I love looking back at my year of reading. I had the idea this year for a tattoo sleeve—each year I get a tattoo inspired by the best book I read that year. Obviously I’ll need to backdate and add a few of my all-time favorite books, but I am really excited about this idea. Stay tuned.

I’m currently at 88 books and will likely finish around 95 by New Year’s Eve. Last year my goal was 100 and I hit 113 for my biggest year yet! This year I decided to take off any and all pressure, which was the right move. Work really ruined my life for most of 2023. But I still got a lot of huge books in, with some new lifetime favorites!

Fourth Wing (+ Iron Flame) by Rebecca Yarros

Bookish and frail Violet is forced into the dragon-riding quadrant of a lethal war college, where she’s constantly in danger from political enemies, psychopaths, her physical limitations, deadly challenges, and actual fire-breathing dragons. As she grows closer to her mortal enemy, rebellion heir Xaden Riorson, she learns more about what’s waiting for them on the battlefront on the borders of Navarre.

I will always remember this as the Year of Fourth Wing. The first book was published in May and absolutely EXPLODED. I finally got my hands on a copy (backordered for MONTHS) and read it in August and totally got the hype. I reread it again in November to prepare for the sequel. Then I went on a book club retreat with friends where we talked about the books for HOURS. Incredible. This is romantasy at it’s best—intense, violent, layered, sexy, fascinating, and chock-full of potential twists.

Quit by Annie Duke

We celebrate grit and perseverance, but what about knowing when to say when? Annie Duke, professional poker player, knows a thing or two about sunk cost fallacy and the ways we lose when we stick with something for too long. Quitting is a skill, and the smartest people know when to direct their resources to more successful ventures. This book breaks down the ways we get stuck in bad choices, whether they’re financial investments, jobs, relationships, projects, etc., and how to get better at quitting the right way.

This was my pick for one of my book clubs, and I think about it all the time. I think I’ve brought it up to basically everyone I’ve talked to since I read it in June. It’s such a paradigm shift and applies to so many facets of our lives. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this if you’re interested in human behavior and making better choices.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

You know what the Hunger Games looked like 75 years in, but how did they get that way? This prequel tracks the development of the Hunger Games by zeroing in on one Coriolanus Snow—a teenager with a name that commands respect, but a crumbling apartment of poverty he’s desperate to hide. For the 10th annual Hunger Games, Coriolanus and some of his top classmates are assigned to be the first ever mentors for district tributes. As Coriolanus ruthlessly pursues the prize that will allow him to secure a brighter future, he also confronts his biases and inner morality as he helps his enigmatic tribute from District 12.

I loved Hunger Games and Catching Fire, but Mockingjay was the biggest letdown. I swore I wouldn’t read this one. But then I saw the trailer for the movie and… consider me hooked. I listened to the audiobook (read by my beloved Santino Fontana) and absolutely DEVOURED it. I love an antihero. I loved the intricate character development and fascinating evolution of the Games. I think the movie did a great job, too.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

This American Classic follows Holden Caulfield for a rambling, aimless weekend as he leave yet another boarding school and wanders New York City before he has to face the music. Holden narrates his journey with foul-mouthed sensitivity and flashes of humor as he encounters friends, enemies, strangers, and his own demons.

I read this at 19 and hated it. Didn’t get it. A decade+ later, this book hit so different. I FELT what he FELT. I understood his moods and pain. It encapulated teenagers, coming-of-age, mental illness, helplessness, and human connection is such a poignant way. It was a great reminder of why we should read and reread the classics.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

After centuries of slumber, the gods have awoken and are playing a massive war game with humans as the pawns. Iris Winnow is a talented writer trying to hold everything together after her beloved brother leaves her with her alcoholic mother to fight in the war. Her reporter rivalry with the privileged Roman Kitt is just another thing to worry about, until she realizes that her typewriter is able to send magical messages to a mysterious pen pal. Soon, Iris is a war reporter at the front, trying to get to the bottom of what’s actually going on between these warring gods, find her brother, and discover the identity of her secret correspondent.

This book was the most romantic, mystical, and immersive vibe. I kept drawing it out, because I didn’t want it to end! There’s a particular scene in this book that lives in my my mind rent-free, and I actually gasped aloud reading it. It’s so lovely and spooky and just delicious. Can’t wait for the sequel coming out at Christmas!

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This fictional story is inspired by Fleetwood Mac and comprised of interviews with the world-famous band, 20+ years after the dramatic and secretive breakup of the group at its peak popularity. From the music to the band’s interpersonal dynamics to the personal lives of each musician, each individual reveals details of the bands rise to fame and spectacular implosion.

This book blew my mind and is 100% worth the hype. Stevie Nicks approved—what more do you need?!! The voices of each bandmate were so strong and really contributed to the story’s appeal. I highly recommend the audiobook, since it’s a full cast. Then watch the Hulu series, because the production value and aesthetics are amazing (even if they missed my favorite element of the story, justice for Camila).

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

Two women and a child go missing in a quiet suburb, and police struggle to find answers and possible connections when only one body turns up. When the child re-emerges 11 years later, all of the old unanswered questions are reopened. Who kidnapped Delilah? How were they involved in the disappearance of her mother, Meredith? Was it connected to the young mother, Shelby, who was also missing? What exactly is going on in this quiet neighborhood?

The CHOKEHOLD this book had on me. I read it in one day, almost in one sitting. Of course it’s not perfect—my book club found several holes and we also didn’t love how confusing the shifting timelines and perspectives were set up—but you have to give it up for a book that is absolutely glued to your hands. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a twisty thiller!

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant

Adam Grant is an organizational management powerhouse, with the perspective and research to help everyone from massive corporations to stressed out stay-at-home-moms. In this nonfiction book, Grant shares what he’s learned about rethinking: embracing what we don’t know, being willing to hear other sides, getting more flexible with our opinions, and generally being more open to learning.

I think about this book almost every day. It’s such a fantastic perspective shift, not just for professional lives, but also in our relationships, media consumption, and opinions. He breaks down the reasons we get stuck in our thinking, and the benefits and strategies of being an open-minded thinker. If you’re looking to sharpen up your brain and approach 2024 like a scientist, pick this one up.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #4)

Celaena Sardothien has been stripped of friends, family, titles, inheritance, and even trust in her own self. But she is ready to embrace who she is and save those she loves from the growing evils spreading across Erilea. In the fourth installment of the Throne of Glass series, we see her begin making major moves for the future of her home country of Terrasen, Adarlan, and their world as a whole.

THIS ONE WAS SO GOOD. The ACOTAR series was my first foray into the Maas universe and I finally decided to tackle Throne of Glass this fall, hoping to finish all 8 books and the 2 Crescent City books before the third comes out at the end of January 2024. I’m loving this series so much, and this book was the best yet! I know I’m late to the party, but this series is better written and more interesting than ACOTAR (don’t worry, ACOTAR still has my heart).

Honorable Mentions

• YA Fiction: Cursed Crowns
• Read Aloud: Holes
• Thriller: The Running Grave
• Romance: It Happened One Summer
• Book Club Fiction: Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting
• Nonfiction: Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist
• Family Roadtrip Audiobook: The Princess Bride
• Memoir: Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremecy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing
• Funniest: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
• Most Unique: Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Stayed With Me: The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy

I’m so excited to finish the Throne of Glass series, tackle the Crescent City series, and to read the totally unique book club selections that my friends choose this year. The balance is important to me—stuff I love mixed with books I might have never picked up (but always learn so much from).

I’m not sure what my reading goal should be for 2024, or if I even need one. But so many of my beloved series and authors will be *allegedly* publishing new installments this year, including:

• Twin Crowns series
• Finlay Donovan series
• House in the Cerulean Sea sequel
• Finally the fourth Nevermoor book????? PLEASE???
• New Emily Henry
• New Holly Jackson
• Next Empyrean book?!

Let’s GOOOOOOO 2024 reads!