lou's library

2024 was a great reading year for me not in that I discovered more new favourites than usual (although I did read some great books!), but in that it held a few surprises in store which I had not seen coming. For me, that is one of the greatest pleasures of reading. You never know what the next book you pick up might teach you, or which rabbit hole it will make you fall down. So, without further ado, here are my biggest reading surprises of 2024!

It turns out I do like Graphic Novels!

Call me narrow-minded, but until January 2024 I was convinced graphic novels simply weren’t for me. That assumption was based on a snobby belief that they were more picture books than novels or anything of the sort, and that I just preferred to conjure up the images in my head, without any visual help from an illustrator, thank you very much. Also, I had to read a pretty grim graphic novel for a university seminar quite a few years ago, which cemented my belief that I didn’t like graphic novels. Leave it to me to let one encounter with a graphic novel I didn’t enjoy ruin my opinion on that entire genre. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have anything against them per se, but would also never stray near the graphic novels section in a book store. The weird thing is that I loved the Tintin comics by Hergé as a child, so in hindisght I don’t quite understand why I was so reluctant to give graphic novels (another) chance. Well, all of that changed last year, when a dear friend recommended the Heartstopper graphic novels to me and went on a hunt across my local library with me to unearth the first volume (it truly was a hunt, they hid that gem really well). It sat on my desk for a few weeks, until one cold January day, when I was looking for a quick read and thought I’d give it a go, as the return date was approaching fast. Needless to say I haven’t looked back since. In fact, I immediately went back to the library and got volumes two to four and spent the next months unsuccessfully trying to snatch up the fifth volume. The funny thing is, a big part of the reason I adore Heartstopper are the illustrations. They are so cute and heartwarming and the entire series has improved my reading year so, so much! Let this be your gentle nudge to go and try out a genre you’re unfamiliar with or think you wouldn’t enjoy.

It turns out Twilight still slaps!

When I was twelve, I became obsessed with the Twilight series (says every girl born between 1995 and 2001). It sort of became my identity for a good part of my teenage years. As these love affairs do, it dwindled to an end at some point, without me being able to pinpoint when exactly. I guess I just moved on, and in subsequent years, the general agreement online was that Twilight was rubbish and uncool. I’d argue that changed a few years ago, and the series always did hold a special place in my heart. It’s what got me into reading fantasy, and I’ll always love it for that fact in and of itself. But I never read the books again and for years didn’t watch the movies. That changed last summer, when my reading buddy and I decided to reread the entire series. Well, at first the plan was to read the first book. But perhaps we became so obsessed with it we continued on with the rest of the series? I am now willing to die on the hill that Twilight, as in the first book, is a genuinely great read! It held up so incredibly well, we could hardly believe it. One thing that has changed slightly is my patience with Edward. At twelve, I would have defended that boy (I guess I should say ‘man’, given he’s over a hundred years old, ahem) until the bloody end. Nowadays, he gets on my nerves so much I briefly considered becoming Team Jacob halfway through New Moon. In the end, I couldn’t get myself to do so, because I am a sucker for that glittering skin (pun intended), but my reading of the series is definitely more critical than it used to be (as should be the case, in my opinion). Nonetheless, I had so much fun diving back into this world! We also held a Twilight movie marathon weekend, which I would highly recommend. As with the books, the first one is definitely the best (that baseball scene still slaps so hard!!). And the soundtracks are still phenomenal!! I would highly recommend taking a trip down your own bookish memory lane and rereading some of your old favourites!!

It turns out I don’t love everything Sally Rooney writes!

This one still hurts and I suspect it will do so for a while yet. Up until the release of Intermezzo in September, I was convinced Sally Rooney could do no wrong. I would have been delighted to read her shopping list, so much did I love her previous books and writing style. I loved how much I could connect with her characters, even though I find most of them unlikeable. No one captures the feeling of modern life like Sally Rooney. And I still stand by that after having read Intermezzo. But she no longer is infallible to me, which honestly might just be a good thing. To have such high expectations of any human being probably never ends well. All that being said, Intermezzo was my most anticipated release of 2024 by a mile. I was prepared to not love it as much as Normal People, because part of me suspects I might never like a book by her or anyone else as much as Normal People ever again. And that’s okay. Not every book she releases can be a life-changing, heart-wrenching gem of a masterpiece. But the sad truth is I didn’t enjoy Intermezzo much at all. It’s among the more forgettable books I read in 2024, even though I so desperately wanted to love it. I wrote a whole review of it, so won’t go into the details of why I didn’t love it here. The basic truth is I just didn’t click with it. And usually, I feel this deep connection with Sally Rooney’s stories. I know that lots of people loved Intermezzo, particularly those who didn’t enjoy her previous book, Beautiful World, Where Are You?. So, I’m glad so many people found a new Sally Rooney favourite, and I am willing to give it a second chance. I just hope that whatever she writes next will be an instant favourite again.

It turns out I do still love reading fantasy!

This one ties into the rekindling of my Twilight love affair. As a teenager, I mainly read fantasy books. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, City of Bones, Divergent. Nothing would come close for me to the feeling of falling head-first into a fantastical world and getting lost in it completely until, three to seven books later, I would emerge slightly dizzy and disappointed to be back in the real world. But then, when I started studying Literature at university, I stopped reading fantasy almost entirely and focused on classics instead. I had barely read any of those thanks to my obsession with fantasy, so felt I had lots of catching up to do. Over time, my reading would diversify again, to include contemporary fiction, non-fiction and the occasional fantasy book. But most often, those would be rereads of old favourites. I had a great time rereading the City of Bones series a few years ago, don’t get me wrong. But revisiting a world is a different feeling than discovering one. Sometimes I would try to get back into fantasy and read something new, but I felt lost, didn’t know where to start and the few books I did read didn’t rekindle my love for the genre. At some point, I thought I was too old for young adult fantasy, but fantasy for adults felt too daunting and intense. But then, in December of 2023, I read the first book in the A Court Of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. I might never have continued on with the series, had I not requested a copy of the second book through my library app, which came through on a random February morning. I started reading it because I had just finished another book, and boy, did I become obsessed with it. And the entire rest of the series, it turned out. I couldn’t put it down, and having to get through an entire day of work when all I wanted to do was read was both a torture and a pleasure. I love the feeling of being so in love with a story it’s all you can think about. My love for fantasy was back!! I read the entire Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas as well, and am very relieved to report I am still able to obsess over high fantasy books set in far-flung worlds. What a shame it would have been to outgrow them!!

There you have it, those are my biggest reading surprises of 2024! Let me know about the unexpected reading journeys you went on during the previous twelve months ❤