My Favorite Books of the First Half of 2024
Below, in no particular order, are the books I’ve most enjoyed of the ones I’ve read so far this year - including two terrific writing craft books!
The Best Books I’ve Read September-December
With the Big Move, I haven’t had as much time to read as usual, but I’ve read some great books in the past few months. If you’re looking for last-minute gifts, these are some to consider!
The Best Books I’ve Read from July-September 2023
These last three months have flown by! And I’ll admit, I haven’t been able to do as much reading this month since I’m in the middle of a huge move. It’s crazy how much stuff can accumulate even when you don’t think you have too much. One of the most painful things, of course, is going through the books to see which ones I really want to keep. Sigh.
That said, here are my picks for this quarter:
The Best Books I’ve Read from April – June
We’re halfway through the year! I’ve read so many good books in the last three months (you can see my January-March reads here). It’s hard to pick just a few.
The Best Books I’ve Read So Far This Year
It’s the end of March, which means one quarter of the year is gone already. They weren’t kidding when they said time seems to move faster as you get older. I never feel like I have enough time in my day to do everything I need and want to do.
I do, however, make time for reading every day.
The Best Books I’ve Read in 2022
I’ve read 55 books so far this year. I’ll probably sneak a few more in before December 31, but these are the ones that made my top picks. I’ve also read a bunch of books on Buddhist practice, which I’ve excluded from the list since they’re only relevant if you’re Buddhist. This means I’ve read fewer nonfiction books overall, but I’m okay with that. There are always more books to read!
10 Compelling Dystopian Novels for Adults
I’ve focused on classics here (or in some cases, recent-but-becoming-classics) although I know there are a million books out there that deal with some sort of dystopian reality now. If you haven’t read these, I suggest you pick them up and give them a try, because they are classics for a reason.
My Summer Reading Recommendations
In case anyone is looking for some books to wind down the last weeks of summer, here’s what I’ve been reading. Heavy on the Middle Grade, since one of my current project is a MG and I wanted to get a diverse idea of voice, tone, plot and character to see where mine fits. So, if you’re also looking for some great fiction for your kids (about ages 8-11) I can recommend all of the below.
Year End Book Roundup
It’s been a while since I’ve done a book roundup, so I decided to do one to cover what I read October –December. Hopefully there are a few here that might make it onto your reading list in 2022!
7 Lessons for Writers from Dorothy Dunnett’s The Game of Kings
I just finished re-reading this book, the first in The Lymond Chronicles, a series of historical novels about, loosely speaking, the adventures of an extraordinary young Scottish nobleman, Francis Crawford of Lymond, in 16th-century Europe. I started my Lymond journey at age fourteen, when I foraged The Game of Kings from a used bookstore somewhere in Georgia while traveling with my father.
September Book Roundup
I hit a bumper crop of books I enjoyed this month. A big dose of fantasy, a smidge of historical fiction/mythology, a book on how being more curious can help almost every aspect of your life, and why staying small = staying sane in business.
Books to Check Out for Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic (or Latine, or Latinx) Heritage Month is September 15-October 15. Below I’ve chosen some books to check out if you’re looking for reading material. I didn’t plan on making them all by women, but those are the ones I’ve been drawn to lately, so there you go. There is such a wonderful variety out there, it was hard to narrow it down.
Book Review: Blueprint for a Book
Full disclosure: I am a book coach trained by Jennie through her Author Accelerator book coach certification program. I use the Blueprint method specifically in one of my own coaching packages. And I use it to develop my own books. So, I didn’t exactly come to read this book from a fresh perspective.