This year, my reading journey was shaped by the San Jose Rotary Club book club, recommendations from my niece Koren, and my own literary curiosities. Joining the book club was one of the first things I did after becoming a Rotary member two years ago. It seemed like a great way to meet people while expanding my horizons with books I might not have chosen on my own.
The club selections included American Prometheus, After Lives, The Magician, and Fever in the Heartland. While I might have gravitated toward American Prometheus independently, the others pushed me out of my usual comfort zone. Of these, The Magician was an absolute standout. Colm Tóibín’s writing was so captivating that it sparked a deep interest in Thomas Mann and inspired me to read several more of Tóibín’s works, including Brooklyn, Long Island, and The Testament of Mary. Tóibín is an extraordinarily gifted writer, and I’m glad this year introduced me to his body of work.
Each year, I make a point of reading older classics that have lingered on my radar but never made it to my shelves. This year’s picks included Ethan Frome, The Maltese Falcon, and Finnegans Wake. The latter, notorious for being “unreadable,” was a challenge I felt compelled to take on—though I chose the audiobook format, which I recommend. The experience was a months-long immersion in James Joyce’s dazzling wordplay, alliteration, and sheer mastery of language. Rather than trying to decipher every phrase, I let the words wash over me, enjoying the rhythm and creativity. It’s not a conventional story, but it’s a work of art I’m glad to have explored.
I also ventured into the works of authors I had somehow never read, including Jane Austen, P.D. James, and Dashiell Hammett. These were revelations. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler and The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle added to my foray into classic detective fiction. And then there was The Prophet, a re-read from my younger days, which reminded me of the timeless power of its prose.
Not all reading experiences were equally enjoyable. Mario Vargas Llosa’s The Feast of the Goat was a club selection that I found difficult to get through—not due to its structure, which is masterfully constructed, but because of its graphic content. While the book vividly portrays the history of the Dominican Republic under Trujillo’s rule, I could have gleaned the historical facts elsewhere without enduring the detailed depictions of torture and sexual violence. The material left me feeling drained rather than enriched.
On the lighter side, we read Badass Lawman by local author William Briggs, who even joined us for the discussion. Unfortunately, the book itself lacked depth, reading more like a dry newspaper article than a compelling narrative. Its protagonist, Hicks, might have been a historical figure worth exploring, but the portrayal fell flat.
There were also highlights that didn’t involve the book club. Ann Patchett’s works remain a source of joy. This year, I devoured The Magician’s Assistant, The Patron Saint of Liars, and The Dutch House—the audiobook of the latter, read by Tom Hanks, was an absolute treat.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, recommended by a fellow club member, and The Dictionary of Lost Words, a serendipitous discovery, were standout reads. Both beautifully written, they’re perfect for anyone who loves richly drawn characters and compelling storytelling. I read After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul, after I met reporter Tripp Mickle. His book gave me a chance to reflect on my time at Apple and see how the external perception of Apple under Tim Cook lined up with my perception from the inside. As a result I wrote a post, Reflections on "After Steve": Apple’s Loss of Culture.
Of course, I couldn’t resist indulging in some fun mysteries—my guilty pleasures, though I never feel guilty about reading. Books, unlike movies or TV, let me engage my imagination, creating my own vision of characters and settings.
Looking back, my two favorite authors of 2024 were Colm Tóibín and Ann Patchett. Both write with extraordinary depth and elegance, and I can confidently recommend anything they’ve penned.
These are the books I read in 2024. Book club picks are in bold face type:
Camino Island, John Grisham
The Partner, John Grisham
How I Won a Nobel Prize, Julius Taranto
Pineapple Street, Jenny Jackson
Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
Christmas in London, Anita Hughes
The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie
Summer Island, Kristin Hannah
ABC Murders, Agatha Christie
Sooley, John Grisham
The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
A Picture Book of Haiku, Suzuki Toshio
The Arrival, Shaun Tan (a graphic novel)
American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin
Little Bones, Sam Blake
In Deep Water, Sam Blake
No Turning Back, Sam Blake
High Pressure, Sam Blake
Pay Dirt, Sara Paretsky
The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran
All the Sinners Bleed, S.A. Cosby
The Dutch House, Anne Patchett
After Lives, Abdulrazak Gurnah
Finnegan’s Wake, James Joyce
The Magician, Colm Tóibín
Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead
Night Watch, Jayne Anne Phillips
Brooklyn, Colm Tóibín
Long Island, Colm Tóibín
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
One for the Money, Janet Evanovich
The Book of Form and Emptiness, Ruth Ozeki
Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams
Fever in the Heartland, Timothy Egan
The Woman in the Window, A J Finn
Fever Dream, Samanta Schweblin
The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michele Richardson
The Island, Adrian McKinty
The Patron Saint of Liars, Anne Patchett
A Grave in the Woods, Martin Walker
The Water Dancer, Ta Nehisi Coates
Persuasion, Jane Austen
Loot, Tania James
Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
Vox, Christina Dalcher
Badass Lawman, William Briggs
We Solve Murders, Richard Osman
The Testament of Mary, Colm Toibin
The Magician’s Assistant, Ann Prachett
Daring to Dream: Sherpa Women Climbing K2, Frances Klatzel, editor
The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
The Feast of the Goat, Mario Vargas LLosa
Death of An Expert Witness, P.D. James
The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammet
After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul, Tripp Mickle
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