Hellooooo! 2024 flew by for me. What a crazy year. And 2025 is not showing up to be less crazy so far. Writing on this blog was not a priority for me in 2024. Mostly because 2024 ended up becoming a pivotable year: from moving twice, to going through one logistically devastating breakup and entering a new relationship, including losing one job and starting a new one, losing a home, taking charge of my health, and also traveling to different areas of the United States. It was a year of change and growth, and I’ll forever be grateful for having gone through everything I did. Though would love to not go through some of those moments again.

I don’t get too personal on here, but I thought I’d share a bit more than normal to explain where I’ve been as my last review was earlier in 2024. And it’s a wrap-up and reflective blog post, so it does not need to be so central. Moving forward though, this blog might grow into a new area of how I share my thoughts and life, especially with all the changes we may witness over the course of 2025. Who knows though honestly, it might be this time next year in 2026 when I post again.

I wanted to take some time to share some of my notable and favorite reads from 2024. I read 31 books in 2024, a lot less than average. The named events mentioned above contributed to this lowering, but I still had a couple books stand out. Through my life changes in 2024, I was able to appreciate reading more. Reading, learning and engaging with someone else’s story or a subject helped me get outside my life and into a place that allowed me to grow more and learn new ideas. The below are in no particular rank or order.

Honorable mentions that you should check out later:

• Rouge by Mona Awad
• Funny Story by Emily Henry
• Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
• All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

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Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (2024)

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Sierra Greer
2024 (Mariner Books)
Pages: Audiobook
Genres: Science Fiction, Feminism, Literary Fiction
CW: Sexual Assault, Emotional Abuse, Cheating, AI, Sexism, Sexual Content

Why did this book stand out to me? Annie Bot haunted me even after I stopped reading. It’s a wonderful novel of speculative science fiction that borders on eerie. The story is told through the perspective of an artificially intelligent, humanoid robot named Annie, who is designed to be for her owner, Doug’s, sexual pleasure and also as his girlfriend. She feels, grows and learns through her relationship with Doug, and the reader lays witness to the growth and realization Annie goes through as her relationship with Doug meets challenges and growth. The whole time Annie is not a typical woman, or written as one. And as we watch Doug take advantage of and use Annie because he views her as lesser than him, I found myself rooting for her as though she were human, and hoping the parallels to real women was not the case. But it turns out, I believe that was the case. Most human women go through similar realizations and revelations like Annie as they grow up in this society, and it broke my heart every time something would happen to Annie. The novel examines womanhood and what it means to be truly free. I cannot highly recommend this one enough. Reading it brought on feelings of discomfort, but honestly I felt like that was the point. Go read it.

Water & Salt by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha (2017)

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Lena Khalaf Tuffaha
2017 (Red Hen Press)
Pages: 96 (paperback)
Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry, Arab
CW: Arab Diaspora, Refugees, Military, War, Grief, Mentions of Violence

Why did this book stand out to me? This book of poetry drew me in after the first couple poems. This collection evoked a lot of bittersweet emotion that I highly recommend, and was wholly unexpected. The author’s themes stem from Palestinian experience of displacement and general Arab diaspora of the area, and afterwards arriving to the United States. The collections are divided into three different eras of the poet’s subject matter. Some of the poems’ motions and feelings are to me often uncomfortable and unimaginable, perhaps it’s because as someone who lives in the United States they’re not what I have experienced on any scale. They were overall heartbreaking and beautiful in language. I’m not an expert on poetry so I cannot go into a lot of detail, but highly recommend if you’re interested into diving into literature and voices focusing on the Palestinian or Arab experience. My personal favorites were “Newsworthy” and “Instructions for Making Arabic Coffee”.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter (2024)

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Ally Carter
2024 (Macmillan)
Pages: Audiobook
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Romance, Holidays
CW: Sexual Content, Divorce, PTSD, Mentions of Violence/Murder

Why did this book stand out to me? This might seem unexpected, but I love whodunit mysteries, especially with two characters who have great chemistry and that’s exactly what this book was, but with more romance. Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt are two authors who write different genres of novels, and they’re also different in every other way. Represented by the same publisher, though they do not always get along. They are invited to one of the world’s most famous murder mystery author’s, Eleanor Ashley, estate in rural England for Christmas. Eleanor Ashley is Maggie’s writing idol, and she is excited for the chance to meet her. Until Eleanor goes missing three days before Christmas and none of the other guests know what happened to her. Maggie and Ethan take it upon themselves to figure out what happened to Eleanor even though the local detective who is called in does not want their help. This was an unexpectedly super fun murder mystery with great dialogue and a great story. I was glued to this one from beginning to end and highly recommend if you’re looking for a well-written murder mystery with a fun romance.

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer (2024)

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Marcus Kliewer
2024 (Bantam)
Pages: 312 pages (HC)
Genres: Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Mystery
CW: Strong Horror Elements, Family Trauma, Violence, Strong Language, Christian Fundamentalism

Why did this book stand out to me? Oh my goodness, if you like horror/thrillers, go read this book. One of the most chilling stories I’ve ever read and absolutely left me guessing until the very end. The story started as a Reddit horror short story, where it won the 2021 Scariest Story of the Year award, which eventually turned into a full-length novel (source). A young queer couple, Charlie and Eve, buy a fixer-upper home in rural Oregon to flip. One night, a family passing through shows up asking if they can tour the house, as the father used to live there when he was a boy. Eve reluctantly lets them in. Mysterious events start occurring in the house, and Eve knows there is something dreadfully wrong with the family who keep finding excuses not to leave. The story turns into a kind of nightmare for Charlie and Eve, and I literally did not see the ending coming. Seriously, if you’re looking for a frightening story that builds suspense and intrigue in a harrowing way, this is the book. It’s also incredibly well-written. One of my favorite reads in 2024. I talked a lot about this one with the people in my life (maybe a little too much…).

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (1995)

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Jacqueline Harpman
1995 (Transit Books)
Pages: 208 (Paperback)
Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Classics
CW: Imprisonment, Survival, Women’s Issues, Mentions of Violence

Why did this book stand out to me? Where do I begin. This classic dystopian was equally shocking and powerful to read. A group of 39 women live underground in a prison, watched over by male guards for no known reason or purpose. The story focuses on the youngest, an unnamed narrator, who has no memory of life before unlike the rest of them. All she knows of life is within captivity and from the little information the other women tell her. This is a story of survival, women and discovery. This book was incredibly powerful to read, especially as a woman. I was absolutely speechless and heartbroken by the end, and I couldn’t stop thinking about this story. This is a classic for a reason, and I would highly recommend it. And especially if reading feminist works is important to you.

_Elizabeth

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