For November and December, the books I chose had been on my list for a while, and finally, I had the time to read them. I was really busy with my birthday, baking, and packing for my trip to India, but I still managed to find some time to read. My Goodreads goal this year was to read 40 books, and I successfully achieved it. Last year, my final number was 39 books, so it was not completely out of reach. Here are the last few books of the year that I read and my thoughts.

The Power of Attachment: How to Create Deep and Lasting Intimate Relationships by Diane Poole Heller

No, I am not having a crisis… So, last month, I read Attached, and as I mentioned, I wasn’t sold on the book. However, the Goodreads review I agreed with mentioned this book, so I read it. If you had to read one, I would suggest this one, as it examines attachment theory in the context of somatic therapy and relates it to trauma, revealing what shaped your style. It doesn’t try to put you in a box. Instead, it’s like “hey, if you identify with this, look into this. What I liked about it is the author had a very gentle and reassuring tone, and the exercises and “homework” were framed in an it’s what you can do rather than the other book, which focused on t interpersonal relationships. It was a really ‘here is what you can do’ rather than a ‘here is what you should expect from others.’ I think this is useful even if you are a sceptic.

We solve Murders by Richard Osman

Richard Osman took a break from the Thursday Murder Club series to write this book. I picked this up because I have enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club books so far, and the premise of this one was interesting. We solve murders follows Steve Wheeler, a retired police officer turned Private Investigator, who is reluctantly enlisted into helping his daughter-in-law, Amy, a private bodyguard, solve murders while there is a bounty on her. The star of this whole book is the best-selling author Rosie, whom Amy is tasked with protecting. She knows everyone, and everyone loves her- and I can’t blame them. I feel that this book isn’t as good as the Thursday Murder Club series; however, it is fun, and some parts did make me laugh out loud. I think that there was too many characters, too many twists, and too many different settings. I feel it was a bit overindulgent. What I really liked about this book is the use of generative AI. The book has a villain who masks his correspondence using ChatGPT. I found this incredibly original - AI done right! Even though it isn’t as good as the Thursday Murder Club series, there is a lot to enjoy here if you are a fan or want a “cosy” murder series.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

I read this because, in 2024, I wanted to read all the books nominated longlisted for the Booker Prize, so I could decide what I thought ought to win before the winner was announced. There are a few issues, the first being that most of them aren’t even available here until they are nominated, let alone at the library. Which means I have read 5 of them so far, I think. This book here was the winner, and I don’t think it is for me, but it is short. It follows six astronauts as they orbit Earth in a shuttle. The book is not plot-focused, but instead focuses on the prose and the Earth, its beauty, its enormity, and how it is everything, and we are nothing, that sort of thing. There were many books like it in the longlist, and I found this to be one of the weaker ones. The way the Earth is described is pretty and obviously space-related, but I don’t think it is a book I will revisit. Of the Booker Prize nominees of that year, ‘Creation Lake’ by Rachel Kushner is still my favourite, but we will see if that changes.

The SafeKeep by Yael van der Wouden

Another book that was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2024, I enjoyed this more than Orbital; it is probably my second favourite. The book is set in the 1960s Netherlands, and we have Isabel, who lives a solitary life; her peace is disrupted when her brother’s girlfriend, Eva, comes to stay. I think that with this story, you get to choose what you want to take from it, whether it is romance, thriller, or mystery. I found it original, as I mentioned previously, that I wasn’t previously aware of what happened after the war, and this does delve into some of it. Would definitely recommend.

Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference by Rutger Bregman

In my current job search phase, I don’t have career aspirations, and I thought this book might help me. The author claims that with 80,000 work hours in your lifetime, shouldn’t we be doing something to better humanity than only ourselves? It goes on to discuss individuals with moral ambition in the past, the various movements focused on improving society, and the factors that motivate people to help. I think that if the future of society makes you feel hopeless and powerless, like me. This book helped me feel a bit more optimistic because it suggests that you do have more power than you think, as most people don’t care to influence the world. There is some truth to this; the book did discuss how to make the most of what you have (if possible) and tackle minor, fixable problems rather than creating the fair, equal society we would want to live in. The criticism I have is that the book focused more on awakening this inner moral ambition but did little to provide you with the tools to use it. As it states that the movement requires a wide range of skills, but unless you plan to start a charity or become an entrepreneur, there is little you can do with the information provided here. Which seems pointless because I don’t think people who aren’t sold on the idea would pick this book up anyway. The book didn’t influence my career aspirations at all but did make me reconsider what being more ethical can look like.

Final Thoughts

These were the final books I read of the year. I think that if I evaluate all the books I read, there were a lot more that I enjoyed than not. There weren’t any that I actively hated, and the ones I didn’t enjoy weren’t ones that I had strong feelings about. Since I didn’t discuss the first few books I read this year, it wouldn’t make sense to highlight ones I like or dislike. Sorry. Next year, I am going to be less ambitious in my reading goal. I am going to set my list to 10 books because I have a lot of books over 500 pages on my ‘to-read’ list that I don’t pick up. So, I want to reduce the books from that list. Wish me luck, and I hope we all have a great new year ahead of us.