The obligatory end-of-year book list

It's required by law!

Khan, Shubnum- The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years

Everett, Percival- James

Shattuck, Ben- The History of Sound

Patchett, Ann- Tom Lake

Awad, Mona- Bunny

Catton, Eleanor- Birnam Wood

McConaghy, Charlotte- Migrations

Byatt, A. S.- Possession

According to my StoryGraph, I read/listened to 30 complete books this year. I don't count DNFs or audio adaptations that aren't a reading of the full book. So, I started way more than 30. I thought about seeing if StoryGraph will tell me how many, but I don't have the heart to see how many I ditched.

My reading plan for the year, which I abandoned a long time ago, was to read 36 books that I pre-selected. I hadn't thought about how many new books were going to come out this year that I'd want to read. I also hadn't given any thought to the order in which I meant to read them and had too many heavy books all together and got stuck. Also, it's just been a hard year. I've been sick more often than usual, took two trips for work (unusual for me), and have had a lot of insomnia, so, whatever. Thirty books ain't bad, and I'm going to finish the list I started this year next year. I've got about ten left.

Seven of eight of these on my list were on that list I made for myself last year. I've already written about some of them. I would've sworn I'd written a few posts about them, but I guess I'm thinking of when I posted pictures of the books on instagram and told people about them IRL.

Possession was the only one I chose off the list, and I'll write about that in my next post. I've been meaning to write about it for two months now. I loved it so much.

I don't believe that any of these are new to this year, but some of them have come out in the last two or three years. I'm using my TBR list more; I always put books that sound good there and then I used to just feel guilty about not reading them. Now, I wait awhile until they aren't brand new. When the demand at the library lets off, then I borrow a copy. I don't have to worry about someone else placing a hold- usually. This way, I'm reading more new books and not always re-reading books I loved in the past. (I still love re-reading and have no plans to stop, but the great, new books can't be neglected. My future re-reads :) ).

I've got a stack of overdue book including another AS Byatt that I'm enjoying, and a galley from NetGalley to read that will come out next summer, and that should see me through to the end of 2025.

My favorites list is on bookshop; all the links are affiliate links but you can always copy the isbn if you want to get it another way!

An image from my favorites list on bookshop.