I try to carve out reading time from 8:30-9:30 every night and managed to read 87 books in 2024. Without over-thinking it, I skimmed through my list and picked out the books I remember loving as I read them or still find myself thinking about months later. 

A note about fiction books, specifically: Real with caution and wisdom. I don't necessarily endorse all of these; some probably have scenes I skipped over. I'm never above closing a highly-recommended book because it doesn't bring out the best of my heart and mind. I encourage you to do the same!

Fiction: 

The Wishing Game- Kind of like a grown up Willy Wonka. This book was a delight!

The Collected Regrets of Clover- A lovely and sweet novel about a death doula.

The Last Love Note- I'm careful about love stories, but this one was nice without being raunchy or alluring (to me, at least).

Once There Were Wolves- Please note the trigger warnings here. This was more eerie than I normal read, but I really enjoyed the story-- and the fascinating facts about wolves!

The Alice Network- About WW1 women spies, which I knew very little about. I enjoy Kate Quinn's writing. 

The Women- This spurred on lots of conversations with friends and family about the Vietnam War. I learned so much!

Real Americans- "Real Americans is a social novel par excellence that asks: Are we destined, or made? And if we are made, who gets to do the making? Can our genetic past be overcome?" Loved it. 

The God of the Woods- Also a little more eerie than I normally read, but I was captivated. 

Spiritual:

Practicing the Way- I didn't learn a ton of knew information from this book, but he summarized parts of Christianity in ways I hadn't been able to do on my own. It's particularly helped me communicate the Christian faith with my children more clearly. (His podcasts are also great.)

Rediscovering Israel- Such a helpful guide for understanding ancient Israel and reading scripture through its original lens.

Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools- The best prayer book I've read in a while. Real, raw, and encouraging. (Ditto on the podcasts.)

Family Read-Alouds: 

Where the Red Fern Grows- A classic that had all our boys on the seat of their pants and then making traps all over our yard. 

The Wild Robot- My kids all loved this-- and I think it was recently made into a movie. We read the first and second in the series. 

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street- My personal favorite. It was a great Christmas time read, but would be delightful year round. I loved how the children had to work together to problem solve. 

Holes- I remember loving this as a child, and it was just as good as an adult. We watched the movie as a family afterwards. 

Misc:

Baking School- Anyone else read cookbooks like books? This was full of helpful instructions and excellent recipes. 

The Third Gilmore Girl- What a joy to read more about Kelly Bishop's life! Makes me want to re-watch Gilmore Girls and some of her other works.