Top 3 books of 2024 out of 33!

Kind of crazy that I read 33 books in 2024 and ended up with 3 five-star books!

My goal in reading this year was to read more variety, expand beyond my typical favorite genre of historical fiction and I’m happy to share that I did do that. I read three memoirs one of which was a favorite five star read, The Adventure’s Son. This was such a tender heart-breaking story of adventure, family and marriage. I was in awe of how in the face of tragedy there was no blame, only love. I can only imagine the need for the truth. I highly recommend this book.

The Cliffs, by J Courtney Sullivan was another five star favorite. It was simply a satisfying read for me. I have a soft spot for stories that include ghosts and mediums for sure, but it was the many layers, connections throughout the story and strong sense of place that made it a five star read for me. I look forward to reading other books by this author.

A friend I’ve met in my aspiring author community recommended Dani Shapiro’s books to me to help me study the craft of writing succinctly with interiority and I’m so grateful. Her books were certainly the highlight of my reading this year. Though only the one fiction book I read by her landed in my top five list, all four of her books that I read were worthy. The Signal Fires stood as one of my favorites. My colleague at Books & Company in Oconomowoc, WI says, “A great book has all the feels.” Signal Fires is a beautifully written book with all the feels. It is an authentic story about the poison of secrets while also being an incredibly hopeful story reminding us how we are all connected. I wish the characters were real people in my life. So good.

I post all my book reviews on Goodreads.

As I lean into 2025 my only reading goals are to keep reading a lot and relatable is to find a literary agent. I am working hard on my edits of my first novel and will start querying for an agent again soon! I wish you a happy new year of reading, growing and laughing!