Jalen Gooch

Photo by matthew Feeney on Unsplash

Reading has been a part of my life from as early as I can remember. Whether binging the Percy Jackson series in middle school or when it was my mom’s to read to my elementary school class, books have always had a special place in my heart.

I’m sure most young readers can relate to the experience of falling out of reading around starting high school or college. Whether this can be attributed to burnout, I’m not sure. All I know is that the busier my schedule got, the more reading seemed like another assignment.

At the beginning of every year, I promised myself that I would get back into reading, aiming to read 12 books by the end of the year. This endeavor usually ended with me giving up halfway through the year, with only one book half-finished to show for it.

Around my junior year of college, I began reading again. I was gifted a book by a family friend and felt obligated to finish reading the book so I could include what I had read in a thank-you note to them.

Surprisingly, setting aside time to read after a busy day of classes and coursework was not a chore. It was a much-needed mental break and a way to slow down that didn’t involve scrolling on my phone. 

Around the same time, I started reading more to impress someone. We don’t need to dwell on this too long, but the more books I read, the more I enjoyed reading (and the more I realized they were probably not the best person to look up to).

My goal of 12 books a year quickly jumped to 50 in 2023 and 60 in 2024 (which from the title you can see went very well). Reading has become a genuine source of joy in my life and I love finding out a friend has read the same book, or swapping books we think each other would enjoy.

In 2024, I read many great (and not-so-great) books. Each has expanded my worldview and taught me new things about myself and the people around me. If you have always wanted to get back into reading but aren’t sure where to start, hopefully, this list can serve as a starting point.

If you are an avid reader, I’d love to hear what books you enjoyed reading last year, so feel free to comment below! Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Honorable Mentions:

• Good Material | Dolly Alderton
• Circe | Madeline Miller
• The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga

For context, I’ve always jumped back and forth between nonfiction and fiction books, so you’ll find both in this list.

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10. The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It

This was one of the last books I read in 2024 and a must-read for anyone wanting to understand more about American politics. I picked up this book partly out of interest and partly knowing that Robert Reich was a bit of a celebrity at my university, so I had to read at least one of his books to understand the hype. The book dispels the illusion of the free market, exploring how over time, strategic policy changes have worked to increase the gap between the extremely wealthy and the average American, all under the illusion of a democracy.

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9. Gwen & Art are Not in Love 

I remember seeing this book in Barnes and Noble and thinking what a funny concept it was, but nothing could’ve prepared me for this book. I devoured it, spending an entire day just reading this book. The book has been described as Heartstopper meeting A Knight’s Tale. If you are looking for a feel-good, funny, fantasy romance book, I can not recommend this book more.

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8. Ghosts

Dolly Alderton will always be one of my favorite authors. In 2023, one of the last books I read was her best-selling memoir, Everything I Know About Love. I loved it so much, I knew I had to give her other books a chance. Instead of a memoir, Ghosts is a novel about a woman who finally meets the perfect man who seems to fill every gap in her life. Everything is perfect until out of the blue he ghosts her. This book beautifully explores finding love and dating in the 21st century, and just how difficult life can be in the early stages of adulthood. 

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7. Bunny

I had seen this book on Bookstagram, Barnes and Noble, and YouTube. Essentially everywhere. I had heard it was one of the most insane books people had ever read and I was equally intrigued and scared of what I would be getting myself into. Eventually, I bit the bullet and picked up the book, and what a whirlwind it was. This is one of those books, where going in blind makes it much more shocking and engaging (without spoiling too much, imagine Mean Girls mixed with Frankenstein). I’ve never been into horror, so reading this book and getting through a few scenes was a big challenge, but eliciting such visceral physical reactions out of me is a sign of a great author. 

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6. A Psalm for the Wild-Built

As you read earlier, I love Dolly Alderton and will not shut up about her books, so I let my friend borrow her memoir. In return, they gave me this book they had been reading every night before they went to bed and I fell in love with it. It’s a short, cozy read you can knock out in a single night.  You will love this book if you enjoyed The Wild Robot. The book follows a robot traveling alongside a tea monk, searching to answer “What do people need?”. It’s a beautifully written, heartwarming read that I will always remember.

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5. Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life

Tigers have always been my favorite animal (I even have one tattooed on my arm). So when I was walking through the gift shop at the SFMOMA, I immediately spotted the beautiful cover of this memoir by disability activist Alice Wong. I had heard of Disability Visibility, another piece by Wong, and I vowed to read it before the end of the year. The book is a series of essays, interviews, and even Twitter threads, showcasing Alice Wong’s journey in fighting against ableism and creating a safe community for disabled individuals to thrive. Along with Alice’s other works, this is a must-read.

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4. Educated

This was another book I had always seen and heard immense praise for but put it on the back burner. (Full transparency, I told my friends that I was afraid of reading this book because I thought for some reason it would convince me to want to go to grad school, which during this current chapter of my life is always a dangerous game). Within the first few pages of this book, I was hooked. I thought I knew the book’s premise going in, only to be completely wrong which made it all the more enjoyable. Tara Westover beautifully recounts her experience growing up with her family isolated in Idaho, and how pursuing higher education transferred not only herself but her relationship with her family and the world. This is another book I will always recommend and never forget. 

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3. The Memory Police

After hearing the premise of this book in a YouTube video, I immediately knew it would be a banger. In the best possible way, this felt like a book you would have been assigned to read in high school in that it is so beautiful and complex in ways your 16-year-old brain can’t comprehend, until one day when you’re older it all hits you. The book follows a young woman living on an island where one by one objects are disappearing. While most people will quickly forget what has been lost, certain community members don’t forget and live in fear of the Memory Police, an organization committed to ensuring that what has disappeared stays forgotten. This book is dystopian, with 1984 vibes, but in a new reimagined way.

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2. Solito

Similar to Educated, this was another book I had heard great things about but pushed off reading, but the moment I picked it up I was hooked. This is a must-read for anyone interested in reading a first-hand account of what it is like to migrate to the United States Furthermore, its power is amplified by being written through the eyes of the author as a young child. The book follows the author’s migration from El Salvador to reunite with his parents in the United States. This book will make your heart race and make you cry, all within a few pages. It is one of the greatest books of this century. 

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1. The House in the Cerulean Sea 

If you love Studio Ghibli, this book is for you. Every minute of this book felt like watching one of Miyazaki’s films, with all the heartwarming adventures, and loveable characters in between. The book follows Linus Baker, a Case Worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, who is sent to gather intel on an orphanage where six magical children reside. This undoubtedly has cemented its place as one of my favorite books, full of magic, humor, and the importance of found family.

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So, those are my top 10 favorite books of 2024. Let me know if you have read any of these books and what you think. I’d love to hear what your favorite books of 2024 are. I could talk about books for hours, so don’t hesitate to comment below!

Thank you for making it this far! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic so feel free to comment below or email me at funemployedera@gmail.com. Thanks again for reading and until next time. Take Care!