I didn’t blog much in 2024, I made an attempt to return in the summer but then found I couldn’t get back into it. I can’t resist sharing my favourite books of the year though so here I am today!

2024, as you may know, was a very difficult year. In January my husband had a heart attack at work, followed 12 days later by a cardiac arrest at home. I did CPR on him until the paramedics arrived and we were so lucky that he survived. His recovery is ongoing but life is increasingly normal again. I’ve struggled with the trauma, and I think part of my struggle to cope is that my concentration has been awful and I was unable to read for a long time. I am reading again now but it’s not the same, I seem to have lost my imagination so when I read books I mostly just see words on a page rather than a film playing in my mind. I’m hoping that will come back in time… I am definitely starting to enjoy reading more again. The following books are the ones that have helped me, comforted me or given me some escapism over the last year.

So here are the non-fiction books that I loved in 2024…

I got Comfort Eating by Grace Dent for Christmas 2023 and it was the very first book I read in 2024, before my life changed and I adored it. I would like to re-read it. The other five books were all about life changing events and trauma and all have been so comforting and helpful to me. I definitely recommend them.

And now for my favourite fiction that I read in 2024…

These are the twelve novels that have made a difference to my life in 2024 – they either gave me some much needed escapism or they helped me explore the feelings I was having. All have become hugely important to me and I’m so glad I had them in my life last year.

What are your favourite books that you read in 2024? I’d love to know.