I’m not sure what my dealio is when it comes to delaying the writing and posting of my Book Reading List each year. Crimes! In any case, I hit my goal – finished 150 books. I admit I read some short stories at the end of the year in order to hit that goal.
I quite enjoyed a shorter book; something to add to my regular reading, I do declare!
One thing that was different in 2024 is that I joined the Book Club in Placencia (Belize). I enjoyed the ladies in the group, but just as I tried to participate in Book Clubs in years passed, it was difficult to stray from what I wanted and liked to read. I didn’t particularly enjoy the books, however, the discussions led me to believe that I had perhaps missed the mark on the deeper messages or themes in these books.
I began reading more Psychological, fast-paced Thrillers over the last couple of years, and I found it difficult to go back to some of my favorite Authors from decades ago (Scott Williams Carter, James Patterson). Perhaps it is an energy resonance, my tastes, or the flow of story (addicted to faster-paced novels now; gotta hook me in the first few pages or I get bored). Maybe it was timing. I will try them again before I give up on them! I may still be giving up on Blake Pierce, still haven’t figured out my total aversion to reading their books, used to love the Jessie Hunt Series.
2024 Book List
For the Book List, I changed the layout this year, sorted by My Rating instead of Date. Don’t bother counting, I know a couple of books are missing, and I’m choosing not to track them down. Without further ado, here is the 2024 Book Reading List:
| Title | Author | My Rating | # Pages | Date Read |
| The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results | Gary Keller | 5 | 240 | 1/8/2024 |
| Please Join Us | Catherine McKenzie | 5 | 317 | 2/10/2024 |
| Mind Reader: Unlocking the Power of Your Mind to Get What You Want | Lior Suchard | 5 | 229 | 3/1/2024 |
| Living Nonviolent Communication: Practical Tools to Connect and Communicate Skillfully in Every Situation | Marshall B. Rosenberg | 5 | 194 | 3/3/2024 |
| The Body Code: Unlocking Your Body’s Ability to Heal Itself | Bradley Nelson | 5 | 383 | 3/6/2024 |
| Energetic Boundaries: How to Stay Protected and Connected in Work, Love, and Life | Cyndi Dale | 5 | 314 | 4/4/2024 |
| Energy Strands: The Ultimate Guide to Clearing the Cords That Are Constricting Your Life | Denise Linn | 5 | 210 | 4/29/2024 |
| A Great Guy (From the Tales of Dan Coast Book 20) | Rodney Riesel | 5 | 268 | 5/1/2024 |
| The Supremacy License (A Sinatra Thriller, #1) | Alan Lee | 5 | 242 | 5/19/2024 |
| Informed: The Comprehensive Guide To Human Design Manifestors | Holly Herbig | 5 | 236 | 5/27/2024 |
| When Caregiving Calls: Guidance as You Care for a Parent, Spouse, or Aging Relative | Aaron Blight | 5 | 210 | 6/29/2024 |
| The Barefoot Investor: The Only Money Guide You’ll Ever Need | Scott Pape | 5 | 298 | 7/8/2024 |
| An Inconvenient Woman: A Novel of Suspense | Stephanie Buelens | 5 | 309 | 7/27/2024 |
| Strike Me Down | Mindy Mejia | 5 | 352 | 8/5/2024 |
| Escaping Shadows (Shadows Landing, #10) | Kathleen Brooks | 5 | 287 | 8/13/2024 |
| Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential | Tiago Forte | 5 | 269 | 8/21/2024 |
| Damaging Secrets (Rachel Ryder, #1) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 5 | 291 | 9/8/2024 |
| Hunted Girl (Rachel Ryder, #2) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 5 | 328 | 9/10/2024 |
| The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level | Gay Hendricks | 5 | 226 | 10/29/2024 |
| Deadly Means (Rachel Ryder #7) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 5 | 342 | 11/27/2024 |
| don’t wait til i die to love me vol.1 : special edition: revised & expanded (don’t wait til i die to love me (special edition)) | Michael Tavon | 5 | 168 | 12/11/2024 |
| Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High | Kerry Patterson | 5 | 273 | 12/11/2024 |
| don’t wait til i die to love me vol. ii: special edition: revised & expanded (don’t wait til i die to love me (special edition) Book 2) | Michael Tavon | 5 | 146 | 12/17/2024 |
| Healing Through the Vagus Nerve: Improve Your Body’s Response to Anxiety, Depression, Stress, and Trauma Through Nervous System Regulation | Amanda Armstrong | 5 | 299 | 12/25/2024 |
| Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1) | Ali Hazelwood | 5 | 73 | 12/26/2024 |
| A Sight for Psychic Eyes (Piper Ashwell Psychic P.I.) | Kelly Hashway | 5 | 53 | 12/29/2024 |
| The Answer Is No | Fredrik Backman | 5 | 68 | 12/30/2024 |
| The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months | Brian P. Moran | 4 | 209 | 1/5/2024 |
| Evidence of the Affair | Taylor Jenkins Reid | 4 | 88 | 1/10/2024 |
| People Like Them | Minka Kent | 4 | 56 | 1/11/2024 |
| A Twisted Love Story | Samantha Downing | 4 | 400 | 1/22/2024 |
| Those Empty Eyes | Charlie Donlea | 4 | 304 | 1/27/2024 |
| The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Dealing with Toxic People: How to Reclaim Your Power from Narcissists and Other Manipulators | Shahida Arabi MA | 4 | 210 | 1/28/2024 |
| Fading Shadows (Shadows Landing, #8) | Kathleen Brooks | 4 | 268 | 2/7/2024 |
| Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond | Henry Winkler | 4 | 251 | 2/14/2024 |
| The Missing Ink (Tattoo Shop Mystery, #1) | Karen E. Olson | 4 | 320 | 2/22/2024 |
| The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential | Wim Hof | 4 | 226 | 2/23/2024 |
| The Right Questions | Debbie Ford | 4 | 204 | 2/25/2024 |
| Don’t Look Now (Look trilogy, #1) | Linda Lael Miller | 4 | 448 | 2/27/2024 |
| Dead of the Day (Annie Seymour Mystery, #3) | Karen E. Olson | 4 | 309 | 3/6/2024 |
| Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life | Judith Orloff | 4 | 418 | 3/10/2024 |
| The Girl in Seat 2A | Diana Wilkinson | 4 | 358 | 3/11/2024 |
| Ask for Andrea | Noelle W. Ihli | 4 | 272 | 3/15/2024 |
| Horses Never Lie: The Heart of Passive Leadership | Mark Rashid | 4 | 196 | 3/27/2024 |
| Deadly Dancing (Mars Cannon, #1) | Nicolette Pierce | 4 | 212 | 4/17/2024 |
| The 7-Day Flat-Belly Tea Cleanse – Exclusive Shape Expanded Edition | Kelly Choi | 4 | 300 | 4/21/2024 |
| 2050: Psycho Island (Book 1) | Phil M. Williams | 4 | 462 | 4/27/2024 |
| Hot for Teacher (From the Tales of Dan Coast Book 21) | Rodney Riesel | 4 | 319 | 5/4/2024 |
| Five Days to Live (Jensen Beach Mysteries Book 5) | Rodney Riesel | 4 | 236 | 5/8/2024 |
| Broken Symphony (Mackenzie August #12) | Alan Lee | 4 | 252 | 5/15/2024 |
| Wild Card (A Sinatra Thriller, #2) | Alan Lee | 4 | 238 | 5/25/2024 |
| Paradise Royale (A Sinatra Thriller, #3) | Alan Lee | 4 | 256 | 6/3/2024 |
| Martinez (A Sinatra Thriller, #4) | Alan Lee | 4 | 258 | 6/12/2024 |
| A Matter of Time (A Jake Stellar Series Book 9) | Rodney Riesel | 4 | 141 | 6/15/2024 |
| Hollow Girl (The Girl Who Would Be Sheriff #1) | Alan Lee | 4 | 362 | 6/24/2024 |
| Your Soul’s Plan eChapters – Chapter 6: Death of a Loved One: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born | Robert Schwartz | 4 | 344 | 6/28/2024 |
| Murder Book (The Girl Who Would Be Sheriff #3) | Alan Lee | 4 | 314 | 7/8/2024 |
| Old Guns (Mackenzie August #13) | Alan Lee | 4 | 324 | 7/12/2024 |
| The Desecration of All Saints | Alan Lee | 4 | 316 | 7/15/2024 |
| Promise You Won’t Tell? | John Locke | 4 | 231 | 7/21/2024 |
| Damaged Shadows (Shadows Landing, #9) | Kathleen Brooks | 4 | 298 | 7/31/2024 |
| The Lovely Wicked Rain (Garrison Gage, #3) | Scott William Carter | 4 | 308 | 8/11/2024 |
| Never Look Back (Look Trilogy, #2) | Linda Lael Miller | 4 | 292 | 8/14/2024 |
| The Widow’s Husband’s Secret Lie | Freida McFadden | 4 | 152 | 9/1/2024 |
| Overkill (Rachel Ryder #3) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 4 | 354 | 9/13/2024 |
| Countdown (Rachel Ryder #4) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 4 | 321 | 9/18/2024 |
| The Last Teacher (Mackenzie August #0.5) | Alan Lee | 4 | 246 | 9/29/2024 |
| The Lost Bookshop | Evie Woods | 4 | 432 | 10/19/2024 |
| Constant Maintenance (Fernandina Beach Mysteries Book 5) | Rodney Riesel | 4 | 242 | 10/20/2024 |
| Random Events (Allen Crane Book 3) | Rodney Riesel | 4 | 326 | 10/23/2024 |
| A Series of Events (Allen Crane Book 4) | Rodney Riesel | 4 | 221 | 10/26/2024 |
| Killer Cove (Charlie Hewitt Book 3) | Rodney Riesel | 4 | 171 | 10/27/2024 |
| Kill Society (The Girl Who Would Be Sheriff #4) | Alan Lee | 4 | 402 | 11/13/2024 |
| The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3) | Freida McFadden | 4 | 402 | 11/15/2024 |
| Little Secrets | Jennifer Hillier | 4 | 338 | 11/17/2024 |
| Unmissing | Minka Kent | 4 | 252 | 11/20/2024 |
| Fatal Silence (Rachel Ryder #6) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 4 | 352 | 11/24/2024 |
| Final Fix (Rachel Ryder #8) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 4 | 350 | 12/3/2024 |
| The New Year’s Party | Daniel Hurst | 4 | 51 | 12/16/2024 |
| Third Watch (Tracy Crosswhite, #0.5) | Robert Dugoni | 4 | 48 | 12/16/2024 |
| Her Second Death (Bree Taggert #0.5) | Melinda Leigh | 4 | 47 | 12/16/2024 |
| Holiday Hideaway | Mary Kay Andrews | 4 | 72 | 12/19/2024 |
| Ushers | Joe Hill | 4 | 29 | 12/21/2024 |
| Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2) | Tessa Bailey | 4 | 59 | 12/30/2024 |
| Resting Scrooge Face | Meghan Quinn | 4 | 80 | 12/31/2024 |
| The Inmate | Freida McFadden | 3 | 388 | 1/1/2024 |
| The Gift | Freida McFadden | 3 | 47 | 1/3/2024 |
| Hard Road (Jon Reznick, #1) | J.B. Turner | 3 | 322 | 1/6/2024 |
| The Feud | Gemma Rogers | 3 | 355 | 1/13/2024 |
| Shielding the Baby (Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Book 1) | Laura Scott | 3 | 223 | 1/21/2024 |
| Her Husband’s Lies | T.J. Brearton | 3 | 312 | 1/28/2024 |
| Girl Left Behind (Dana Gray Mystery #1) | C.J. Cross | 3 | 258 | 2/1/2024 |
| To the Edge (The Bodyguards #1) | Cindy Gerard | 3 | 350 | 2/4/2024 |
| Eliminating Stress, Finding Inner Peace | Brian L. Weiss | 3 | 88 | 3/7/2024 |
| Dodging Energy Vampires: An Empath’s Guide to Evading Relationships That Drain You and Restoring Your Health and Power | Christiane Northrup | 3 | 234 | 3/7/2024 |
| My Best Friend’s Secret | Danielle Ramsay | 3 | 370 | 3/25/2024 |
| The Perfect People (Jessie Hunt, #27) | Blake Pierce | 3 | 265 | 4/2/2024 |
| The Other Brother (Sunrise City Book 7) | Rodney Riesel | 3 | 204 | 5/12/2024 |
| Stormwater (A Jake Stellar Series Book 8) | Rodney Riesel | 3 | 214 | 5/12/2024 |
| Liver Detox: Cleansing through Diet, Herbs, and Massage | Christopher Vasey | 3 | 132 | 5/25/2024 |
| Desert Eagle (A Sinatra Thriller, #5) | Alan Lee | 3 | 208 | 6/11/2024 |
| Double Agent: A Davis Way Crime Caper, Book 8 | Gretchen Archer | 3 | 266 | 6/17/2024 |
| Heal Your Nervous System: The 5-Stage Plan to Reverse Nervous System Dysregulation | Linnea Passaler | 3 | 290 | 6/24/2024 |
| Knock Out (The Girl Who Would Be Sheriff #2) | Alan Lee | 3 | 338 | 7/4/2024 |
| Forever Hidden (Forever Bluegrass, #2) | Kathleen Brooks | 3 | 275 | 8/18/2024 |
| Finally Home: Lessons on Life from a Free-Spirited Dog (The Buddy Books Book 1) | Elizabeth Parker | 3 | 148 | 8/22/2024 |
| The Summer House | James Patterson | 3 | 625 | 8/28/2024 |
| One Last Look (Look trilogy, #3) | Linda Lael Miller | 3 | 402 | 8/31/2024 |
| Message in the Fire (Messages of Murder #2) | Dawn Merriman | 3 | 237 | 9/3/2024 |
| Dreamland Burning | Jennifer Latham | 3 | 384 | 9/19/2024 |
| The Wife You Know | Chad Zunker | 3 | 205 | 9/20/2024 |
| An Equal Justice (David Adams, #1) | Chad Zunker | 3 | 223 | 9/22/2024 |
| The Wife Upstairs | Rachel Hawkins | 3 | 277 | 9/30/2024 |
| Even: A Novel (A David Trevellyan Thriller Book 1) | Andrew Grant | 3 | 384 | 10/7/2024 |
| State of Affairs (First Family, #1) | Marie Force | 3 | 362 | 10/15/2024 |
| Body Count (Rachel Ryder #5) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 3 | 360 | 10/30/2024 |
| Highly Sensitive People in an Insensitive World: How to Create a Happy Life | Ilse Sand | 3 | 162 | 11/22/2024 |
| The Housemaid’s Secret (The Housemaid, #2) | Freida McFadden | 3 | 318 | 12/8/2024 |
| Krampus: The Yule Lord | Brom | 3 | 381 | 12/11/2024 |
| Dark Intent (Rachel Ryder #9) | Carolyn Ridder Aspenson | 3 | 300 | 12/12/2024 |
| The Housemaid’s Wedding (The Housemaid, #2.5) | Freida McFadden | 3 | 76 | 12/14/2024 |
| John F. Kennedy: A Captivating Guide to the Life of JFK (U.S. Presidents) | Captivating History | 3 | 61 | 12/15/2024 |
| Stay With Me 1 (Murder in Blooming Grove #1) | Jacie Middlemann | 3 | 34 | 12/15/2024 |
| The Liar’s Wife | Kiersten Modglin | 3 | 270 | 12/15/2024 |
| Tinsel & Tides: A Short, Sweet, Later-in-Life Christmas Romance Novella (Starfish Inn Book 1) | Nina Potter | 3 | 83 | 12/17/2024 |
| Silent Girl (Sheila Stone, #1) | Blake Pierce | 3 | 168 | 12/21/2024 |
| My Late Husband’s Secrets | Victoria Michaels | 3 | 54 | 12/23/2024 |
| don’t wait til i die to love me vol. III: special edition: revised & expanded (don’t wait til i die to love me (special edition) Book 3) | Michael Tavon | 3 | 156 | 12/23/2024 |
| Lovers at the Museum | Isabel Allende | 3 | 25 | 12/23/2024 |
| My Late Husband’s Secrets: Book 3 – A Later Life Romance Series | Victoria Michaels | 3 | 49 | 12/25/2024 |
| My Late Husband’s Secrets: Book 2: A Later Life Romance Series | Victoria Michaels | 3 | 54 | 12/25/2024 |
| My Late Husband’s Secrets: Book 5 – A Later Life Romance Series | Victoria Michaels | 3 | 50 | 12/26/2024 |
| My Late Husband’s Secrets: Book 4 – A Later Life Romance Series | Victoria Michaels | 3 | 49 | 12/26/2024 |
| Second Chance Christmas Cracker Crush: A Sweet Romcom Short Read | Jessie Gussman | 3 | 60 | 12/30/2024 |
| The Christmas Cottage (Holiday Romance, #1) | Grace Meyers | 3 | 65 | 12/30/2024 |
| Short, Sharp, and to the Point: Breaking Bad Habits and Boosting Motivation in 15 Pages or Less | Charles Patane | 3 | 17 | 12/31/2024 |
| Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5) | Alexis Daria | 3 | 65 | 12/31/2024 |
| Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4) | Alexandria Bellefleur | 3 | 58 | 12/31/2024 |
| All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3) | Olivia Dade | 3 | 55 | 12/31/2024 |
| The Nurse | Valerie Keogh | 2 | 298 | 1/9/2024 |
| Nothing to See Here | Kevin Wilson | 2 | 277 | 5/30/2024 |
| The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (The Road to Nowhere, #1) | Meg Elison | 2 | 300 | 6/30/2024 |
| How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen | David Brooks | 2 | 304 | 8/3/2024 |
| The Honeymoon | Shalini Boland | 2 | 263 | 11/2/2024 |
| The Family Tree | Sheri S. Tepper | 2 | 516 | 11/23/2024 |
| Natural Selection | Elin Hilderbrand | 2 | 54 | 12/17/2024 |
| My Evil Mother | Margaret Atwood | 2 | 32 | 12/18/2024 |
Personal Development
My top faves in this category are:
Holly Herbig’s INFORMED. If you are a Human Design Manifestor, this book is for you. I thank my Biz Coach, Lise, for recommending it to me. If you are new to Human Design, it is an amazing tool to understand yourself and best strategies to navigate your life. It’s your personal energetic blueprint! I discovered my Human Design in 2016, but didn’t start studying it regularly until 2020.
Holly’s book is specifically for Manifestors, of which there are only about 9% of in the world (Unique much?). INFORMED spells out all of the important pieces of being a Manifestor clearly with examples and different aspects of each trait. I’m in a Book Club of Manifestors for this book – it really helps to be seen and validated. If you want to learn more about Manifestors, you can check out Holly’s website here. You can get your free Human Design chart from many places online. If you want Biz Coaching based on your Human Design, I recommend Lise.
Marshall B. Rosenberg’s LIVING NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION (his Nonviolent Communication is a must-read, so start there, then move on to this one) is packed full of practical examples of how to navigate life situations so you can feel seen, heard, and get what you want. I used Nonviolent Communication for an important conversation with an ex, and it went well on my end (I’m pretty sure he missed the point). I look forward to practicing more in the future in my interactions with others. Roar!
Must-Reads for Everyone
Aaron Blight’s WHEN CAREGIVING CALLS is a straightforward book on everything you need to know about Caregiving. I suggest reading it BEFORE your situation warrants it. Each Chapter provides prompts at the end so you can dive into the subject matter a little bit deeper, and more personally to your situation. This book will expand your mind and knowledge into Caregiving, and most importantly, how to best take care of yourself as the Caregiver.
I met Aaron in 1982, and we were fast friends and still keep in touch. Aaron is as sharp as they come – he has owned elder care facilities, and now he speaks all over on Caregiving topics – check out his work here and book him to speak!
THE BAREFOOT INVESTOR by Scott Pape is a great foundation for understanding and implementing a financial foundation. I am so thankful and lucky that my parents taught me money management at age 8 AND that I implemented what they taught. I’m naturally frugal, so that helps! In any case, start young or now, and implement these simple steps to get your finances in order, manage your money like a smarty-pants, and create the future you dream of.
Favorite New Author
Carolyn Ridder Aspenson wins my Favorite New Author award for her Rachel Ryder Series. <the crowd goes wild!> The mysteries are gripping, and Rachel has (thankfully!) evolved throughout the Series. She is no-nonsense, powerful, smart, and funny. I enjoy all of the characters, and now that I think of it, they all evolve nicely as well. I’m curious how far this series can go.
General Shout Outs
To Michael Tavon for sharing his poetry series DON’T WAIT TIL I DIE TO LOVE ME. I resonated with this poetry, and I’ve had publishing my own poetry on my mind for decades. This series helped me see how mine could be published. It was also very insightful to read the feelings of a man – and to discover they aren’t that much different from mine, just likely less shared. Bravo to Michael!
I wanted to read Lior Suchard’s MIND READER: Unlocking the Power of Your Mind to Get What You Want because of my experience with Telepathy (hearing/knowing/feeling the thoughts of others without any verbal or visual contact). I wanted to see what a Magician/Mind Reader had to say about what they were experiencing, how they experienced it, and when and what to do with it. While his motive was to make things happen during his performance, it confirmed a lot of my own experiences that happen to me out of the blue.
I have yet to fully implement his teachings, but the deep breathing, cold baths, and other tools that Wim Hof describes in THE WIM HOF METHOD struck me as very interesting.
Another one I need to implement and investigate more is Amanda Armstrong’s HEALING THROUGH THE VAGUS NERVE. You’ve probably heard about the Vagus Nerve as it seems to be all the rage these days, helping regulate anxiety and stress. I’m one of those people who would say I never “feel” stressed – because I’m not running around like a chicken with my head cut off! I internalize and need to find tools to deal with my stress.
2025 Reading Goals
Well, it doesn’t make much sense to go backwards and read less, so I’m keeping my Reading Goal at 150 books, probably for the foreseeable future. I’m already reading strong at 71 books. If you aren’t on Goodreads to track your reading, what are you waiting for? Connect with me! Read and Roar!!!
