I do have a post about my top reads from 2024, but today is just a round up of everything I read in December. It’s a short but very sweet list.
THE MANY LIVES OF MAMA LOVE by Lara Love Hardin
4.5/5 Stars
An Oprah Book Club pick, I have seen this memoir on so many “best of” lists. It blew me away. It’s gritty and heartfelt and incredibly well-written. Lara was your typical suburban “soccer mom” and also tangled up in a web of lies and stealing to support her drug addiction. The memoir was difficult to read at times because you feel like you’re right alongside her taking one step forward and two steps back. Not only does she share her own journey with recovery, she also sheds light on the hypocrisies of incarceration in our country.
THE BOOK OF LONGINGS by Sue Monk Kidd
5/5 Stars
Wow, The Book of Longings blew me away. It had been on my list of books to read for a few years and I’m so glad I finally read it! What took me so long?? It’s phenomenal. A masterpiece of storytelling, The Book of Longings is the story of Jesus’ fictionalized wife Ana. Clearly so much research went into the book and at times it was hard to remember that this is a work of fiction because the characters come to life so beautifully and so fully. I love how it gives the women of history a voice.
JAMES by Percival Everett
4.5/5 Stars
James is another book that I wanted to read before the year ended because it was at the top of every “best of 2024” list I had come across. It did not disappoint. A modern retelling of sorts of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told through the perspective of James (aka Jim). To be honest, I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at some point in high school, but needed to refresh my memory by reading some summaries. I don’t think you have to have read it, but a background in the book absolutely makes the reading of James 100x more meaningful. It’s genius– and by the end I simply couldn’t put it down and then wanted to discuss it with everyone.
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