2024 Reading Recap: My favourite books of the year

Vol 27, Issue 14, 17 January 2025

In 2024 I read approximately 50 books, and here I listed those I would definitely recommend to others. 

1. Fredrik Backman “Anxious People” (rated 4.17 on Goodreads) 

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Humour, Mental Health, Mystery 

Swedish author with incredible humour and his contemporary fiction book. The book tells us a story of the failed bank robber who runs into the apartment where a real estate tour is being given. The unsuccessful thief takes strangers hostage, but not acting very threatening, but instead trying to explain themselves. While they are together in the room, secrets reveal, and they realise that they all have something in common. 

I absolutely loved this book, where all different types of genres combined to create this magnificent and capturing story. The end of the story is quite unexpected and thrilling, which left me wondering and thinking about this book for a long time afterwards.  

2. Victor E. Frankl “Man’s Search for Meaning” (rated 4.38 on Goodreads) 

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Philosophy, Memoir, Self help, Biography  

The story about surviving in Nazi camps and willingness to live through the eyes of a psychiatrist. The author tells us his own experience, what he has been through, and his own theory—logotherapy which he tells more about in his book “The Doctor and the Soul”. The concept of this theory is that human beings are driven not by pleasure but by things we find meaningful.  

For me, this story widened my perspective of the world. The story completely captured me and made me wonder of how I would behave if I was thrown in the same horrible situation. Absolutely deep and heart-touching. I feel like every single person must read this book at least once during their lifetime.

3. Colleen Hoover “It ends with us” (rated 4.12 on Goodreads) 

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Abuse, Chick Lit, Young love 

The story switches between the main character’s past and present. It reveals her childhood traumas, love, and a heartbreak, while also tells of her present self, who meets another man. It is about abusive relationships, the victim’s behavior pattern, and how everything is connected to our childhood. 

I know that many people already sighed out long when they just saw an author’s name, because Colleen Hoover is considered poorly written and she is being judged a lot. However, while I was reading, I haven’t noticed any of it. I am not a person to cry because of the text, but this book literally made me sob for like half an hour. It was so heart-touching for me that I just cannot miss it and not add on here. Absolutely must read for all women and teaches us how to get out of the abusive relationship.

4. Erich Maria Remarque “All quiet on the western front” (rated 4.09 on Goodreads) 

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, War, Classics, World War I 

The story is about German schoolboys who signed up to go to the so-called glorious war, but their expectations were not met, and it was not all that pretty as it is written in books. The book tells us about awful but realistic life in trenches, with all losses, dirt, and blood.  

Erich Remarque is one of my favourite writers of all times, and this book is no exception. Definitely not for everyone to handle and enjoy, but is terribly well written and shows the real condition of soldiers in World War I. Loved it, absolutely recommend.

5. Haruki Murakami “Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” (rated 4.12 on Goodreads)

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical realism, Science fiction 

The book switches from one character to another. The first one works in the technology sphere and is receiving an order from a peculiar grandpa. This is how his story, with all its odds, begins. Another character is a man living in the place called the end of the world, where walls are surrounding the town with no way to escape. He has to read dreams in the library while he unwinds the town’s secrets.  

Murakami is one of the greatest authors I have ever read in my life, and probably this is not a good book to start reading him from. However, it is definitely one of the good ones, with his particular and quite specific way of imagining and describing an unusual and unique world. For science fiction lovers and just simply those who like it weird, this book would be an absolute masterpiece!