2024 was a year of reading in bursts when on holiday and a bit sporadically in between when I was focusing on using my spare time to write not read. Nevertheless, I managed an average of nearly a book a week this year and looking at my list of what I read, it is an eclectic list as usual.

Best newly discovered author – Gabrielle Zevin – I loved reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and it transported me back to my year in the States in the 1990s. It was great to find a new go-to author.

Most likely to change the world – I read Keir Starmer by Tom Baldwin just after Labour’s landslide election victory and really enjoyed understanding more about the man who is setting out to change Britain for the better.

Learned most from – Food for Life by Tim Spector was a great read and helped kick-start a return to home cooking for me, along with a focus on reducing sugar and ultra-processed food. I’d really recommend it for anyone looking for practical tips on how to help their gut help them to be healthy.

Most captivating – The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn. A way of life comes to an abrupt end with the onset of the Second World War as the three protagonists are scattered to play their part. Place seeps through every page of this meticulously researched book. A lovely read.

Most changed my everyday life – The Human Being Diet by Petronella Ravenshear completely and utterly changed the way I eat. I lost 2 stone in 8 months and feel so much better for it and now enjoy food so much more. Protein and vegetables, olive oil and dark chocolate really works for me and I have never been healthier.

Most enjoyment from – The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan is a beautifully written, well-paced and well-plotted novel based on the author’s family’s experiences of British and Japanese occupied Malaya. It has a completely fresh take on the impact of the double occupation on one family. A must-read.

Most able to make a complex subject easy to understand – The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maas is one of the best books about writing I’ve read and breaks down the mystery of the craft of writing. An excellent book for any writers trying to ensure that their novels have emotional depth and will resonant with their readers at a cellular level. 

Most un-put-downable – Caledonian Road by Andrew O-Hagan is a tour de force and I enjoyed every minute of it. As a former resident of an adjacent part of north London I knew I was going to like it and the cast of characters is so extensive that there’s a helpful two-page guide at the beginning. The pace marches relentlessly on to what must surely be the protagonist’s downfall.

Most surprised by, in a good way – Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I started it last summer and didn’t quite get into it and then life got in the way and it was a year before I picked it up again. When I did, I was gripped by the modern take on David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, set in the poverty of rural Appalachia in the midst of the opioid crisis.

Least enjoyment from – Tackle by Jilly Cooper was a real let-down for me. I started reading the series starring the awful Rupert Campbell-Black as a teenager and have read each one since as it came out but this just didn’t pass the test, particularly if you know anything about football. Riders on TV this year, another matter entirely.

Would most recommend for holidays – I read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus whilst on holiday and it really is the perfect holiday reading. It was an absolute joy to read and was over all too quickly. I am very much hoping that Garmus follows up this astonishingly good debut.

Talked most obsessively about – Butter by Asako Yuzuki was an engrossing and delicious read that was recommended to me and that I have been recommending to everyone since reading it. It really is great fun and has a beautiful cover too.

Best audiobook – Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart. I so enjoy the Rest is Politics podcast with Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell that I knew I would enjoy his take on his time in British politics. Listening to him reading it made it even better.