Hello! I’m Brooke’s friend, Erika. I’m here to talk about books. Books I’ve read. Books I’m
reading. Books you ask me to write about. I’m just one person with an opinion. But maybe
you’ll find something here worth reading, or worth avoiding. Each month I’ll Babble a bit about what I’ve read/am reading/will be reading. And I welcome your recommendations. I follow a lot of online book clubs, the NYT best seller list (obviously), and I run a small little book club in my hometown. But if you have something you think the Babble team ought to dive into, please PLEASE let us know!
Today I’m sharing a little more than I will in the future. I want to introduce myself a little. And I must start with the fact that I am not a reader…well, I didn’t used to be. Like, most of my life. I was not “into” reading. From the time I learned to read until I graduated from high school, I did not “read for fun” (what does that even mean?!?). Part of that was because the required reading in school didn’t interest me. I was a straight A student and would read just enough to get a good grade on the exam, but I didn’t finish most books assigned to me. There are a few exceptions… I LOVED Nancy Drew! (But was not allowed to read a Nancy Drew book for every book report. What? So lame.) I remember reading “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry in 6th grade and “The Scarlet Letter” in Honors English in high school. After high school I was too busy with college and finding a career and paying rent and… Well, reading wasn’t a priority. But during those early years of motherhood I got my hands on a few good books like “Angels & Demons” and “The Time Travelers Wife” as well as anything Chelsea Handler wrote. I joined a local book club and slowly became a reader.
In 2024 I read 54 books
(well, 52 plus two halves because two were so bad I couldn’t finish them). Here are the highlights, lowlights and a preview of my January reading list:
2024 FAVORTIES:
This book is long but one hundred percent completely worth it!
One of the best books I’ve read.
Ever.
This book tied for Best Book I Read in 2024. It was just a delight! I didn’t want it to end.
Ann Patchett does it again!
This. Book. Read it. It’s SO good! It will have your mind spinning days/weeks/months after
you finish it. You’ll question every bit of technology we use and who is in charge of it. Naomi
Alderman is an incredible writer.
I LOVED her first book, The Power (Go, now! Read that one too!).
This book is on every list everywhere. Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors. I love
Historical Fiction and I loved this book. I learned a lot and fell in love with these characters so much so that I wanted to jump in there and help fix them.
Women are amazing. Kristin Hannah is amazing. This book is amazing.
It took me a little bit to get into the story. There are a lot of characters and storylines. But
McBride weaves it together so beautifully with a bit of wit and a clever twist. Based on the real-life town of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, these characters brought to life a time and place important in American history.
Looking for a good “who dunnit”? This is your book! I couldn’t put it down. As soon as I
thought I had it figured out, something else would happen. Great read from start to finish.
I read this simply because I was traveling and it was available on Kindle Unlimited. This
introduced me to author Katherine Center and I’m hooked. How to Walk Away is such a sweet story about overcoming an impossible situation and finding your power. The characters and the ending were so brilliant I actually googled some of it to see if it was historical fiction. No, it’s fiction and a great story.
I loved her book I Must Betray You (about the Romanian Revolution which I knew nothing
about). So when our book club suggested The Fountains of Silence I knew I was in for a treat.
The story takes place in Madrid during the Spanish dictatorship under the fascist General
Francisco Franco. Like I Must Betray You, the story is told from a young adult’s perspective.
There is history, suspense and love. A great read!
NOTABLE MENTIONS:
I love the author team of Christina Hobbs and Laren Billings. This was such a treat.
A good love story. Perfect for reading on the beach.
I couldn’t escape this book this year! It was on every list, advertised on my kindle, a display in
Costco… So I broke down and read it and I’m glad I did. It’s a love story, but you’ve never read a love story like this. Gabrielle Zevin also wrote another favorite of mine, “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” – a charming story about a book store owner. Read both.
(*Trigger warning: there is a mass shooting scene in Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow . It’s not
gruesome and a small focus of the book, but it should be noted.)
I’m not normally a fan of short stories or, in this case, short essays. But these are important and timely. If you follow politics and/or the 2024 election, I highly recommend this one.
Do you know how and where incubators were invented? I didn’t! Until I read this book. Again, historical fiction. Two stories/timelines about maternity care, infant care and the days before the Americans with Disabilities Act in this country. Very interesting!
This one surprised me. We read this for book club in 2024. It’s fiction, with a little sci/fi-fantasy mixed in. The writing was good. And it covered a fascinating topic: what our near future looks like from a climate change perspective. This story will get you thinking.
I love Colson Whitehead. This was a heavy topic, as per usual for him. There were parts that
were very hard to read, especially because this abuse and these atrocities actually happened. But this is an important read nonetheless.
Romantic/Rom-Com Reads:
I definitely leaned into the Romance/Rom-Com genres in 2024. Life outside of books was
stressful enough, I often needed to leave reality and lose myself in a good love story. I found
several good ones…
The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand (the queen of “beach reads”)
Funny Story by Emily Henry – I must say, I have loved all of her books, but this one was
probably my least favorite of hers. She has a new one slated for 2025…hoping for better.
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee – I read this because Babble recommended the show (on
Prime). As it goes, the book was so much better, but both were great. I love seeing an older (with some baggage) female in a romantic role.
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I will read anything she writes, and have. This last
one remained on my list. What do you do with two true loves? Interesting story.
…and the two I couldn’t finish fell in this category:
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes – so slow and depressing and I didn’t like any of the characters. It was just a drag.
Well Matched by Jen DeLuca – NOT a stand-alone. Apparently this is part of a series but I
guess they expect you to read the entire series, in order. It was confusing and not interesting.
Coming up in January…
A rom-com, a thriller, some poetry and quite possibly the most charming book I’ve ever read! See you next month! -Erika
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So excited for this new book series you are sharing with the Babble family!