We’re coming to the end of the first half of the year already! Time surely flies. If you remember, at the beginning of the year I made, once again, a tentative tbr list in order to read more of my physical books. And so far, I must say, I’ve done better in 2024 than in the last couple of years. I have already read 15 out of the 24 books I chose. Hence, for today’s post, I want to do a mid-year bookish challenge update for the year 2024.
I chose 24 books from the books that I already own and want to read in 2024 before buying more books. Honestly, I don’t have much room in my current home to keep purchasing books, so I need to get rid of some of them soon.
And what better way to create space on my shelves than by reading most of the books I already own before purchasing more? Hence the challenge, which is supposed to entice me to stick to my current tbr.
And so far so good. It is the first year since I joined similar types of challenges that I’m sticking to my plan. I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I’m confident that I can manage to get through this list before the end of the year. After all, I only have nine from the original list left, so it’s very doable.
Before dragging things on, let’s see how my mid-year bookish challenge for 2024 is going.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Although this was a dnf for me, I still count it as a book I crossed off my 24 books for 2024. I could not connect with the book and I cannot understand why it is so highly lauded. Didion is a very respected author and I’m not in a position to take anything from her. But as the first book that I read by the author, it wasn’t a hit for me. I have one more book written by her on my Kobo, Play It As It Lays, so I’ll give her one more chance.
After Everything You Did by Stephanie Sowden
My second and last dnf from this list, hopefully it will also be the last. The premise sounds good, but I had a hard time getting into the story. I think I don’t get into stories that refer to the sixties, not that there’s anything wrong with the decade. I know most people enjoy books that are set in different decades. In general I do as well, but in this particular case it didn’t work for me.
The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
Another flop for me, I had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it. It wasn’t bad, nor too gory. But it woke some unpleasant emotions while reading it that left me with a sour taste in my mouth. I still have the second one to read this year, The Roses of May, so hopefully it will work out better than this one. I’m planning to read it before the end of the year but at this point, I’m not sure.
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
When I started this book, I had no idea it was a fictional thriller based on the Ted Bundy murders. I can’t say anything negative about the book. It was well done, I personally didn’t love it. It took me a while to get into the story, and the characters weren’t that likable. I wasn’t sure if Tina is trustworthy or not, which was one of my issues. As far as the narrating style, it wasn’t my favorite of the authors’. I prefer her older novels, but that’s me.
Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier
Some people didn’t love this book by Hillier, but I enjoyed it. It’s not my favorite book of the year by any means, but it’s one of those popcorn thrillers that will guarantee you a few hours of entertainment. It’s reliable and easy to get through. Things We Do In The Dark is one of those books you can pick up when you’re heading out to the beach or the lake and you want a fun thriller to get lost into. It will deliver, as long as you don’t have super high expectations.
The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
What I loved most about this book is that the author is from Torino, a city that has a special place in my heart. I was actually there for a week last year and almost bought the Italian version of this book. The author’s style is easy to get into and not too stuffy, but it is more literary fiction rather than contemporary. The references he makes to the city and Italy in general were my favorite parts of the book. The characters were weird and they surely acted strange. All that being said, it was a decent read, just not one I will think of first when making suggestions to fellow readers.
Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering
I read the author’s recent book Bye, Baby earlier this year as an arc from the publishers. Hence, I decided to read her backlist, Tell Me Lies, which I had on my shelves for a while. While it was okay, it didn’t wow me. I actually enjoyed her latest one more, and I can tell that Lovering grew as a writer. When you read both books within a few weeks of each other, you can actually notice the difference. It may be my preference, but I think Bye, Baby was more up my alley. Tell me Lies is more appropriate to a younger demographic, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. If you enjoy young college students’ banter and adventures, you will vibe with it more than I did.
Trapped by Camilla Lackberg
If you’ve been around here awhile, you know that Camilla Lackberg is one of my all time favorite authors. Her Fjalbacka series is one of my comfort series. Even though it’s Nordic Noir at its best, it isn’t as gory and dark as other Scandinavian thrillers I’ve read and loved.
So when she started this new series, I immediately pre-ordered it, but only managed to get to it this year. And there’s probably a reason for that. While I enjoyed it, I find her writing is not as on par as her original series. It’s too bad, because it had lots of promise. I still liked it enough to order her next book in the series, but if it doesn’t improve for me, I’ll have to unfortunately stop there.
The Last Grudge by Max Seeck
Now this Nordic Noir thriller was so much better in my opinion. I find Seeck gets better and better with each book, and this one was super easy to get into. I flew through it in a couple of days. I like Jessica and her working relationship with Yussuf, which the author makes at the center of his books. They get closer with each case they work on, and the way they trust each other is inspiring. This is becoming one of my favorite series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on his latest book, Ghost Island.
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
I’ve had Straub’s books on my radar for a while, but this year I decided to prioritize her. And I’m so glad that I finally did. I read This Time Tomorrow first, and I fell in love with her writing style. She has such a fluid way of narrating that you cannot help but get transported to the fictional universes she creates. If you were like me and haven’t read anything by the author yet, this is her latest. Although it’s still a couple of years old, it is still a current read. So go on ahead and grab it.
Maame by Jessica George
Now we’re getting to my favorite books of the year so far. This one not only does it have a gorgeous cover, but it is also a very well written novel.
Best of both worlds, bookish edition, as far as i’m concerned. I’ve previously talked about books that have pretty covers but that the actual content doesn’t match its packaging. When that happens, we bookworms feel such a sense of disappointment.
In this case, the cover and the story are equally beautiful. The young main character was at times infuriating, but that’s what made her more relatable and endearing. The only negative thing I can say about this novel is its ending, which felt a bit rushed to me. But other than that, a great debut novel from a young up-and-coming voice.
All Adults Here by Emma Straub
The author’s previous novel is All Adults Here, and had I read this one first, This Time Tomorrow probably would’ve been a bit of a disappointment. If I really Liked This Time Tomorrow, I loved All Adults Here. The characters were a lot more likable to me. But what I really enjoyed about the book is the sense of community the author managed to create on paper. It gives you such a warm overall feeling while you’re reading it that it seems as if they’re your neighbors. If you want to pretend that you’re part of a fictional tight-knit community even if only for a little while, grab this book!
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
I said it before and will say it again, in case you haven’t read my previous review:
This book should become required reading in high schools. It is such an avant-garde, forward-thinking book that you cannot help but feel inspired. Even though it’s a work of fiction, it is influential nonetheless.
Elizabeth Zott has become one of my favorite fictional female characters of all time. In our current times she might be diagnosed as being on the spectrum, but back in the fifties and sixties she was believed to be very strange. She didn’t understand when people didn’t mean what they said, and that got her into trouble at times. But her above average intelligence and her truthfulness also made her one of the most respected and admired fictional scientists of her time.
This is a no-brainer: go get yourselves this book, you will not regret it.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abby Waxman
This is another feel-good book that will bring you some joy. If you’ve been in a reading slump, this book will most likely help you get out of it.
It is funny yet clever, and the characters are all unique and highly likable. Even the most grumpy, untrusting character of the book becomes somewhat tolerable. Once we know the reason for her acting so suspiciously, we come to understand her a bit more.
You will laugh out loud for a good part of the book, which is something that always puts me in a great mood. If you had this book on your shelves as long as I had, push it up on your list of books to prioritize. You’ll thank me later!
The Killing by David Hewson
If you remember one of my first posts ever, I talked briefly about my dichotomy about life in general, but also when it comes to books. As a typical Gemini, I like both feel-good books, but also dark and gory.
The Killing, as its title suggests, is not a light rom-com. It falls under the atmospheric genres, but it’s one of my favorite books ever. I’ve been obsessed with both the American and Danish TV series the book is based on, or its inspired by. Not sure which came first, the show or the book. But if you get a chance to, try to watch the show as well.
The book is a brick, counting more than 700 pages. But the fast-paced action and several twists and turns will allow you to fly through it in a few days.
A typical Nordic Noir thriller, The Killing is dark but manageable, so don’t let that deter you from reading it.
Concluding Words
This is my update on how my mid-year bookish challenge for 2024 is going. Can’t complain, and I’m actually surprised I managed to read 15 out of 24 with six months to go. Woohoo!
How is your mid-year reading going? Let me know in the comments below.
Until next time, fellow bookworms!
