From The Pumpkin Patch

As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to revisit the books I read over the past year.

I challenged myself to read 20 books in 2024, and despite a three-month trip to America and a demanding new job, I’m happy to say I exceeded my goal!

Reading is my time. I love to wake up early, switch on the lamp and spend a happy hour or so getting lost in someone else’s life. It’s one of my favourite things to do.

So let’s take a look at the books I loved (and one that I absolutely hated) this year!

The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights ★★★★

I received this collection of creepy short stories as a Christmas gift, and I loved that they were all set during the festive season.

It became a much-anticipated ritual to curl up with my book on a chilly winter’s morning or dark evening, scaring myself with tales of demons and ghosts.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed every one of the stories, a few stood out as particular favourites.

Jenkin by Catriona Ward is wonderfully weird, about a woman who sees a human-like creature every time she tells a lie. I also loved The Gargoyle by Bridget Collins, which follows a woman suffering from writer’s block while being stalked by something in the shadows. The final story in the collection, Carol of the Bells and Chains by Laura Purcell, was another favourite as it just felt so nostalgic and I loved the inclusion of Krampus.

I guess spooky stories aren’t just reserved for Halloween…

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa ★★★★

I enjoyed this heartwarming story about a woman finding herself amid shelves of secondhand books.

After finding out that her boyfriend is planning to marry someone else, Takako spends her days in a cloud of depression. When her eccentric uncle Satoru offers her free room and board at his bookshop in exchange for a helping hand at the store, she accepts reluctantly.

But over time, she falls in love with reading and with the Morisaki Bookshop.

Although I did prefer the first half of the book over the second half, the story managed to hold my attention the entire time. I’m now fascinated with the idea of visiting Jimbocho, Tokyo’s book district, and will definitely be checking it out on my next visit to Japan.

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking ★★★

As someone who loves to get cosy, the concept of hygge has always appealed to me.

It’s difficult to translate the word from Danish to English, but this book refers to a cosy and contented mood that can be created through soft lighting, candles, good food, family and friends. I particularly enjoyed the tips on how to experience hygge during the summer months, which is usually my least favourite time of the year.

I did find this book to be slightly repetitive at times, but I still enjoyed it. The concept of what it means to be happy is a fascinating one, and it’s comforting to know that the simple things in life can be the ones that bring us the most joy.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway ★★★★★

I want to read more classic literature this year, so I decided to start with something short and relatively simple to understand. I actually owned this book as a child, but never picked it up as I (very incorrectly!) thought it would be boring.

As an adult I was hooked from the first page, just like Santiago’s marlin. The story follows an old man who is having a long run of bad luck – he has not caught a fish in eighty-four days. He decides to venture far out, past all the other fisherman, and ends up in a life-or-death struggle with the biggest marlin he has ever seen. Who will be defeated?

It’s true that Hemingway was a genius, even though he himself insisted that there was no symbolism in the story. I never thought I’d find myself on the edge of my seat reading about a man catching a fish, but The Old Man and the Sea is truly a brilliant piece of writing.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ★★★★★

I wanted to re-read this great American novel as an adult after studying it during high school, and I was amazed at how different my reaction to The Great Gatsby was after all these years.

As a teenager I thought Daisy was lovely, but now I can see how shallow and vacuous she really is. I also felt terribly sad for Gatsby, chasing after a dream and attempting to re-live and re-do his past only to end up in a world of people who didn’t really care about him.

The story contained more subtleties than I remember, although maybe I’m just more aware of them these days. I particularly liked the watchful eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, constantly observing all the goings-on and offering silent judgement.

Although many people condemn The Great Gatsby as overrated, I think it’s a fantastic story that still holds up well after all these years.

Superstitious by R.L. Stine ★★★

R.L. Stine is one of my absolute favourite childhood authors, so I knew I had to check out his first adult novel Superstitious.

After a failed relationship and career in New York, Sara has returned to Pennsylvania to pursue a degree in Psychology. There she meets Liam, an enigmatic and mysterious Irish folklore professor, and they quickly marry after a whirlwind romance.

Sara is so consumed with her new husband, she barely pays attention to the string of gruesome murders occurring across campus. She thought Liam’s obsessions with superstitions were cute at first, but soon it starts to get a little… scary.

This wasn’t the most well-written book I’ve ever read and the ending definitely became a little silly, but I enjoyed the nostalgia as well as the gross-out factor that Stine is so famous for.

Animal Farm by George Orwell ★★★★★

I’d always meant to read this book someday, but imagined that it would be a little over my head as I’m not the most politically-minded person out there.

As it turns out, I was completely wrong in my assumption. Animal Farm is a genius satiric fable that takes shots at various political figures and ideologies, all wrapped up in a deceptively simple fairy tale.

The animals of Manor Farm are tired of being overworked and underfed by humans, so they stage a revolution to overthrow the farmer and take control. After their success they create and adopt the Seven Commandments of Animalism, including the most important: all animals are equal.

But the lure of power and control becomes too much for some, and the future of the newly-christened Animal Farm may not be as utopian as they had previously imagined.

Animal Farm started off as a comical and lighthearted read, gradually evolving into a horrifying commentary on the dangers of communism. I felt very bleak by the end, but that won’t stop me from giving it the five stars that it so justly deserves.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott ★★★★★

What a beautiful book.

My heart feels so full and happy after reading Little Women. It’s a wonderful tale of morality and love, and makes me want to strive to be a better person.

The story follows the March sisters who couldn’t be more different from each other – beautiful and dignified Meg, rambunctious and boyish Jo, sweet and shy Beth and vain little Amy. As the reader we rejoice in their new friendship with Laurie, cry with them as they miss their father and celebrate special occasions as though we were right there with them.

I read the UK edition, which is shorter and ends on a happy note which I won’t spoil for you. I’ve made the executive decision not to read any further, as I want the March sisters to have the ending they deserve.

The Shining by Stephen King ★★★★★

I’ve always known how much Stephen King dislikes the film adaptation of The Shining, so I finally decided to find out how the story was supposed to end.

My verdict? The book is a million times better than the film, and so much scarier.

Jack Torrance lands a job as the winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel, and he brings his wife Wendy and their son Danny to wait out the colder months up there in the mountains with him. Danny has a bad feeling about the Overlook, and Danny knows his bad feelings often come true. What does the hotel want from them?

I particularly loved the fact that King didn’t just set out to write a scary story about a haunted hotel. He really delved into Jack’s childhood and his experiences with his abusive father, making the descent into madness seem so much more real and almost understandable. My biggest mistake was reading this book while my husband was away – I found myself looking sideways at the bathtub every night and imagining hedge animals sneaking up on me in the shadows…

Stephen King is a master storyteller and The Shining cements him firmly in my mind as the true King of horror.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King ★★★★

I’ve recently started working on a novel, so I felt compelled to read Stephen King’s On Writing. After all, who better to teach the fundamental basics of the storytelling craft?

Half memoir, half informational guide, this book was a fascinating read that taught me so much in such a short space of time. I particularly enjoyed the section on editing, where King presented a first and second draft of a piece of work with his handwritten edits scribbled throughout.

One of my favourite quotes from the book, and one that I’ve seen floating around on various writing forums, reads: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcuts.”

I already know this is a book I will be returning to over and over again. If I can write even one novel that is slightly on par with the quality of King’s books, all the hard work will be worth it.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree ★★★★★

I don’t know what I expected when I picked up this book, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be the best book I’ve read so far this year.

I’m the first to admit that I can be a little snobby about modern fantasy, but the premise of Legends and Lattes intrigued me – a cosy, low-stakes story set in a coffee shop? I’m in.

Viv is tired of battles and bloodspill, and as an orc she’s had her fair share. It’s time to hang up her sword and try something new; namely, opening a coffee shop in the city of Thune where no one has even heard of coffee before. Things are going well, but is her good luck really due to the Scalvert Stone or is something else bringing her newfound friends together?

The food is easily the best part of this book, and my mouth watered so many times at the descriptions of cinnamon buns and chocolate croissants.

Honestly, I cannot describe how much I enjoyed Legends and Lattes. I loved it so much, in fact, that I’m heading out today to pick up the prequel!

Goth by Otsuichi ★★★★

I feel like this book was made for me.

I love short story collections, I love Japanese writers and I love horror. So when I saw the creepy cover of Goth staring out at me from the shelves of Barnes and Noble, I just had to pick it up.

The disturbing stories are all linked by two high school students who share a fascination with serial killers and murder. However, they aren’t interested in solving crimes or bringing the killers to justice – they just want to understand them.

From a man obsessed with cutting off hands to a serial killer who details his grisly murders in a notebook, Goth will appeal to anyone who is interested in the darker side of life. I found myself reading so quickly that I finished the book in just a few days, so it’s safe to say I’m one of those people.

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree ★★★

I was so excited to learn about the prequel to Legends and Lattes, and raced out to purchase it immediately.

Bookshops and Bonedust follows a young Viv who is sent to recuperate in the little town of Murk after being injured during a bounty. There she meets a potty-mouthed bookshop owner, a feisty gnome and a baker with whom she embarks on a summer romance.

But something sinister is lurking in this peaceful town…

While I didn’t find it quite as cosy as Legends and Lattes, this book was a lovely slice-of-life story in a sleepy little beach town. I loved all the characters so much, particularly one who appears near the end of the story and completely captured my heart.

Speaking of the ending, it was perfect. I won’t give anything away, but it was exactly what I wanted and made me so excited for future books by this author.

Needful Things by Stephen King ★★★★★

My husband persuaded me to read this book, and I was initially hesitant.

At 500+ pages, it’s just so long. But once I started reading, I found I couldn’t stop.

Needful Things is set in a sleepy little town named Castle Rock, where everyone muddles along together despite the minor annoyances and politics that small town life brings.

When a mysterious new store quietly opens, everyone is intrigued. The enigmatic owner, Leland Gaunt, seems to sell exactly what each resident needs at a very reasonable price. All they need to do is play a tiny, harmless little prank on one of their fellow Castle Rock neighbours.

But how fair is the price, really? And how far will the residents go to protect their purchases?

This book had me gripped the entire way through. I don’t want to say too much and risk spoilers, but I will say that it’s a fascinating commentary on the power of greed and the complexity of human nature.

What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama ★★★★★

I didn’t know how much I needed to read this book until I started turning the pages.

What You Are Looking For Is In The Library is a series of short stories following five people at different stages of their lives, all feeling lost or stuck in one way or another.

They each find their way to the Hatori Community House library where they meet Sayuri Komachi, the enigmatic librarian who has a knack for recommending the exact book that will help to change the course of their lives.

I’m going through a difficult time at the moment and decided to read one story every day. I’ve never experienced this before, but it felt like each story taught me the specific lesson that I needed to hear. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought Mrs Komachi had recommended it to me herself!

Funnily enough I did pick this book up from the library, and I loved it so much that I’m going to purchase a copy for myself.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang ★★★★

When literary darling Athena Liu suddenly chokes to death in front of her best friend June, it sparks a web of lies that threatens to trap its own creator.

You see, June is a writer too. But her career never reached the dizzying heights that Athena’s did. So when she impulsively steals Athena’s recently-finished manuscript detailing the harrowing lives of Chinese labourers during WW1, she doesn’t see the harm in publishing it as her own. After all, she deserves a little success too.

But Athena is Chinese, and June is white. Would it really be that bad to let everyone make up their own assumptions about June’s ethnicity?

Yellowface is a subversive and satirical read about the literary world and cultural appropriation. I read this book in one day as I simply couldn’t put it down – the suspense, the anxiety, the absolute need to know what happens next completely sucked me in.

The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim ★★★★

So many books promise to be shocking and gruesome, but few actually deliver. This one succeeded in making me feel nauseous, so of course I loved it.

The Eyes Are The Best Part follows Ji-Won, a Korean-American struggling to deal with her father’s affair and her mother’s awful new boyfriend who openly fetishises Asian woman. He’s so awful, in fact, that the only good thing about him is his eyes. His brilliant, succulent blue eyes…

I loved following Ji-Won as she unravelled throughout the course of this book. The scenes in which she devoured eyeballs were so visceral and graphic, they almost made me crave them too (that’s a sentence I never thought I’d write!)

I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for this new author, and hope she’ll stick with the horror genre. It feels like she’s made for it.

Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson ★★★

I really wanted to love this book. I grew up reading the Girls series and was overjoyed to hear the news of an adult sequel, and I even attended a talk with Jacqueline Wilson on the eve of publication (which was the most wholesome and wonderful evening ever!)

While this book definitely gets a 5/5 for nostalgia, the storyline itself fell a little flat. We didn’t get to see nearly enough of Ellie, Magda and Nadine together, the main storyline felt absolutely bonkers to me (Mr Windsor?!) and there were a few inconsistencies that bothered me as someone who has read the original books at least twenty times each.

I did love catching up with Ellie and meeting her daughter, and it was so much fun to see where all the characters ended up. Think Again was an enjoyable read, but it didn’t quite manage to capture the magic I experienced through Ellie’s teenage years – although maybe that’s a commentary on growing up!

How To Break Up With Fast Fashion by Lauren Bravo ★★★

I picked this book up in a charity shop for just 25p, which I thought was quite fitting!

I’ve developed a huge love for secondhand shopping over the past year, and barely a week goes by without a rummage in the charity shops. Some of the best items in my wardrobe are preloved, and it’s amazing what you can find with a bit of digging.

How To Break Up With Fast Fashion delved into the immense damage that fast fashion is doing to our planet and our people. It was written in such a relaxed and conversational way that it almost felt like chatting with a friend, and it completely solidified my decision to lean even more into secondhand shopping.

As a result, I’ve pledged to only buy preloved clothing for the entirety of 2025. There are so many great items already out there, why would I need to buy new?

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore ★

This was my first DNF in years. I got about halfway through and just couldn’t take it anymore.

What a letdown. From the cover and title I expected a cosy, autumn-themed read, similar to The Pumpkin Spice Cafe. Instead it was a summer romance, and not even a particularly interesting one. The ‘mystery’ was too low-stakes, the characters were two-dimensional and the plot was just… boring.

I’d been saving this book for October, and I wish I hadn’t. I feel like I was duped by the publisher, and it’s not a nice feeling.

The Snowman by R. L. Stine ★★★★

You know the drill by now. I just had to give this book a good rating, simply because it’s R. L. Stine.

I was so excited to find an original edition in a charity shop for only 50p, and thought it might be fitting to save it for December 1st. Isn’t a spooky, winter-themed story the perfect way to start the festive season?

Heather hates her abusive, controlling uncle. He makes her life completely miserable. She feels so alone, so cold… until a handsome guy shows up at the restaurant she works at. He calls himself Snowman, and the name fits his striking ice-blonde hair.

But will Snowman melt her heart, or stop it entirely?

I read this book in one sitting, and it was so cosy and nostalgic. It did make me feel a little uneasy, which I wasn’t expecting, so I think it deserves a high rating.

Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood ★★★★

I started reading this book during autumn, but didn’t manage to finish it until mid-December.

However, I’m not complaining. It was a great excuse to extend the autumn months a little. And what a wonderful book it was!

Rewitched follows Bella Blackthorn, a witch on the cusp of turning 30 who is more concerned with protecting her beloved bookstore from her awful corporate boss than tapping into the potential of her magical powers. After all, she just wants to be normal.

But when she faces the possibility of losing her powers forever, Bella needs to prove she’s worthy of being a witch. This sparks an unlikely team-up with a banished warlock and an annoyingly handsome watchman, all racing against time to save her magic before Halloween night…

This was such a perfectly witchy, autumnal read. I loved the writing style and the completely relatable, heart-wrenching moments that had me tearing up. I hear the author is publishing a new book soon, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out.

And that’s a wrap on my 2024 reading list!

I’m glad I was able to tick off some classic literature this year, as well as a bit of modern fiction. I want to continue this balance throughout 2025, mixing high-brow novels with cosy reads and a sprinkling of horror.

I’m planning to increase my goal even more next year and read 25 books, all while completing a draft or two of the novel I’m currently writing.

Check back this time next year to see if I hit my target!