My very first post on Siebing Says for 2024 talked about My Thriller Novel Kick & 2024 TBR List, which basically discussed my recent dive into reading thriller mystery books and the different books I have added to my TBR list. I also discussed my goals of reading 12 books in 12 months — which I have accomplished! — and generally talked about my book interests which have carried me throughout the year. With this in mind, and with this EOY Series, I wanted to give you highlights of my top-rated books I read this year and talk a little bit about my plans for 2025!
Best Books Of 2024
The first book I reviewed on this blog was The Island by Adrian McKinty, but I did read two books prior to that that have totaled to 12 (13 if you include How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn that I am still working on at the time of writing this). I personally kept track of my ratings via the 5 star system and the x/10 system so I can have a more detailed record of the books I liked best. Using both of those combined, my Best Books Of 2024 include:
- The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (5/5 stars, 10/10)
- The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin (5/5 stars, 10/10)
- This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer (⅘ stars, 9/10)
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (⅘ stars, 9/10)
There is variance in genre with these top picks — survival thriller, romance/magical realism, sci-fi comedy — but each of these stood out to me for their own unique reasons. You can read my reviews of those individually for more fleshed out thoughts, but what each of these had in common for me were interesting premises, engaging story and twists, and conclusions that I thought were fitting and thoroughly enjoyed. The entire process of reading these I loved and I would highly recommend each of these picks.
Worst Books Of 2024 & Other Rankings
I have the remaining eight books in my own records for my own tracking purposes, but I figured I would leave my other rankings here for your own perusement. I’ve linked my own reviews below as well in case you’re interested in my detailed thoughts:
- The Island by Adrian McKinty (⅘ stars, 8/10)
- In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (⅘ stars, 8/10)
- Tell No One by Harlan Coben (6/10)
- The One by John Marrs (⅗ stars, 6/10)
- The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden (2.5/5 stars, 6/10)
- The Maid by Nita Prose (4/10)
- The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager (⅖ stars, 3/10)
- Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (DNF’d, ⅕ stars, 2/10)
2025 Reading Goals & TBR List Updates
In addition to finally getting a GoodReads account, I have (naturally) added more books to my TBR list and need to come up with a plan on how to get through them in 2025. I really want to read more next year which is why I’ve upgraded my Audible account to the Audible Premium Plus Annual status where I get 12 credits a year upfront (instead of one per month). I do want to make another reading goal for 2025 (not sure what that will be yet, more to come on that) because I have way too many books on my radar and I need to get going so I can finish them.
My problem is that since following ashley’s little library and looking at other book-related channels, I keep adding more books to my TBR without really thinking about how I’m going to read them all. Right now, there are 20+ titles on there — mostly thrillers, some mystery, one financial, and more. What I know I need to do is plan out when to read these books and how I can reach my TBD goal for 2025 that way. Working those into a schedule along with the books I read for my Fable “Best Club Besties” and IRL book club will be hard, but I’ll see if I can figure it out! Hopefully I’ll have a plan together soon.
While I figure this out, please enjoy my updated “Books to Read” list going into 2025:
- 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
- No Exit by Taylor Adams
- The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
- The Chain by Adrian McKinney
- A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir by Colin Jost
- Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul G. Tremblay
- A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons
- Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
- The Hunter’s Daughter by Nicola Solvinic
- Rich AF: The Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life by Vivian Tu
- 8 Days in the Woods: The Making of The Blair Witch Project by Matt Blazi
- Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy
- Penpal by David Auerbach
- Among the Living by Tim Lebbon
- The Retreat by Mark A. Edwards
- One By One by Ruth Ware
- My Favorite Kidnapper by Melanie Moreland
