The Books I Read in 2024//Writing Update//Some 2025 Goals

Hey guys! Happy New Year! ...I'm officially too late to wish you a merry Christmas, but since it's still January, we can get away with wishing you a happy New Year still, right?

Anyway, hello. I hope you are well. I'm doing pretty OK myself, and am desirous of talking about 2024 in terms of books and stories and stuff. (You know, the important things.) 

So here we go.

(Also, apologies for never responding to comments on my last long-ago post! I...fell off the blogging wagon. Obviously.) 

The Books I Read in 2024

I kept really poor track of the books I read last year. But I think this list includes most of them. So if you are curious...here you go.

The Secret of the Unicorn, Herge

You can't go wrong with Tintin. And this is the one the movie's based on, so it was fun. But I kind of wish I'd read it before watching the movie? The movie's more complex and, well, I like it better. 

Red Rackham's Treasure, Herge

Another Tintin, so another good time. But couldn't there have been more bad guys? I think it would've been better with more bad guys.

Elizabeth of the Trinity: A Life of Praise to God, Giovanna de la Croce 

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity had been saint-stalking me, so it was good to read about her at last! She's a Carmelite mystic with an emphasis on how God dwells in the baptized soul. Super cool. 

Tom Playfair, Fr. Francis J. Finn

This features a mischievous ten-year-old who is shipped off to a Catholic boarding school run by old-school Jesuits (they're so cool). 

Wow, is it different reading this as a teacher. Mainly, Mr. Middleton is the coolest (he was always cool but now he's even cooler) and I want to BE him.

It's a little more sentimentalist than I realized as a kid, but ah well, it's the late 19th century. What do you expect.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Because you have to reread Gatsby every year or so.

If you are a Gatsby fanatic, that is.

Which I am.

The Recipe Box, Viola Shipman

This is a romance novel going back and forth from a New York City bakery to the heroine's Michigan hometown. It's interspersed with recipes which was coo. Did we need to make it a little steamy there? No, no we didn't. The guy from Brooklyn was kind of sweet though.

True Grit, Charles Portis

In this Western, a 14-year-old girl sets out to avenge her father. It features deadpan 1st person narrative and lots of gunfights. It lost me in the middle because so many gunfights. But then the climax happened and HOLY COW--this might be the best new-to-me novel I read all year.

A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century, Paul Kengor

Featuring the fight against communism, assassination attempts, and lots of political details and historical background. My one complaint was that the language waxes emotional, and I think historians are more convincing when they don't use emotional language at all. But it was good, really good.

Mother Angelica: The Remarkable True Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles, Raymond Arroyo

Mother Angelica is the best. Raymond Arroyo is the best. That is all.

The Castafiore Emerald, Herge

A fun Tintin adventure. Still not enough bad guys.

I Believe in Love: A Spiritual Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux, Jean du Coeur de Jesus d'Elbree

St. Therese is the best. You should read this book. 

I don't really care who you are, you should read this book.

The Magician's Elephant, Kate DiCamillo

Featuring winter in the city, magic, characters who just need to be loved, orphans, military men, and an elephant. What's not to like?

Odd and the Frost Giants, Neil Gaiman

This book contains this sentence: "'I want my shoes back,' said Loki." How could you read that sentence and not want to read the whole book?

Alas, the book did not live up to my expectations. Like, it was fun, but I wanted more redemption for the gods and that's not a thing in this world. So...goodbye, I go to write MCU fan fiction.

Littsie and the Underground Railroad, Jinny Powers Burton 

Featuring a little girl in 19th century Cincinnati who gets involved in the Underground Railroad. Cozy and fun.

Hang a Thousand Trees With Ribbons, by Ann Rinaldi

This is a novelization of the life of Phyllis Wheatley. I love Phyllis Wheatley and her poetry, but this book kind of depressed me.

Miracle's Boys, Jacqueline Woodson 

Featuring three orphaned brothers living in New York City. Ty'ree's just trying to keep Newcharlie and Laf out of trouble, and I can't pick a favorite brother. It felt a little...more contrived than I wanted it to? But it was good.

The Great Escape, Paul Brickhill

Because I am obsessed with the movie of the same name.

Human ingenuity is really cool. And, like, all the details of the Escape (that line up with how it was in the movie) are REALLY FASCINATING. And I kinda wanna read the biography of Roger Bushell now.

Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, Geronimo Stilton

It looked fun. And it was. The humor's a little crude, but oh well. I would read more of these.

The Big Wave, Pearl Buck

In which a tsunami strikes a quiet Japanese village and kids cope with that. I forget if this made me cry, but it might have.

Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis

In which a kid runs away from orphanage during Great Depression. Featuring jazz bands.

The episode with the gun weirded me out, but besides that I liked it a lot.

All Things Bright and Beautiful, James Herriot

James Herriot is hilarious and charming and his writing is a thing of beauty and joy forever. That is all.

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship, Russell Freedman 

Abraham Lincoln is cool. Frederick Douglass is the best. That is all.

Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism, Harold Burke-Sivers

Not until reading this book did I realize exactly how drenched in critical race theory aka communism aka wokism my college education truly was. I'm a little rattled. 

But anyway, it was good.

I Survived the American Revolution, 1776, Lauren Tarshish (the graphic novelization)

In which a kid runs away during the American Revolution and gets caught up in the fighting. He has a friend named Paul Dobbins. 

I knew the kid would survive because it's in the title, but I was really just reading this to find out if Paul DOBBINS would survive. 

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912, Lauren Tarshish (the graphic novelization)

Featuring a cute mischievous kid, his cute nerdy sister, their cute wealthy widow of an aunt, a cute Italian father-son pair, and a cute romance. 

Oh, and the tragedy of the ship sinking; that's there too. I guess that part wasn't cute.  

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Because sometimes a girl needs some Jane Austen in her life. I'd forgotten how magnificent Darcy and Elizabeth both are. They are truly, truly magnificent. There's a reason this book is famous.

Persuasion, Jane Austen

Because sometimes when a girl gets on a Jane Austen kick ago it's hard to stop. This one is so romantic. Definitely my favorite Austen.

The Black Island, Herge

Tintin again. FINALLY, ENOUGH BAD GUYS.

The Bird in the Tree, Elizabeth Goudge 

Girl meets boy. Unfortunately, girl is already married. To boy's uncle. That's awkward.

Thankfully, the boy's grandmother is Not Having It. Good for the boy's grandmother. But will her silly selfish nephew and niece-in-law come to their senses and heed her good advice?

Also features lots of English scenery. 

(I really love this book. My summary makes it sound dumb. But it isn't.)

Pilgrim's Inn, Elizabeth Goudge

Featuring the same family as in The Bird in the Tree, only several years have gone by. Also, World War Two has happened and people have died and suffered and been sad. And there are still some weird vibes floating around from that horrible love affair before the war.

But there's a new house and a new girl so maybe things are looking up. 

Again, I'm not doing this book justice. It's all about second chances and wholesome home life and redemption and renunciation and it's beautiful.

And that is all.

The Heart of the Family, Elizabeth Goudge

Featuring the same family as in Pilgrim's Inn. 

David is STILL kind of an idiot but we love him. The scenery is still really beautiful. 

And then there's this guy named Sebastian who has trauma from the War, and we love Sebastian. (We have yet to encounter a Sebastian we do not love, I think.) 

Avenue of Spies: A True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One American Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Paris, Alex Kershaw 

me and my friend: "what would you do if you lived in a Nazi society? how would you resist? what a fun thought experiment"

me in bookstore about a day later: "oh look here's what someone really DID do to resist in a Nazi society"

me all weekend: "AGGHHHHH"

Good book.

Witness to Hope, George Weigel 

me in bookstore: "I will read JPII's biography because I love him and I should know about him!"

me three years later: "yay I finally finished it"

It took a long time, but it was worth it. JPII is the best.

Edith Stein, Waltraud Herbstrith 

You know who else is the best? Edith Stein. 

This German Jewish girl grows up to be an atheistic philosopher and pursues truth to the point of religious conversion after reading St. Teresa of Avila. She's baptized and wants to be a nun but her spiritual director says, "don't; it would break your mother's heart, and also, you have work to do outside the convent." So she lives in the world until antisemitism makes it impossible for her to keep her academic position. Then she becomes a Carmelite nun and dies at Auschwitz.

Yo.

That's what you call a cool woman.

The Elusive Pimpernel, Baroness Orczy 

This was a little overdramatic, but it was good to see the old crew from The Scarlet Pimpernel. 

Chauvelin, holy cow. Chauvelin may be evil but he's kind of my favorite.

Marguerite, alas, has not gotten much smarter since we saw her last.

The Scarlet Pimpernel himself is so funny and daring and grand. It's his sense of humor that unfailingly saves the day.

I would like it if his sense of humor expanded to a little more of the novel itself, if that makes sense.

Francis: Pope for a New World, Andrea Tornielli 

Because I'm tired of having nothing to say when Pope Francis comes up in conversation.

There were some really beautiful anecdotes in here. It was published right after he became pope, so it's a little outdated already, but I do feel like I know Pope Francis better now, and that was all I wanted.

Writing Update

In 2024, I finished major edits on The Kidnapping of Prince Ferdinand, the most recent version of ye old Comic Space Opera (which I've been working on since the 2010s). It currently stands at some 76,000 words and is in the hands of beta readers. 

Also in 2024, I made some good progress on Ferdinand in Festerlon, the sequel to Kidnapping. I "finished" the first draft this month. (By "finished," I mean all the major plot points are more or less in place, although there's definitely stuff that needs fleshed out.) 

Some Goals for 2025

I would like to read more in 2025. But I haven't quantified that goal at all. 

I'd also like to query The Kidnapping of Prince Ferdinand in a serious way, polish up Ferdinand in Festerlon, and finally finish the draft of Sofi's Boys (the spin-off which comes, chronologically speaking, right after Ferdinand in Festerlon). (It's mostly done. I just need to roll up my sleeves and dash off the last few scenes. I'm afraid of those last few scenes, though. There are nasty things in store for some of my characters.) 

I think it's not unreasonable to plan on drafting a good chunk of the next (and final?) book in the series. It has no title yet, but I've started brainstorming the plot with my sisters, and am getting kind of excited about it. So. 

It would also be fun if I could get back into blogging. I miss you guys. :) 

That's all for today, folks! How are you? Have you read any of these books? What were the best things you read in 2024? Any reading/writing goals for 2025? Tell me all the things!