Let’s get down to business then, with the year of books 2024 full review. As the title states, I read a total of 147 books this past year, with one more getting finished probably tonight. Didn’t quite make it to 150, which was my unofficial goal. I don’t generally do goals – I mean, reading is not a chore – and didn’t start this year with one either, but sometime in the early autumn it seemed like 150 would come to pass so my brain turned it into a goal without asking me 😂

So anyway, those 147 books translate to roughly 52000 pages; StoryGraph says 51909 while Goodreads claims 52430, but I figure StoryGraph is closer to the truth because there I actually select the correct edition for each book, while in Goodreads I don’t really care to. Which pretty much simply demonstrates that pages are an inaccurate measurement for reading too, as it goes 😉

[Edit. I finished the first Lady Julia Grey by Deanna Raybourn 43 minutes before the year ended, so actually 148 books, bringing the page count to 52,309 (StoryGraph). And I could even say I did hit the 150 mark, since one of this year’s books is a bundle of three: White Haven Winter is a compilation of books 4-6 of the White Haven Withces series by T.J. Green.]

Be as it may, I like the stats, so before delving into the actual books, let’s look at them a bit deeper. Or at least list a few more numbers:

• Average book length was 356 (Goodreads) / 358 (StoryGraph) pages
• The Great God Pan (Arthur Machen) was the shortest book, 41 pages
• The longest book was Les Miserables (Victor Hugo), 1264 pages (and I do admit to not reading every word or even page entirely faithfully, so a bit of cheat there)
• Fantasy was, unsurprisingly, the top genre, again, with 70 books
• Romance comes next with 47 books, Mystery comes third with 27 books, Historical 25 books
• Classics are quite high in my stats this year with a total of 17 books; partly though not solely thanks to the Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club books (read more about both in my bookish notes)
• As always, there was a bit of non-fiction in the mix too, this year 8% which means 11 books, not quite one per month
• As for the format, surprisingly print wins with it’s 55% ie. 81 books, even though I read a book of each format at any given time, finishing about 3 books per week – and if I’d have to guess, I’d say it’s usually 2 Kindle for 1 print, but I guess my holiday reading (mainly print) tipped the scale then
• Languages: all of 5 books in Finnish. It would’ve been 8 had I found the Tuomainen books (The Rabbit Factor trilogy) in print, but as it went, I ended up reading them in English on my Kindle (more about that too in the aforementioned bookish notes)
• My top authors this year were Deanna Raybourn 9 books (the Veronica Speedwells, and I now started her Lady Julia Grey series), RuNyx 7 books (Gothikana and the 6 books of Dark Verse), and TJ Klune also 7 books (some older ones, and the newest one, Somewhere Beyond the Sea)

Ready for the montly rollup? Ready or not, here we go! Some months I read more, some months I read a bit less, but I always read!

January – 10 books

Picks of the month:

• First book of the year: Assistant to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  What Cha-Bang way to start the reading year! Funny, witty, nutty – one of my favorite books of the year (in the series category, since in August, book 2 was released, and next September I’ll get more villainy goodness when book 3 comes out!)
• Klune of the month: Into This River I Drown
  Older TJ Klune, sweet and lovely as ever! Oh, how it touched my soul ❤
• Faeries of the month: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of the Faeries and Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  Took me a bit to get into the story, in the first book, but ended up loving it! Also in the favorites of the year, also in the series category (and also, getting some more of Emily Wilde in 2025 too when book 3 comes out in February)

February – 16 books

Picks of the month:

• Silly fun: Mead Mishaps series by Kimberly Lemming
  Three books in total, three interracial romances of the fantasy creature kind. Adventures, enemies to lovers, a bit of smut too.
• Klune of the month: Murmuration
  Another adorable sweet story from his older works ❤
• Best series: The Shepherd King duology, by Rachel Gillig
  Fantasy, romance, but of the darker variety. Awesome storyline, suspence and mystery even.
• Top single: Gothikana by RuNyx
  A dark neo-gothic mystery (and romance), that had me hooked and made me look into more RuNyx
• The disappointment: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
  Not the story but the writing style. The book lacks all of the ambiance of the musical/opera.

March – 10 books

Picks of the month:

• The Zamonia book: The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
  I love Booklings and I love Animatomes and I love Zamonia and I love Bookholm with it’s bookstores and the underground labyrinth. I wish they would translate more of Zamonia to English!
• Klune of the month: The Bones Beneath My Skin
  The girl who loved bacon. And the romance, obviously. And the, everything about this book, too! I noticed they’re publishing this with the new cover styles in 2025 – I definitely will get me a copy!
• Top single: A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey
  Dreamy, surreal, absolutely wonderful fantasy read, almost like magical realism except that there was nothing realistic about any of it. Except that the setting was London. Somewhere not in time.
• The disappointment: The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
  So dreary and kinda boring! A product of it’s time, for sure, but so very acutely not my time.
• The book I wanted to love but didn’t: The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
  It had all the makings, but I didn’t love it like I expected I would. I liked it, for sure. I just didn’t love it.

April – 14 books

Picks of the month:

• The Dislike: Yön Kantaja by Katja Kallio
  Not that there was anything wrong with the book in particular, I just found it utterly fucking boring!
• The non-fiction: Andy by Lamppu Laamanen
  Crazy motherfucker that Andy. Reading this book was like reading my teenage diaries, except obviously my shit was not even a % as wild as his. And nobody even knows what is true and what not. I enjoyed it anyway!
• Klune of the month: John and Jackie
  A bit less than most Klune, but a sweet story anyway.

May – 14 books

Picks of the month:

• Top single, also feel-good of the month: Elodie’s Library of Second Chances by Rebecca Raisin
  A book that makes you smile, that wipes away all the darkness left by the sullenly reads preceding it. Makes you feel cozy and warm.
• Klunes of the month: Crisped + Sere, Withered + Sere
  I never thought I’d encounter a Klune I didn’t like, but here we had it. This was a dark dystopia duology that I just could not like. So, the exception to the Klune rule.
• The crazy romantacy: Not Your Average Hot Guy and The Date From Hell by Gwenda Bond
  Funny, hot, crazy fun!

June – 10 books

Picks of the month:

• The disappointments: The Atlas Paradox and The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake
  I liked The Atlas Six well enough though even that would never have made my top list. Paradox was ok, Complex was a total bore. I really can’t suffer books that dwell inside of the characters heads too much – I have enough of that in my own. I want stories that flow instead of stagnant inter-relationship ponds.
• The surprise delight: How to Become a Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
  Ready Player One meets D&D. With footnotes. With footnotes that have footnotes! Funny, dark humor, adventure. And to be continued; book 2 will be published in May 2025
• The non-fiction: The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
  Coulda fooled me – this book is total Indy Jones stuff and then some! In the jungles of Honduras.
• Top single: Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban
  Lesbian romance situated in the British high society on the 1800s. This is actually part 1 of a duology, but the second book wasn’t quite on the same level even though I certainly enjoyed that one too!

July – 11 books

Picks of the month:

• Top single: A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall
  Something of scifi mystery with a very warm heart. Book 2 will be out in May 2025
• The disappointment: Children od Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi
  Not surprisingly, though, since book 2 was already nowhere near as good as the first one. Not bad, just not very good either. A meh.
• The tome: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
  I love the story. I love the musical, but even then, the book didn’t disappoint. Still, there was just too much irrelevant stuff there. I mean, if Hugo was trying to get this published today, he’d be told to cut out at least a third of the book. Still, I loved it, even though I skipped and skimmed that third or so.

August – 14 books

Picks of the month:

• The long-awaited sequel: The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness
  Book 5 in the All Souls series. It was originally a trilogy, then there was book 4 (which wasn’t quite as good as the original trilogy), then 5 (which again was right up there!). And now we are to expect a book 6 maybe next year, with rumors about even book 7!
• The not quite as long-awaited sequel: Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  Book 2 in the Assistant to the Villain series. Obviously waited only for half a year for this one. Such a fantastic series, this!
• Top single: The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
  I thought this was fantasy, but it wasn’t. It definitely is fantastical drama/adventure though, and a delightful feel-good story!
• The magical realism: The Story Collector by Evie Woods
  The magic is so subtle, but it’s there. And the story is so lovely, so heart-warming. Could’ve been a top single, but damn it, Top 10 only holds ten books!

September – 15 books

Picks of the month:

• The long-awaited sequel: The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams by Karen Hawkins
  Book 4 in the Dove Pond series. There are seven of those sisters, so should be 3 more books to come. Subtle magical realism, sweet romance. Cozy reads, these are.
• The Finnish crime: Merkitty by Max Seeck
  My favorite Finnish author. He spins the suspence masterfully, and while the murders are violent, they don’t feel gory, they don’t make me feel dirty.
• Top single: In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker
  A witchy magical realism with twists and turns, a mystery and a romance or two, and a happy ending.
• The story behind a rock album: Clockwork Angels by Kevin J. Anderson (and Neil Peart)
  The fantasy story that puts meat around the bones of the Rush album of the same title. An awesome story of its own worth, but a gem for a Rush fan
• The disappointment: The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss
  I though it would be good but it felt like experimental writing. The same love story, told twice. The magical twist is cool, but the execution was not what I expected, by how much I loved her series The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club (see favorite series at the end)
  

October – 11 books

Picks of the month:

• Top single: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
  Oh, the sweetness of this book! The warmth and the love!
• Klune of the month: Somewhere Beyond the Sea by
  The other top single, also the long-awaited sequel. Book 2 of the Cerulean Chronicles. Heart-warming story where love and caring win the day
• The slight disappointment: The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling
  I loved the first two books of the Ex Hex series, but this was not as good. Not bad, just not as good as I expected.

November – 12 books

Picks of the month:

• The long-awaited sequel: Now or Never by Janet Evanovich
  Book 31 of the Steph Plum series. Can’t believe how many there are already! New one out every year or so – I started reading Plums when I was pregnant with my younger kid who’s 21yo now. At that point, there were maybe 6 books out. It was love at first book and it’s never turned cold!
• The non-fiction: The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
  I didn’t even know she was a Broadway DANCER before becoming an actress! She does have that elegance, though, and her background lends a cool twist to her line in Dirty Dancing, when she comments to her husband that Baby probably gets it (the dancing, the moves) from her.
• The book I wanted to love but didn’t: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
  I don’t mind reading children’s books, like this one with the demography of about 12 year olds. This starter of a series was not bad, not even disappointing, I just didn’t love it as a I thought I would. I will get and read the other books as they come, for sure.

December – 10 books

Picks of the month:

• Top single: The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
  This most certainly IS fantasy, not even just magical realism. Amazing story, and well worth all the hype.
• The meh: The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
  The Pumpkin Spice Café (first book in the series) was a rather nice romance with a touch of mystery, but in this one, the storyline was just a lame excuse for the smut. And that’s just a bit boring to me. I’d rather watch 5 minutes of porn than read a book with no other content than smut.
• The book I wanted to love but didn’t: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
  A book I so wanted to love, but ended up merely liking, sort of. A cute story as it is, but a bit dragging and boring. At least it has a real sweet ending!
• The gothy mystery: Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
  Fabulous read, could’ve been a top single too.
• The disappointment: The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris
  Also a book I wanted to love but didn’t. The main character was just so STUPID! And the ending? I’m not sure it was all that satisfying.

The Top Lists of 2024

A lot of fantastic, fabulous reads in the year and not all of them got on the top list either, since I limited myself to 10. Skirted that a touch, though, by making a separate list of my favorite (complete, or as complete as they were this year) series 😉 So, the Top Lists, s’il vous plait:

Top Singles (may be part of a series, but singled out):

• Gothikana, by RuNyx
• A Market of Dreams and Destiny, by Trip Galey
• Elodie’s Library of Second Chances, by Rebecca Raisin
• Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, by Emma R. Alban
• A Letter to the Luminous Deep, by Sylvie Cathrall
• The Wishing Game, by Meg Shaffer
• In the Shadow Garden, by Liz Parker
• The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea, by TJ Klune
• The Lost Story, by Meg Shaffer

Top Series (as complete as they were by the end of 2024)

• Assistant to the Villain series by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (book 3 coming in Sept, 2025)
• Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett (book 3 coming in Feb, 2025)
• The Shepherd King series by Rachel Gillig
• The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series by Theodora Goss
• Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn

Been one heck of a reading year! On to the next one - Excelsior! as Veronica Speedwell would say.

P.S. Edit: one last book of the year and sneak peak to the next

I finished the excellent first book in the Lady Julia Grey series, Silent in the Grave, by Deanna Raybourn just before the year changed. Thus, I will start the new reading year with book 2, Silent in the Sanctuary in Kindle and The Wicked King (book 2 of The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black) in print (I’m maybe 70 pages in).