2024 Wrap-Up
(This post was updated on January 1, 2025.)
The end of the year kind of snuck up on me. But here we are! We made it! And I always find it fun (and sometimes slightly disheartening or terrifying) to see all the Moratorium Library stats laid out in black and white, so I’ve put together some of the same details I covered in last year’s wrap-up, plus my hopes, dreams, and goals for the year to come.
To start with the 2024 stats:
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 120
Library books read in 2024: 65 (look at me go!!)
Total books read in 2024: 73
Total books purchased since the start of the Library: 242 (for those keeping score, that is more than double the total count from last year, aka I am terrible and I must be stopped)
Books purchased in 2024: 127 T_T
Added two books with a New Year’s Eve pit stop at Kew & Willow . . .
Average Goodreads rating of Moratorium Library books: 3.45
Favorite books of 2024: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley takes the top award, hands down, though The God of the Woods by Liz Moore nipped at its heels. The Secret History by Donna Tartt rounds out the top three, though it feels like a little bit of a cheat because I have technically read it before—I just loved it this time. Honorable mentions to, in order of reading: Mrs. S by K. Patrick, Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, Books of Blood: Volumes One to Three by by Clive Barker, and James by Percival Everett.
Least favorite books of 2024: The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (I have only read one book by this man, but I think I hate him), We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets (blegh), and The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry (just . . . so lazy).
I find it interesting that my average Goodreads rating is lower (by 0.02) than last year, because I honestly felt like I had a great reading year! Some standouts, a lot of fun reads, and, as you can see above, not quite so many least favorites or books that made me want to fling them across the room. Big picture (for my life, not the world), this year was also pretty good too. Got to go back to Mardi Gras and visit with old friends in both new and familiar spaces. Did I buy too many books? Absolutely. Was there a lot of stress at various points? Yes. But I did also finish writing a novel, so. I’m feeling more confident and actually excited headed into the new year.
Speaking of, 2025 goals:
Total reading goal: 60 books
Library books reading goal: 55
Number of books to purchase: Ideally, ZERO. But let’s shoot for 10 again. (Also: lol.)
More: walking, dancing, reading (Library books and comics), writing, submitting to lit mags, freelancing, resting, working outside my apartment, spending time in bookstores without purchasing anything, setting boundaries
Less: putting myself down, letting minor setbacks ruin my week, worrying before there’s a real reason to worry
2025 motto: Prioritize what matters
This blog is about me, not the world, and I think it goes without saying that, obviously, there’s going to be a lot to be afraid of and outraged by next year and probably for years to come. I can’t predict what the US or the world is going to look like, which is scary. But I also don’t know what my life is going to look like, and, for the moment, that feels a little more exciting. There is so much hope and possibility right now and I can’t wait to seize as many days as I can. I’m not going to bury my head and ignore the state of the union. But I am going to find contentment where I can and spend as much time as possible with the people (and cats) who matter.
