Mid-Year Favorites
from a mom who has read more than 50 books already this year
Are you a data nerd? Tracking my reading data is one of my favorite hobbies.
As I sit down to type this newsletter, Storygraph tells me I’ve read 56 books so far this year from 19 genres. Thirty-three of those books were romance, followed by 11 fantasy novels.
Over half the books I read were in the audiobook format. Here’s my full breakdown:
Audiobooks - 30 books - 54% - 292.18 hours of listening time
Kindle - 12 books - 21%
Physical copies - 14 books - 25% - 8,209 pages
I tend to read books between 300-499 pages and listen to audiobooks longer than 8 hours.
My average Star rating is 3.78/5 ⭐ (Harsh critic, I know. IMO a 3-star book is a good book, it just might not be one I remember.)
My most-read authors are Ali Hazelwood and Ann M. Martin.
The most interesting tidbit? I’ve only read four books written by men this year.
Coming up with a favorites list at the end of the year is always a daunting task so today I’m attempting to round up my mid-year favorites in case you need a recommendation for some summer reading. These all earned 4 or 5-star ratings from me and are books I recommend widely. I’ve read a lot of romance this year so it’s funny to me that my stand-outs tend to be from other genres.
Ninth House + Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
If you strip back the dark academia setting, secret societies, occult, and paranormal, the Alex Stern series is a murder mystery at its core. If you get wrapped up in conspiracy theories, you could have a lot of fun with this book. Or it might keep you up reading all night trying to put the pieces together and guess who’s to blame. Once I got used to the world-building and flashbacks, I found a good rhythm with the duo. Alex is an outsider and her grit makes so many aspects of the story feel raw. The entire story is dark and unsettling but in a way that you just can’t look away. You’ll be fighting for a resolution alongside the whole cast of characters. I need a third book ASAP!
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
This is the first book I reread as part of my 2024 rereading project and it completely wrecked me. I think I cried even harder as an adult than I did as a kid. Katherine Paterson writes some of the most beautiful and vivid analogies. Bridge to Terabithia dives into some pretty heavy themes like war, religion, otherness, gender norms, societal expectations, fatphobia, and abuse in a way that is gentle enough for children to relate to and learn from. Rereading this book as an adult made me realize that kids can and need to process some of these difficult emotions and Bridge to Terabithia provides that escape.
The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
It seems like 2024 is the year that the Omegaverse is going mainstream and this is my top pick (so far) if you’re eager to dip your toes in. This book was hot! Noah is a grumpy Alpha and Mack is our bubbly Omega. The two doctors enter into a contract to be fake mates to protect different aspects of their personal lives. It was so easy to get sucked into this rom-com and I devoured every moment of it. It was easy to follow the shifter romance without feeling lost on the mechanics of it all. A fun, predictable, low-stakes, but very smutty read!
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
This gothic fantasy that follows a first year architecture student as she uncovers the mystery of a beloved book with a rival literature student. A book within a book, Effy is faced with untangling her own life from tales of The Fairy King. This book made me feel so deeply. The romance between the two main characters is tender and innocent, as first love can be, especially when you contrast their young love with off-page mentions of S. A. Ava Reid’s writing is incredibly atmospheric. You could feel yourself getting drenched by the storms on the cliffs of Hiraeth. Effy’s struggles will be relatable to many women who have faced sexism in an academic setting. We must protect her and fight for her at all costs! There were some really great themes at play here. I enjoyed the way Reid explores religion/folklore in a way that is centered around doubt. The book has a fairly slow pacing and the romance definitely feels Y. A. Nevertheless, I was wrapped up in the incredible story and want to read more from this author!
Hannah Tate Beyond Repair by Laura Piper Lee
My top recommendation for debut romance. Hannah Tate Beyond Repair is the perfect combination of spicy and sweet, emotionally captivating, and laugh out loud funny. My only regret is not making time for this rom-com sooner! Hannah Tate is a new single mom who is down on her luck. After moving back in with her parents to launch their AirBnB project, she finds her skills as an interior decorator are the perfect match for their sexy, yoga-loving, contractor by trade neighbor. Hannah’s struggles as a new mom are incredibly relatable. I found myself rooting for her to carve her own path forward. The characters and story line were well developed. I loved the growth not only from Hannah but from her Mama and stepdaddy, ex boyfriend/baby daddy, her friends, and new love interest. You have to check out this heartwarming book! I flew through the physical copy in just a few days. I couldn’t put it down and I didn’t want Hannah and River’s love story to end.
All Things Ali Hazelwood
Who knew chess could be so sexy?! It’s the perfect rivals to lovers romance. Mallory is navigating being launched into adulthood when she’s faced with taking care of her mom and sisters. After she loses her job, she plays in a charity chess tournament to make a quick buck. Even though she’s sworn off chess, she beats the number one player in the world. And that's where things get complicated.
Ali Hazelwood seems to write female characters who don’t see themselves as loveable. Nolan really took the time to get to know Mallory and by the end of the book, you could tell he truly saw her. The guy studied her for goodness sake. I think she perfectly captured the first true love/young love dynamic. Mal and Nolan's interactions had me swooning and giggly!
If you’re the eldest daughter, I think you’ll see a lot of yourself in Mal. She’s struggling to support her family while trying to figure out her place in the world, all while refusing to ask for help. As a person who is very much on the Internet, I enjoyed all the pop culture references. One thing to note-- although marketed as a closed door YA story, some of the language is a bit more adult. Read this if you liked The Queen's Gambit!
So nice I read it twice! Ali Hazelwood ate and left no crumbs in her first paranormal romance. This was a slow burn but boy did it bring the heat! It was so much more than a romance, though. It’s very plot-driven but light on world-building—there was plenty of werewolf/vampire politics, family drama, found family elements, and a bit of mystery. I’m finding myself drawn to fated mates, enemies to lovers stories. I was immediately drawn into this story and every twist and turn kept me wanting to read more of Misery and Lowe’s story. I read the physical copy in just a couple of days which never happens! I don’t know what Ali put in this book but it was intoxicating and all-consuming. I hope there’s a 2nd book in the universe.
The banter between Olive and Adam was nerdy and adorable. I loved how passionate Olive was about her doctorate studies and how supportive Adam was. Because of the fake dating trope, there was a layer of complexity to the story where the two slowly learned to trust and open up to each other. There's also a great friend group and the scenes with Olive and Anh were especially heartfelt. Those two know how to follow girl code! If you love slow burn, low spice romances and an academic setting, I think this book will check a lot of boxes for you. It's filled with lots of romance tropes and overall is just a fun read!
Funny Story by Emily Henry
My new fave EmHen. Emily Henry's novels are formulaic, but that's the part that makes them fun for me to read. I know she's going to break my heart and put it back together every time. That's what makes them comforting and cozy in my mind. I loved Daphne and Miles' happily ever after and I think Miles is one of my new favorite book boyfriends. Thanks to Julia Whelan's narration, I felt their love and struggles so deeply. I caught myself holding my breath during moments of conflict. More than a beautifully written meet-cute, this story gets honest about messy relationships- whether that's between friends or family or lovers. All of the book and foodie references brought a smile to my face and I just loved that we got a Michigan setting again. I think anyone who has grown up living in or visiting the Great Lakes will be able to picture themselves in this book.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
I loved this book as much as I did the first time around. All of the action and details started coming back to me as I read. It’s hard to put into words what this book means to me but thinking back on how I must have felt reading it as a child, it’s one of the few books for intelligent children that sees them as capable and fully human, regardless of the size of their physical bodies. This book is emotionally complex and Orson Scott Card does a great job of laying out multiple points of view and forcing the reader to empathize with the characters who have to deal with the consequences of decisions that have no ethical justification. This book is for all the kids who felt lonely because they were made to feel different.
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
This was the first book I’ve read by Katherine Center and it won’t be my last! I usually run away from books with a Hollywood setting but I learned so much about screenwriting and rom-coms through this one. Emma and Charlie are the perfect grumpy sunshine pairing. Their banter had me pining and at the same time, I wanted to cry for both of them going through so many painful struggles in life! I think I needed a romance that showed me there can be glimmers in life even if there’s a lot of really heavy, unfortunate stuff to deal with too. This story is full of heart and I fell hard for their slow-burn romance. Stylistically, I enjoyed Center’s interjections into the story. It felt very casual and helped the reader get to know Emma like you’re just reminiscing with an old friend.
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
When I read the first chapters of How to End a Love Story I immediately questioned how Yulin Kuang was going to turn this tragedy into a romance with characters I’d be rooting for but she did just that. The forbidden love between Helen and Grant is complicated, messy, and raw. Their story is not lighthearted, but rather full of angst, passion, and longing. In some ways, the melodramatic storyline reminded me of Anna K although How to End a Love Story is not a YA romance. There are lots of open-door scenes between the two MCs scattered throughout. The characters had a good amount of depth to them and I enjoyed reading about their families and work, even if it was a bit of a stretch that two people from the same high school ended up being Hollywood writers. For a debut novel, I was surprised at how deeply the writing made me feel. There were so many times I found myself holding my breath or clenching my teeth. I’m looking forward to reading whatever Kuang decides to write next.
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
I was probably too young to read this book the first time I read it in high school but even then I could appreciate what Jonathan Safran Foer was doing with all the literary gimmicks. The writing is beautiful when not confusing because of the way the perspectives are fragmented. Everything is Illuminated is told through three perspectives: the 18th century residents of a shtetl, a metafiction version of Jonathan Safran Foer himself, and a tour guide and translator named Alex that he corresponds with in the Ukraine. The stories jump around in time and the glimpses into the past and future are almost dream-like. It’s as if Foer has created a faux historical world that belongs in the genre of magical realism, although this book defies genres. By the last 75 pages the events of the novel do tie up nicely. What sticks with me in this story is JSF’s desire to know his family through their complicated history and Alex’s unwavering love for his brother and grandfather, despite their flaws. There’s a unique wit and humor to this story weaved into threads of tragedy and grief. I appreciate the commentary on post-Soviet culture and how difficult it is for Americans to grapple with a history so removed from our own.
The book titles linked above are affiliate links for Bookshop.org. You can shop all the books I’ve read in 2024 here. I love Bookshop.org because your purchase supports local indie bookstores!
Are you one of those people who can easily narrow down your favorite book? If so, let me know what your top read from the first half of the year is!
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I watched Bridge to Terabithia last year and was completely unwell. Can't wait to read the book to wreck me even more 🥲
Love seeing the stats - storygraph is amazing for that!