I like looking back on the year and thinking about what my favourite reads have been. Do you do this?
I do keep a book journal so this one’s quite easy to do as I don’t have to think too hard about what I’ve been reading, it’s all there. I think I’d struggle to remember everything I’d read all year without it.
This year I’ve read 70 books, and these are some of the ones I’ve given 5 stars to as there was something about them that made me love them.
I give my 5 stars on a very personal level. There’s no criteria I stick to. If it resonated, if I loved the characters, if it absorbed me, if it changed me, if I didn’t want to put it down, if it made me happy, any of these reasons could make it a 5 out of 5 book for me.
These are ten of my favourites of 2024.
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I’ve shared a little summary of each book, and clicking beneath it will take you over to Amazon to take a closer look.
Walk Yourself Happy by Julia Bradbury
There’s a lot of talk about how we all must connect more with nature. But what does that mean? How do you do it? And what does it do for you in return? Can something as simple as going for a walk really improve your life? The simple answer is: YES.
Walk Yourself Happy will explain the elemental link between our own health – both physical and mental – and the natural world.
Julia knows first-hand the profound impact of nature: it has helped her survive breast cancer, overcome infertility and continue through failed IVF treatments; it balances the soul and acts as a confidante and therapist. Through science-backed information, practical tips and Julia’s own story, Walk Yourself Happy will explore how nature can soothe anxiety and stress, how a mountain or a tree can keep you company in times of grief, and the importance of building nature into your everyday life, so you eat well, sleep better and move more.
Walking, one of the most accessible activities for most of us, is the fastest and easiest way to embed yourself in nature. You don’t need expertise or equipment; you just need to put one foot in front of another. You don’t need an epic landscape either, you can walk down the street or in your local green space. Though, as you will learn from this book, a walk in the park is rarely just that.
We all have shocks and surprises that stop us in our tracks, make us question who we are and why we are here. In walking, we have the power to change our pace. And when we do that, we can find union with nature, camaraderie with friends and a form of intimacy with self.
We can walk ourselves happy and we can walk ourselves healthy, and we can rekindle the innate bonds, all-but extinguished by modern living, that we have always had to our natural environment. We can start today.
Read more, check reviews and order here
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who sees everything, but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors – until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late…
Read more, check reviews and order here
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This is the story of Sam and Sadie. It’s not a romance, but it is about love.
When Sam catches sight of Sadie at a crowded train station one morning he is catapulted straight back to childhood, and the hours they spent immersed in playing games.
Their spark is instantly reignited and sets off a creative collaboration that will make them superstars. It is the 90s, and anything is possible.
What comes next is a decades-long tale of friendship and rivalry, fame and art, betrayal and tragedy, perfect worlds and imperfect ones. And, above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love.
Read more, check reviews and order here
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.
An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.
As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.
With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?
Read more, check reviews and order here
The Maid by Nita Prose
It begins like any other day for Molly Gray, silently dusting her way through the luxury rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel.
But when she enters suite 401 and discovers an infamous guest dead in his bed, a very messy mystery begins to unfold. And Molly’s at the heart of it – because if anyone can uncover the secrets beneath the surface, the fingerprints amongst the filth – it’s the maid . . .
Read more, check reviews and order here
Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
A book synopsis is fundamentally ridiculous. How can I possibly convey, in only 100 words, the events of the past year and their impact on my perfectly ordered existence?
It is insufficient space to accurately detail how I was blackmailed into demonstrating my flawless algorithm to find a soulmate, despite having no desire for one.
In my former life I avoided trivial human connections. I was alone, accomplished and brilliant.
Unfortunately, that solitary and driven woman no longer exists.
My name is Indiana Dylan and this is the extraordinary account of how I fell in love.
There: 100 words exactly.
Read more, check reviews and order here
Weyward by Emilia Hart
Three women, five centuries, one spellbinding story
In the present day, Kate flees a traumatic relationship to the Cumbrian cottage she inherited from her great-aunt; but the cottage hides secrets of its own.
In 1942, Violet rebels against her father’s ideas of a ‘proper young lady’ . . . until he takes matters into his own hands.
In 1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft, implicated in the gruesome death of a local man.
Three women they tried to cage – but Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed…
Read more, check reviews and order here
Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver
A rugged mountain town seemed like the perfect escape from a life in shambles.
But on day one, she ran full tilt into the world’s hottest single dad, and now all her plans are ruined.
As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press, it’s hard for Skylar Stone to find any peace. But she finds it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal her heart just as thoroughly as their dad.
Weston Belmont.
The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that’s downright distracting. And in bed? He’s addictive.
Everything with him is wild and impulsive, and Skylar is desperate to regain some control.
But no one has supported her like West does. And no one has ever made her feel as loved as he does either.
So, while Skylar’s brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible…her heart says she’s right where she belongs.
Still, her life as a celebrity haunts her. It has the power to pull she and West apart.
She can see in his eyes that he wants her to stay. And she wants that too.
But she knows better than anyone that you don’t always get what you want.
Read more, check reviews and order here
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.
A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix’s podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated. Alix finds her unsettling but can’t quite resist the temptation to keep digging.
Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix’s life – and into her home.
Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?
Read more, check reviews and order here
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
Read more, check reviews and order here
Overall, I gave 5 stars to 15 books this year, so I’d say that was a pretty good reading year.
I always like to read a mix of genres and looking back at it now, it’s not easy to pick my top read of the year, but I’ll give it a go.
If pushed to choose and recommend just one book, I think I’d go for Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. The story has stayed with me, it was so unique with great characters and a moving tale. I absolutely loved it.
I hope this has given you a few ideas if you’re looking for something new to read.
I do often have people asking me for my book wish-list link too, as that’s a way of seeing what else I’d like to read soon. I’ve received some lovely surprise books from some of you over the years through this, so thank you very much.
Have you read any of these books? What would be your stand-out read of the year?
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