Books I read in 2024

I read 7 books in 2024. I would have loved to have read much more, but I don’t fell to bad about it –at least I didn’t stop reading this year! All books were fiction and except for one in Spanish the rest were in English. I do feel like I accomplished something here as I’ve being able to read literature in English more easily.

For the reviews I’m using Goodreads score system. One star is the only score I would considered negative. 3 stars and up are books I would recommend:

Circe - Madeline Miller

This is the second book I’m reading from the author. The previous one, “The Song of Achilles” is also a retelling of greek myths and it is as good or even better than the former. For this one the story is told from the point of view of the god Circe. I was captivated from the get-go to the point of not wanting to put it away.

5 stars

1984 - George Orwell

I’ve been wanting to read this classic for a while and I must say it didn’t disappoint. Still as relevant nowadays.

4 stars

Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Fascinating science fiction odyssey. Throughout the story subjects like evolution, artificial intelligence and religion intertwine in a way that is profoundly touching and brilliant at the same time.

5 stars

The Vegetarian - Han Kang

I had never read a Korean book before so I was motivated to read Han Kang’s work after the announcement of the Nobel Prize. It has a direct style that I enjoy and allows to be read very easily. But at the same it is impactful in its meaning and the exploration of human relationships.

4 stars

Laurie - Stephen King

This was an easy read, which is not a surprise coming from King. It is overall sweet, although it does have some thrilling moments in the vein of the most known style from him. It is a good palate cleanser if you ever need it from a more demanding reading.

3 stars

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

I was glad to see that this was available in Apple Books free audiobooks collection read by Levar Burton. And as we were approaching Christmas time it seem like the perfect opportunity to give it a try. I’m glad I choose the audiobook. I feel like it would have being a challenging read otherwise, Dickens writing is not precisely straightforward and I’m not a native speaker. Although I did have to go back from time to time it’s easier to keep me focused using this format.

3 stars

Las damas de Shanghai: En busca de Doris Lessing - Marian Izaguirre

This a short account of the life of the writer Doris Lessing without getting into to much detail. It was OK, but not particularly remarkable. In a positive note it did spark my curiosity about the main character whom I haven’t heard of before and has made me motivated to try and read some of her work in the future.

2 stars

I hope to read more and be more consistent in my reading schedule during 2025. I also want to do a small review every time I finish a book so I can capture the feeling righ after reading and details are still fresh instead of after weeks or months have already passed.

I don’t have a reading list at the moment, but I will probably read another book my Madeline Miller or from another author that does this kind of retelling of classical myths. In that same vein of trying the same kinds of books that I’ve most enjoyed I will probably read “Children of Run” which is the second book in the series started by “Children of Time”.