As usual, I am taking a look back at this year's most memorable reads. 2024 wasn't an easy ride; I lost track of a lot of things and felt permanently exhausted. Still, reading on my lunch break, of before bed, was very good for my mental health. So I kept reading.
Statistics: I finished 94 books this year, with a total of almost 17,000 pages. It is less than last year or the year before, but that it a good sign: I am teaching myself to read in a more leisurely way, without always challenging or pushing myself. And this number still included a whole lot of books worth talking about.
(Side note: this coming year I'll be phasing out my personal Facebook, so if you want to follow me on more active social media, I recommend Mastodon)
Alright, here we go:
Nonfiction
Still my favorite genre, connected to my favorite reading challenge (Polymath Training, over on Hungarian book social media). Here are the highlights, in no particular order:
Becoming Dangerous: Witchy femmes, queer conjurers, and magical rebels (ed. Katie West & Jasmine Elliott)This book is what the title promised, and so, so much more. It contains short, personal essays on the role of ritual in people's lives - whether that ritual is witchcraft, pagan practice, or completely mundane things like taking selfies, getting your nails done, or going to therapy. Everyone understood the topic a little differently - and the authors came from very diverse backgrounds. Queer and cishet, white, black, indigenous, European, Asian, Jewish, pagan, disabled, atheist, etc. Each essay was unique, and all were deep and honest and immersive. Some even called out the book itself on its concept. It was a marvelous read, presenting many, many voices in a meaningful, colorful way.
Helena Attlee: The land where lemons grow: The story of Italy and its citrus fruitI did not expect to get this excited about a book on citrus fruit, but here we are. (Thank you, Polymath Training!). The author, who leads garden tours in Italy, spends each chapter exploring a different kind of citrus and a different part of Italian culture and history. From the connections between lemon groves and the Sicilian mob, through the orange-throwing festival of Ivrea and Renaissance citrus collections, all the way to the use of bergamot in perfumes and the quest for the perfect citron in Jewish culture, each chapter is a new, mouth-watering treat. And they even include recipes.
Samantha Weinberg: A fish caught in time: The search for the coelacanthI had a vague recollection of the coelacanth: a fish that was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered, alive. Reading this book, however, revealed that the story is much more elaborate - and exciting. It starts in the 1930s with an accidentally caught weird fish, a smart museum curator (the fish was eventually named after her), and an obsessive ichtyologist. We get to partake in the decade-long adventure of trying to locate a second specimen and unravel the mystery of this living fossil. We get to meet dashing sea captains, clever scientists, and get to look into the feud between the French and the South Africans over who owns the fish. It was a funny, exciting, surprising read. And I fell in love with coelacanths for good.
Jonathan Cott: The search for Omm Sety: A story of eternal loveA 3 year old British girl fell down the stairs, and was pronounced dead. Soon after she woke up, but something changed in her forever: she remembered another life, another self. As she grew up she became convinced that she remembered her former life in Ancient Egypt as the lover of the pharaoh Seti I. This was so clear to her that she built her entire life around it: she learned to read hieroglyphics, married an Egyptian man, and moved to Egypt where she worked on excavations. Archaeologists first thought she was weird, but they soon discovered she had deep knowledge of all things Egyptian, and she helped with several scientific publications and excavations. In her later years she moved to Abydos, the site of her previous life, and became the official guard and tour guide of Seti I's temple. She lived there till her death. Whether one believes in reincarnation or not, the pages of the book - drawn from diaries and letters and articles and interviews - reveal the picture of a smart, curious, intriguing and funny woman, who spent her entire life immersed in Ancient Egyptian culture.
South Dakota in the late 19th century was famous for one thing above all: easy divorce. After 90 days of residency, anyone could file for one. The city of Sioux Falls became a popular destination, with its largest hotel transforming into a veritable colony for people (mostly women) waiting for a divorce. Each of them had their own story, struggles and hopes (and occasional lovers). Meanwhile, the actual locals were not thrilled by the "moral decay" brought on by divorcés... The author of the book put a lot of research into revealing the individual stories of famous guests at the hotel, as well as tracing the legal and social background of the history of divorce in the USA. It was an entertaining read. This book would make a great foundation for an HBO show.
Lawrence Anthony: Babylon's Ark: The incredible wartime rescue of the Baghdad ZooOne week after the American troops entered Baghdad in 2003, a South African conservationist showed up on the front lines, asking about the zoo. Everyone thought he was nuts. The zoo was still in an active war zone, with everything movable looted, and most of the animals stolen or eaten. Only a few large predators were left in cages without water, food, or hygiene. Lawrence Anthony and the remaining zoo staff, however, got to work to keep them alive. The book is an enthralling, exciting read of being human in the middle of war. There are fun moments and sad moments, the rescue of Saddam's horses, the rehabilitation of traumatized lions, and ostriches being chased by cars. It is a true story much worth reading as the world is looking at more armed conflicts every day.
Wendy Moore: No man's land: The trailblazing women who ran Britain's most extraordinary military hospital during World War IAnd since we are talking about armed conflict: here is a book about women doctors in WWI. Before the war women in Britain were not only still fighting for the vote (both our heroes were militant suffragettes), but women doctors also could not practice in most general hospitals, and were only allowed to treat women and children. In 1914, it all changed. Dr. Flora Murray és Dr. Louisa Garrett Anderson headed to Paris together to set up a military hospital staffed and run by women only. In 1915, they did the same in London. During the war, they treated thousands of men, proving once and for all that women doctors were just as capable as the men. The book tells the individual stories of a lot of the hosptial's staff, the challenges they had to face, and reveals the background of how the devastation of WWI shocked the entire military medical establishment.
Richard Hamblyn: The invention of clouds: How an amateur meteorologist forged the language of the skiesThis one was another unexpected find. It is about Luke Howard, a young meteorologist, and how his system of naming cloud types reformed the entire field of science. I also learned a lot about the development of meteorology, the effects weather hand on 18th century history, and the scientific processes of trying to get a new naming system established. I know it sounds tedious but it was a surprisingly entertaining read.
These Roma are Queer (ed. Nagy M. Boldizsár)A collection of short stories somewhere on the border of fiction and nonfiction. Either way, a groundbreaking volume. It was created to accompany a pop-up exhibit of queer Roma art, so it is not being sold in bookstores, but I managed to pick up a copy. Some of the stories were written by queer Roma people, while others by authors who worked closely with them. Either way, all the stories are deeply touching, personal, and revealing of an interection of identities that has not been represented in Hungarian literature to date. That in itself would be enough to recommend this volume (to those who read Hungarian, or English publishers who want to pick it up like they have the editor's previous project). But also, all the stories are well written and enjoyable in and of themselves.
Folktales, legends, and myths
Herba Mythica (szerk. Xanthe Gresham-Knight)One of the most beautiful books I have read this year, both in story and visuals. It is gorgeous to look at, with lovely illustrations. But even more so, it is filled with stunning stories, each provided by a professional storyteller. Each folktale, myth or legend is connected to a specific plant. Next to the stories we get factual information about the plant, notes and sources on symbolism, and even recipes or practices that delve deeper into herbalism. The stories were retold eloquently and beautifully; there were several myths in there that I have known for a long time, but I have never seen them in this new light. Lovely, lovely read. I recommend getting the print edition.
Tom Muir: Scottish Folk Tales of Coast and SeaThe first one of the "coast and sea" series. Tom Muir was the perfect choice to put this collection together: he is a master storyteller, a great researcher, and an entertaining writer. He drew from a lot of sources, and retold each story in a way that made the book a fluent, enjoyable read. There were many tales in there that were new and exciting for me, and also many that put new, unexpected spins on folktale types that are told differently. It reveals the relationships between many parts of Scotland and the sea that surrounds it. Excellent book, and it made me also want to read the rest of the series, put together by other storytellers.
Theresa Fuller: Eating the liver of the Earth: Mousedeer TalesWho doesn't want an almost 600 page collection of all the Mouse Deer folktales you'll ever need? As a lifelong fan of Sang Kancil, I loved everything about this. Theresa Fuller's previous collections were also a treat, but this one is definitely the most near and dear to my heart. All Kancil, all the time. Fuller does a great job retelling each tale; even the ones I know and tell were new and exciting in her words. She weaves a lot of local flora and fauna into the stories, as well as words and phrases from the original languages, and other cultural tidbits. A must-have for any storyteller, and for fans of Mouse Deer. (Warning: not a kids' book! Give it a read before you share.)
The Complete Norwegian Folktales and Legends of Asbjørnsen & Moe (Annotated edition) (ford. Simon Roy Hughes)As a storyteller, I was obligated to read this collection. It is a fundamental for anyone dealing with folktales, similarly to the Grimm books. Luckily, Simon Roy Hughes created a brand new, three volume English translation that includes all the original notes - hundreds of additional pages of information and more tale variants! He also paid attention to translate the texts true to the original Norwegian, rather than anglicising them (e.g. he used "king's farm" instead of "palace"). Many of the tales were familiar, but I also found unexpected new favorites. Mandatory reading for storytellers.
Children's books
For the second time this year, I can also make a list of favorite kid books :) Here we go:
Emily Hughes: WildA gorgeous, detailed, lavishly illustrated book for untamed and eternally messy-haired small people :)
Kyle & Derek Sullivan: Hush now, Banshee! A not-so-quiet counting bookA little banshee looks for friends and learns to count - she just has to try to control her volume first. It is a very cute book, lots of fun to read together aloud. I also recommend the other volumes in the series (Goodnight, Krampus! and Get Dressed, Sasquatch!)
Ulrich Hub: Meet at the Ark at eight!Talking about series: Ulrich Hub can do no wrong. This latest book is also for older kids, so I read it for my own pleasure, and it was an adorable, funny, heartwarming read. Three penguins sneak onto Noah's ark instead of two. No one is left behind.
Jonathan Emmett & Vanessa Cabban: Bringing down the moonI can never resist cute cottagecore illustrations, and this book is downright adorable. The animals are well drawn, and the story is simple yet touching. Fun to read multiple times.
What were your favorite reads this year? :)
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