Books I Read in 2024

Last updated 1/25/25

Rating system:

1 = meh, 2 = decent, 3 = good but not great, 4 = definitely worthwhile, 5 = one of the best I’ve read

And new this year, I’ve included a short comment!

  1. Sleepless in America: Is Your Child Misbehaving or Missing Sleep? by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka = 5 (Very practical and insightful, one of my main takeaways was that you should never reward your child for good behavior with getting to stay up later because sleep is a need that doesn’t change, and can’t be made up easily.)
  2. Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley = 4 (Main idea is your habits become your life, and so you should be intentional about your habits. Liked the ideas of how to incorporate convos about faith and God into daily life, and it really helped me see the bigger picture of ages/stages of all kids together, but I haven’t put much into practice from the book, so that’s why it’s a 4.)
  3. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom = 4 (Powerful story about WWII concentration camps, and well written.)
  4. My Years with Corrie by Ellen de Kroon Stamps = 4 (This was written by one of Corrie ten Boom’s personal assistants and it was so inspiring. My main takeaway: you can always engage someone with the gospel, no matter where you are, and it doesn’t have to be preachy.)
  5. The House That Cleans Itself by Mindy Starns Clark = 3 (Books about cleaning and organizing written by people who have struggled with that in the past are the best, and this falls into that category. This was good, but not the best I’ve read.)
  6. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne = 4 (Thought-provoking and tragic.)
  7. A Mother’s Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot = 5 (Found by chance at a consignment store, and definitely a book I will reference again and again. The author is Catholic, but I just overlook the parts that don’t apply. I really enjoyed her ideas for making life more orderly and how to fit your own faith activities into being a homeschooling mom.)
  8. The Way of Boys by Anthony Rao, Ph. D. (never finished) = 2 (It was interesting, but I moved on to audiobooks because of kids, and never came back to it.)
  9. Really Very Crunchy by Emily Morrow = 5 (A great beginner’s guide for being more crunchy. Includes recipes for things like elderberry syrup.)
  10. When We Were on Fire by Addie Zierman (audiobook) = 2 (She grew up in the evangelical world and had an identity crisis as an adult. Interesting story, and gave insights on what not to do when raising kids in the church. But sometimes reading about people’s drinking problems gives me a ick feeling, and this book did that.)
  11. Modern Miss Mason by Leah Boden (audiobook) = 4 (Encouraging and concise summary of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy. It was a good reminder for me of the core tenets.)
  12. Declutter Like a Mother by Allie Casazza (audiobook) = 2 (I enjoy reading organization and decluttering books, and this one was fine, but very stereotypical, and didn’t offer any unique nuggets. Most don’t, but I read them anyway!)
  13. Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr (audiobook) = 4 (An enjoyable, relatable memoir of moving to a new country while also being new parents to twins — not that I’ve ever done that, but I have been to Rome, and the challenges and blessings of parenthood are universal.)
  14. You Need a Budget by Jesse Mecham = 4 (A great budget book, especially if you use the YNAB system, which we do. He has a unique and practical view on budgeting.)
  15. Raising Emotionally Strong Boys by David Thomas (audiobook) = 3 (I don’t remember much from this book, but I do remember the idea of giving boys a space to get out their emotions in a healthy way — swings, punching bags, shooting hoops, etc.)
  16. Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin (audiobook) = 2 (I love Gretchen Rubin, but this one was disappointing.)
  17. Drop the Ball: Achieve More by Doing Less by Tiffany Dufu (audiobook) = 5 (Though I live a very different life than the author and this book was not really at all what I expected it to be, I really enjoyed Tiffany’s story, and I was challenged to ask for help from my husband more often, and be more intentional with my kids doing chores and helping out.)
  18. Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan (audiobook) = 2 (Fluff. Good enough to finish, and CLEAN, but meh.)
  19. The Home Edit: Stay Organized by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin = 3 (Fun pictures. More of a coffee table book than a ton of information.)
  20. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (audiobook) = 5 (Compelling story, amazing writing, and the audiobook reader sounded exactly how I imagined Katniss would sound. Loved it!)
  21. Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore = 4 (It took me a while to get into this book that I read for book club, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The plot was compelling and interesting, and there were a lot of great descriptions of country life and nature.)
  22. The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs (audiobook) = 4 (This book shed light on the challenges that Black people face, even those who seem to “get out” by going to an Ivy League school. A fascinating, but sad story.)
  23. The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World that Values Sameness by Todd Rose (audiobook) = 4 (Really interesting. Main idea is that if we design things for the “average person”, who doesn’t actually exist, we actually design things for no one. Helped me put into perspective my kids’ homeschooling journeys. There’s no “average student.”)
  24. Overwhelmed: How to Quiet the Chaos and Restore Your Sanity by Kathi Lipp & Cheri Gregory (audiobook) = 4 (Lots of practical ideas. Main takeaway was that if you’re going to have a Sabbath, you have to dedicate one day a week to getting ready for the Sabbath, which makes a lot of sense.)
  25. Persuasion by Jane Austen = 4 (I love books from that time period in England, and this one was recommended by several friends. I did really enjoy it, but the way Jane Austen wrote the climax of the story between Anne Elliott and Captain Wentworth was disappointing to me, so it’s a 4.)
  26. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie = 3 (This was my first-ever Agatha Christie book, read for book club, and while I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style and thought that the charactor Hercule Poirot was hilarious, the story line was just ok.)
  27. Master Your Money by Ron Blue (audiobook) = 2 (A pretty standard money book. It was decent info, but meh.)
  28. Worry-Free Money by Shannon Lee Simmons = 5 (LOVED this book. So many amazing insights into why we overspend, and roadblocks to making budgets work. Would highly recommend.)
  29. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance = 4 (Fascinating story, insightful perspective on living in poverty, well-written.)
  30. Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Hochschild (never finished) = 4 (This book was also super fascinating, and I appreciated the author acknowledging her liberal bias, but it was super long. I might finish it one day, but my library loan expired, and I needed a break.)

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