I use Goodreads to track my reading habits and, similar to Spotify, they do a year-end data wrap-up called "My Year in Books." For 2024, my average rating for books was 1.9 stars out of 5, which is lower than last year of 2.1 stars. However, that includes the books I did not finish or skimmed. If we exclude those, my overall rating is 3.27 out of 5 stars.
Longest, Highest-Rated, and Best Book of the Year
The Will of the Many by James Islington (2023)
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 4.62 out of 5 stars
The Will of the Many was nominated for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards for Fantasy. Even though I read it in January, nothing else this year could come close to how much fun the book was to read. How good the sequels are will affect my overall rating for the series, but so far, this was great and the sequel is my most anticipated read for 2025. It currently has the highest "Goodreads rating," so it'll be interesting to see if it's high rating maintains as the sequels get published.
The Will of the Many is also the longest book I read, but that's a function of being a picky book reader. If I don't like a book, I will return it, no matter if I'm in the first page or the second-to-last chapter. If I finished a book, it's either because I really liked it or it was a book club pick. It was still short at 639 pages compared to my longest book of 2023, Fire and Song by Bryce O'Connor at 1049 pages.
Least Popular and Shortest Book I Read
La planète mauve et autres nouvelles by Safia Ketou (1983)
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 3.60 out of 5 stars
I read this book as part of my World Book Challenge. Safia Ketou is considered the first Algerian author of science fiction and her work is largely out of print, so it's not a surprise her stuff isn't wide read. That's a shame as I found her main short story to be enjoyable, like an old Star Trek episode. You can read an English translation of it here. Currently, I am 1 of 2 reviews with 19 shelves in total, which is more than last year's A Tale of Two Thieves where I am 1 of 1 review with 14 total shelves.
Most Popular Book I Read
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (2020)
My Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 3.99 out of 5 stars
Popularity is calculated by everyone who has marked the book as "read" and "want to read" on Goodreads. This book was released in 2020 and won the Goodreads Award and British Book Award for Fiction. It's a novel in the style of other magical realist stories about the meaning of life like The Alchemist or The Little Prince. I did not enjoy it all, but I understand why it's popular.
Oldest Book I Read
Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 4.15 out of 5 stars
This had been on my to-read list for awhile and it was a great read, but not by favorite Austen.
Newest Book I Read
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch (October 2024)
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
This was a book club pick by Sarah and encouraged by me since we both had gotten advertisements and hype by the new release. Sadly, it didn't live up to what I wanted and I'll be skipping the sequel, but it was a fun time for book club.
What was the best book you read this year?
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