I’ll be updating this page throughout the year, hoping to meet my reading challenge of 40 books (eligible books are numbered below) as well as a few other reading goals. You can follow me on Goodreads or read about what I read in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 & 2017.
After some thought, I am now only using the star rating on Goodreads for 5 star books as otherwise it seems unfair without the review text (which I am never going to post on such a drama-filled site!). Instead I will be marking those 5 star reads below with a single star.
November
43. The Man Who Cycled the World by Mark Beaumont
I picked this up secondhand and was initially very confused as the details didn’t match the documentary I watched a couple of years ago. But then I remembered this madman has cycled around the world twice and this is the first attempt. That made it a lot more interesting as I didn’t know what happened and he took a different route. It’s clearly just an expanded version of his log book and it gets a bit repetitive, plus he comes across as a bit naive but still an interesting read.
Pirate Fun: The Third Trial by Colin Bell, Neil Watson-Slorance and David B Cooper
At last! I did a re-read as I couldn’t remember much of what happened so far and I’m glad I did as it’s all very entertaining with lots of very silly jokes. If you like comics, pirates and quests, I can strongly recommend.
42. The No-Show by Beth O’Leary
This has a very clever twist that ultimately feels a bit cheap and doesn’t really add up once you start thinking about it. Fine for a quick read.
41. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas
I’m not really into true crime but I do love Mindhunter so it was interesting to read about the real-life inspiration. Unfortunately, the TV show was extremely faithful in a lot of aspects but there are some interesting details, plus more recent stuff that really makes me hope the show eventually returns. Massive amounts of copaganda too, of course.
Goodreads challenge completed! Hope to make it to my pre-pandemic 52 books now.
40. Adrift In Caledonia: Boat-Hitching for the Unenlightened by Nick Thorpe
Picked this up secondhand and really glad I did. The author lives near the Edinburgh-Glasgow canal and decides to ‘boat-hitch’ clockwise around Scotland. He makes very few plans and always seems to find a friendly sailor at every stop, managing to travel on all kinds of vessels, even touring one of the nuclear submarines near me and sailing on the herring drifter turned museum I visited up north. He’s obviously interested in people and able to find interesting and humorous moments in every part of the journey, as well as their thoughts on what it’s like to live a life at sea or on island communities. Even though the book is about the boat-hitching aspect, it still feels like a missed opportunity that he doesn’t write a word about the 3 or 4 passenger ferries he takes. Also a star off for passing through my hometown Lossiemouth twice without any stories and instead choosing to spend days in the new-agey commune in Findhorn (which doesn’t even have any boats!). One to keep for a reread though.
41. The Man of Her Dreams by Sarra Manning
Fun romcom where girl meets boy at A&E after a head injury and you spend the rest of the book wondering if he’s real or a figment of her brain trauma and over-active imagination. There’s a few too many moments that make it obvious which is true but I still raced through it to find out for sure and the ending is really well done.
38. The Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab ⭐️
Perhaps not quite a 5 star book but I was so happy to be back in this universe and really sad when it was over (at least it’s the start of another trilogy). I held off reading as I wanted to reread the original trilogy but eventually decided to start anyway and there is plenty recapping to keep you straight. I still don’t think I would recommend starting here as the original trilogy is amazing. 4 Londons with different levels of magic and power struggles. This book introduces a few new characters who I really loved (or at least loved reading about) but I hope the next one has more Kell – he’s almost turned completely from protagonist to sidekick.
37. LOST: Back to the Island: The Complete Critical Companion to The Classic TV Series by Emily St. James & Noel Murray
I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since LOST first aired! I was there from the pilot episode and will defend LOST to the grave so had to preorder this in hardback for my shelves. It’s is an excellent book for fans, covering the entire series in detail. There’s a little recap of each episode with many of them getting a longer essay and each season gets a separate opening and closing essay putting it in context with the rest of the series, plus some additional essays on topics across the whole show. Both the authors were covering LOST at the time and were part of the whole insane speculation and discussion that happened between episodes and seasons so they know all the in-jokes and hilarious nonsense that happened. It’s a massive nostalgia-fest for someone like me and still worth picking if you’re a later fan or even a final season hater. My only complaint is that it’s too short – some fairly big plot points/character moments are barely mentioned or get ignored completely. Ideally, it could have done with the short recap and the longer essay for every episode.
October
36. The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings
I think I was vaguely aware that these were a comic series now (I remember the zine/Tumblr days!) and I snapped up the first issue when it appeared in my daily offers email (Bookbub!) It is very sweet and a lovely reminder that however you’re feeling, you’re not alone. I’m not sure if I will buy more but I’m glad I read this.
35. Your Band Sucks: What I Saw at Indie Rock’s Failed Revolution by Jon Fine
Memoir by the guitarist from Bitch Magnet, a band I haven’t knowingly listened to but from the same era as many bands I do love. I almost DNF-ed this as the first part is a very generic, whiny ramble though all the cliches of ‘weird’ teenager finds their people and starts playing in bands including some unnecessary digs at other bands. The second part where Bitch Magnet reunite in the 2000s is almost a different book and clearly written while his memories are fresh – the writing is so much better and more vivid with loads more interesting details of the realities of touring when you’re older and all live in different countries. Very cool to hear all the behind the scenes stuff of All Tomorrow’s Parties, touring Asia etc. Not sure I’d recommend it unless you were involved in the same music scenes.
34. Ripley Under Water by Patricia Highsmith
Last one! (thanks to whoever decided to price-drop the whole series one by one as I read them). This has to be the weirdest book in the series, somehow with both too much plot and zero plot. These books are all about the psychology and the cat and mouse suspense and this one certainly delivers. You also have to respect the way they just end with so many loose threads. Once again, I really hope the Netflix series continues with some take on the other books.
32/33. Slow Dance & Fangirl, Vol. 4: The Manga ⭐️ by Rainbow Rowell
Double Rainbow! Slow Dance is her first adult novel in a long while and since Landline is my least favourite of her novels, I didn’t go in with high expectations. That generally turned out to be correct but there is a lot about the main characters as teens that made it more enjoyable. The characters and dialogue are still great but I just don’t enjoy reading about her adults as much as her teens, plus there’s an odd pro-military/’being anti-war was naive of me’ thread that was off-putting. Oh well. Fangirl, on the other hand, is my favourite book of hers (or jointly with Carry On) so I am super-sad to see the manga version ending. This was pretty much the perfect volume and the Gravioli ad killed me.
31. Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon by James Hibberd
Official oral history of Game of Thrones that I picked up cheap secondhand, though all the photos are standard press shots from the episodes so not worth seeking out over the ebook. There’s lots of fun stories from a huge cast of showrunners, actors, crew, management etc. that makes it well worth reading, even though I was an OG book reader and not entirely thrilled by the later seasons. Being official, it is very rarely even slightly critical and also skips or skims over many characters and controversial storylines – it’s very notable that GRRM disappears after about S4 to avoid any criticism of the massive story changes. It also didn’t really inspire me to rewatch the show but I do wish he would finish the damn books!
September
30. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
I have strong memories of watching the BBC series when I was young but had never read the book. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how fiercely anti-war it is and how angry she is about how she and her loved ones were duped out of their lives and youth by a patriotic belief in honour and glory. The first part is also extremely fascinating, about her fight to study at Oxford and what it was like to be a young women pre-WW1 with very little freedom or choices. The war part is obviously harrowing but incredibly told, including excerpts from letters that are so poignant. The last part is needed to tie up the threads of the first part but I could really have done without a potted history of the League of Nations so I skimmed quite a lot of that. So glad I read it though. Also such a shame that the BBC series isn’t streaming anywhere, I would love to see it again. (update: I watched the recent movie and wow that is atrocious. That you could read this book and think it’s not dramatic enough and the worst moment of her life should also happen on her invented wedding day is unbelievable).
29. The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Continuing the series, this time with a teenager who is something of a mirror and a protege of Ripley. This feels like a book that has a lot going on under the surface but my brain is not in that place so I will probably search up someone else’s analysis on this sometime. Cool to have much of it set in a very recognisable Berlin after being there this year.
28. You Belong with Me by Mhairi McFarlane
These romcoms are always a quick easy read and actually funny. This is a sequel but I had zero memory of reading it, despite finding it completed on my Kindle so I had to reread that first. The first book is about a ghostwriter and celebrity and this one is them actually trying to figure out if a relationship between a megastar and a nobody can really work out. There’s too much forced drama and misunderstandings though and you never really believe they might break up so it was all a bit underwhelming and probably didn’t need to be written.
August
27. Loveless by Alice Oseman
Coming of age novel about first year uni students figuring out who they are with a main focus on an Aro/Ace character. Much like Heartstopper, this is sweet and heartwarming but still very real and topical with relatable characters and great representation. I’m definitely too old for it and it felt a bit too simplistic but I’m so glad books like this exist.
26. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
The problem with the way I buy books (adding everything to my Amazon wish list and buying it months/years later when the price drops enough) is that it’s very easy to mix up authors. So this is actually the same author as The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and a similarly twisty murder mystery. This time it’s set on a Dutch colonial ship in 1634 with a Sherlock Holmes-style quirky detective and sidekick, plus many great characters. Literally every chapter ends on some kind of cliffhanger so I didn’t even attempt to guess at what was going on, especially since there was a supernatural element. Very entertaining and exciting but the ending was a bit stupid. Will try and remember his name for future books though.
25. Everest 1953: The Epic Story of the First Ascent by Mick Conefrey
I remember reading John Hunt’s official story of the ascent of Everest while doing jury service so it was interesting to get the updated story after 50 years when more details/letters/books from the participants have become available.
24. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
First book in a while that I haven’t been able to put down. As a notoriously gullible/unobservant reader, I was floored by the first twist and then it just keeps getting twistier and twistier. It actually is way too melodramatic and the plot doesn’t hold together very well but great fun, especially if you’ve ever wished Dickens wrote a lesbian con/heist story.
23. The Hotel Years: Wanderings in Europe between the Wars by Joseph Roth
A collection of short newspaper columns that I’ve been reading over a few months. Most are for German newspapers and obviously he’s very aware of what is building towards WW2 and eventually is writing in exile from Paris. Most are about Germany but he also visits a lot of Eastern Europe and there’s even a little section of possibly-fictional portraits of the staff at a favourite hotel. He’s very observant and happy to chat with all kinds of people so it’s always interesting, although with a certain banner of privilege. Might read one of his novels sometime.
July
22. Climbers: How the Kings of the Mountains Conquered Cycling by Peter Cossins
Oops, I forgot to write about this at the time and now I don’t remember much of my thoughts. It covers the history of specialist climbers and the development of KOM/QOM jerseys at the grand tours and includes interviews with both male and female riders, which makes a nice change. It was especially fun to read during the Tour as they had a lot of classic climbs this year that were covered extensively in the book. Probably not of interest to anyone who doesn’t follow pro cycling though.
21. Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith
I have now watched the Netflix show (v.good) and then the third book got a price drop right after. I enjoyed this one but they are all kind of similar really. Will be interested to see how the show adapts these if it continues (I hope it does and makes some changes). The fourth book got a price drop after I finished this so I will be carrying on soon.
June
20. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch ⭐️
So fun! I love a heist story, especially when it’s a ragtag group of friends up against the world. Great worldbuilding, strong characters, very funny and lots of unexpected twists and gut punches. The rest of the series is on my wish list now.
May
19. Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
I didn’t love Ninth House but I do love Leigh Bardugo and I was interested enough in the story/characters to look out for a 99p deal. The sequel is essentially a heist (to hell!) and has enough layers/twists to keep it exciting but I was never that invested in what would happen to anyone. It’s all a bit too grim really – where is Nikolai from the Grishaverse when you need for some light relief?
18. Hell of a Journey: On Foot Through the Scottish Highlands in Winter by Mike Cawthorne
I can’t remember why I bought this as I’ve had it for ages but randomly started it. The author quits his job as a teacher to make a journey across Scotland, climbing every mountain over a certain height (I forget what), almost entirely solo and unsupported, during the winter – something that had never been attempted before. It’s impossible to relate to this in any way but there’s some great writing and anecdotes about nature, conservation and the people he meets. And a lot of terrible weather.
Pet Shop Boys, Annually
Another great edition with lots of interesting stuff to read, mainly focusing on their latest album. There’s a long diary of the recording and a really fun day in the life of them having photos taken, plus the always-entertaining Q&A with fan questions.
Dracula by Bram Stoker ⭐️
For one of my 2024 goals: reading Dracula in the format it was actually intended to be read. This was great timing as I got to the final section of the book just as Dracula Daily was starting up again (it’s not too late to join in!). There’s not really any big differences in how the story unfolds, but the action definitely cracks on faster without the real time delays. I think Dracula Daily is still the perfect way to read Dracula (the part where you and the gang are both anxiously waiting for updates about THE BOAT for like a week is so good).
April
17. Abroad in Japan: Ten Years In The Land Of The Rising Sun by Chris Broad
I was a little apprehensive from the “hilarous!” reviews that this was going to be a cliche-filled ‘lol weird Japan’ type book but thankfully that wasn’t the case. Chris moved to the countryside to teach English on the JET programme and while there is a lot of awkward mishaps he cares a lot about learning the language, making local friends, being part of the community etc. Even when he leaves to focus on his Youtube channel, he stays in the same area. The latter half of the book is less interesting as he kind of skims through the highlights of being a popular Youtuber, which generally happens through viral content, which I find boring. Definitely worth reading though.
16. Butcher, Blacksmith, Acrobat, Sweep: The Tale of the First Tour de France by Peter Cossins
Birthday present that I mostly read on the plane to Berlin! Very readable account of the very first TdF in 1903 and the characters involved in organising and racing it. There’s a lot of backstabbing, favouritism and cheating going on that makes it highly entertaining but it’s also incredible that anyone even finished, what with riding through the night with no lights, help or suitable clothing/food/safety precautions. In some ways it’s extremely different from the current race and in other ways, it has barely changed at all.
15. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Quite a frustrating book, especially in the first half where it jumps around a lot with not very memorable characters. They do all eventually connect in a ponzi scheme and that part is probably the best but it’s also hard to sympathise with anyone. Still a lot of great writing and it was never obvious where the story would go next.
14. Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith
I’ve had this for a while but the new TV show (which I haven’t watched) was a reminder to read it. Good fun with Ripley now married and living in France but still involved in various schemes that all fall apart and require more schemes and murders to keep ahead. The suspense is agonising at times and things are occasionally very far-fetched but I will read the rest at some point.
13. Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success by Miki Berenyi
I liked Lush a lot and this is an interesting and very honest memoir, though the fame years are a little cliched and it’s sad how much animosity there is between her and Lush co-founder Emma. There’s a lot about her childhood which is not an easy read, but she manages not to dwell on the bad stuff too much and bring in some humour. The best stuff is some major takedowns of Britpop, sexism, the media, major labels etc. and she probably has a great essay collection in her. Definitely digging out the Lush records soon.
March
I spent about six weeks re-reading all of Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell books, which was fine when I read the first 2 in a couple of weeks while traveling a lot but The Mirror and the Light is soooo long and also so full of dread that it took me another month to get through. Still love them all so much (also still ahead on my reading challenge!).
Plant Daddy by Neil Watson-Slorance
Lovely heartfelt comic about grief and gardening that will make you want to grow things.
February
12. Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo & Dani Pendergast
I was surprised to find this in the library and it must have just arrived as I’m the first person to borrow it! Graphic novel prequel to the Grishaverse novels about The Darkling as a child. It’s a good read and the illustrations are beautiful but it;s quite short and doesn’t tell us anything much we didn’t know from the books so glad I didn’t buy it.
11. Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan
Library book. Cosy nostalgic memoir of a reader who is around the same age as me so there are a lot of books in common. It was nice to read about those, and learn some interesting facts about the authors but it’s generally boring to read about books you haven’t read (especially old children’s books that I’m unlikely to go looking for) so I ended up skimming a bunch of those.
10. How I Won the Yellow Jumper: Dispatches from the Tour De France by Ned Boulting
I actually managed to walk past the library when it was open and picked up 4 books very quickly. This is an entertaining memoir by one of ITV’s long-time Tour reporters, who started off with zero knowledge of cycling and became a huge fan. It does jump around between different years and topics very randomly but that seems more realistic when you’re not basing a memoir on diaries but just your memories. There’s a lot of cabin-fever type humour that gets a little wearing but lots of fun behind the scenes stuff.
9. Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho ⭐️
This has been on my Kindle for ages and I had the idea it was a serious historical novel with some fantasy stuff but I was way off as it’s great fun and more like a cross between Howl’s Moving Castle and Jane Austen, though with extra tension from the main characters being a Black ex-slave and a mixed race woman (in a world where women are discouraged from using magic due to their delicate fragile bodies). So much surprising and unexpected stuff happens and I enjoyed it all immensely. I did become increasingly suspicious that this was the first book in a series and would end things on a cliffhanger but actually it ties everything up nicely with plenty opportunities for more books, without them necessarily being direct sequels. Looking forward to reading more.
January
8. Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries by Robert Harris
I feel like my reading is this year is following a thread, this time from fictional publishing scandals to one of the biggest real ones. I recently watched a pretty great German comedy drama about the the forged Hitler diaries scandal in the 1980s (it’s on Channel 4) and since it’s only loosely based on the real story I had to know more as it has so many ‘you couldn’t make it up’ details and situations. It’s not quite as amusing in reality since almost everyone involved is either a conman, forger, Nazi sympathiser, ex-Nazi or media mogul but it’s still incredible how out of control it all got. Lots of good lessons in our current era of AI, fake news, lack of critical thinking etc. If it had happened today, it would be a very different story.
7. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
I knew this had an unlikeable protagonist and boy, does it ever! The first bunch of chapters had me screaming internally but it is so well done and so deliciously awful that I couldn’t wait for the whole story to unfold. It’s pretty much a smart and funny take on every publishing scandal of recent years, as well as cancel culture, cultural appropriation, social media witch hunts etc. The ending was a bit rushed and didn’t feel very satisfying but great read otherwise.
6. Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper by Peter Hill
Borrowed from my dad. This is an enjoyably low key memoir by a young guy who dropped out of art school in the 70s to spend a summer as a lighthouse keeper in Scotland. He worked at 3 different lighthouses on the West Coast, all on tiny islands, with 2 or 3 other guys, all of whom are a little bit eccentric. I could maybe have done with more about the lighthouses but his own life as an art student in Dundee & Glasgow felt quite familiar to me so I did enjoy that too. It was interesting to read this at the same time as Ducks. The lighthouses are a similarly isolated male work environment with the same history of mental health issues but as a young man he never has to deal with anything more than a bit of light ribbing.
5. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton ⭐️
Every year or so I get a meagre gift voucher from Amazon for my affiliate links and always spend it on books I haven’t been able to afford. I’m so glad to have finally read this, especially as I’m part of Kate’s Patreon where she’s shared some of the process. It’s about her years working in a remote work camp in Canada as a young woman in a majority-male workforce. She still manages to find the humour and small moments of friendship in an extremely toxic workplace but it’s a a tough read. Definitely one I’ll be re-reading soon.
4. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin ⭐️
This is like a warm bath of nostalgia for Gen X gamers like me, about 2 childhood friends who meet playing Nintendo and go on to make games. It’s a real trip through the gaming eras and so fun to read. The characters are not that likeable and their personal relationship dramas are fairly tedious but it all reminded me so much of Douglas Coupland’s Microserfs so I was willing to go along with it all.
3. Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton
My dad lent me this. From the doom-filled blurb, I assumed this story of the first Belgian expedition to the Antarctic was a The Terror-style disaster and there are so many bad decisions and problems before they even get there that I would have definitely expected everyone to die horribly. Thankfully, the presence of a young Roald Amundsen – and a lot of diaries written by the crew – meant that at least one person had to survive. As the first ship to spend a winter trapped in the ice in the Antarctic, they go through all kinds of awful stuff and it really is miracle that it didn’t end up worse. It was an exciting read but also incredibly stressful and I was glad when it was over!
2. Coffee First, Then the World: One Woman’s Record-Breaking Pedal Around the Planet by Jenny Graham
I’ve watched some of Jenny’s films on GCN+ (RIP) along with fellow Scot Mark Beaumont’s film of his attempt to cycle round the world in 80 days, so this was fun to read. She follows basically the exact same route as Mark but does it solo and completely unsupported. It’s written diary style and she’s so honest about how brutal the whole experience is, and how she keeps herself motivated in the face of injuries, breakdowns, weather, sleeping outdoors in awful places etc. She’s also so friendly and excited about the small and big joys of adventures that you’re always rooting for her. Great read.
1. Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe by Philip Plait
A requested Christmas present that I was very excited about. Plait takes you on a tour of the universe stopping at various places and describing what you would see if you were there, in some really fun first person mini stories. As an actual astronomer, this is isn’t just a guesswork or imaginative fancy but based on known science, which is explained in great detail. I enjoyed the first half of the book most with familiar places like the Moon, Mars and Pluto – but especially the chapter on Saturn which made me legitimately sad that I’ll never get to go on a guided spaceship tour of Saturn’s rings. Cassini, we did not appreciate you enough when you were out there taking amazing photos for us! Once the book heads out further to binary stars and globular clusters and black holes, it gets a bit too much for my puny imagination but it’s still all super interesting.
