My gosh, I just love to read. So dang much! This past year I set a goal of 60 books, and at the start of the year I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. I inadvertently started the year by reading super long books (400+ pages) and thought I wasn’t going to recover. But, I did! I read a total of 67 books! I also started listening to some books on audiobook (non-fiction) during my drives to and from our kid swap every other weekend. So, that’s been a helpful addition. I set a goal for 2025 for 60 books, because I know we will be traveling a lot this summer. Any amount of books read is a win though, regardless of if I meet my goal! I’m also hoping to get more non-fiction books in this year, reading more books off my TBR list, and re-reading a couple of books I read within the last 5 years. Without further ado, here are the books I read in 2024!

The Stats

• 67 books
• 24,613 pages
• Longest book: 640 pages
• Average book length: 367 pages

The 2024 List

1. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
2. Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
3. Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
4. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
5. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
6. In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros
7. Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score
8. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
9. Confess by Colleen Hoover
10. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
11. Yours Truly by Abby Jiminez
12. Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
13. Part of Your World by Abby Jiminez
14. The Friend Zone by Abby Jiminez
15. The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jiminez
16. Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots by Mary Marantz
17. Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
18. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
19. Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
20. Check + Mate by Ali Hazelwood
21. Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood
22. The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
23. Paper Hearts by Courtney Walsh
24. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
25. In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren
26. Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
27. Funny Story by Emily Henry
28. Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers
29. Just for the Summer by Abby Jiminez
30. The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
31. Grit Don’t Quit by Bianca Juarez Olthoff
32. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
33. How to Love Teaching Again by Jamie Sears
34. Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
35. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
36. Roomies by Christina Lauren
37. The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
38. The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
39. Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score
40. Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serles
41. If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
42. By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
43. Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
44. The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
45. The Phonenix Crown by Kate Quinn + Janie Chang
46. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
47. Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren
48. The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
49. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
50. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
51. Home Front by Kristin Hannah
52. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
53. Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
54. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
55. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
56. This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
57. The Women by Kristin Hannah
58. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
59. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
60. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
61. Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
62. Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz
63. Sandwich by Catherine Newman
64. One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
65. Parenting, Getting It Right by Andy + Sandra Stanley
66. M is for Mama by Abbie Halberstadt
67. Take Back Your Family by Jefferson Bethke

My top fiction books

• In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros // I couldn’t put this one down. I really am loving Rebecca Yarros and her books!
• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros // Like most of the world, I’m obsessed with this series of hers, and this book was insane. I can’t wait to read the third one!
• The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren // I love Christina Lauren. They write with such a fun and witty style that I just can’t put down.
• Just for the Summer by Abby Jiminez // This was the “third” in a series, and it was wild. I loved it.
• The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center // I read this one so fast. I loved the premise and the execution of the book. There were several moments I laughed out loud.
• Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren // There’s a series of books that are being written as “re-makes” of Disney stories. This was one was loosely based on Tangled and my gosh, I didn’t want to put it down.
• Anything by Sarah Adams, Abby Jiminez, and Kristin Hannah are always an automatic yes for me. I haven’t read a book of theirs that I haven’t liked yet! Kristin Hannah books wreck me every single time, and am looking forward to reading more of hers.

My top non-fiction books

• Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots by Mary Marantz // I love Mary Marantz, and I feel like her books are always what my soul needs at the time. I highlighted all over this book and it was also just a beautiful book.
• Parenting, Getting It Right by Andy + Sandra Stanley // This might be one of my favorite parenting books of all time. It’s so good, the reading is easy and I love their style of writing. They really captured the essence of what I believe the goal of parenting should be.
• Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff // Another new fave parenting book. It was really interesting and eye-opening to see how other cultures have raised their kids so differently than we do in the US. It helped affirm things I’m already doing as a parent, and it was also challenging for my perspective on some things. I definitely recommend this one!

My least faves

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak // This one had such high ratings on GoodReads so I had higher hopes for it, but it was just such a long read to get into and it didn’t really feel like it came to any sort of resolution at the end. It was interesting, yes, but not something I’d tell someone “oh my gosh you HAVE to read this.”
• Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano // Interesting premise for the book, but it was just lacking in a lot of ways.
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig // I don’t know what it was about this one. This also had a lot of hype around it and it was just okay for me.

Tell me, what are the books I should read for 2025?! Also, let’s be friends on GoodReads?!

Linda is a Portland-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies from Portland to Boston and across New England. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com.

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