Julia’s 2024 Reading Roundup
The time has come, and I know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats.
I’m introducing you to Reading Round Up, but instead of having AI technology give a half assed summary of what I’ve read this year (cough cough Spotify) I’m going to break down my last year of reading for you.
So let’s get into it!
I’ve graduated from Goodreads to StoryGraph, so make sure to follow me there if you want :)
My goal this year was to read 50 books, but due to my extreme addiction to fanfiction and Instagram, I didn’t reach my goal.
When I realized I wasn’t going to hit 50 books, I lowered my goal to 40, but here I am not with two weeks left in the year, and I only just finished my 30th book.
Instead of being disappointed, I’m trying to be proud of myself for reading in general.
Off the top of my head, I can recall three massive reading slumps that impacted my reading goals. I also know the exact cause of each slump and it’s all the same thing.
I Started the year hoping to expand my genres. I’ve become a heavy romance reader, and entering 2024 I wanted to try to read less romance and more general fiction and nonfiction.
Did I succeed in doing that? Yes! I’ve read way more historical fiction, science fiction, and general fiction than I ever have.
Did I read multiple books that I didn’t enjoy or ended up not finishing? Yes!
While my goal to expand my genre taste was a good one, I let it stop me from reading what I enjoy, and that’s a problem. The main reason I read is to enjoy myself, so why was I punishing myself and not letting myself read what I wanted to read? I don’t know!
Going into the new year, I plan to continue reading out of my comfort zone but still allow myself to read whatever the hell I want, and I implore you to do the same.
MY MISTAKE EVERYONE HER LAST NAME IS KIMMERER
After 24 years of not having a solid answer for who my favorite author is, I’m happy to announce that 2024 helped me figure this out.
I finished Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer early 2024 and have probably thought about this book once a week since then.
I started her new book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, a couple of nights ago, and instantly felt soothed by her beautiful writing.
While her writing is lyrical and poetic, her mind is also brilliant. She puts her thoughts into words so simply and makes it seem like the easiest thoughts in the world.
So as of December 2024, I’m announcing Robin Wall Kimmerer as my favorite author.
I don’t usually read science fiction and this year I waded into the sci fi waters, and I’m so glad I did. This series hands down has become my top series I’ve read in years and is the series I recommend the most.
I’ll never stop talking about how much I love Red Rising and Darrow and Pierce Brown (probably because he’s so hot)!
Read my Red Rising series review to read more of my thoughts.
Rereading is by far my favorite hobby EVER! Last year, I reread so many of my favorite books, read my blog about them, but this year I didn’t reread as much as I usually do.
It’s rare that I don’t reread at least one Sarah J Maas book a year, but this year I didn’t. Maybe that’s what happens when you grow up a little.
Instead of SJM, I reread the romance book of all romance books: The Fault In Our Stars. While I did reread some other books, this was by far my favorite reread.
I Was nervous that after ten years from first reading it, the book would seem immature and lame. Instead, it reminded me that John Green deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for writing this book.
Read my Fault In Our Stars review if you want to hear more of my thoughts.
The Fellow travelers TV Show with Jonathon Bailey and Math Bromer had me in a chokehold this year. The show was everything my gay little heart wanted in a tv show. When I found out it was a book, I immediately bought and read it.
Trust me when I say I was devastated to realize that while the tv show was a delicious story about gay history and romance, the book was a watered down, boring historical fiction book.
Instead of diving deep into Hawke and Tim’s epic and tragic love story, the book dove into boring pieces of history that I didn't need nor care to know about.
Read my book review about Fellow Travelers for more of my thoughts
Now, when I say most surprising, I mean I had absolutely NO IDEA this book was coming out.
The All for The game series is one you’ve probably never heard of, and for good reason.
It’s a queer sports mafia series with emotionally disturbed characters, ridiculous plotlines, and unrealistic character traits. Truthfully, it’s probably one of the worst series I’ve ever read, and yet, I read fanfics about the characters every night before I go to sleep.
This is the fourth book in the series and no one in the fandom knew the author was releasing it.
I happened to be scrolling through All for The Game twitter randomly one day and realized everyone was tweeting about a new book. So of course, I instantly downloaded it and read it in a day.
This was by far the best book in the series. The author’s writing has grown a lot since the last book she published.
Was it as ridiculous as the other three books? Yes. Am I hoping and begging that she writes a fifth book? Yes.
If you’re somehow intrigued by this book, PLEASE READ IT. I need someone to talk about these characters with.
(9+ books)
(if you’re my uncle or a virgin, maybe skip this section)
((it’s a little explicit))
(((but this is my blog so I can literally write whatever I want)))
I’m really outing myself as a freako reader with this post, but it would be dishonest to do a reading wrapped and not talk about my favorite genre.
Though I read mostly romance, I very rarely ever read straight romance anymore.
It’s not because I hate straight people. It’s because of the epidemic of stupid millennials writing the most unhinged, unrealistic, and misogynistic romance books.
It’s basically impossible for me to pick up a straight romance book where the man doesn’t call the girl babygirl or darling. And don’t even get me started on the sex scenes these psychos are writing. They’re so bad you’d think they’d never been touched by someone sexually in their lives.
If I have to read one more book where a vagina is referred to as “her dripping sex,” I’ll off myself.
I stumbled upon gay hockey romance about two years ago when I was going through a breakup and was severely depressed.
I found the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid, and truthfully, I’ve never been the same.
There’s something about an author taking one of the most masculine sports and giving their characters deep emotions and feelings. It’s truly the best.
So, if you’re tired of stupid sex scenes where female characters come in three seconds while losing their virginities (like come on!) than follow me down the rabbit hole that is gay hockey romance books.
notes and such
I’ve been writing a lot of professional pieces this past year, so not a bone in my body wants to make my blog posts remotely serious and formal.
I had fun writing about my chaotic 2024 reading history, and I hope you had fun reading it.
If this post felt too ridiculous for you, check out some of my more “adult“ writing! I have a lot of it linked on my LinkedIn, but you can also google my name and you’ll find some stuff ;)
I have exciting projects coming up, so keep an eye out for more writing by me!
love you ! xxx
