Top 8 Books of 2024 – Year in Review (Part 1)
Welcome to the 2024 Year in Review series!!!
For those who have been with Mindscape in Words long enough, would know that every year I share a few posts in a series called ‘Year in Review’. And, for those who started following me recently, you are in for a treat this year. 2024 was insane so the yearly review is also going to be insane. I feel like I got nothing done, but when I began reflecting, I realized that I actually got a lot done! Yes, I couldn’t complete even 5 of the 30 under 30 things. But what I lacked completing from the preplanned activities, I completed with impromptu activities.
My plan was to read 90 books, write 50 posts, learn 12 recipes, participate in a walkathon, go to a bakery workshop, go on one solo trip, paint 6 times, learn how to drive and many more. But, this year has been one driven by work. Ever since I was promoted to a leadership position, there has been a shift in the very nature of what I do every day. This happened in a way where I was not able to leave work after work, so it left me emotionally exhausted. I found less time to read. Even when I had the time to read, I couldn’t focus. And when I was actually reading, my mind wandered endlessly.
Because 2024 was a lot about work, I am struggling to write this post. Reviews are easier to write because you are basing them on something tangible. But posts like these are harder and there is a thin line between insights and ramblings. The irony is that I have easily written ‘difficult content’ for work with the help of Generative AI. So, by now it has become an instinct to put in a prompt and seek help whenever the page in front of me is blank. But, doing that for my blog is something I will never be able to do. Readers read and writers write. I am a reader and a writer, which makes relying on ChatGPT for my blog a heinous crime. So, I am hoping you find these words insightful and not just ramblings.
Now on to the first post with the best books I read in 2024!
~~TOP 8 BOOKS OF 2024~~
This year I have read less, both in quantity and in some ways, also in quality. I didn’t read my favorite genre of wartime historical fiction at all this year because I couldn’t find that emotional bandwidth. When I was not able to reach my goal, I resorted to reading shorter books or hyped books with a fast pace or graphic novels. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best decision. It never is. I knew I wouldn’t reach 80 books like the previous two years (2023 & 2022), so I decided to read whatever I can whenever I can with no goal. But, since majority of the year was behind me, I couldn’t even find ten books which I loved or even 5+ books with a 5-star rating, and that’s just sad.
I read 50 BOOKS across 13961 PAGES. I loved 8 books, which made to the top of the list. If you haven’t read these, you really should!
~~THE GLASS PALACE by AMITAV GHOSH~~
I read The Glass Palace in January, when there is no weight of reading goals. I loved this 500 page novel set in Burma during the British invasion of 1885. The story is woven with such meticulous detail that you can’t help but feel like these characters are in your life and you are living the story along with them. I have become a fan of Amitav Ghosh’s writing, and plan to read all his novels soon! I have rated The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh at 5/5 stars!
~~DAYTRIPPER by FÁBIO MOON AND GABRIEL BÁ~~
Daytripper is a graphic novel that came into my life very randomly and created a lasting impression. I have never been so obsessed over a graphic novel before. If you decide to read just one book in a year, I believe it should be this one. This book made me realize how life is a fickle thing and how we never know which day could be our last. It’s dark! Yes, but it’s also such an eye-opener. The book also talks about grief in complicated ways. This book has so many layers in the content and is displayed so vibrantly in beautiful colors and perfect expressions on the characters’ faces. Because of this, the darkness of mortality never really becomes depressing, instead becomes inspiring. I have rated Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá at 5/5 stars!
~~WHALE by CHEON MYEONG-KWAN~~
Whale was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize this year. It’s been a long time since I lost interest in certain awards, but I like this one because it gives me a chance to explore translated literature. So, I read Whale and I loved it! The moment you start reading Whale, you are immediately immersed in its powerful fast-paced storytelling that describes a life with lyrical prose, unforgettable characters, vivid imagery and emotional fulfilment. If you are tired of reading intellectual books and simply want to go back to pure story telling bliss, you should pick this up. I have rated Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan, translated by Jae Won Chung at 5/5 stars!
~~THE COMPLETE MAUS by ART SPIEGELMAN~~
Here’s another graphic novel in my top eight! Maus is the kind of book which everyone has heard of, knows what it is about, but might not have necessarily read it. If you are in that category, you should really read this book. This book, which is the first and only graphic novel to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, is acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” and I completely agree. What has come across pointingly in art and words has left a forever impact on me. I have rated The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman at 5/5 stars!
~~WELCOME TO THE HYUNAM-DONG BOOKSHOP by HWANG BO-REUM~~
I have read way too many cozy fiction novels lately, but Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop tops them all. I think what I found most poignant about the writing was how the book exactly mirrored life. Some things don’t make sense in the present. But when you look back, you realize how it was all connected. Reading this book also made me realize how it’s okay to live your life the way you want. Just because you’re not hustling or working 80-hour weeks, doesn’t mean what you’re doing is devoid of passion or is unimportant. If it makes you happy, it’s important. If you are yet to read this genre, you should start with this book for sure. I have rated Welcome to The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan at 4.5/5 stars!
~~INSTRUMENTS OF TORTURE by APARNA UPADHYAYA SANYAL~~
I had not anticipated to like Instruments of Torture, much less expected it to land in the top eight, but I love such happy surprises. A compilation of eight short stories, each talking about a medieval torture device and brilliantly connecting it to modern-day torture, this book implores us to see how forced physical torture of the past has become self-imbibed mental torture of the now, some times with exact correlation and some times with a subtle parallelism. I have rated Instruments of Torture by Aparna Sanyal at 4.5/5 stars!
~~THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS by JANICE HALLET~~
I have read epistolary fiction before, and I have enjoyed it a lot. It’s a new fun way of reading a mystery. Naturally, I was keen on reading Janice Hallet’s novels. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was the first book of hers which I read, and really enjoyed. It was not cozy, nor was it detective fiction and it was also not action based criminal mystery. Maybe that’s why I loved it so much. It’s fresh and unlike any mystery novel I have read before. It’s unpretentious and simply marvellous. I have rated The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett at 5/5 stars!
~~THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by MATT HAIG~~
Matt Haig is one of my favorite authors. He can take any mundane topic and make it into an fascinating story with complex characters you’ll love or love to hate. The Life Impossible is the story where 72-year-old Grace Winters makes an unpredictable move to Ibiza, where her old friend Christina had left her a bungalow after her death, and at the centre of it all is magical realism. Of course with all of this, there are so many feelings and emotions swirling around to make you reflect on a lot of things in your own life. I have rated The Life Impossible by Matt Haig at 4/5 stars!
~~STATISTICS~~
Now, I know StoryGraph does an amazing job with reading graphs, so I use them for my monthly wrapup posts. But, I also do an amazing job with graphs, so just for the yearly review, I do them on my own. Though my reading reduced a lot, the central aspect of mood reading stayed the same, with most books being emotional, reflective and dark. There were 15 books which I rated at 4 stars and only 2 at 1 star. My translated reads and diverse reads remain high. I again read a lot of e-books his year. But, overall these reading statistics are just for fun, and not to look at patterns, so here they are!
So, that’s all for the reading recap of the year. Below are the mandatory list of all of the books I read from Goodreads Recap. I will be back tomorrow to share the Top 10 TV Shows & Top 15 Movies of 2024! Stay tuned!
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.