27 5-Star Reads from 2024
Books are my Roman Empire.
Allow me to begin with an admission and a repeat. I was wrong… and… I can’t imagine this not proving true next year. Last year the big ‘5-star reads round-up’ began with:
It only goes down from here you guys. I read Some Things in 2023, and by Some Things I mean more than ever before. And listen, no way in the world do I expect to go round two in 2024—absolutely 0% of me is planning to exceed 152. But what I will do is share the 5-star reads of those 152 because, well, dozens of you asked for a round-up + if I have a chance to point to good words, I’m gonna take it.
JOKES. ON. ME.
But really, next time, it only goes down from here.
Before I say another word about the many good words, a permission slip…
My 2025 goal is only a smidge higher than 2024: 82 books. It’s my largest book goal ever, but also, it’s less than half of what I read this year. So if you exit out right now and skip everything below, take that bit of freedom with you. ;) Remove the self-imposed pressure, friend. You don’t have to do more or ‘better’ in 2025 just to climb a ladder or hit a higher number (or lower—I’m looking at you diet ads filling all the end-of-year newsfeeds). Reading is a joy to me, a delight and a way that I rest/fill back up. It’s also part of my actual job, so it’s going to be part of my days no matter what.
(I’m often asked how I read so many books each year. I really do read from cover to cover. I don’t skim, I don’t skip, and I never miss the Acknowledgements. C’mon, that’s the best part! For me, nothing compares to holding a physical book. But—about 1/3 of my 2024 books were audiobooks that I listened to while walking local trails, cleaning my apartment, or quietly working on craft projects at night. You probably know about Audible, but look into Libby or Hoopla… they’re both free, and are likely available through your local library.)
Set a reading goal that works for you—if setting a goal is what you want to do. It’s fun for me, but the pressure is off.
The 27 5-star books
27 out of 170 doesn’t sound great right off the bat, but I don’t “hand out” 5 stars left and right nilly. (If every book is 5 stars, is any book actually 5 stars?) I hit a book slump a few times this year, but 47 of the 170 were 4-star reads to me… which means almost every other book was either 4 or 5—still a year of good words!1 For the sake of space, I’m only including a short blurb with each book—but I encourage you to click through and read the description/learn more!2
P.s. At the very bottom you’ll see a note on the next book list + a place to share some of your own 5-star reads of the year. 📚
