This year’s total was 143 (give or take a few physical books I may have missed), of which 48 (33%) were non-fiction. The non-fiction percentage is down from 2023, but I maintain that Tony Judt’s Postwar and Caroline Elkins’ Legacy of Violence both count as at least two books.

As always, here are some of my favorites.

FICTION

On the ‘Best Thing I Read’ list: The Shepherd.com list covers a slightly different time period, but of course I have to mention the two that do qualify for 2024. Menewood by Nicola Griffith and Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell. These could not be more different. One’s a rich, immersive fantasy about 8th century Britain, one’s a rich, immersive depiction of a midwestern middle-class family between the wars…. In all seriousness, they’re both brilliant, even if the prose, the milieu, and the concerns of the characters are very different.

Fairies, Encyclopaedia of: I thoroughly enjoyed both of Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde books. Charming, inventive, and lots of fun. And thanks to my husband, for reading them first and recommending them to me.

The Year of the Kingfisher. T. Kingfisher, that is. In 2024, I managed to inhale A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, Nettle & Bone, A Sorceress Comes to Call, A House with Good Bones, What Moves the Dead, and What Feasts at Night. I read also Paladin’s Grace, written in her Ursula Vernon guise. I’m glad there’s a substantial back catalogue to keep me busy in 2025.

“Like” isn’t really the word: Certain portions of Paolo Bacigalupi fantasy novel Navola left me quite queasy, and I can’t get them out of my head, even if I wanted to. It’s set in a richly imagined version of Renaissance Italy in which the fantasy elements are minimal and intriguing and backstabbing are a way of life. Best of all, it’s essentially a stand-alone novel, though the door remains open for more tales in the world.

Not really fantasy but…”: Nights of Plague by Turkish writer Orthan Pamuk isn’t really a fantasy novel, but it ticks a lot of the same boxes for me: a vividly described world, a wide range of characters, love, death, satire, comedy, politics, heroic action, wilful stupidity. It chronicles the impact of a plague on a fictional Mediterranean island in the waning days of the Ottoman empire – and of course a good deal more.

NON-FICTION

Catching up on the 20th Century: A lot of my history reading is centered on the distant past, but this year I dove into the aforementioned Postwar by Tony Judt (what happened in Europe from 1945 to the 2000s) and Legacy of Violence (which covered more than one century of British colonial violence).

Mars? You first: Winner of a Hugo, A City on Mars (Kelly and Zach Weinersmith) is a serious look at the perils and possibilities of colonizing another planet, told with humor and cartoons. I don’t object to space exploration or even planning for a colony, but the bulk of our energy, innovation, and money should be spent maintaining the health of a planet where everything won’t kill us.

Yellowknife? You first: Ok, it did sound more fun than Mars. Canadian musician-writer Dave Bidini takes a summer job working for a newspaper in Yellowknife and writes Midnight Light, in which he explores the pleasures, dangers, and weirdness of life in the north.

We’re screwed, Part II. Last year’s list included Fire Weather, about the Fort McMurray fire. This year, I paired The Water Will Rise and The Heat Will Kill You First, both by Jeff Goodell. Both good, but sobering.

Squirrel!: There are a lot more than squirrels in On Looking by Alexandra Horowitz, but I did see a squirrel run up a tree to his nest at the exact moment that the audiobook narration featured a wildlife expert explaining how to spot a squirrel nest. Synchronicity! Horowitz explores the blocks around her Manhattan home with eleven experts, including a geologist, a sound designer, an artist, a dog, and her own toddler. As a committed flaneur, I loved it.

I’ll be posting my list of top reads and final tally of books read later this week, but earlier this year I’d already decided on my favourites for the annual “Best Books of 2024” list for the Shepherd.com book recommendation site. The great thing about this list is that it doesn’t focus only on what came out in 2024, but what you actually read. One of my top reads was published in 1959. What was it? You’ll have to check my list to find out.

This year, you can go in and post your own top reads list – just follow this link. And check out the top lists (with convenient genre breakdowns) to find more things to add to your list for 2025.

That’s a formal title for a rather anti-climatic event. I turned 65 last week and enjoyed some lovely celebrations. Most of my thoughts on aging have centered on how to get my Presto card updated to Senior so I can get my discount. Not very introspective, I admit.

I have the usual tangle of feelings about aging. I rarely actively feel it, while at the same time my knees go wonky and my hip hurts most of the time. I don’t think of myself as older, let alone ‘old’, but my mirror shows me graying hair and the impact of gravity on my face. I regret that I wasted the years in which I was somewhat attractive feeling ugly. I regret all the things I was afraid to do when I was younger, the things I skipped because it was easier not to risk failure. I have fears for the future that I try not to think about: my health, my husband’s, what will happen as we age, what I might have to face alone, what I might have to face sooner than I think, that might end all ‘facing’ for good. My mother died at 70, my father is still going strong at almost 91 – who knows whose genes are stronger? Who knows what toll my own choices might have taken? Who knows what virus or random cell mutation is out there with my name on it?

On the positive side, I care much less about what the world thinks of me than I used to, and that has made me braver. I took up flamenco at 57 and have done three public performances, which was as much a surprise to me as anyone. I’ll never be really good at it, but I’m proud of myself for trying. I’m still writing, for no other reason that I can’t seem to stop. I have no illusions about publication or fame or critical success. I just write, even when I don’t enjoy it, because it seems that’s still what I do. I like learning – about history and science and politics and the world – even if I forget the details of half the things I read or hear. By any estimation, I’m materially and financially comfortable. I have family and friends and the best husband in the world. I’m not really afraid of dying. I never have been. I’m afraid of pain and a long decline fraught with physical humiliation and helplessness, but the thought of ceasing to exist has never bothered me.

So I suppose it’s ok that it’s anti-climatic. I’ll just keep going, trying to write every day, trying to get my feet to move fast enough for the choreography, trying to walk, trying to move, trying to have fun, trying to be a slightly better person, trying to find wonder in the world. I’ll probably screw a lot of it up, but that’s life.

P.S. In the obligatory sales promotion, here’s what’s on sale right now. A TERRIBLE BEAUTY in Canada, until December 20th. COLD HILLSIDE in the US until December 20th. THE NIGHT INSIDE in the US on December 18th.

Made my 10,000 word target – though the usual quality caveats apply. I’m definitely feeling my way through this part, stranded in a world of foggy details, mysterious motivations, and uncertain outcomes. Though it was rather fun brainstorming oddities that one might find in an imaginary world made of glass. My mantra was BE WEIRDER!

The plan for December is to read the Witch Novel aloud – and try to think of an actual title for the thing.

Well, it could be worse. I’m about 600 words behind target, mostly because I had one of those “wait, no, she can’t possibly know X at this point, because that will change how she relates to Y” moments and that threw me right off. In the end, I decided to just bull on ahead, assumes she DOES know X and dealing with it. I’m about to plunge into an area I haven’t really planned (what DOES the Glass World look like anyway?) but I’m just going to hope for the best.

I decided December’s project will be to do my “read the novel out loud” edit for The Witch Novel, which should be fun. Or not.

SALES NEWS

BLOOD & CHRYSANTHEMUMS will be on sale November 22 for $1.99.

COLD HILLSIDE will be on sale from November 22 to November 29 at the same low, low price.

For various reasons, I didn’t sign up to do Nanowrimo this year – so I’m doing Notnowrimo instead. My goal is the usual 10,000 words and so far I’m on target. Also as usual, no guarantees of quality and likelihood of surviving a purge are offered. I’m working on the Glass World novel until the last round of beta reader suggestions come in for The Witch Novel (I am definitely going to have to come up with a real title for that sucker.)

Sales news:

A TERRIBLE BEAUTY is on sale until November 30th.

COLD HILLSIDE goes on sale November 11th until November 30th.

The wonderful book recommendation site Shepherd.com once again asked me to contribute my best reads for 2024 (read in 2024 vs published in 2024, which is why one of my recommendations was published in 1959. At least the other two came out in 2023….

You can read my list here, but be sure to check out the full list here. New recommendations are still being added and, no matter your interests, you’re sure to find something good to add to your list.

Time for the reading update.

FICTION

The Shamshine Blind, Paz Pardo. California noir set in a world in which Argentina defeated the US thanks to the use of psychopigments, colourful chemicals that produce emotion on contact. Our heroine is a the classic downtrodden detective hero – a Psychopigment Enforcement Agent caught up in a tangled web of conspiracy. Lots of fun.

Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh. This year’s Hugo winner. Solid stuff, if somewhat predictable.

Mammoths at the Gates, Into the Riverlands, Nghi Vo. I caught up on these novellas in Vo’s Singing HIlls Cycle. Always rewarding reads.

Poison in Their Hearts, Laura Sebastian. Finished off this series about three sisters struggling against the schemes of their royal mother.

A Half-Built Garden, Ruthanna Emrys. What happens when the aliens arrive on earth and make first contact with an anarcho-syndicalist commune? Ok, not really – but the watersheds are run by consensus and are committed to restoring Earth’s fragile environment. Warm, hopeful, funny, and engaging.

NON-FICTION

The Heat Will Kill You First, Jeff Goodell. A not-quite-so-hopeful take on the impact the increasing temperature will have on our lives. I listened to it while going on my walks in the very warm Toronto summer, which did add a bit of unnerving verisimilitude.

A City on Mars, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. Another Hugo winner. A very funny look at the perils and promise of space settlements. It is, of course, not nearly as simple as Elon makes it sound.

Midnight Light, Dave Bidini. Musician/writer Bidini’s account of his season as a guest columnist for the local paper allows him to explore life in Yellowknife, and the larger-than-life personalities who inhabit it.

Venice, Dennis Romano. Which I read AFTER my trip to Venice and promptly made me want to go back. Covers the broad span of the city’s history, not just the maritime empire high points.

I was home for a grand total of 4 1/2 days last month. I had a great time, but I admit my own bed was welcome on September 30th.

First up, two weeks at the cottage. Fabulous weather for walking, swimming (we only missed 3 days), lounging, eating, visiting, reading…. all the usual cottage things. A few things will change for next year’s stay, but the view will be almost the same.

In August, my father, brother, and I decided to fly to New Brunswick to visit my dad’s old hometown. Air Canada spent the first two weeks of September in “strike/no strike” mode so we made an alternate plan to drive if necessary. My dad is 90 and my brother had a limited window to visit, so missing the trip was not an option. The airline and the union settled just before we were to go – but we realized that we’d all been looking forward to driving (ok, my dad and brother would be driving. I was looking forward to sitting in the back popping and up and down like a meerkat and looking at scenery). So we took our flight credits and, after I had one day to do my laundry, we hit the road. It was a wonderful experience full of family, memories, and some truly epic breakfasts.

To wind up the month, the other side of the family hit the road (or the train tracks) to Ottawa for a wedding and a few days of sightsighting. The wedding was beautiful, more excellent food was eaten, and we saw a few sights.

A good time was had by all (I certainly had one) but I’m glad to be home and getting back to work. Sort of.

Open Road Media, who have released the new editions of my ebooks, have several very dangerous daily newsletters that promote all the special deals on their books. You can choose the genres that make you the happiest and get ready to add more books to your collection.

For example, the latest Portalist newsletter features sf and fantasy by Joe Haldeman, Alan Dean Foster, Liz Williams, Fred Saberhagen, Nancy Springer, and more. Cult classics, curated book lists, upcoming authors and more.

On Wednesday (Sept 25) A TERRIBLE BEAUTY takes its turn in the spotlight.

So dangerous, but so good.