Here are my 5-star reads of 2024, in list format. If you’d like the pretty, picture-rich version with all the linky goodness, plus my reviews, check it out here.
I read a tonne of books every year, and am always asked for recommendations by friends and colleagues. So, I thought, “Why not put them all in one place?”.
Herewith, my lists, split into non-fiction and fiction.
P.S. I track all of my reading on Goodreads, so, if you love books, why not join me over there? My profile and reading lists are here.
Non-Fiction
- Aroha: Maori wisdom for a contented life lived in harmony with our planet by Hinemoa Elder
- Better: A more authentic path for the reluctant thought leader by Christina Wedgwood
- Beware Invisible Cows by Andy Martin
- Blindingly Obvious: The beautiful vision of Minnie B. Leader and blind social pioneer by Minnie Baragwanath
- Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia
- Cult Trip: Inside the world of Coercion and Control by Anke Richter
- Don’t Sweat It: How to make ‘the change’ a good one by Nicky Pellegrino
- Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
- Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet by Howard Gardner
- Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
- How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between by Bent Flyvbjerg
- How to Work with (Almost) Anyone: Five Questions for Building the Best Possible Relationships by Michael Bungay Stanier
- Inner Critic to Inner Coach: How to Heal the Impostor Syndrome, End Self-Sabotage and Own Your Greatness by Dr.Bex Bell
- Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History by Philippa Gregory
- Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative by Ken Robinson
- Positive Provocation: 25 Questions to Elevate Your Coaching Practice by Robert Biswas-Diener
- The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
- The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman
- The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
- The Salt Path by Winn Raynor
- Tragedy at Pike River Mine: How and Why 29 Men Died by Rebecca Macfie
Fiction
- Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray
- Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Horse by Geraldine Brooks
- Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton
- None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2) by T.J. Klune
- The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
- The Dead Zone by Stephen King
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
- The Widow’s Husband’s Secret Lie by Freida McFadden
- When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
- Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Reading analysis
In 2024, I read 187 books, and rated 34 of them as 5-star reads – that’s 18% of ’em, and a bit of drop on last year, when I awarded 5 stars to 22% of the books I read. I’m not yet sure if the drop is because I didn’t read as many really good books, or if my standards have increased from last year!
I have a high bar for rating something as a 5-star read. It has to be something I would happily read again (preferably multiple times), that I would be proud to have on my bookshelf (and for most of the non-fiction titles, I actually do have them on my physical or virtual bookshelf), and that I would recommend to others.
And to keep myself honest, I have a personal policy that, if I’m going to give a book five stars (or,at the other end of the spectrum, one star), I have to place a review on Goodreads. I generally don’t place a review for two, three, or four-star books, unless something in particular stood out for me as the reason for that rating.
