Being that I commute to and from work every day it’s probably not going to surprise you to hear that I spent a fair amount of this year reading and listening to books. For several years now I’ve listened to a fair amount of nonfiction but I’ve gotten back into the habit of adding Fiction into the rotation and it’s really been nice. Fiction helped me to escape the doldrums of reality during some particularly grueling weeks this year so I’ve got some old favorites and new ones to share.
I will say, It’s rare that I’m reading a NEW “new book” so these are not my favorite books PUBLISHED in 2024, just the ones I ENJOYED in 2024.
I’d be interested to hear if you’ve read any of these and how they’d rank in your yearly faves or not. Also several of these links are affiliate so if you feel inclined to buy yourself something nice I greatly appreciate anyone who uses my links to do so. With all of that out of the way let’s begin with DRAGONS!
DRAGON BOOKS!
Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons
I listened to this one using my local library so big ole reminder that you don’t even have to pay cash money to listen and read. You can hoard your money away like… I dunno… a DRAGON! IN A DUNGEON!
So this book is actually non-fiction and it’s about the rise and fall of the game Dungeons and Dragons from its humble beginnings to a thriving gaming company to a crumbling mismanaged gaming company to its ultimate buyout and resurgence.
For a book that is basically just a timeline and chronological retelling of events it’s pretty fascinating, in fact just like the rise, fall, and ultimate meteoric rise of apple computers, this kind of story is fun for me to read. It reminded me of several Dungeons and Dragons settings I remember being enthralled with and some I was even perplexed by. It was a really fun read so if you enjoy this kind of nonfiction the way I do I’d say give it a go.
Dungeons & Dragons: ART & ARCANA A Visual History
Man! If the book above had the goods prose-wise, this one brought back all the feels with the visuals. They say history is written by the victors so this one is fun as a companion to the book above but this one is written by people who OWN the game so they are going to paint a different picture in that they want you to buy their games when they ultimately RERELEASE everything they show in the book. To that end the images and art in this book are awesome. They brought in the right people to make this book into a thing of beauty.
For the price? This is a fun book to have, I often find myself pulling this one off the shelf and just thumbing through the pages to marvel at some art or to reread a blurb or two about my favorite eras. So fun, this would be my “reference book of the year?” yeah I’m kinda surprised I have a pick for a category like that too.
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy (book 1)
Kid-Lit Book of the year! Yeah, I’m late to this one. Your kids already read most of these and are already onto Warrior Cats or something I’m sure but I thought I better see what all this Wings of Fire buzz is all about and at first I thought I wasn’t getting the appeal but it quickly became apparent that this series IS onto something.
As a DnD kid (see above) I am no stranger to the idea of good dragons and bad dragons but every story I’ve ever read with Dragons made them the minority. Dragons living in a human world, dealing with humans. Well I have to admit it was dang good clean fun to have a world where the humans were a curiosity in a DRAGONS’ world!
You likely don’t need my stamp of approval as this series is several books deep but I’ll second what your kids have been telling you about Wings of Fire. They ARE in fact cool. There is a fancy limited edition version of this book, and a graphic novel adaptation of this book, but I’d say get them reading this the ole fashioned way with an affordable paperback. (or again… there’s libraries)
NON-DRAGON BOOKS!
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age
I found this one in a roundabout way, one of my friends was about to read “Wintering” and in my efforts to find it I came across this one and noted that it seemed shorter. Also it was written post-pandemic and spoke to the anxiety we’re either claiming has passed or are still dealing with. Her formatting is wonderful, her lyrical prose is wonderful, this book is wonderful.
If there is a problem with her work it is that I am ADHD so everytime she dives into something fascinating I put the book down and I google it and climb thoroughly down into a rabbit hole. I don’t know if I am any closer to Enchantment or Awakening Wonder after reading this book but she did take me on a journey that had me investigating several subjects so in that regard this book did its job in a thoroughly entertaining way. As Nonfiction goes she’s a delightful memoir-esque read.
The Gap and the Gain: The High Achievers’ Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and SuccessÂ
AUDIOBOOK over PHYSICAL Book of the YEAR! Yeah, we’re getting really niche now! So this one gets frequent relistens from me. I’ve been prone to toxic positivity in the past. Claiming: you just have to look on the brightside, things aren’t so bad, yadda yadda yadda. I’ve set myself back over and over again by trying to deny reality in the pursuit of a better vibe. I was really resistant to the idea of toxic positivity but I came around and I think there are definitely unhealthy ideas about staying positive all the time and in the face of actual changes that need to be made. Some things just can’t or shouldn’t be “bright sided”.
But this book gets at something that people really aren’t good at, and that’s giving credit where credit is due. Gaining the wisdom out of the stuff that isn’t very fun. Reframing the past as something you learn from, progress from, and measuring backwards instead of chasing some ideal you can never reach, feeling more and more like a failure for never reaching the horizon line.
I recommend the audiobook version of this one even if you love your real deal books because the audio version is fleshed out with interviews and conversations between the authors which offer valuable insights and contexts for the ideas. AND some interesting debate and defense for the idea behind living in the Gain and not wallowing in the Gap.
Fiction pick of the year! Holy wow! I haven’t read a Stephen King book in quite some time. This one sucked me right in. I’ve always loved King’s “less horror” books some would even claim he has books that aren’t horror but I’d argue that he’s never far from horror. For a book called Fairy Tale it spends an awful long time telling the story of a high school kid taking care of an ailing old man. But you know what? I loved that part too.
This book captured my imagination and my emotional attention in a way that most books just haven’t in a long time. I was rarely, if ever, distracted. I always wanted more. I wish this book was set up for obvious sequels. But it is what it is and that’s more than enough. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll be vague. King created a wonderful fantasy yarn giving us familiar threads to pull us along without it ever feeling like he was just reskining something old.
I like to put some time between initial read and a re-read especially for fiction but I’m excited to re-read this one.
Trying something different book of the year! This one was another surprise pick for me this year. I was crawling down a Appalachian horror rabbit hole this year and thought: you know what? I want to know more about Appalachia not just the “scary version”.
I traveled to the east coast back in high school and I’ve been kind of enthralled with the wild nature of the place. I don’t think the Appalachian mountain range gets enough love, so many talk about the rockies as “the mountains” and it irks me. As if other mountains are somehow lesser? No thank you, I love me an underdog.
This historical fiction is all about unions and the coal towns and the “redneck” rebellion. I was surprisingly drawn in. No dragons, no magic, just people. I really enjoyed this brief lil foray outside of my comfort zone. I can’t say how accurate to history this was but it was very compelling and a little frightening how quickly we jump to attacking our own countrymen because their version of rights doesn’t always coincide with our vision.
The most ON BRAND FOR JESSE book of the year! Look I like to have some good dumb fun, I read to be inspired or moved but mostly I read just to get out of the NORM. This book was so fun, you know right away when you read the title that you are going to check your skepticism at the door. Disbelief is NOT allowed beyond that point. Reading this book? I understood the assignment.
I’m a John Scalzi fan, he’s in my opinion one of the best living sci fi authors of our time. He’s a throw back in the sense that in the early days sci fi was the purview of children and dreamers. It did not take itself so seriously. Now we get in lengthy heated online debates about star wars. Well you don’t have to worry about that here. There is a world, it has Godzillas, and we need to keep it secret and safe. Tell me you don’t wanna know more?
Conclusion:
Okay so this isn’t even scratching the surface I read a LOT more of all sorts of genre but this gives you a good sampling and more than enough Dragons to last you awhile. I wonder what you’re reading…. after seeing my list do you have any recommendations? I’m always ready to discover a book that will keep me up at night either with fear or just because I refuse to leave the world contained in the pages. 2024 was a good year for books in my world, how about yours?
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