Deliberate Freelancer

On today’s show I discuss my favorite books I read in 2024 and share my most anticipated books of 2025, plus some popular authors coming out with new books this year. A few statistics first. In 2024:

• I read 67 books.
• I did not finish (DNF) 16 books.
• 67% of my books were fiction, with 33% nonfiction.
• All but one book was for adults; I read one young adult book.
• I read 21 debuts, or first-time-published authors, which was about 31% of all my books.
• All my books were physical books. I don’t use an e-reader or listen to audiobooks.
• Mystery/thriller was my most read genre.

Here are the books I read that were mentioned in this episode:

• Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman
• Falling by T.J. Newman
• Drowning by T.J. Newman
• Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanaugh
• The Eddie Flynn series by Steve Cavanaugh
• Colored Television by Danzy Senna
• James by Percival Everett
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
• Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
• Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
• The Caretaker by Ron Rash
• Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
• The Women by Kristin Hannah
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne
• Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
• Long Bright River by Liz Moore
• The Frankie Elkin series by Lisa Gardner (loved books 1-2; hated book 3)
• Silent Came the Monster by Amy Hill Hearth
• The Madness by Dawn Kurtagich
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
• Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner
• Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner (memoir)
• The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin (memoir)
• The Message by Ta-Nehisis Coates (nonfiction)
• Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love by Rebecca Frankel (nonfiction)
• How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

2024 books I tried to read in January but DNFed:

• The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston (very popular but I couldn’t get into it)
• Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj (debut I was excited about but discovered the main characters were all teenagers)

2024 books I’m still excited to try:

• The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
• Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
• The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
• Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family by Mark Daley
• The Wives: A Memoir by Simone Gorrindo
• Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz (memoir)
• A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever by Kim Mager and Lisa Pulitzer
• The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon
• We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson

2025 books I’m excited about:

• Back After This by Linda Holmes — publishes Feb. 25 (author of Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo)
• Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister — publishes Feb. 25 (author of Wrong Place Wrong Time)
• The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker — publishes Feb. 25 (author of The Age Of Miracles and The Dreamers
• What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon — publishes April 15
• It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan — publishes May 27
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid — publishes June 3 (author of Daisy Jones & The Six)
• King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby — publishes June 10 (author of All the Sinners Bleed and Razorblade Teers)
• Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner (fourth in Frankie Elkin series) — publishes August 12
• All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall — published Jan. 7 (I loved it! Similar in tone to Station Eleven)
• Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel — published Feb. 4

GoodReads’ “Readers Most Anticipated Books of 2025”

Big-name authors with new books in 2025:

• Fiona Davis
• Anne Tyler
• Jojo Moyes
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Frederik Backman
• Kevin Wilson
• Alice Feeney
• Freida McFadden
• Riley Sager
• Lisa Jewell
• John Scalzi
• Grady Hendrix
• Stephen King — book #4 in the Holly Gibney series publishes May 27
• Ali Hazelwood
• Abby Jimenez
• Jasmine Guillory
• Emily Henry
• Beth O’Leary

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

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