Published April 2026

2024 was the year I fully committed to fiction and did not apologize for any of it. I read or listened to 62 books, two of them out loud with my boys. A lot of them were romance novels. I regret nothing.

Here is what stood out and why.

Romance & Contemporary Fiction — The Escapism Section

I want to be upfront about this category. A big chunk of my 2024 reading was light, fun, quick fiction and that was entirely intentional. When you are managing work, family, and a household, sometimes your brain just needs a break. These books were the perfect mix-in for that.

I started the year by revisiting Emily Giffin. I had read her books in paperback while studying abroad in Europe in college and falling back into them felt like visiting somewhere familiar. Lovely to revisit.

From there I found myself going deep on certain authors. Abby Jimenez, Katherine Center, Emily Henry, Tessa Bailey, Cara Bastone, Sophie Cousens, and Ali Hazelwood all had me coming back for more. If you are looking for something easy and enjoyable that you can finish in a few listening sessions, any of these authors are a safe bet. Worth noting that the spice factor varies across these books — if you want to know what you are getting into before you start, romance.io gives you a clear picture without any spoilers. Everyone has their own taste so just because I enjoyed something does not mean it will be your thing too.

Literary Fiction — A Surprisingly Heavy Hitter Year

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is long and heavy and not a casual listen. But it sucked me in completely and I had to see it through. I am glad I did.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was one I really enjoyed — fair warning there is a talking dog, which was different for me and not something I will gravitate toward in the future. It did not make the book not worth reading though. And no, I have not watched the show. I started episode one after finishing the audiobook but decided not to commit the time since I already knew the plot.

For James by Percival Everett — I went into it not knowing the original Huckleberry Finn story at all. I enjoyed it but had a feeling I was missing something, so I went back and listened to Huck Finn right after. I was right — it added a lot of context. If you have not read Huck Finn either and are thinking about reading James, my vote is it doesn’t matter which order you read them in.

A Completely New Genre — Sci-Fi

I listened to Skyward by Brandon Sanderson on a recommendation from Janssen at Everyday Reading. She runs a free book club and compiles reading list that are responsible for a lot of what ends up on my TBR — worth following if you are always looking for the next good listen. The bonus with Skyward was being able to recommend it to Colton, who is currently 12 years old, he listened to it too and liked it. That alone made it worth it.

Historical & Eye-Opening Nonfiction

I did a year of Sharon McMahon’s (@SharonSaysSo) book club and a handful of these came from that. She pulls in relevant authors and topics I would not have picked for myself — which is exactly what a good book club does. I am not currently subscribed but I have thoughts on the experience if you are considering joining. Drop a comment or send me a message and I am happy to share more.

My favorite of the bunch was Unsavory Truth by Marion Nestle. I love the behind the scenes look you get in books like this — the kind of information that changes how you think about something you interact with every day. I am not a history buff but I am finding that I genuinely enjoy getting historical knowledge through narrative nonfiction, and several of these delivered exactly that.

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt felt particularly relevant given where we are with kids and screens right now.

Memoir

Special Characters by Laurie Segall hit differently because I got to hear her speak at a conference before I listened to the book. Hearing the behind the scenes details she shared both in person and in the book opened my eyes to some things I was not aware of.

First Gen by Alejandra Campoverdi had me finding parallels with my own life throughout. As a first gen myself, that one felt personal.

The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande is her memoir about immigrating from Mexico. I appreciate learning through other people’s first hand experiences that differ from my own — this one delivered that.

Personal & Professional Growth

Uptime by Laura Mae Martin was a quick listen and genuinely useful — and for goodness sakes, the author is a productivity expert at Google. If I am going to learn from someone on this topic, she has the authority and experience I am looking for. It is one I might go back and listen to again this year.

The Full 2024 Reading List

Every book I finished in 2024, linked for easy finding.

Romance & Contemporary Fiction

• Something Blue — Emily Giffin
• Baby Proof — Emily Giffin
• Love the One You’re With — Emily Giffin
• Something Borrowed — Emily Giffin
• Heart of the Matter — Emily Giffin
• The Friend Zone — Abby Jimenez
• Life’s Too Short — Abby Jimenez
• Part of Your World — Abby Jimenez
• The Bodyguard — Katherine Center
• Get Lucky — Katherine Center
• How to Walk Away — Katherine Center
• The Rom-Commers — Katherine Center
• Funny Story — Emily Henry
• Happy Place — Emily Henry
• Secretly Yours — Tessa Bailey
• The Au Pair Affair — Tessa Bailey
• Fix Her Up — Tessa Bailey
• Love Her or Lose Her — Tessa Bailey
• Tools of Engagement — Tessa Bailey
• Call Me Maybe — Cara Bastone
• Sweet Talk — Cara Bastone
• Love at First Psych — Cara Bastone
• The Good Part — Sophie Cousens
• This Time Next Year — Sophie Cousens
• Love, Theoretically — Ali Hazelwood
• Not in Love — Ali Hazelwood
• Bride — Ali Hazelwood
• Below Zero — Ali Hazelwood
• Two Can Play — Ali Hazelwood
• You, with a View — Jessica Joyce
• Summer Romance — Annabel Monaghan
• Body Check — Elle Kennedy
• Bad Girl Reputation — Elle Kennedy
• Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win — Jo Piazza
• The Good Sister — Sally Hepworth
• The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year — Ally Carter
• How to Age Disgracefully — Clare Pooley
• Dear Fahrenheit 451 — Annie Spence

Literary Fiction

• Demon Copperhead — Barbara Kingsolver
• The Women — Kristin Hannah
• Lessons in Chemistry — Bonnie Garmus
• James — Percival Everett
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — Mark Twain

Sci-Fi / Fantasy

• Skyward — Brandon Sanderson

Historical & Eye-Opening Nonfiction

• A Fever in the Heartland — Timothy Egan
• The Warmth of Other Suns — Isabel Wilkerson
• The Anxious Generation — Jonathan Haidt
• The Secret Life of Groceries — Benjamin Lorr
• Unsavory Truth — Marion Nestle
• Three Ordinary Girls — Tim Brady
• Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space — Adam Higginbotham

Memoir

• The Distance Between Us — Reyna Grande
• Special Characters — Laurie Segall
• First Gen — Alejandra Campoverdi
• Be Ready When the Luck Happens — Ina Garten
• Something Lost, Something Gained — Hillary Rodham Clinton

Personal & Professional Growth

• Uptime — Laura Mae Martin
• Life in Five Senses — Gretchen Rubin
• The PLAN: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius — Kendra Adachi
• Revenge of the Tipping Point — Malcolm Gladwell

Read Aloud

• The Wild Robot — Peter Brown
• The Wild Robot Escapes — Peter Brown

If you want to see where this reading journey started, check out What I Read 2020, What I Read 2023, and What I Read 2025.

Have any of these books been on your list or have any you’d recommend? Drop it in the comments — I am always looking for the next one.