I'm starting a bit early this year. These end-of-year lists get long, and even though I track the names of the things throughout the year, I tend not to type up these actual articles until the end, so I'm giving myself a full month to get them out. I'm starting with the shortest: the books I've read this year.
The past couple years, I haven't written on this site about any books I've read. And I've stopped using Goodreads entirely. You know why? Because I started reading the 4th book in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive in 2020, and I only just finished the book probably halfway through 2024. That's partially because the book is so long, and partially because my primary time to read is lunch breaks at work, and once I started working remotely, I had no more lunch breaks. I was at home, and had plenty of other things to keep me busy in every moment of free time.
In 2024, I read three books, and I may even have time to start a fourth around the holidays.
The Rhythm of War - As mentioned, I started the book at some point during the pandemic. And as much as the later books in the series are beginning to drag, Brandon Sanderson still writes a hell of a set piece. I don't regret reading these 1000+ pages, and I'll likely read the fifth book in the series once it's out.
All Systems Red - I picked this one up because it was barely over 100 pages long, and after that last beast of a novel, reading a novella sounded pretty good. It was about an android who thinks of itself as "murderbot", despite not telling anyone that name. Murderbot is a serurity android on a remote outpost. Needless to say, during the mission, shit goes down. It was a quick, fun read.
Emergence - Despite the horrendous cover art, I really enjoyed this book about a genius 12-year-old who finds herself (possibly?) the last person alive on the planet. Despite some bits that stretched my suspension of disbelief, and other bits that bordered creepy (the girl is twelve, forchrissakes) I enjoyed the book. It was remniscent of some of the early bits of The Stand.
And that's it. Quick, easy, done.