My 2024 Mid-Year Reading Wrap-up
We’re halfway through the year, so it’s time for my 2024 mid-year reading wrap-up! I read 30 books these past 6 months. Some were amazing and others were okay, but overall, I had a good half-year of reading. To keep track of my reading, I use The StoryGraph. They have the best reading stats! I also created my own Notion reading journal template. Before we dive into my mid-year reading stats and my must-read book recommendations, let’s take a look at the goals I set at the beginning of 2024.
My 2024 reading goals:
- Read 50 books – > I’m on track! I’ve read 30 books already.
- Read 4 nonfiction books – > I’m halfway through. I’ve read 2.
- Read 1 book originally written in French – > Still looking for a book to read. Let me know if you have any recommendations!
I’m also participating in two reading challenges:
I love reading challenges! They get me out of my comfort zone and help me diversify my genres and authors. Plus, it helps me to actually choose books to read, because with a digital tbr of +300 books, I have a hard time deciding which book to read first.
I’m doing two reading challenges this year. The 2024 RAD reading challenge by @alltheradreads on IG and the 2024 Taylor Swift Eras challenge by @anniesbookpicks on The Storygraph. The last one is pretty self-explanatory, I’m reading a book for each of Taylor Swift’s albums. The RAD Reading Challenge focuses on reading books from a diverse set of authors. I’m making good progress on both, and I’m really enjoying the challenges. I’ve read a lot of good books that I otherwise might not have picked up.
2024 Mid-Year Reading Stats
I use The Storygraph to keep track of my reading. If you haven’t checked the website/app out yet, do so now because the platform is amazing! But don’t forget to come back to discover the rest of my 2024 mid-year reading wrap-up. The Storygraph has a lot of different reading stats, so let’s take a look at a few of my favorites.
Moods & Genres
First up, my reading moods. My top 3 are emotional, adventurous and lighthearted books, which isn’t a surprise because these are always in my top 5. My least read mood at the moment are inspiring, reflective and sad. We’ll just have to wait until the end of the year to see if that’s still the case then.
My top 3 genres at the moment are young adult, contemporary fiction and romance. Again, not a surprise, because these genres are in my top 5 year after year. Although young adult is never at the top, but I do have been reading more YA this year.
Formats & Languages
Since I bought my Kobo e-reader, I mostly read e-books. But sometimes I’ll read a physical copy, if I borrow one from friends/family or when I buy a hardback edition of a book I loved and need in my collection. Because even now that I have an e-reader, I still want a bookshelf full of pretty books.
I prefer to read books in English, but since buying my e-reader, I’ve been reading more in Dutch too. My Kobo has a subscription, which is perfect if you read a lot of books per month like me. I can read an unlimited amount per month for a set price. The only downside is that a lot of the books are only available in Dutch and not in the original English version. I had my doubts at the beginning, but now that I’m used to it I don’t mind and read both in English and Dutch.
I’m trying to improve my French, so I started reading in French a few years ago. I try to keep up with it now and read a few French books each year. For 2024, I want to read a book originally written in French and not a translation of an English book I’ve already read before.
Star Ratings
With an average rating of 3.74 stars, I can definitely say that my 2024 reading year has gotten off to a good start! I also read a good amount of 4- and 5-star books. And luckily, there was just one book with a rating of 2.5 stars or less. Let’s keep this trend going for the rest of 2024. 🙏🏻
Monthly Stats
I created my own digital reading journal in Notion – you can check out my template here – to keep track of my reading throughout the years. It has the same stats as on The Storygraph, with a few extras like author stats, monthly overviews and quotes I love.
In the monthly overview, I have a table sorted per month with the number of books and pages I read, how many books were e-books or physical copies, how many were rereads, and more. An overview like this is perfect to see at a glance how my reading has been going so far.
Must-Read Book Recommendations
I read a lot of good books these past six months, but if I had to pick 4 to recommend, it would be the ones below. Okay, technically there are 7, but series count as one if they are all must-reads.
Heartstopper Volume 1 – 3
By Alice Oseman
Fiction, Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Lgbtqia+
Cute, cuter, cutest. I watched the Netflix series and loved it, so of course I had to give the graphic novels a try. I finished every volume in one go and can’t wait to read volumes 4 and 5. The graphic novels are beautifully illustrated, the story is great, and the main characters are so cute. I also love the different lgbtqia+ representations. Alice Oseman just knows how to write diverse characters.
Turtles all the way down
by John Green
Fiction, Young, Adult, Contemporary
I loved John Green’s books when I was a teen, and this book made me remember why. The writing style is just so good! Also, A+ for the OCD and anxiety representation. John Green just knows how to write complex and relatable characters.
The Archived Duology
by V.E. Schwab
Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy
Another winner from V.E. Schwab! I loved the invisible life of Addie LaRue, so I had to read another book by her. The Archived is a young adult fantasy novel that I just couldn’t put down. I highly recommend this one if you love unique stories with great world building. And the sequel is just as good as the first one in the series.
Every Summer
by Carley Fortune
Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Carley Fortune did it again! Every Summer After is a great romance book with a friends-to-lovers, slow burn and second-chance story in a lake setting. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a lighthearted book to take with you on your summer vacation.
Solito
by Javier Zamora
Fiction, Memoir
Solito is a nonfiction memoir about the author’s migration from El Salvador to the United States at just nine years old. It’s an emotional, sad, heart-wrenching must-read book.
Discover every book I read in 2024 so far and their rating on The StoryGrap.
What was one of the best books you read this year?
