Bookstack #1

My top books of 2024, a love letter to self-published authors, and a glimpse of what’s next on my reading list for 2025

I promised you more book reviews in 2025, so to get the ball rolling, here’s my round up of the best books I read in 2024 an introduction to a self-published poet and my reading plans for the year.

My first book of 2025 was this one -

a self-published little treasure of short stories and poems from a writer I subscribe to here on Substack. I read it cover to cover, tucked up in bed with a hot cup of blue butterfly pea tea, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. It was so satisfying—the pleasure of reading a human's heartfelt truth.

After reading, I felt like I'd been let in on a secret, like I'd stumbled across an artist before they were famous. Like I'd discovered something before everyone else did.

I resolved there and then to spend more attention this year on self-published authors, to discover ordinary poets without book deals and the support of publishing houses, ordinary people with extraordinary talent and the courage to back themselves. If I share them with you, and you love them and share them too, maybe we will all sit back one day and say, "Oh, I was reading their work before they were famous."

On Setting Reading Goals

Do you set reading goals each year? I have a YouTuber friend who once read 30 business books in 30 days for a video. That video up-levelled her YouTube stats in a big way; understandably, it's no easy feat to read 30 books in 30 days, retain the information you read and then review each book for a video. I admire her tenacity and commitment, but YouTube stats aside, I wonder why we're so obsessed with setting goals for everything, particularly things we do for pleasure - like reading.

I usually set myself a reading goal each year, but it's always something super easy. In 2023, I set the goal of 12 books; last year, it was 20. This year, though, I'm setting a different goal. In 2025, my goal is to make reading as pleasurable an experience as possible. I want candles and essential oils in the evening. Icy cold tisanes and air conditioning set to perfect temps for summer afternoon reading. Hot cacao and homemade biscuits snuggled under cosy blankets in the winter. My reading goal for 2025 is pleasure and depth. That means no rushing to stay on schedule. On my bedside table at the moment is Orbital, which is taking me an age to read because it's so evocative that I barely manage a chapter before grabbing my journal to write my heart out. And The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which is giving me much food for thought and inspiring many moments of introspection. There's no rushing allowed with these two. It might take me months to finish them both, even though they're slim tomes, but that's ok because pleasure is the name of the game in 2025.

Do You Book Journal?

And do you use all the pretty stickers and washi tape or do you just get on with it?

The Best Books of 2024

As I mentioned in my video, 2024 was a brilliant year for reading. In reviewing what I read, there were three noticeable themes: Booker Prize-nominated authors/winners, Irish authors, and Lauren Groff.

If I had to choose my top three, they would have to be:

Educated by Tara Westover. I read so many delicious stories that it was hard to choose my favourites, but this one makes the top 3 mainly for the sheer incredulousness of her childhood. And the fact that despite never going to school, she somehow ended up studying at Oxford. It's a memoir that highlights so much of what is wrong with fundamental religion and letting mental illness go untreated. Still, it's also a story that highlights how much we are capable of despite our childhoods. I wrote a full review that you can read here.

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff. Oh my goodness, Lauren Groff should be considered a national treasure in the USA. I went on a very long and satisfying Lauren Groff binge last year and also read Arcadia, Matrix, and Delicate Edible Birds. All of them were magnificent. I'm considering embarking on another binge this year and reading everything else she's written. Anyway, I chose The Vaster Wilds because it was the only book of hers I wrote a review for (read it here) and because it was my introduction to this talented lady.

And my third favourite is Claire Keegan. Is that cheating? It's impossible to choose another favourite (I'm telling you, I read some AMAZING books last year), so I'm picking my new favourite short story author. I ask you, how is it possible to put so much of a story into 100 pages? How does Claire build an entire world and create compelling characters that you either love or loathe in the time it takes most people to write an introduction? This woman is a maestro of words.

And on the herbal/plant medicine front, I couldn't go past:

The Woman's Herbal Apothecary by Dr JJ Purcell. My biggest regret about this book was that I hadn't read it earlier. If I had gotten my hands on this in my 20s, I would have had a much easier time of it. So, if you're in your 20s or 30s and reading this, do yourself a favour and get this book! And if you're in your 40s and 50s, you definitely need this book. The herbal medicine recipes contained within will change your hormones life. Here’s a full review

The Healing Garden by Juliet Blankespoor. I love this thick herbal book because it contains valuable recipes and priceless advice from an experienced and well-established herbalist. It also includes pages and pages of information on growing your own herbs. It's a well-written, beautifully photographed paddock to medicine cabinet guidebook.

Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit by Gabriel Mojay. This is an old book but, in my opinion, an essential book in the library for anyone who loves plant medicine. The author approaches the essential oils from a TCM viewpoint, which adds an extra layer of wisdom. I found this book utterly fascinating.

And Finally,

This year, I plan on reading less fiction to focus on learning more about aromatherapy and flower essences. I also really want this to be the year I read Walden. But there are still so many great Irish authors to discover, and of course, more Lauren Groff just waiting to be read, so who knows what will happen!

I'd love to know what you're reading or planning on reading in 2025. Book recommendations are always, always welcome.

Much love to you,