Mini Book Reviews: December 2024 + Favorite Reads of 2024

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I received a copy of Three Days in June and The Heart of Winter from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I was pleased that despite the busyness of the holiday season, I was able to read 6 books this month. Even more pleasing was that I finished off this month with 2 great prereleases, which turned out to be 2 of my favorite reads of the year. If these two books--Three Days in June and The Heart of Winter are examples of what's to come for 2025, we have a lot of good reading to look forward to!

In her novel, Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout brings back all her characters from her previous novels to tell a story about love and life. I hadn't read any of those books before reading this one, but no worries, I slid right into this sweet book about love and life. Snarkly humorous and filled with small town characters, these people, who have known each other forever, talk about dreams and regrets. Don't expect a page turner--this is a sweet, slow-moving story. It's about the little things in life, that are the big things. As one of the characters, Bob says: "It's life, it's just called life". 

After hemming and hawing on Good Material for months, I finally gave in and picked it up. I wasn't sure I was the right audience for this break-up story. I still feel that way, but after finishing it, I can honestly say I'm glad I read it. A struggling stand-up comedian finds himself unanchored after his long-time love breaks up with him unexpectedly. Lacking any kind of self-awareness or introspection, he behaves like the immature man you expect him to be, including a brief but intense relationship with a much younger woman. In all honesty, I grew tired of him. After reading his girlfriend's perspective, I see that she did too, which made this book worth the read. 

Better Faster Farther provides a historical perspective of women's running. The author is a gifted storyteller and writes in a conversational style. After just finishing All in Her Head which chronicles medicine's history of gaslighting women, here we have another telling of men's attempts to obstruct women from competing in running and other athletic events. But women being women, pioneers in the sport proved them wrong. Then, men being men, they stepped in to train women runners--like they train men. This is such a great historical retelling of women runners' battles to run and a good reminder that women runners today owe women's running pioneers a debt of gratitude. 

Bluebird Day is a story about a world champion skier--nicknamed "Stone Cold Killer" and her estranged grown daughter, Wylie, a former skier whose career was cut short by injury. When Wylie reluctantly asks her mother, Claudine, now a successful virtual cycling instructor, to compete with her in a German fitness competition, Claudine agrees but insists on a stop in Switzerland to visit some old friends. The only accommodations they could find were at a youth hostel and if that wasn't bad enough, they got snowed in after an avalanche hit the village. There was lots of mother/daughter drama and a few humorous moments, but I grew tired of the animosity between the main characters. I kept hoping the story would develop in different directions. I did love the descriptions of the mountain village!

Anne Tyler is always reliable and when I received the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Three Days in June I couldn't wait! The story takes place over 3 days and centers around the impending marriage of Gail and Max's daughter Debbie. In typical Anne Tyler fashion, the book is really about Gail and Max. Gail feels left out of the wedding plans, she has quit or lost her job, and her ex, Max, comes to her house, carrying a cat. Gail also doesn't know what to do with information she has about Debbie's fiancé which could upset everything. Tyler deftly weaves a tale around these 3 people and she tells an interesting story that kept me turning the pages. I'm so glad I picked this one up and you will be too! Expected publication February 11, 2025

Jonathan Evison has become one of my favorite authors. I've read Lawn Boy and The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, which are two of my favorite books. I was looking forward to reading The Heart of Winter and once I started, I couldn't put it down. This is the story of a marriage between two people who at first glance, seem incompatible. The narrative alternates between the present, as the wife battles a devastating diagnosis, and the past, a journey of family life, of love and loss, and perseverance. Evison completely nails this one--his portrayal of the wife in particular felt spot on. It also has moments of snarky humor. This one will get you in the feels. I'm not crying, you're crying. 

Expected publication January 7, 2025

Year End Recap

I would be remiss if I didn't share some of my top reads for 2025! This year, I read 80 books, most of which were good--27 were 5 star reads for me. It was hard to narrow them down to just 10 favorites. There were a few disappointing reads as well as one DNF. 

It is always a lot of fun to look back and see what I read over the past year. Some books stick with me--good or bad-- and others are completely forgettable! I am always amazed at how many people read my reviews and I am so grateful for that. I've always gotten my best book recommendations from people I trust. I hope you all feel that way about me!

As always, I share my monthly reviews on this blog. You can also find them on Goodreads. If you don't follow me there, you should!

My top 10 reads of 2024:

Click on titles to be taken to the review

-Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

-Real Americans by Rachel Khong

-Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

-Leaving by Roxanna Robinson

-James by Percival Everett

-The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

-The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable

-The Sugar Rush by Peter Gregg

-Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (2025 release)

-The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison (2025 release)

Honorable Mentions: 

Martyr by Kaveh Akbar

The Women by Kristen Hannah

Yellowface by RF Kuang

A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko

The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Here After by Amy Lin

The Art Thief by Michael Finkle

How was your month of reading? How about your year? Any standout favorites you'd like to recommend? Books to stay away from? What are your reading plans for 2025? 

I'm looking forward to lots of Goodreads for 2025! I'm planning to dig into my Kindle library--I keep buying Kindle daily deals from Amazon and I need to read them. I also have quite a few Netgalley ARCs to read as well. As I always say, so many books, so little time...

I'm linking up with Jenn and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics. I'm also excited to join Farrah for My Month is Booked! Check out the newest link-up: Share Your Shelf with Slices of Life, Memphis Bridges, Overflowing with Thankfulness, and The Other Side of the Road.