Hello book lovers!Welcome to my annual pithy book reviews. I’ve been keeping up this tradition since 2012. That’s well over a decade of pithy reviews! I enjoy hearing what other people are reading. In my Dear Nina Facebook group, we have book (and TV) chats every few weeks. And of course we discuss friendship goals and personal friendship dilemmas. I’d love to hear whether you read anything on this list and/or what I must read in 2025. Keep an eye out next week for my annual TV reviews sorted into “The Best,” “The Very Good,” “The Good,” and “The Just Okay.” I don’t sort the books that way because I’m not a monster. What you’ll find below are the 35 books I read in 2024, in the order I read them, with a few lines about each one. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and happy all around holiday time to all of you! I hope you can find a little time to reach out to a friend AND find some time to read. A day with both of those activities would be a solid day right there for me. :) The Books I Read in 2024 (in the order I read them)#1. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: I recommend this one if you enjoy the unreliable narrator vibe (which I do). Bookshop. Amazon. #2. The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life With Friendship at the Center by Rhaina Cohen: This book is for anyone who wants role models for living life with friendship at the center. Think Golden Girls and Grace and Frankie– but in real life, and also younger people, and some men! Rhaina was a guest on Dear Nina in late February. Bookshop. Amazon. #3. Running Mates by Emily Locker: It was refreshing to read a book about political opposites that didn’t demonize one side or the other. Emily, who is my second cousin, was on episode #88 of Dear Nina, “Differences of Opinion With Friends and The Potential of Friendship Between Cousins.” Amazon. Bookshop. #4. The Last Love Note by Emma Grey: I enjoyed the story, which was heavier than it seemed it was going to be at first. I haven’t read something that deals with a brewing romance in a long time, and that was fun. Amazon. Bookshop. #5. Here for It (the Good, the Bad, and the Queso): The How-To Guide for Deepening Your Friendships and Doing Life Together by Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston: Amy and Jess are the duo behind Sister I Am With You, a Facebook community with over 1 million followers. We had such an inspiring, helpful conversation in episode #86 of Dear Nina. “Every friendships starts with an act of bravery.” That conversation was one of my favorites. Amazon. Bookshop. #6. 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg: If you’re looking for inspiration to sit down and write, Jami’s words and the words of her guest writers are a good, quick hit. Amazon. Bookshop. #7. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez: I read the first 350 pages in one night then easily finished the next day. I was swept up in the romance of this one. And it was nice to read a book set in Minneapolis. Amazon. Bookshop. #8. The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz: This one took me a while to get into, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I’m a sucker for books about families with four kids because I have four kids. Amazon. Bookshop. #9. The Marriage Box by Corie Adjmi: I looked forward to picking this one up every time I got into bed. I was so curious how Casey, the main character, would manage her ill-fated marriage. Amazon. Bookshop. #10. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: I went for the entire series because my friend and my niece raved about it. It’s Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones meets Twilight meets Harry Potter. Slow to start. By the last 1/4th of book one, I was into it. Amazon. Bookshop. #11. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas: Liked this one much more than the first one. If you’re struggling with the first book in the series, get through it so you can see what happens in this one. Amazon. Bookshop. #12. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas: This one was good in the last third, but it took a long time to tell this installment on the story. Amazon. Bookshop. #13. Blank by Zibby Owens: A fun, quick read for me and a needed break from the fantasy series I was reading. And I got to moderate Zibby’s Minneapolis book event at ModernWell, which was a blast. Amazon. Bookshop. #14. Sylvia’s Second Act by Hillary Yablon: I am always partial to characters in their 60s and Sylvia is a love. I was cheering for her all the way. Amazon. Bookshop. #15. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas: The worst one in the series. Nothing spicy until 87%. More of a novella and a “Christmas” (winter solstice, obviously) special. My random Instagram review went semi-viral with over 20K views. Amazon. Bookshop. #16. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas: Um wow. The spiciest one of the bunch and my second favorite. Amazon. Bookshop. #17. Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner: It took me a while to finish this book even though I liked it. It was just so dark without anyone to root for. Amazon. Bookshop. #18. Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections by Anna Goldfarb: I loved this practical and loving take on being the best friends we can possibly be and being careful about who we extend that effort to as well. Anna discussed the chapter, “The 14-Day Friendship Cleanse,” on Dear Nina in June. Amazon. Bookshop. #19. Funny Story by Emily Henry: I enjoyed this one. I guess I’m becoming more of a romance reader this year. Some good friendship talking points, too. I always appreciate a Midwest setting—this time in Michigan. Amazon. Bookshop. #20. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez: Reminded me of Funny Story. I wish I had not read them back to back, but it was still a good read. Always love a story set in Minneapolis! Amazon. Bookshop. #21. It Could be Worse by Dara Levan: This character study had me rooting for Allegra from page one (and rooting against her parents.) Dara and I spoke about the special nature of camp friendships in episode #100. Amazon. Bookshop. #22. The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin: I liked this book about college friends who are still supportive of each other years later. Amazon. Bookshop. #23. First Love: Essays on Friendship by Lilly Dancyger: I appreciated the topic, structure and the storytelling. Amazon. Bookshop. #24. The Wedding People by Alison Espach: I felt it was worth the hype. It went by quickly and I’ve been recommending it a lot. Amazon. Bookshop. #25. Yearbook by Seth Rogen: Fun audio that I do recommend though I could do with a few less drug-focused chapters. Amazon. Bookshop. #26. Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams: I liked this one a lot! I don’t normally like novels that go back and forth between historical and modern times, but this one worked well for me. Amazon. Bookshop. #27. The Joy of Connections by by Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, Allison Gilbert, Pierre Lehu: I underlined something in every chapter of this book. I absolutely loved the wisdom shared here. My husband said the episode with Allison was one of his favorites in 3.5 years of Dear Nina! Amazon. Bookshop. #28. Leaving by Roxana Robinson: Haunting. A very lonely sort of book. It’s mostly very sad, but well written. Amazon. Bookshop. #29. Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten: I did the audio and cannot recommend it enough. One of my favorite listens of the year. My friend Debra and I did a book chat and cooking class with friends because we were so excited about the story. Amazon. Bookshop. #30. The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging by Julia Hotz: The advice here from doctors around the world for social prescriptions could help so many people. Listen to Julia and I discuss the book in episode #118. Amazon. Bookshop. #31. You are Here by David Nicholls: This was a sweet, clever, well-crafted book. Nicholls also wrote One Day, which I enjoyed many years ago. Amazon. Bookshop. #32. Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: Took me a while to get through because some parts were just boring. I did learn some things though, and it was interesting to engage with the follow-up to the ever-popular Tipping Point. Amazon. Bookshop. #33. All Four by Miranda July: Finished the audio, but can’t say I enjoyed it. Still, I did get to the end, which is not true for every book I begin. This is a not a spoiler to say that when I reached the last lines my first thought was, “I hope Jordi has a better friend than this.” Amazon. Bookshop. #34. The Snarling Girl and Other Essays by Elisa Albert: I’m a longtime fan of Elisa Albert’s writing, which always has a bite. Other than her original 2008 book of short stories, this book was my favorite of hers. Amazon. Bookshop. #35. The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver: An important read in your late 40s and beyond. Glad I read it. Can’t say I enjoy i Amazon. Bookshop. Links are to Amazon or Bookshop.org, which are affiliate links. Please tell me the books you loved in 2024 so I can add them to my 2025 to-be-read list.Want to connect outside of this newsletter?You can find me most often in the Facebook group, Dear Nina: The Group, where we discuss books, shows, recipes, and of course, friendship. All the social media links are below. Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | LinkedIn | Threads | Twitter | Bluesky |My Website You’re a free subscriber to Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. For anonymous friendship dilemmas and my answers, and to show support for my work, become a paying subscriber.
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Monday, 23 December 2024
The 35 Books I Read in 2024
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