What does it say about 2024 that I didn’t even archive my list of books I read in 2023, and that I read 131 books in the course of the year? I’ll tell you what it says… it says that I used reading as a coping mechanism for the very intense year it was! When I started 2024, my reading goal was 90 books but I blew that completely out of the water. I have always been an avid reader but this was a record-breaking year (also record-breaking in the stress department in case you were wondering about the correlation here!) As I *always* do, I want to capture and recap the year with an archive entry I can look back on and also share recommendations or warnings. So here’s the list and my thoughts on last year for your reading pleasure. No big surprise that you’ll find mostly horror and romance here, and also that it took until April to get this look back on last year posted. Enjoy!

Books I Read in 2024 (in chronological order)

• The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1), Helen Hoang – a fun romance with real characters and lots of sex on the page.
• The Bodyguard, Katherine Center – romance with strong female lead who is also a bodyguard with lots of sex on the page.
• The Troop, Nick Cutter – first horror of the year and very satisfying. I picked up a physical copy of this and Big Sister read it first and couldn’t wait for me to finish to discuss it. Highly recommended for horror fans.
• The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson #5), Rick Riordan – still slogging through this series because I promised Big Sister I would. I don’t hate them, but they are also not something I would pick up on purpose.
• The Deep Sky, Yume Kitasei – another read recommended by my kiddo. Great scifi with horrific elements.
• My Darling Girl, Jennifer McMahon – a psychological thriller about a woman and her mother in law.
• The Brother’s Hawthorne (The Inheritance Games #4), Jennifer Lynn Barnes – I still can’t explain why I keep returning to this series that I shouldn’t love given my general dislike of YA but here we are, still. This is a continuation/bridge from the original trilogy to a new one coming. I didn’t like it as much as the original trilogy so time will tell whether I keep reading or not.
• Business or Pleasure, Rachel Lynn Solomon – one of the best romance reads of the year for me. Fantastic and authentic depictions of relationships and modern realities with tons of sex on the page.
• Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle #1), Tracy Deonn – meh, this was a YA read Big Sister begged me to read because she loved it so much.
• You’re the Only One I’ve Told: The Stories Behind Abortion, Meera Shah – very difficult to read nonfiction but worth it to hear the reality of this very timely issue.
• Welcome Home, Stranger, Kate Christensen – I wanted to like this more because it is a story of a 50-something woman who’s mother has just died. It was okay but not amazing.
• Great and Precious Things, Rebecca Yarros – I wanted to read other books from this author while we all anxiously await the next installment in her current series. This was a contemporary romance that was enjoyable.
• The Night Olivia Fell, Christina McDonald – book club pick that was SO good. Psychological thriller plus motherhood heartache and pain combined brilliantly. Highly recommend this one.
• Rouge, Mona Awad – horror novel by a new-favorite author that was very good.
• Brainwyrms, Alison Rumfitt – the first DNF of the year. It was very gritty and turns out the content warnings came in very handy for me. I started off with trepidation because it had been recommended by a friend but I couldn’t get past some of the very graphic content. A first for me!
• Book Lovers, Emily Henry – one of my favorite romance authors and it didn’t disappoint.
• Carrie Soto is Back, Taylor Jenkins Reid – it was fun to return to the world of TJR and see a different view of relatable events from another of her books. I’m a sucker for this kind of thing and for this author.
• This Wretched Valley, Jenny Kiefer – a disjointed book trying to be both horror and mystery with supernatural elements. In the end it fell short for me because it didn’t do any of those things effectively in trying to do them all.
• My Heart is a Chainsaw, Stephen Graham Jones – another DNF for me. I got about halfway through it and just couldn’t care less about the characters or the stories. Life is too short to read books you don’t love! It probably is because it was YA so I may give this author another try with his adult novels.
• Wreck the Halls, Tessa Bailey – fantastic romance with the enemies to lovers trope mixed with famous parents and shared trauma.
• Mister Magic, Kiersten White – an unhinged horror story about child stars reuniting to uncover things no one remembers and mysteries it seems no one wants them to solve. If you like literary and also love unhinged horror, this one is worth a read.
• One Italian Summer, Rebecca Serle – I don’t know if I loved this romance more because I’ve been to Positano, Italy where it is set or if it was a great story. Doesn’t matter, it was a great read!
• Rick Steves Italy, Rick Steves – this was a great travel guide while planning an epic thirty-year anniversary trip to Italy with the hubby.
• Behind Every Lie, Christina McDonald – a thriller that doesn’t stand out as more than an average read in my memory.
• The Only One Left, Riley Sager – great thriller read.
• Good Rich People, Eliza Jane Brazier – this was a thriller that had so many layers to unpeal and was super fun to read.
• Black Sheep, Rachel Harrison – another recommended read from Big Sister which was a fabulously satisfying horror novel.
• A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies #1), Stacia Stark – a fantasy romance that I didn’t throw away in anger but which I didn’t love enough to read another in the series. Strong praise for me! IYKYK This was definitely a year of trying to define what kind of fantasy I enjoy because most often I don’t.
• Rick Steves Sicily, Rich Steves – another installment in my travel to Italy era.
• What the Wind Knows, Amy Harmon – book club pick about romance and time travel and history I wasn’t familiar with. Highly recommend this one.
• How to Survive Your Murder, Danielle Valentine – contemporary thriller I enjoyed.
• Whalefall, Daniel Kraus – the latest horror novel from a recent new favorite author. This one was weird and wild and super fun to read.
• Liar, Dreamer, Thief, Maria Dong – very layered thriller I enjoyed.
• Nightbitch, Rachel Yoder – unhinged woman era and one I connected with pretty deeply. Sidenote: they made this into a movie and it was SO good!
• Weather Girl, Rachel Lynn Solomon – romance trope where two employees team up to get their bosses back together that was a fun read.
• Hooked (Never After #1), Emily McIntire – a dark romance recommended by a friend where the male main character is not a good guy. I do love my gritty adult themes in a book and this one was good! If you think it is a Peter Pan retelling, you’ll be disappointed.
• Alice (The Chronicles of Alice #1), Christina Henry – another DNF book I put down. It was going to be good and I should have liked it, but in the end I just don’t like re-tellings.
• Such Sharp Teeth, Rachel Harrison – a fun take on the werewolf trope that I really enjoyed.
• Hunt on Dark Waters (Crimson Sails #1), Katee Robert – I wanted to like this because I love this author’s Dark Olympus series but it fell flat (probably because it was pirates and fantasy?)
• All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive, Rainesford Stauffer – a nonfiction recommended by several people and that had me evaluating what drives me and what I have ambition for. Very great book!
• The Roughest Draft, Emily Wibberley – another romance with author themes that I loved.
• Uprooted, Naomi Novik – this is the book that cemented the “Terra doesn’t like fantasy in general” ruling. I also didn’t finish it.
• Hello Stranger, Katherine Center – a romance about a character with face blindness.
• Maybe in Another Life, Taylor Jenkins Reid – a favorite author’s take on the trope of a path not taken
• There There, Tommy Orange – did not finish this one, and I can’t remember why I even picked it up.
• The Ex Talk, Rachel Lynn Solomon – another fabulous romance. Sensing a pattern here? Apparently I cope with stress by reading a lot of romance and horror!
• Wolfsong (Green Creek #1), T.J. Klune – I gave this one a try because someone recommended it to me. Werewolf meets same sex romance for adults? Yes, please!
• The Swallows, Lisa Lutz – this one was a YA with adult themes which meant I finished it but it wasn’t truly satisfying.
• Stay and Fight, Madeline Ffitch – pretty sure I didn’t finish this one. It had promise about it being about survival in the wilderness but it wasn’t very well done.
• Mother-Daughter Murder Night, Nina Simon – book club pick that was a great contemporary mystery.
• The Five-Star Weekend, Elin Hilderbrand – contemporary adult story about a woman who brings friends from all of the eras of her life together.
• Manhunt, Gretchen Felker-Martin – I should have loved this one because it is a dystopian horror novel but I couldn’t get attached enough to the characters to finish it. I own a physical copy so maybe someday I’ll pick it up again.
• Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues, Jonathan Kennedy – interesting nonfiction book about how it might not be the fact that humanity is the strongest organism on the planet but that we have simply benefitted from plagues over time the most.
• Understanding Girls with ADHD, Kathleen G. Nadeau – recommended read by my therapist and very helpful!
• Bad Summer People, Emma Rosenblum – book club pick about wealthy people living in their summer house community with a side of murder and mystery. Very fun book club conversations!
• Yellowface, R.F. Kuang – this one I liked maybe more because I am an author.
• Elevation, Stephen King – this was more like a novella and a nice visit back to an earlier King style.
• 12 Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD, Russel A. Barkley – another recommendation from my therapist in my hard year of parenting.
• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin – a contemporary book about books and people who love books recommended by a friend. It was too British for more than a blip on my memory.
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain – fascinating view of the world from those who are not like me. Very thought provoking.
• Deadbeat Druid (Adam Binder #3), David R. Slayton – third in a fun series by a fellow author. I still love the accessible urban fantasy of this world!
• The Guest, Emma Cline – another installment in the unhinged woman story. This time a woman who is basically homeless going from house to house attempting to stay off the streets. Very gritty and fascinating.
• We Ride Upon Sticks, Quan Barry – YA unhinged women that I thought I might like because it reminded me of the TV series Yellowjackets. I skimmed the end because it wasn’t truly for me.
• Natural Beauty, Ling Ling Huang – a novel that explores the beauty standards of modern society and what it costs people.
• Under the Influence, Noelle Crooks – a contemporary novel about a woman who goes to work as an assistant to an influencer and what that world really is like. Easy and quick read.
• Zen and the art of writing, Ray Bradbury – I’ve always liked Bradbury and this was his take on what it means to be a creative. Very inspiring.
• The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist’s Warning, Peter J. Hotez – my first read about the pandemic after living through it. Tough to read but also nothing I didn’t already know having lived through it all on the front lines in healthcare.
• A Certain Hunger, Chelsea G. Summers – I didn’t know that I was going to love this one like I did going into it. Another installment of the unhinged woman but this one with horror and also love? I really loved this one but it was hard to get into at first.
• Bittersweet (True North #1), Sarina Bowen – a quick and spicy contemporary romance recommended by a friend because this is their favorite author. Very satisfying easy read.
• How to Fall Out of Love Madly, Jana Casale – a contemporary novel more about relationships women have with each other than the men they think they love. It was sad more than anything and sometimes hard to read but I am glad I read it because the ending was worth it.
• The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save our Democracy, Katherine M. Gehl – if only this innovative look at how to improve the two-party system in America had a chance at becoming truth! I wish every single person would read this book!
• The Ghosts of Trappist (NeoG #3), K.B. Wagers – this latest installment of found family in space adventure was very fun and at this point feels like coming home to well-loved characters no matter how long I’ve waited for the next book.
• Looking for Jane, Heather Marshall – bookclub pick that was very surprising and very satisfying. This was a historical fiction based in truth from a Canadian perspective before abortion was legal in the US. I loved this one and highly recommend it!
• Mary, Nat Cassidy – another horror based on what it feels like to be a perimenopausal woman – or is that really what is going on? Very satisfying with a supernatural layer and great ending.
• Look Closer, David Ellis – a fabulous thriller with lots of twists and turns that I really loved.
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, Jocko Willink – recommended by folks at work but nothing I hadn’t heard packaged differently already.
• The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath – wow, I had no idea this was what all the fuss was about. Glad I read this classic finally!
• Tempt Me (The Wolf Hotel #1), Nina West – I think this was a contemporary romance freebie from Audible and of course I got hooked on the series!
• Big Swiss, Jen Beagin – this was interesting in a literary sort of way but I didn’t thoroughly enjoy this unhinged woman story.
• Break Me (The Wolf Hotel #2), Nina West – I binged this series!
• Teach Me (The Wolf Hotel #3), Nina West – like I said, binged!
• Choke, Chuck Palahniuk – I wanted to like this one, but ultimately DNF’ed it when the library loan was up.
• Surrender to Me (The Wolf Hotel #4), Nina West – I just had to know how it ended!
• Making it So, Patrick Stewart – memoir of an actor whose character on Star Trek had an impact on my formative years. It was interesting but ultimately not more than that.
• The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young – one of by favorite books of the year if not THE best book. I loved this one so much! Time travel and amazing characters and everything I love. Highly recommend this one! (I read it twice because I also picked it for my book club to read!)
• 99 Percent Mine, Sally Thorne – a romance with some mystery but not that satisfying because the characters weren’t very healthy. It was more literary than truly a romance but I still liked it for what it was.
• The Butcher and the Wren, Alaina Urquhart – I wanted this to be good since it was based on a true crime story but ultimately just meh and kind of a disappointing ending.
• Empire of the Vampire, Jay Kristoff – another attempt to find the kind of fantasy Terra likes that I DNF’ed very early because of the misogyny.
• The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1), Rick Riordan – surprisingly, I liked this one far more than the rest of the series so far. Don’t know why!
• Tell Me Three Things, Julie Buxbaum – contemporary YA that I read because of a friend at work. I remember liking it but not why exactly.
• The Death of Jane Lawrence, Caitlin Starling – this is a gothic horror that I really liked but only after giving it enough time to let it slowly build to a satisfying ending.
• Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind, Molly McGhee – such a great book!
• The Housemaid, Freida McFadden – bookclub pick thriller that was a fun read.
• What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew, Sharon Saline – another insightful book for parenting.
• Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng – feminism and dystopia. I own a copy of this and it took a while to pull it off the shelf. It was just okay.
• The Once and Future Witches, Alix E. Harrow – this is the kind of fantasy I like! A world very similar to our own with witches. Yes, please!
• Funny Story, Emily Henry – such a fantastic contemporary romance!
• Stone Cold Fox, Rachel Koller Croft – messed up women raising messed up daughters. I loved this one so much!
• Iron Widow, Xiran Jay Zhao – just another meh on the fantasy exploration journey.
• Chlorine, Jade Song – unhinged main character and a literary look at ambition and striving. I still don’t know how I feel about this one.
• Blood Like Mine, Stuart Neville – meh, this was neither horror enough for me nor compelling enough for my liking. Interesting take but not phenomenal in execution.
• The Grandest Game, Jennifer Lynn Barnes – yes, I’m still rooting for Grayson to get his happy ending but I may be done with this series!
• Bride, Ali Hazelwood – OMG I loved this one! This is my kind of fantasy… werewolves and vampires and humans and all the politics that would be involved plus a side of romance? Yes, please!
• None of This Is True, Lisa Jewell – a psychological thriller that was more promising in premise than it was in execution.
• Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman – I picked this up because Big Sister loved the film adaptation and wanted me to watch it but I prefer to read books before they are ruined by movie adaptations. Ultimately I put it down before I finished because it meandered and was weird. Maybe another movie I’ll like better than the book?
• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Fredrik Backman – fabulous bookclub pick. Such a poignant story about love and loss and things that tie people together. I loved this one and highly recommend it although it is a bit of a slow start.
• What Lies in the Woods, Kate Alice Marshall – A fun murder mystery I thought would have more magic than it promised. Fun twists I didn’t see coming with a satisfying ending.
• Wrong Place Wrong Time, Gillian McAllister – bookclub pick that I would never have finished if I had picked it up on my own. The ending was ultimately worth the slog but getting to the end was dreadful.
• Just for the Summer, Abby Jimenez – fabulous romance!
• You Deserve Good Gelato, Kacie Rose – I should have done more research that this is a book by a social media content creator who moved abroad. Nothing earth shattering here and nothing about how to actually do such a thing.
• The Fall of the House of Usher, Edgar Allan Poe – wanted to read a classic horror short story. I decided I like my horror more modern but glad I read it so I can say I’ve read one of the classic Poe stories.
• Own Me (The Wolf Hotel #5), K.A. Tucker – I think this is my last of this series. It has lost the appeal after this long.
• Nightmares of My Own: Short Stories, Terra Luft – this is my own book but I did have to read and re-read it for edits so it should totally count on my bookshelf, right?
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear – lots of people have told me to read this book and while there are a few nuggets, I didn’t truly learn anything earth-shattering.
• Leviathan Wakes, James S. A. Corey – I watched the first season of The Expanse and was curious about the book series it is based on. The first book I ever decided to read a summary online to find out how it ended because the climax was about halfway through and I got bored. I wanted to know what happened, but not enough to wait for another hold from the library to come around.
• The Best Man’s Ghostwriter, Matthew Starr – Audible free read that I thought would be more of a romance but was only meh.
• Part of Your World, Abby Jimenez – another great contemporary romance with fabulous characters.
• The Last Letter from Your Lover, Jojo Moyes – one I picked up because someone recommended it but ultimately couldn’t finish because the pacing was too slow and I got bored. Life is still too short to read books you don’t love!
• The Ballad of Black Tom, Victor LaValle – really great horror recommended by a fellow horror writer.
• Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy #1), Brynne Weaver – one of my favorite books of the year. Horror and romance are my two favorite genres and this was a romance about serial killers. The content warnings are REAL but if you can get past them, this is a fantastically satisfying read. (If you can’t make it through the content warnings, don’t judge me!)
• Will They or Won’t They, Ava Wilder – contemporary romance about actors playing characters who are in love on screen but who have a complicated relationship off screen. Not my favorite but entertaining all the same.
• How to End a Love Story, Yulin Kuang – Great romance with enemies to lovers with screenwriter main characters. I loved this one!
• Middle of the Night, Riley Sager – I’m not sure how I feel about this author. This was an interesting premise and a wild ride but I don’t always love the endings.
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna – a sweet and quaint story that was a bit too British for me but still a fun and uplifting story.
• Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America, Michael Harriot – hard to read. It took about three rounds of holds through the library to finally finish, but I think every American NEEDS to read this!
• Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy #2), Brynne Weaver – second book I was highly anticipating and which did not disappoint. I love this series but it is still very dark and full of horror so don’t judge!
• The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2), Rick Riordan – why am I still reading middle-grade fiction? Because I promised my kiddo and they are quick reads.
• We Used to Live Here, Marcus Kliewer – a bit unhinged and hard to follow the plot through to the end but had a good creep factor.
• Little Secrets, Jennifer Hillier – a great thriller about a woman grappling with the disappearance of her child with a very satisfying ending with twists I didn’t see coming!
• All’s Well, Mona Awad – an earlier work by a horror author I have read and loved two other books but this was my least favorite. It was so slow paced and it was hard to push through to the end.