I ranked all 36 books I read this year

What can I say, I love a list

I have set a reading goal every year for the past five, but it isn’t something I’m actively thinking about throughout my year. I’ve never sought out short books or read a book just so I could reach this randomly chosen value that will encapsulate 12 months of my life. However, I always start out each year with the goal to read more. To read more than just books: articles, newsletters anything really to enrich myself and get me to spend less time scrolling on my phone.

It’s hard to say what exactly changed within my life that got me to read 1800% (not a typo, 36 is just 18x the value of 2 which is the amount of books I read in 2022) more books than I did the year before. I went from being a student to working 9 hour shifts 5 days a week, so I wouldn’t necessarily say I had much more free time, but I did change my habits.

It is believed that you need to do something for 30 days to make it a habit. I’ve also read that if you start a habit by setting a ridiculously small goal, like reading one sentence a day, you’re more likely to do it because it would be silly if you didn’t complete such a simple task. But, that didn’t work for me.

What did work for me was redirection. Redirecting my habits from picking up my phone to picking up a book. There is a surprising amount of down time in our lives in which we are looking at our phones. So, instead of scrolling on Instagram on the bus I read for that 15 minute ride. On my lunch break at work I read my book. When I got home I read on the couch instead of turning on the TV.

I also read what I wanted to read. I didn’t read with a yearly goal in mind and if I got to a point in a book where I wasn’t enjoying myself, I put it down and started something else. More often than not, I came back to it and finish it because that’s just how I am, but it was super helpful for maintaining consistency in this new habit.

Another thing that helped me increase the number of books I read in a year was my never ending desire to go to bookstores. They became my third space. I would go to Lost City Books at least once a week. It’s the best bookstore I’ve ever been to and I miss it dearly. The bookstores in Fairfield county do not compare. Their selection of books is so well curated that anything I picked up blindly off the shelf I could confidently say this is s going to be good.

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Before we dive into my list I want to say that this is just a fun way to look back on what I read over the past year and see how they stack up amongst each other. I love leaving star ratings for the books (and movies) I consume because I think it’s a fun way to look back at something and know how I was feeling in that exact moment. This isn’t the end all be all. Okay, without further ado:

let’s f*cking gab

1. Either/Or by Elif Bautman — This is the sequel to her novel The Idiot. The two novels follow Svetlana as she completes her freshmen and sophomore years at Harvard. Her perspective is intriguing, funny and personable. I would read books from her point of view for forever which is why it takes the number one spot of all the books I read this year.

2. The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante — I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the movie so much. The book is just as good and I wish I had read it before watching the movie just so that I didn’t know what was going to happen next. If you haven’t seen the movie you should watch it, but read the book first.

3. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller — I’ve had my copy of this book for years and never got around to it because Greek Mythology isn’t really my thing so I didn’t think this would land for me, but boy was I wrong. I thought A Little Life would be the only book that could make me sob, but Madeline Miller proved me wrong and she did it beautifully.

4. My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley — This is such a good quick read about a tumultuous mother daughter relationship and is a book I think about often.

5. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain — I love Bourdain’s writing style so much. He’s detailed, funny and what he writes will stick with you. I will forever think about how disgusting the concept of brunch is and will never order fish on a Monday.

6. The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath — This was my first time reading this classic and I think I’ll read it every year at least once from this point forward.

7. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner— I read a lot of books this year about mother daughter relationships and this one had the most vividly beautiful and devastating imagery of them all.

8. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart — This book tells a powerful story about the forbidden young queer love between Mungo and James in Glasgow. Stuart builds an immersive world for the reader that enhances the devastating life of young Mungo.

9. Snowflake by Louise Nealon — This is Nealon’s literary debut and it’s a coming of age story about 18-year-old Debbie. She is in her first year at Trinity College and is trying to find the balance between her intricate home life and the new person she is becoming outside of that bubble. Following Debbie as she discovers more about herself and her family in this novel is a beautiful read.

10. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai — This story is told in two different time lines: Chicago during the AIDS epidemic in the mid to late 80s and Paris in 2015. The story is told from the perspective of Yale as he and his friends navigate their lives morbidly after their close friend Nico’s passing and from Nico’s sister Fiona’s perspective as she tries to locate her estranged daughter. At first, it’s hard to see how the two stories will intersect, but it’s well worth the journey.

11. Just Kids by Patti Smith — She tells the story of her early life in New York City in the early 70s with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe and she does it spellbindingly. (And it made me cry)

12. The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer — I was hooked from the very beginning. The way the author writes about particular freshmen year experiences gave me visceral reactions. The protagonist is Natalie. She is young, apathetic, timid and unknowing. One day in the park she meets Nora who is older, flirtatious, persistent and knowing. What ensues is a captivating story.

    

13. Thirst for Salt by Madeline Lucas — This one started off slow, but when it picked up I couldn’t put it down. The protagonist is an unnamed 24-year-old on holiday with her mother when she meets a man on the beach her mothers age. What follows is a complex story about two different kinds of love and how they develop overtime. I didn’t read much romance this year, and this isn’t your typical romance book, but it was a fun alternative.

14. Autumn by Ali Smith — I have never read a book like this one before. The first chapter takes you through a dream that one of the two main characters is having. It’s bizarre on its own and definitely a bizarre way to start a book, but what follows is a story about the beautiful and unlikely friendship between two people.

15. The Crucible by Arthur Miller — An incredibly random read, but when I found a beautiful copy of it in a used bookstore I had to buy it. When I was in seventh grade my middle school did a production of The Crucible, so all my knowledge about this story was from playing one of the Girls. I had never read a play before, but reading this one makes me want to try more.

16. Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker — Originally published in 1962, this book has such an interesting tone and perspective. It follows Cassandra as she returns home for her twin sisters marriage which she isn’t very thrilled about. Cassandras internal monologue is engrossing and I highly recommend you check this one out.

17. Big Swiss by Jen Beagin — I remember reading this on my lunch break at work and I was really (more than usual) looking forward to my shift ending so that I could go home and continue reading. The cover is so pretty, it draws you right in and once you read the description on the back you’re convinced you need to take it home, and you should.

18. Second Place by Rachel Cusk — The second place in this novel is a cottage on the narrator’s marsh in rural France. The narrator, M, is unsatisfied with her life as a wife and mother and invites the artist, L, to stay in her second place over the summer to work. Cusk is an amazing world builder; there are images from this book that linger in my head even still.

19. The Awakening by Kate Chopin — This is one of the only books that sticks out in my memory from what I “read” in high school. I wanted to do it justice and actually read it and I enjoyed myself. The origin story of the dysfunctional female protagonist.

20. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh — Nobody is doing it like my girl Ottessa Moshfegh!!! Her ability to create these fascinating characters in the modern world is so cool. The unnamed narrator is so hard to describe so you’ll just have to read it.

21. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid — This was an easy read, and I was going to also say fun, but it wasn’t fun because some of these characters and their decision making made me so annoyed: both the authors choices and the narrative choices.

22. Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh — I started reading this book when i was at the beach and had to put it to the side because it had fall vibes. So even though we’re quite far away from the fall season, I recommend you wait, it’s worth it.

23. Outline by Rachel Cusk — This is the first in book in The Outline trilogy. It follows a writer as she travels through Athens for a writing workshop and tells the stories of the many people she meets along the way. The narrator isn’t seeking out all these people and their stories, they’re just drawn to her like a sort of magnet. Because there is no centralized plot it’s a little hard to stay in it, but the bookseller told me that the second in the series was his favorite so I’m looking forward to continuing the trilogy in the new year.

24. The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells — Originally published in German, the novel is centered around three siblings years after the passing of their parents. Focusing on the youngest Jules, the story follows his family, his friends, his past and his present, making the plot pretty dense.

    

25. Bunny by Mona Awad — This book makes me feel the same way I did about Don’t Worry Darling: disappointed because there was so much potential there! Both are psychological thrillers that have really great bones but missed the mark for me.

26. The Secret History by Donna Tartt — This was the longest book I read this year at 576 pages and the first 380 are not it. Of course what’s in those pages is crucial to the plot line moving forward, the part I actually enjoyed, but it drags on like crazy. However, I’m glad I persevered and finished it because the last third I enjoyed.

27. Mona by Pola Oloixarac — This novel is a wild ride. It was so crazy, that I honestly can’t remember all that much of it.

28. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante — This is the first book in the Neapolitan Quartet, which people seem to go absolutely crazy for and I don’t understand why. This book is so long and the ones following it are even longer. A long book isn’t a bad thing, but it is when the plot just drags on and on. I love Ferrante’s writing style, but I think I like it better in her shorter work like The Lost Daughter.

29. Difficult Loves By Italio Calvino — A collection of short stories about an assortment of romantic relationships; some I really loved and will revisit, others no.

30. Slow days, fast company by Eve Babitz— I was talking with a friend who has also read a few Eve Babitz books and what we’ve realized is: while we’re reading we’re not having a very enthralling experience, but we do look back on her novels once were finished with admiration.

31. First Love by Gwendonline Riley — Not as well written as the previously mentioned book of hers. That, plus the subject matter of an awfully real awful relationship made it a little hard to get through.

32. LA Woman by Eve Babitz— I am not a LA Woman™️, so it just didn’t land for me, but it did make me laugh.

33. The Guest by Emma Cline — There are books that stress you out in a fun and distracting way and then there’s this. The main character doesn’t feel right to me and I think that is at the fault of the authors voice in this book.

34. Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion— I’m sorry Joan Didion fans, I don’t think I’ll ever understand the desert enough.

35. Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados— I’m tired of reading about the feeling female characters get when they don’t eat all day and it felt like that was all that this book was about.

36. Glossy by Melissa Meltzer— You’ve heard me talk about this before, it has an awful tone and is factually incorrect which lands it as the worst thing I’ve read this year.

    

I haven’t picked a value of books I’d like to read in 2024, but I’m aiming for at least 35 again. I also want to read more non-fiction and buy more second hand books next year.

If you’ve read any of these please let me know what you thought about them, share any of your favorite books you’ve read this year and leave any recommendations in the comments!

Xx,

Gabbie