My 2024 Reading Challenge Books

I started the year with a goal of reading 24 books. I adjusted my goal to 18. I just finished my 20th book today. I probably won’t make it to the original goal of 24, but I will get close.

While I will probably finish 1-2 (1 of which is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah) books before the month is up, here are my 2024 books so far. Generally speaking, I am not hyper critical of authors on public websites like goodreads. Generally speaking, if an author is a favorite, they’re going to get 4-5 stars. A 3-star book is not a bad book by any means. But it could have an element (like too long) that works against it. In other words, 3-5 star books are good books in my mind.

I don’t want to rate or discuss every book. I will share a few highlights:

• Abby Jimenez is a new favorite author. I’ve read all of her books (in the last year). Just for the Summer is one of her best yet (2024 release) and was my favorite from this year’s Abby reads. I’m already counting down to her next release, Say You’ll Remember Me.
• Ashley Poston’s magical realism is fun and unexpected. While I love magical realism, her books venture into areas I’m not usually drawn to. I read two of Ashley’s books this year and loved both. A Novel Love Story is my favorite so far. It chronicles the life of a English prof who finds herself lost in a book – literally. It was a fun one to include a graveyard of unfinished book drafts. Clever.
• The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes was my second favorite read of the year. I’ve read a few of her books now and truly enjoy them. I think one of the best aspects of my two favorites were the friendships forged amongst women. The Giver of Stars portray this and the strength of women, beautifully.
• Spicy romance is not my norm when it comes to fiction. I found myself in that territory unexpectedly. The two books in that category are Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled. To be clear, all of the romance I’ve read this year has a spicy element. These are spicier than most I’ve read in the genre. The titles make that clear, wouldn’t you agree? By the way, I listened to audio for Swift and Saddled. The narrator was too much for me (cloyingly sweet). I almost didn’t make it through the book for that reason. I would have preferred to read the physical book. The narrator makes or breaks a book (note to self). These are in the NSFW category but fun and light.

Speaking of romance (and/or spicy romance), it certainly gets a lot of shade thrown its way. But it’s extremely popular and the world of “BookTok” has appeared to make it even more popular. BookTok is how I found a few of the authors above. It’s kind of a must-have (if you ask me) for writers who are trying to establish their “platform.” I’m just so terrible about posting. But I digress. A few dudes who have found their way to the BookTok side of the FYP, have noted that romance (and spicy romance) is like a how-to for meeting, pursuing, and falling in love with a woman. I thought this was a funny, but smart take.

The male love interests in books like Done and Dusted are certainly the type of men that women love to love. Jacob in Abby Jimenez’s, Yours Truly, is (or close to) my favorite male character of all time. Gilbert of Anne of Green Gables fame, is another near perfect male character (not without flaws – just a wonderful character). Another hugely popular character is Rip Wheeler from the TV show, Yellowstone. Rip, though written by a man – which sort of says a lot, is seen by many women (myself included to a degree) as the fantasy of the perfect man. As a woman who writes male love interests into all of my books (so far), I am constantly aware of the push and pull between being too idealistic and being too realistic.

But the dudes who’ve figured it out, good on ya. But keep in mind, if it’s not who you are, they’ll eventually figure it out. But if you’re trying to find lasting ways to make a difference in your relationship or pursuing a woman, I’m not gonna lie, romance novels of the better variety, do tell you something about what women find attractive. The author gives you the blueprint. 😂