Every Book I Read in 2024, Reviewed

part 1: winter 2024 fiction!

hi!

I’m going to be doing very short reviews of every book I read in 2024. This only includes books I read cover to cover. I’m going to be doing 5 parts total, one for each season + one for nonfiction, hopefully at the rate of one post a week until we get to 2024!

The funny thing about reviewing books is that because there’s such a wealth of truly great, life-changing books out there, and reading a book well takes time and effort, most book reviews I write will fall somewhere between four and five stars. I think most of these books are worth reading, but I’ll try to be specific about who would get the most out of reading them. I’ve also put a star beside books that I think everyone should read.

Without further ado, here’s part I, fiction books I read in Winter 2024!

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov ☆

I read this book because I was enjoying Ada, or Ardor (also by Nabokov) but was unable to parse a significant amount of what was going on. I figured switching to an easier work would be a more satisfying experience (it was!! and I am now still not finished Ada.). The story is told through annotations of the poem “Pale Fire” by the former neighbour of the dead poet John Shade. One of the most gratifying, fun books I’ve ever read. It manages to be thrilling and beautiful at the same time. Recommended reading for anyone who wants to have a little fun and is willing to put up with flipping back and forth from annotation to poem.

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson ☆

I read this book because I was taking a course on the works of Marilynne Robinson and Cormac McCarthy. The story follows Ruth and her sister Lucille as they are raised and deserted in succession by their mother, grandmother, and great-aunts. When their Aunt Sylvie, a transient women with a poor grasp on housekeeping steps up to raise them, Ruth finds herself called to a life beyond what the town of Fingerbone can offer. Recommended reading for women drawn to a life of vagrancy and those who love them.

Veronica by Mary Gaitskill

I read this book because Parsa bought it for me for Valentine’s. I was already a Gaitskill fan from short stories but this is the first novel of hers I’ve read. The story follows ex-model Alison as she recalls her friendship with Veronica, an eccentric older woman who died of AIDS. Alison herself is now old, sick, and in pain. Recommended reading for people who keep difficult friendships.

The Gilead series (Gilead, Home, Lila, and Jack) by Marilynne Robinson (again) ☆

I read this series because of the Robinson/McCarthy course. Gilead is told in letters from elderly pastor John Ames to his young son, under the understanding he won’t be around to see the boy grow up. Although Ames is a wonderfully hopeful, brilliant man (with a beautiful young wife), a darker side of his life begins to seep through the letters. Home takes place at the same time as Gilead, but is told from the perspective of the Boughton household, headed by Robert Boughtan. Lila is the backstory of his aforementioned beautiful young wife (and my favourite of the series), while Jack is the backstory of the prodigal son of the Boughton household. Recommended reading for people who want to be better at forgiveness.

Cartwheel, Jennifer DuBois

I read this book because I wanted a book for the road and I needed to pick up something from Goodwill in under 20 minutes. The story is pretty bad. Basically a retelling of the Amanda Knox trial without any real suspense. Recommended reading for people who have nothing else to read because you’re stuck in a car on the 401.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

I read this book for school. The story follows John Grady Cole, an adolescent cowboy from a long line of cowboys who heads to Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins to continue cowboy-ing after his deadbeat mother sells the family ranch. Trouble brews when they meet another young runaway. Trouble brews again John Grady falls for the beautiful daughter of the hacendado. The plot is pretty straightforward but there are really crazy beautiful moments of prose. There’s also some interesting philosophical stuff going on here. Recommended reading for people who make rash decisions, cowboys at heart.