Krull.  I got on a kick and read several of her books of short biographies written for kids.  They're full of interesting, rapid-fire facts.  Maybe not a lot of depth, but fun to read.

Best novel for kids:  Across the Desert, by Dusti Bowling.  I love Dusti Bowling.  And the Arizona setting doesn't hurt any.  Check out her books!

Best novel for adults:  Other Birds, by Sarah Addison Allen.  Interesting setting, engaging writing, slight supernatural element.  A very warm and gentle read. 

Not sure if this counts, because I listened in audio, but…

Best mountain climbing survival book (yeah, this is a whole genre I read/listen to a lot of):  The Climb; Tragic Ambition on Everest, by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt.  Like all of these books, it had its flaws—like how I couldn't keep all of the characters straight—but it was really captivating.  I would tell myself I was just going to listen for 15 minutes before bed, and at the end of 15 minutes I'd set it for another 15 minutes…then another.   

Best graphic novels based on historical events and people:  )  Guardian of Fukushima, by Ewan Blain & Fabien Grolleau, about the man who defied government orders by staying in the irradiated zone to take care of abandoned animals after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster.  They Called us Enemy, by George Takei, about the Japanese Internment Camps in WWII.