A Bookish Life In AK

November Reading round-up, Christmas reading list and how my Goodreads challenge ended.

I am sitting here at my dining room table, quiet music playing, coffee next to me, thanks to a dear friend who is body doubling with me so we both can get some writing done, reviewing what the last half of 2024 was like. I ended October feeling really low and not really inspired to read much. I had several advance reader copies all due within a short time and I did not plan well with my time and I just barely finished and reviewed them but I had to read so many that I just slowed down in November and took my time and also have started saying “No” to a few ARC’s that I knew I didn’t have time to read. I had to step away from all my extra commitments for November, which unfortunately also meant stepping away from writing for the month.My brain just did not want to work. And then December just flew right by without me even looking at my computer.

But I still read so many good books! From one of my dearest friend, Voni Harris’s debut “Surge” to the sweet “Perfectly Wedded” by Grace Worthington. I I finished “The Return of the King,” as well as “Well Lived: Shaping a Legacy of Gratitude” by Sally Clarkson. I was on the launch team for “Reclaiming Quiet: Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention” by Sarah Clarkson. An absolutely timely book. For my work bookclub, we read “The Glass Bees” by Ernst Junger, a German midcentury Speculative Fiction that is definitely deserving a second reading. “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi left me in a puddle of tears, but in a good way.

Shall we talked about all the closed door romances? “The Friendly Fall” by Kristine W. Joy, Anne Kempe’s “The Art of Falling in Love with Your Grumpy Neighbor,” “Fiancé Finale” by Angela Ruth Strong, and “Pumpkin Everything” by Beth Labonte, which, by the way, is WAY better than the Hallmark version of the book. They were all so well done and fun to read. Then there are the Christmas reads I read as well, “Cabin Fever with My First Flame” by Madison Love, “Since There’s No Place to Go” by Kate Watson, “Snowflakes, Cakes, and Royal Mistakes” by Elizabeth Heathley. Sweet and heartwarming, swoony guys and fabulous ladies made these so much fun to read.

My goal for the Goodreads BookChallenge was 55 books. I ended the year with 62. I have read such a variety of books, everything from classics to contemporary, romance to sci-fi and a pretty much everything in between. My favorite fiction book that I read, other than Wuthering Heights, would have to be “Before The Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It was such a beautiful book, like I said above, I cried at the end, but they were happy tears, mostly. My favorite nonfiction book was “Surprised By Oxford” by Carolyn Weber. I listened to this as n audiobook but then promptly went and bought a physical copy. There was so much to her journey to become a Christian that it put my own into perspective. I also bought “Holy is the Day” by her as well and loved it.

I hope you had a great reading year! In my next blog, I’ll share with you what I plan on reading in 2025. Till then, what was your favorite read from 2024?

Prayers & Bessings Becky