Simply Kayla

Per usual, my book selection was all over the place last year. I did manage to reach my goal of 30 books (specifically, 9,964 pages)- yay, me! I traversed through a fantasy world of mages, was taught life lessons by the Terminator, was awed by scientific discoveries, and endured the ramblings of an Octopus. It’s nothing short of magical how a book can transport you to a different time, a different place, or even a different state of mind.

Here were my top 10 favorite reads:

10. “The Third Gilmore Girl” by Kelly Bishop

Memoir.

Memoirs are an exception when it comes to physical vs audio books. Personally, I always prefer them as audiobooks. When someone is telling their life story, I want to hear it in their voice. No surprise to close friends and family, I love Gilmore Girls. But Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) was never my favorite. I grew up relating to Rory, and then one day realized I was older than Lorelai (ugh). But as I rewatch the series yet again, Emily is becoming more and more the sanest of them all. This book fully converted me to become an Emily Gilmore fan (but really, a Kelly Bishop fan). Bishop surprised me with her harsh childhood upbringing, her determination in pursuing what she loved, her extreme generosity, and her no-shits-given humor. Here is my full review: “The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir” by Kelly Bishop

9. “The Women” by Kristin Hannah

Historical Fiction.

I’m embarrassed by how much I did not know about the Vietnam War. I’m thinking I should branch into some political books this year… This is the 4th Kristin Hannah book I’ve read and it’s my second favorite (after The Nightingale). She just has a way of weaving a beautiful and emotional story together, all while giving you a history lesson. I appreciated her waiting to write this book. In her acknowledgments, she explained she had the idea awhile back, but felt she was too young to approach a topic as serious as this. After years of research interviewing veterans of Vietnam, she felt she was ready to continue this book, and it was well worth the wait.

8. “The Drifting Classroom #1” by Kazuo Umezu

Manga.

Whoa. Imagine if your grade school ended up in the apocalypse, but there were no adults around. Well, there are but… you just have to read this. This story is extremely dark – pronounced by the fact that all your characters are aged 5-12. Along with murder and monsters, this story focuses on social hierarchy and misuse of authority. It was my most terrifying read last year, but I can’t wait to read #2.

7. “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss

Non-fiction.

This book was chosen for a mentor program I joined last year. My goal: Learn to Negotiate. I’ve always been averse to conflict, but needed to change that in order to pursue my career (and life). I was skeptical in how I would relate to anything in this book though, given that Chris Voss was the lead hostage negotiator at the FBI. I wasn’t exactly planning to be in a hostage situation anytime soon. But he somehow made it apply to high risk negotiations with customers all the way to the most mundane task at work. With each chapter, I learned a new method to apply to everyday work and my post-it notes are thriving inside these pages. It’s a book I’ll always have on my desk for reference. But it isn’t just a “text” book, it’s amazing story-telling. Voss’ stories from his career are insane. I would never want that job, but I do love reading about them.

6. “The Priory of the Orange Tree: Roots of Chaos #1” by Samantha Shannon

Fantasy.

894 pages of pure delight. Shannon flawlessly weaved this world of mages, queens, dragons, and monsters. It was reminiscent of epic fantasies like Lord of the Rings – except with complex female characters. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to make this into the next “Game of Thrones” tv series. I hope not though, it is perfect as is. So although initially daunting, it is an extremely entertaining read that is hard to put down. There is a hint of Romantasy in here, but nothing as extreme as books like “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros. I did read that book this year, and although I did give it 4 stars, it didn’t make this list. Shannon’s book was much more my vibe.

5. “Leviathan Wakes: The Expanse #1” by James S.A. Corey

Science Fiction.

I was first introduced to this story back when “The Expanse” aired on SyFy. Then to everyone’s dismay, it was cancelled. Then like a knight in shining armor, Amazon picked up the show. It lasted a couple seasons, and I still don’t understand why it was cancelled. It’s an epic space adventure mashed with politics, mystery, love, and aliens- what’s not to love?! I was delighted to hear it was based on a book series so I could continue the adventure. I started from the beginning and as much as I loved the show, I loved the book even more. I’ll be looking for #2 at a used bookstore this year.

4. “The Rise and Reign of the Mammals” by Steve Brusatte

Non-fiction.

I would read anything by Brusatte at this point. He could write a book on how paint dries and I know he’d find a way to captivate me. I may possibly have a slight crush. If you’re interested at all in our mammalian heritage (which you should be), this is a required read. Brusatte doesn’t make this feel like a text-book read – he tells a story and somehow makes it personal. It’s fascinating – there was a part in the book where he is explaining the evolution of teeth and I was literally on the edge of my seat. It all makes sense now. You can read my full review here: “The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us”” by Steve Brusatte.

3. “All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries #1” by Martha Wells.

Science Fiction.

Many friends have tried to get me started on this series, and lesson learned – I should listen to my friends more. Reminiscent of Philip K. Dick, Wells approaches the theme of humanity. But unlike Dick, she does it with a touch of, well, humanity. It’s a touching story, with an even more lovable Murderbot trying to figure out his identity through humorous space adventures. I’ll be hunting down #2 this year at my local bookstores. You can read my full review here: “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells.

2. “Saga: Vol. 11” by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Science Fiction/Comic.

More intergalactic space adventures please! That seems to have been my theme in 2024. If you haven’t heard of Saga, it may first look like a simple comic. It is in fact, not simple. It is a densely layered story on the power of family love when faced with war and adversity. It’s the first comic to ever make me laugh, yell, cry – it’s beautiful. The illustrations by Fiona Staples are also out of this world – it is the most diverse set of characters I think I’ve ever read in any book. Volume 12 comes out in April, so yet another book I’ll be grabbing this year.

1. “The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack.

Non-fiction.

Based on how this countdown was going, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Mack explains to us how the universe – I repeat, the UNIVERSE (so everything, ever) – is predicted to end. I may of had an existential crisis at the end of every chapter of this book, which is why it took me the longest to read last year. But as space and physics typically will do, it awed me. I was literally starstruck! Other than freaking out at our eventual demise, I was always asking the question, “but how do they know?”. Mack explains it in the most dumbed down way my brain can understand astrophysics and quantum mechanics. It just made me realize how smart people can be. Plus, hearing of all these scientific discoveries makes me so proud of our species. It may be squashed by what I hear on the news the next day, but books like this give me hope.

So go line your bookshelf with the books you want to read this year. Challenge yourself. Go to a bookstore. Join a bookclub. Go on an adventure. I can’t wait to start my own.

Yours truly,

A Curious Reader