My favourite books of 2024

Hello lovelies:)

Happy new year to everyone, I hope January has been treating you well so far and you had a happy and restful festive season. I’ve been quiet here for a while but also quietly missing this wee outlet. I got my first big girl job last year and finished a publishing internship, both of which have been wonderful experiences but a big adjustment from my faffing about graduate era. My reading changed a lot in the latter half of 2024, shifting towards audiobooks I could listen to on the way to and from work when I was too sleepy to actually open my eyes and hold a book. I would like to get back into the habit of picking up my physical books again even if only before bed, it’s such a soothing ritual. Not to worry though, I still managed to jam seventy-one books into 2024 from a wide range of genres and authors. Here then, are my favourite books of the year. Some were striking and memorable, with some catapulting themselves straight to my list of lifelong favourites. Proceed with the knowledge that you are entering the five star shelf. I hope you find something to add to your tbr list for 2025!

Private Rites & Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield

Starting off with a new author discovery I made this year. I was kindly given a proof copy of Private Rites from NetGalley and went on to read Our Wives Under the Sea immediately afterwards. My appetite for Armfield’s prosaic style is insatiable and I cannot wait to read more of her work. It goes without saying that both of these books were five stars for me but Private Rites in particular I found to be truly spectacular. It wormed its way into my head and would not leave long after I finished the last page. It was the kind of book that makes you want to write! Private Rites has a certain haunting quality and an undeniable power. Armfield’s voice is commanding, leading you through the chapters as they unspool and form a deeply crafted work of art. You get the feeling that you are walking through a maze of Armfield’s design, you can’t see the way yet but you can tell that every aspect has been carefully constructed. I found myself literally stopping mid sentence to marvel at a particularly stunning image or turn of phrase. That’s what makes her writing so enchanting. The balance between the craft of writing and the natural flow of her prose. I would highly recommend reading both these novels but I’ll give you a wee outline of what they’re about so you can decide which to read first! Private Rites tells the story of three estranged sisters navigating their father’s legacy and an eerily familiar world that is facing slowly but surely rising water levels. It is interesting however, as this is not a world ending, tsunami, catastrophe, dystopian type of novel. The flood water here is more of a rough slouching beast taking its time and settling into the societal zeitgeist. Armfield perfectly captures the strange combination of numbness, panic and a ludicrous sense of non-reality that comes with living in chaos. Our Wives Under the Sea is a strange but beautiful novel about a woman’s wife returning from work on a submarine, who seems to be irrevocably changed. With an unnerving new affinity for salt water, Miri’s wife is slipping ever further from her grasp. Wrestling to keep hold of her love, Miri grapples with an overwhelming helplessness and desire to do something and anything to help Leah. I can’t say much more as Our Wives is mostly relationship focused and I don't want to give any spoilers! I cannot reccomend Julia Armfield enough, she is a literary dream.

Pearl - Siân Hughes

Pearl is without a doubt the most soothing, warm, and tender novel I read this year. Hughes’ writing has an almost fairytale like quality with a richness and tangibility to every scene. That becomes even more of an impressive achievement considering that this is a novel about a young girl navigating the loss of her mother, and how that affects and informs her at various stages of her life. I hadn’t ready much Welsh literature before but this novel made me sure that I need to learn more about Welsh mythology and folklore. The way it was sprinkled throughout added such a beautiful sparkle and depth that I really enjoyed. It’s hard to explain exactly why I loved Pearl so much. It wasn’t the plot or characters - although don’t get me wrong they were both amazing! - it was more the way it made me feel. A genuine warmth and soft gaze of the world. Siân Hughes’ words are like a spoonful of honey coating everything with a gentle but natural sweetness. I think that really good writing handling rough subjects with such gentleness is quite unusual in contemporary writing, which often leans towards the gritty or bleak. If you want to read a story told with care, love, intimacy and quiet contemplation I would highly recommend Pearl. Plus it was long listed for the Booker prize so it’s not just me!

Invisible Women - Caroline Criado-Perez

I read a few non fiction books last year which I really enjoyed! My favourite was definitely Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez. Coming from the biggest maths hating, literature and the arts oriented girl in the world, I promise that it’s not dull in any way. I honestly wasn’t expecting to find it as fast paced and fascinating as it was. I think because all of the data and case studies that Criado-Perez discusses are so applicable to the real world, it keeps things from being too bogged down and excel-esque. What she’s looking at is the way these numbers affect decisions made, and subsequently women in society. I also know that some people will be thinking she'll be making reaches and gratuitously making everything about gender but to be honest when you look at all the evidence it kind of is about gender. Criado-Perez is highlighting issues of gender bias which is not the same thing as overt sexism or intentionally cruel decision making. For example, she looks at the way safety tests are done on cars with crash test dummies modelled on a standard male body and how that disproportionately endangers women. The majority of cars in the US have never undergone testing that would determine how women fare in collisions. Spoiler alert, it’s not looking good for us... So many things; from city planning, to hiring processes, to how high the handles on the tube are have all been decided without women in mind. The section on AI in particular perfectly explained why that is something that makes me highly uncomfortable. I listened to the audiobook but felt the need to buy a physical copy for future reference. This book made me so livid and fired up but also feel so validated. You know those things that you can sense are unfair and you know it's because you're a woman but you just can’t put it into words? This book will give you not only the words but the data and stats to express yourself. I really think this is a must read for everyone. We all need to understand how the seemingly impartial data that makes the rules is anything but.

Autumn - Ali Smith

I read some Ali Smith in university and really enjoyed her work then, but I haven’t dipped back in for a while. Autumn completely reignited my Ali Smith love. It’s quite hard to describe what it’s about! Sort of nothing, sort of everything. The essence is a story of a young woman moving back in with her mum so she can visit an old man in a care home she was friends with as a child. It’s described as a post-brexit novel, which was seriously giving me the fear and if I was on the publishing team I really wouldn’t pitch it that way. It is certainly political and perfectly captures the fear and anxiety felt by many liberal voters, but it is also full of hope. It’s not really explicitly about Brexit, that's more just the cultural backdrop that Autumn is set against. There are many beautiful and touching moments, so it is definitely not all doom and gloom. I think Ali Smith really encapsulates the strange feeling of being so afraid of and yet so in love with the changing world, losing faith in humanity yet having it restored through daily interactions. It is a reminder to keep trying to be someone putting love and strength into the world. Beautiful, powerful and introspective. If you're looking for a book to validate and soothe your panic about the world you'll probably love Autumn. I’m so looking forward to reading the rest of the seasonal quartet. I read Autumn in Autumn and I plan to read them all seasonally in 2025!

Send Nudes - Saba Sams

Last one from my books of the year! Send Nudes by Saba Sams is a collection of short stories exploring the voices of different women and girls and how they navigate girlhood, womanhood and the transition between the two. I was very kindly gifted this by a friend for my birthday which I always love. There’s something so special about reading something and knowing someone else really thought you would enjoy it. I took Send Nudes away on holiday to Italy with me and completely devoured it. I felt so connected to Sams’ writing in a really unusual way. I’m someone who reads a lot and I’m frequently impressed by the quality, uniqueness or precision of different writer’s work but this was totally different. I felt like Sams was taking my own thoughts and surprising me with them! Some of the imagery she used genuinely shocked me as I didn’t realise anyone else ever made the same connections or was reminded of the same things. Not that I think I'm spectacularly unqiue or innovative but just those things you think of in your own head but never discuss with people. I remember there was one point where she described someone’s handwriting as ‘popular girl handwriting’ and I knew exactly what she meant! It was just such a beautiful experience and I can’t wait to force everyone else to read it and discuss <3

I'm so excited to dig into my 2025 reading list and find new authors and wonderful books! I'm looking forward to writing more here this year. I might even go crazy and write some less explicitly bookish things. We'll see how brave I feel! Let me know your favourite books of the year and if you’ve read any of these what you thought of them. Happy reading and general happiness to all of you, I hope life is treating you well :)

Much love, Grace xx