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Writer's pictureDigital Rabbit

Retrospective 2024: Books

Updated: 16 hours ago

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:


  1. Camino Island, John Grisham

  2. The Partner, John Grisham

  3. How I Won a Nobel Prize, Julius Taranto

  4. Pineapple Street, Jenny Jackson

  5. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham

  6. Christmas in London, Anita Hughes

  7. The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie

  8. Summer Island, Kristin Hannah

  9. ABC Murders, Agatha Christie

  10. Sooley, John Grisham

  11. The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle

  12. A Picture Book of Haiku, Suzuki Toshio

  13. The Arrival, Shaun Tan (a graphic novel)

  14. American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin

  15. Little Bones, Sam Blake

  16. In Deep Water, Sam Blake

  17. No Turning Back, Sam Blake

  18. High Pressure, Sam Blake

  19. Pay Dirt, Sara Paretsky

  20. The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran

  21. All the Sinners Bleed, S.A. Cosby

  22. The Dutch House, Anne Patchett

  23. After Lives, Abdulrazak Gurnah

  24. Finnegan’s Wake, James Joyce

  25. The Magician, Colm Tóibín

  26. Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead

  27. Night Watch, Jayne Anne Phillips

  28. Brooklyn, Colm Tóibín

  29. Long Island, Colm Tóibín

  30. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett

  31. One for the Money, Janet Evanovich

  32. The Book of Form and Emptiness, Ruth Ozeki

  33. Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer

  34. The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams

  35. Fever in the Heartland, Timothy Egan

  36. The Woman in the Window, A J Finn

  37. Fever Dream, Samanta Schweblin

  38. The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michele Richardson

  39. The Island, Adrian McKinty

  40. The Patron Saint of Liars, Anne Patchett

  41. A Grave in the Woods, Martin Walker

  42. The Water Dancer, Ta Nehisi Coates

  43. Persuasion, Jane Austen

  44. Loot, Tania James

  45. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton

  46. Vox, Christina Dalcher

  47. Badass Lawman, William Briggs

  48. We Solve Murders, Richard Osman

  49. The Testament of Mary, Colm Toibin

  50. The Magician’s Assistant, Ann Prachett

  51. Daring to Dream: Sherpa Women Climbing K2, Frances Klatzel, editor

  52. The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler

  53. The Feast of the Goat, Mario Vargas LLosa

  54. Death of An Expert Witness, P.D. James

  55. The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammet

  56. After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul, Tripp Mickle


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