I started publishing my reading journal a few months ago, but I’ve been successfully keeping my own record for since July 2024. To celebrate, I’ve pulled together the full list of books I read in the last 12 months, each with a 12-word review.
KeyRR means ‘re-read’DNF means ‘did not finish’
I usually read eight or nine books per month, but there were a few exceptions. In August 2024, we were on a China tour with lots of bus time, so I read 14 books that month. In December 2024 (11 books, some very long) and January 2025 (13 books) I had a lot of free time over the summer holidays.
PSA: This is too long for email, so click through to read it online now.
July 2024: The month I start tracking
“Any damn fool can beg up some kind of job; it takes a wise man to make it without working.”
― Charles Bukowski, Post Office
The Voice In My Ear by Frances Leviston
An exquisite short story collection of ten Claires with difficult mothers. Stings.
Impossible by Stan Walker
An interesting Kiwi life. Heartfelt content with amateur execution. Editor sorely needed.
Post Office by Charles Bukowski
Pretty fucked up and a bit rapey but still fun to read.
The World: A Family History by Simon Sebag Montefiore
So long that I will be reading this forever, like Infinite Jest.
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
Dodgy evidence cited, mildy transphobic, but the recommendations and conclusions feel right.
Lit by Mary Karr
“This kid has a face like a caved-in squash.” - on her baby.
The Liars Club by Mary Karr
A chaotic childhood with a violent, loving family. Bleak and funny. Inspo.
Recollections of My Non-existence by Rebecca Solnit (DNF)
I found it too esoteric but maybe I am just too dumb?
Writing to Learn by William Zinsser
Book that should have been an article: the year I was born.
August 2024 : The month I am on a bus in China
“I made everyone up. None was what I saw; perhaps they responded to what I saw, but no one really was that. Each of them, Stephen, Katie, Elliot, my mother, the business people at the dinner parties, their wives, each of them was something entirely different. I made them up, gave them characters from within my own tiny view, assessed them, made them into people I knew. I simplified them. And then I reacted to what I had made up, behaved as if what I had invented was real. And of course they did the same time me. Absurd.”
― Joan Barfoot, Abra
488 Rules For Life by Kitty Flanagan
Funny and light just like she is on TV. But not memorable.
The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred Year Old Man by Jonas Jonasson
As funny as the first one how does he keep doing that?!
The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday (RR)
Re-read ahead of live performance in Sydney. Great, but a bit “bro”.
Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin
Fucking intense, man. Plotless. Kept waiting for it to start properly. Didn't.
Abra by Joan Barfoot
Leaves her family behind to live in the wood in peace. Valid.
A Childhood: The Biography of a Place by Harry Crews
Rare perspective from a very poor person who turned literary. Liked a lot.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Funny rich people do weird shit in enjoyable ways. Short and fun.
The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt
Novella of class, culture and crime. Witty and elegant. Lightly absurd perfection.
Lightning Rods by Helen DeWitt
Anonymous workplace sexbots for bathroom fucking that are real secretaries. Amazing. Insane.
Some Trick by Helen DeWitt
I can’t remember anything about this book it can’t have been good.
James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming
This was genuinely insightful, but felt braggy. “I was besties with JB.”
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Excellent first half that becomes shitly infuriating. But I finished it, so.
Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin
Too literary, too wanky, and too French. I liked the lesbian sex.
The Mires by Tina Makareti
The swamp is alive and there should be more books like that.
September 2024: The month we go to Japan
“I’d like to think that at as the lift swopped up the floors I sensed that something important was about to take place, that my life was about to split away from my expectation of it. But, of course, I didn’t. Who ever does? Life’s cruel like that - it gives you no clues.”
— Maggie O’Farrell, After You’d Gone
Waking Up White by Debby Irving
A well-intentioned book about white privilege that still smacks of white privilege.
After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell
O’Farrell’s debut novel. From a Featherston bookshop. Utterly beautiful. Made me cry.
From There to Here by Joe Bennett
How many times can he tell us this stuff? Liked it anyway.
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Apoplectic with fury at how shit this book was compared to his others.
The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt
Sometimes was ‘look how smart I am’ but overall fucking great. Long.
Money by Yuval Noah Harrari
I learned a lot about money history, and I appreciated that learning.
The Cat and the City by Nick Bradley
Not a bad story. A bit “white guy tries to be Japanese”.
Hiroshima by John Hersey
Classic journalism from 1947 that is still deeply haunting. Affected me deeply.
Fallout by Lesley M. Blume
This provided the context and continuance of the Hiroshima book. Excellent work.
October 2024: The month I am hard to please
Reasons for Admission 1864 to 1889: Intemperance & Business Trouble. Kicked in the Head by a Horse. Hereditary Predisposition. Ill Treatment by Husband. Imaginary Female Trouble. Hysteria. Immoral Life. Imprisonment. Jealousy and Religion. Laziness. Marriage of Son. Masturbation & Syphilis. Masturbation for 30 Years. Medicine to Prevent Conception. Menstrual Deranged. Mental Excitement. Novel Reading. Nymphomania. Opium Habit. Over Action Of The Mind.
— Jayne Anne Phillips, Night Watch
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
An AIDS-era story of love, loss, survival. Moving and a tad overwritten.
A Pale View of the Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
Beautiful, subtle book - but not as good as his other ones are.
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips
Took a while to get into. American Civil War story feat asylums.
Sharing a House with the Never Ending Man by Steve Alpert
Entertaining business memoir with background of Ghibli Studios and Hayao Miyazaki. Fascinating.
Necessary Endings by Dr Henry Cloud (RR)
Sometimes you have to say goodbye if you want a better life.
Real Americans by Rachel Khong
Honestly, pissed me off. Uneven narrative. Big gaps. Amateur. Still finished it.
Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich (DNF)
I usually adore Erdrich’s intricate worlds, but couldn’t get into this one.
Kataraina by Becky Manawatu
The difficult second album after Aūe. Good enough, but not great. Sorry.
Lioness by Emily Perkins
“Rich Wellington”, but not in a bad way. Annoyed middle-aged lady stuff.
Rabbits by Hugo Rifkind
Fucking hilarious Scottish boarding school satire/ social comedy. Read this book immediately.
November 2024 : The month I read nonfiction
“No matter what world you create you’re always dealing with your own shit. Same shit, different mask.”
— Chuck Palahnuik, Consider This
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Alienated Japanese students do grief, sex and suicidal ideation. Then, actual suicide.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (RR)
Good every time but a little bit mystical. Just do the work.
Consider This by Chuck Palahnuik (RR)
In my top 5 craft books ever, SO good. Add more horses.
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell
My favourite Maggie O’Farrell novel, before she went all historical on me.
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
The only remaining Egan novel I hadn’t read – weird castle, very good.
The Ultimate Hidden Truth of the World by David Greaber (DNF)
Long, dense, makes me feel stupid. Not bathtime reading. I’ll try again.
Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik
Fuck yeah! These women were baddies. It’s sad about Babitz now though.
You Are The One You’ve Been Waiting For by Richard Schwartz
Life-changing therapy book. TLDR: Sort your bullshit out, be happier with others.
December 2024: The month Paul Murray blows my head off
“Maybe every era has an atrocity woven into its fabric. Maybe every society is complicit in terrible things and only afterwards gets around to pretending they didn’t know.”
— Paul Murray, The Bee Sting
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
My favourite book of 2024! Fucked up families and Irish economics. Exceptional.
Nexus by Yuval Noah Harrari (DNF)
I loved the original thesis but got bored half way and stopped.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Why did everyone rave about this? What an arrogant, mediocre, self-satisfied man-child.
War of Art by Steven Pressfield (RR)
Resistance is the enemy. Don’t let it beat you. Get to work.
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
A hilarious and clever book about boarding school boys that I loved.
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
This book was fine but I felt quite underwhelmed at the end.
The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe
I loved it, but I can’t remember exactly why. Political and clever.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Gothic literary novel. I liked it and I never like murder books.
Evening of Long Goodbyes by Paul Murray
Aristocrats give incisive commentary on modern Ireland disguised as humour. Fucking excellent.
Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver
An interesting but forgettable book about striking coal miner’s wives and families.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
I respect Rooney’s literary shift, but was disappointed by the one-dimensional women.
January 2025: The month my internal monologue gets an Irish accent
“It's like Tolstoy said. Happiness is an allegory, unhappiness a story.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
A lot of dream-fucking his mum. Light misogyny. But still very good.
Winter Animals by Ashani Lewis
They were rich and followed snow. She was poor, so followed them.
Middle England by Jonathan Coe
Fuck this guy knows how to do state of the nation novels.
Love People, Use Things by The Minimalists
I was throwing away all my stuff and I liked this idea.
Long Island by Colm Tóibín
How have I only just discovered Colm Tóibín?! Embarrassing. I am obsessed.
The Magician by Colm Tóibín
German writer Thomas Mann fled the war and was almost definitely gay.
The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín
My favourite Tóibín novel. Small Irish towns and big Irish feelings. Touching.
Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín
I told you I was obsessed! Tóibíncan really write repressed women.
Our Evenings by Allan Hollinghurst
Lovely and gay. A cosy book with warm fuzzies and tricky feelings.
Mr Wilder & Me by Jonathan Coe
Meh? I didn’t think this one was as good as the others.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport DNF
I thought I wanted this book, but it was boring as fuck.
The Raptures by Jen Carson
“The kids are dying” mystery that was weird and dull. Didn’t work.
The Master by Colm Tóibín
Henry James biography as novel I only read because it was Tóibín
February 2025: The month I start to dream in an Irish accent
“He carried the weight of himself with a look of bemusement, as if it were he who told the world the joke of himself.”
― Niall Williams, This is Happiness
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
The OG before Long Island. Read out of order, which was better.
Green Road by Anne Enright
A stunning Irish family novel that reads like a short story collection.
Actress by Anne Enright
I ate this up and cried at the end. Mothers and daughters.
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
Lilting Irish tear jerker with beautiful turns of phrase and subtle feelings.
Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
Life design for rich white people dressed up as universal advice. Skip.
This is Happiness by Niall Williams
More atmospheric Irish beauty with phrases you’ll want to tell others about.
Pixel Flesh by Ellen Atlanta
A concerning and well-written polemic on the fuckery of online beauty standards.
March 2025: The month I join a writer’s studio
“Some of us got this feeling stuck inside, all the time, like we’ve done something wrong. Like we ourselves are something wrong. Like who we are deep inside, that thing we want to name but can’t, it’s like we’re afraid we’ll be punished for it. So we hide, we drink alcohol because it helps us feel we can be ourselves adnd not be afraid. But we punish ourselves with it. The thing we most don’t want has a way of landing right on top of us.”
― Tommy Orange, There There
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
A slightly wanky literary novel about love triangles with rich kids. Overblown.
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (RR)
One of the most powerful novels of the last 100 years. Canon.
Technofuedalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis (DNF)
The Iron Age was interesting but I got lost in the economics.
Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan
A tender novel about male friendship, sickness and ageing. Very, very good.
No Church In The Wild by Murray Middleton
I wish it was slightly better than it was. Working-class Melbourne novel.
There There by Tommy Orange
A multigenerational story of identity and loss. Technically astonishing and emotionally devastating.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
An epic family saga on the history of American slavery. Cuts deep.
Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan
Holy shit how did he pull all this off in one book?
Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood (DNF)
Essays on politics, writing and culture. Dense and ultimately boring. Didn’t finish.
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Complex, multigenerational story packed with history, heartbreak and trauma. Preferred There There.
April 2025: The month we move house
“Most of us can't accept that the gig is ours, so we lurk around, we tug and scratch at ourselves as if in borrowed skins, and never fully belong to the moments that can steadily add up to nothing a lot quicker than you think.”
— Chang Rae Lee, My Year Abroad
Stoner by John Williams (DNF)
I know it’s a classic but I thought it was slow. Oops.
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Mind-blowing multi-generational Chinese story packed with learning, history, insanity and brilliance. Long.
My Year Abroad by Chang Rae Lee
A very weird but quite funny book about mostly noThing. Body horror.
Class by Stephanie Land
A poorly written memoir that lacks editing and self-interrogation. Read Maid instead.
The Axemans Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
I loved the cheeky magpie but hated the clíches and underdeveloped characters.
Pet by Catherine Chidgey
A weird little book. A low-key murder mystery with no real reveal.
The Hop by Diana Clarke
Sex work, media commentary, and feminism? Hilarious, fast-paced brilliance? Ticks every box.
How Fiction Works by James Wood (DNF)
Still reading this, tiny piece by tiny piece. Will take me ages.
Surplus Women by Michelle Duff
A clever and diverse short-story collection about New Zealand women’s lives. Nice.
Bad Archives by Flora Feltham
A lovely book of essays about small moments with big impact. Read.
Ash by Louise Wallace
A short, sweet and punchy rural women’s story with bite. Vet volcano.
May 2025: The month of the Auckland Writer’s Festival
“Empathy isn’t just listening. It’s asking the questions whose answers need to be listened to. Empathy requires inquiry as much as imagination. Empathy requires knowing you know nothing. Empathy means acknowledging a horizon of context that extends perpetually beyond what you can see: an old woman’s gonorrhoea is connected to her guilt is connected to her marriage is connected to her children is connected to the days when she was a child.”
— Leslie Jamison, Empathy Exams
In A Fishbone Church by Catherine Chidgey
I regret making myself finish this. Three generations of people do nothing.
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
Sharp, insightful essays that change how I think about the form forever.
Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos
Memoir meets craft book. Febos writes directly, intimately, to you only. Life-changing.
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Splintered fragments of gender and relationships. Would have preferred less anal sex.
Splinters by Leslie Jamison
Indulgent, pretentious and annoying. Post-divorce rage that reads poorly after Empathy Exams.
The Recovering by Leslie Jamison
Addiction memoir meets PhD thesis meets literature history. Painful, honest and brilliant.
Show, Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfield
Off-kilter little stories bursting with delicious inner conflict. Perfect with a wine.
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
Funny, sexy, trans stories – except for the weird mountain man one. Gripping.
June 2025: The month I wish I never heard of AI
“There is nothing in this world so pathetic, so moronic, so meaningless as dieting.”
― Asako Yuzuki, Butter
The Safe Keep by Yael Van Der Wouden
This book broke me. An unforgettable, emotional gut-punch. A phenomenal literary debut.
Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters
A funny and subversive trans story. Romance and parenthood, handled with care.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Loved the food chat. Would’ve liked it better if I was Japanese.
Abandon Me by Melissa Febo
Her Dad was a captain and her parents divorced. Not my fave.
The Dry Season by Melissa Febos
Beautiful, intimate Febos memoir about self-imposed celibacy with an annoyingly happy-ever-after ending.
Girlhood by Melissa Febos
I have never felt so seen or looked after in my life.
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
Fragmented, experimental, abstract. Social media and grief. I think I got it?
Moral Ambition by Rutger Brennan
You can do good things and still be a hustler. I’m down.
Careless People by Sarah Wynn Williams
Facebook trauma memoir. Confirms tech-bro villain suspicions, adds extra misogyny and spice.
July 2025: The month I go to Greece
“The artists who preceded us had doubts, but what they doubted was their own talent. Artists of today doubt whether their art, and therefore their very existence, is necessary.”
— Albert Camus, Create Dangerously
In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
An abusive lesbian relationship creates epic, creative memoir with brilliant structural depth.
Lonely Mouth by Jacqueline Maley
She leaves her kids in a service station toilet. I get it.
Educated by Tara Westover
Finally read this memoir about an insanely fundamentalist childhood. Glad I did.
See How They Fall by Rachel Paris
Resisted for jealousy reasons but then ate this right up. Nicely done.
Delirious by Damien Wilkins
Beautifully written story that forced me to accept I will get old.
Create Dangerously: The Power and Responsibility of the Artist by Albert Camus
Required reading for every future month. Stop the hand-wringing and make art.
The Burrow by Melanie Cheng
Finished it but then left it in a cafe for someone else.
Nation of Shopkeepers by Dan Evans
Marxist political and economic analysis for today’s squeezed middle. Tremendous. Highly recommend.
Shame by Annie Ernaux
Stripped, sparing, gut-punching prose that feels like a diary entry. Bowled over.
A Man’s Place by Annie Ernaux
Her Dad messed her up. I’m glad, because we got this book.
Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor by Donald J Roberston
A happy story about a nerdy nepo-baby who became Emperor of Rome.
You made it to the end!
And that brings to an end of 12 months in 12 word reviews! There are over 120 books on this list. Most of them are first-time reads, but I re-read six books this year - The Obstacle Is the Way, Necessary Endings, The Artist’s Way, Consider This, The War of Art, and Shuggie Bain. I will almost definitely read all six of those books again.
For future years, I’d like to stick to this intention, scribbled in my journal, to read 100 books per year, and write one. I need to read fewer and write more. Just one! How hard can it be? I
This may be my last Book Report for a hot minute while I work out the new format and structure for my writing, post-sabbatical. There is also a chance it will take me a sabbatical length of time to readjust to being back in the swing of things, so you may just get one as normal next month. Let’s find out, eh?
I hope you enjoyed this one. If you hung on all the way to the end - NICE! Let me know if you need further book deets or specific suggestions for your reading tastes, in the comments.
Cheers,
AM
