booksbydorothea Best Books of 2024

Hi, everyone!

This is booksbydorothea Best Books of 2024! Notice that it is BOOKS, plural not singular. There is more to come in the next few paragraphs about this.  

There is a big change to booksbydorothea as Best Books of 2024 will no longer recognize only one book. Instead, seven books will be highlighted in the ebook and audiobook categories.

There will be one winner and six runners-up in each category to better showcase the fabulous books available. It will now be called the booksbydorothea Best Books of 2024.

Next year, I will include the best monthly audiobook and ebook (if available) in my monthly wrap-ups. Unfortunately, I didn’t do that for 2024.

Now for the exciting reveal of the Nominees (all books were 5-star reviews):

2^nd ANNUAL booksbydorothea BEST BOOKS NOMINEES OF 2024:

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore (January) (ebook) LINK

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles (February) (ebook) LINK

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (March) (ebook) LINK

How To Read a Book by Monica Wood (April) (ebook) LINK

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarity (May) (ebook) LINK

The Friday Afternoon Club (June) (audiobook) LINK

The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman (July) (ebook) LINK

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (August) (ebook) LINK

The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates (September) (audiobook) LINK

When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (October - TIE) (ebook) LINK

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine (October - TIE) (ebook) LINK

The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L Warren (November – TIE) (ebook) LINK

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (November – TIE) (audiobook) LINK

On Living by Kerry Egan (December) (audiobook) LINK

Additional audiobook nominees not included on the original nominee list:

Connie by Connie Chung (October) (audiobook) LINK

Be Ready When The Luck Happens (October) (audiobook) LINK

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop (October) (audiobook) LINK

Sonny Boy by Al Pacino (October) (audiobook) LINK

It is now time for the FINALISTS: 

2^nd ANNUAL booksbydorothea BEST BOOKS OF 2024 FINALISTS:

EBOOKS

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles 

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer 

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn 

When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman 

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine 

The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L. Warren 

AUDIOBOOKS

The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates 

Connie by Connie Chung 

Be Ready When The Luck Happens by Ina Garten

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop 

Sonny Boy by Al Pacino

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

On Living by Kelly Egan

NOW for the TWO big reveals - drumroll, please!! booksbydorothea Best Books of

2024 (ebook and audiobook) are:

2024 BEST EBOOK:

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore (ebook)

This will not be another review of this beautiful, enlightening, intelligent book. However, this book left me gobsmacked (a new British term for me) for a very long time. It was emotional to discover what I thought happened after former enslaved people crossed the Mason-Dixon line was wrong. It was whitewashed!

In Philadelphia, there were enslavers allowed with their enslaved people even though Pennsylvania was a “free state”. There were loopholes in the state law that permitted enslavers to travel to Philadelphia with specific enslaved people for up to six months. So it was just a game of switching enslaved people to the South before the six months were up to ensure that they had their “rotating" enslaved staff.  

Overall, this historical novel is about free Black people, escaped enslaved people, and enslaved people trying to make a life in a city that was not welcoming to Blacks, period.

Read this book – I cannot recommend it more! It was one of my first reads of 2024 and I have thought about it ever since.

 

2024 BEST AUDIOBOOK:

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

Again, this will not be a rehashing of my first review. However, note that this book is a sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. I read both books as audiobooks. 

But this audiobook was something special and brilliant! The audiobook was narrated by Daniel Henning who is superb and brings life to each character and narrated the prequel. I recommend reading the prequel first before this book.

The incredible characters include children who are a gnome, a wyvern, a green blob, a werewolf-Pomeranian, a sprite, and a yeti! The adults are a phoenix, a sprite, and "some naughty and some nice" humans!

The biggest takeaway from this book is that everyone is important in their unique style and way – even magical creatures. I love that the story includes chosen families, LGBT+ and BIPOC characters, and that good triumphs over evil!

Listen to this book (and the prequel) – I cannot emphasize how good the story highlighted by the narration is! This book is pure joy!

 

FINAL NOTES

The original review for each nominee is the LINK next to the title and author under NOMINEES. Click on the specific book link to get to that book review! 

Congratulations to the nominees, finalists, and winners!! These are all fantastic books that I highly recommend!! 

My final booksbydorothea blog post will be the Annual Wrap-up for 2024 which will be posted shortly. 

Thank you so much for joining me on this wonderful journey of reading and listening to great books in 2024! Please join me again in 2025!

Happy reading and Happy Holidays,

Dorothea 💜

 

 

December 2024 - Monthly Wrap-up

Hello, everyone!!

I am cutting the book reading month and book reading year short this year with the culmination of the Goodreads challenge results! My monthly wrap-up for December 2024 ends today, December 19th. 

December was a month for audiobooks ONLY! There were so many good audiobooks released towards the end of the year I needed to take a break from ebooks.

My best book for December 2024 is an audiobook – On Living by Kerry Egan.

 

2^nd ANNUAL booksbydorothea BEST BOOKS NOMINEES OF 2024:

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore (January) 5 stars (ebook)

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles (February) 5 stars (ebook)

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (March) 5 stars (ebook)

How To Read a Book by Monica Wood (April) 5 stars (ebook)

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarity (May) 4.5 stars (ebook)

The Friday Afternoon Club (June) 5 stars (audiobook)

The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman (July) 5 stars (ebook)

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (August) 5 stars (ebook)

The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates (September) 5 stars (audiobook)

When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (October - TIE) 5 stars (ebook)

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine (October - TIE) 5 stars (ebook)

The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L Warren (November – TIE) 5 stars (ebook)

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (November – TIE) 5 stars (audiobook)

On Living by Kerry Egan (December) 5 stars (audiobook)

 

GOODREADS READING GOAL:

My goal is to read 100 books in 2024. As of December 19th, I have read 93 books, or 93% of my goal. So I did really well this year with a big goal! 

 

DECEMBER 2024 STATISTICS:

5 total books

0 ebooks; 5 audiobooks; 0 physical books

0 books were an ARC (Advance Reader Copy)

5 books were library borrows

0 books were purchased

0 books were an Amazon First Reads

0 books were a Book Club Girl

 

Audio listening time in December:  52 hours, 23 minutes

Pages read in December:  0 pages

Average review rating: 4.15 stars

 

DECEMBER BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS: 

5.0-star book (1)

On Living by Kerry Egan (audiobook) LINK

4.5-star book (2)

Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson (audiobook) LINK

Cher: The Memoir (Part I) by Cher (audiobook) LINK

4.0-star book (1)

If Jewels Could Talk by Carol Woolton (audiobook) LINK

3.5-star book (1)

Brothers by Alex Van Halen (audiobook) LINK

3.0-star book (0) 

If you want to read my full review of any of these books, there are individual review links for each ebook or audiobook next to the book title and author. Click on the link to get to that specific book review!! 

Please note that my Best Books of 2024 and my Annual Wrap-up for 2024 will be posted shortly.

 

Happy reading and Happy Holidays!

Dorothea 💜

 

P.S. You can find out more about my book ratings HERE.

My Year in Books 2024 Goodreads

Hi, everyone!!

The end of 2024 is coming fast and furious! The Goodreads "My Year in Books 2024" has been updated. So here are my results!

There were a few interesting statistics:

• Pages read: 28,937 which is less than last year. 
• Books read: 93 - the same as last year.
• Shortest book: 25 pages
• Longest book: 550 pages
• Average book length in 2024: 311 pages
• Average book rating in 2024: 4.1 stars - the same as last year 

Note: Goodreads does not include the time listened to audiobooks. This would be a nice feature to add!

If you want to check out booksbydorothea "My Year in Books 2024" data, it is available HERE.

What an honor to be among the "Top 10% Reader"! NOTE: This is based on the NUMBER of books.

What an exciting first for me to be included as a "Top 1% Reviewer"! NOTE: This is based on the number of reviews, review engagement, engagement with other users, and overall community influence. 

Not surprisingly, my top genres are: Historical Fiction, Nonfiction, and Memoir!!

Check out YOUR Goodreads "My Year in Books 2024"!! To find it:

• Go to your Goodreads app on your phone or to the website on your computer. 
• Log in, if necessary.

• FOR COMPUTERS
• Click on the "Your Year in Books 2024" banner towards the top-middle of your screen.
• Your 2024 information will populate the screen. 
• In the upper left corner under "Your Year in Books 2024" is a small "Go to previous year" link. Click on this to compare and/or contrast to previous years!!

• FOR PHONES
• Click on the Home icon (little house) and then click on the My Books icon (little book). 
• Scroll all the way down to "2024 Year in Books". Click on it. 
• Your 2024 information will populate the screen. 
• In the upper left corner under "Your Year in Books 2024" is a small "Go to previous year" link. Click on this to compare and/or contrast to previous years!!

My ebooks and audiobooks are complete for 2024. The Goodreads "My Year in Books 2024" was a perfect stopping point with the approaching holidays. However, I will be back at it in January 2025. 

Tomorrow, I will publish my December 2024 blog wrap-up! Please look for it!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - Lovely One (audiobook)

 

Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson (audiobook)

OVERVIEW

This audiobook was an incredibly dense, deep, and thorough memoir. It was long coming in at over 18 hours. So as I usually say with most long audiobooks, it could have used some editing as she will probably write another memoir when she retires from the Supreme Court many years from now. 

Kentanji opens with her origin story by discussing both sides of her family and ends with her swearing-in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She covers her career thoroughly from childhood in Miami, education at Harvard, multiple law clerking jobs, law practice, and her judgeships. Additionally, she talks fondly of her parents, brother, husband, and children throughout the book. 

When she was discussing her friends or family, this memoir shined and sparkled.  Unfortunately, her detailed explanation of her law precedents and rulings didn't interest me. This is where some editing could have happened. Yes, she is the first Black, female Supreme Court Associate Justice; however, the intense legal detail was unnecessary to tell her amazing life story.  

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 4.5 stars

Ketanji writes really well, but not beautifully in the literary sense. She writes like an attorney and judge except when discussing her friends and family. I would have preferred the friends and family writing style throughout the entire memoir. 

Additionally, she is a person of faith. So she shared her religious beliefs, scriptures, and Bible commentary which was not my cup of tea.

Narration: 4.5 stars

She is an exceptional narrator. Kentanji has the perfect narration voice with such a lovely tone. 

Her narration was stronger and more relatable when speaking of her friends and family versus the law. When discussing the law, it was more dry and unemotional. 

 

Character Arc: 4.5 stars

This audiobook was primarily chronological with some asides for clarity or explanations of an event. But, it was very easy to follow. 

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about both sides of her parents' families and her husband's family. 

My real issue is that this memoir could have been edited, especially in the law sections from over 18 hours which is long. 

Memorable:  5.0 stars

I loved that Ketanji was so real. She is a daughter, sister, wife, and mom, but she has the same insecurities most moms do. I relate to her work-life balance as a stay-at-home mom because my life wasn't balanced when I worked.  

I love how she wears chunky, unique, and beautiful necklaces with her judicial robes. It gives her a spark of joy that shines through!

Ketanji comes across as warm, loyal, and relatable. I would love to have dinner with this amazing and strong woman!!

Entertaining:   4.5 stars

It wasn't entertaining per se. It was more of a true memoir where I learned about her life rather than being super funny.  

Book cover: 5.0 stars

Perfect!       

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Just a "lovely one" - an inside joke from the book.   

STRONG recommend

STATISTICS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson

Random House Audio

18 hours, 26 minutes

Release date of 9/3/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Ketanji Brown Jackson

My Goodreads review

Random House Audio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson (audiobook)

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

Review - Brothers (audiobook)

 Brothers by Alex Van Halen (audiobook)

OVERVIEW

This audiobook was not what I expected at all. From the title, it could be assumed that it would be a deep dive into the relationship between Alex and Ed Van Halen. Unfortunately, it was all over the place, ended abruptly after the release of the 1984 album, and was somewhat superficial. 

Alex details the brothers' early life in Holland, immigration to the US (Pasadena, California), and the family's financial difficulties. Also, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and rocker lifestyle are fully discussed. It was also shocking to me how badly the band was handled with their contract which is still happening today - it is all about money for the record label. 

NOTE: there is a lot of raw language, drug use, and alcohol abuse. If these are triggers for you, don't read this book. 

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am one degree of separation from Van Halen as my husband was friends with Nathan Roth, David's father. I have never met David, but my husband has and it was not a favorable opinion of him or his behavior.

 

OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars

Writing: 3.5 stars

Alex writes well and from the heart, but I believe there was a ghostwriter. If not, kudos to Alex!

There are a lot of quotations from books, magazines, interviews, etc. It was a bit overdone and got to be a "bit". I expected more about Alex's thoughts, feelings, and observations about his relationship with Ed. Maybe, with some quotations from Ed sprinkled in. 

The writing was great for an audiobook. But, it may not translate well to a Kindle or print book. 

Narration: 4.0 stars

Alex was a good narrator and it was as if he was in the room with you having a coffee. He had the appropriate inflection and emotions as it was his and Ed's lives together. 

The only bothersome thing was that Alex would crack up at his stories. 

 

Character Arc: 3.0 stars

This audiobook was mostly chronological, but it went back and forth in time a lot. Alex would talk about something and then say, "I'll get back to that" which would ruin the flow of the stories and narrative. 

Normally, my issue with books is more editing is needed. Not this book, as it ended in 1984 and I want more of the brothers' relationship. Alex doesn't need to discuss the details of Ed's passing or other personal issues as it is none of my business. But, much more of their time together was a valid expectation.  

Memorable:  3.0 stars

The biggest takeaway was how difficult the transition from Holland to the US was for the Van Halen boys and family. I wanted more stories of the family and the interactions between the brothers. 

Entertaining:   3.0 stars

It was good. I liked it, but I didn't love it. There was so much opportunity that was missed. 

Book cover: 5.0 stars

Great picture.       

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Perfect.  

RECOMMEND

STATISTICS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

Brothers by Alex Van Halen

Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

6 hours, 9 minutes

Release date of 10/22/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Alex Van Halen

My Goodreads review

Blackstone Publishing Inc.

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 Brothers by Alex Van Halen (audiobook)

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - On Living (audiobook)

On Living by Kerry Egan (audiobook)

 

OVERVIEW

Firstly, this book was recommended by my very dear friend, Jennifer. Jennifer recommends the most thought-provoking and introspective books with this being no exception. But, the most amazing part is that Jennifer is working on her Masters degree to become a chaplain, which, is her true calling in life. I have repeatedly told Jennifer she should write a book, but Kerry beat her to it about being a chaplain! I'm still waiting for your book, Jennifer!

This is a short, but powerful book. It is packed with amazing hospice stories as Kerry is a hospice chaplain. The stories are meaningful, powerful, and unforgettable including the author's ketamine post-partum psychosis. 

I loved listening to this beautiful book as an audiobook. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars

Writing: 5.0 stars

The writing was well done, thoughtful, and honest. Kerry writes from the heart and mind with such realness. 

Narration: 5.0 stars

The narration was spot on. Kerry has a nice voice, good inflection, and the appropriate emotional response to what she is reading. 

Character Arc: 5.0 stars

This audiobook was grouped into chapters with lovely titles that were keys to what the chapter unlocked. There was no character arc as this was not a memoir per se, but it was formatted perfectly. 

Memorable:  5.0 stars

It was obvious that Kerry learned so much about herself, the process of dying, and how to live as a chaplain. She is an amazing chaplain who helps her patients do the hard work which is a beautiful gift.

The most important part for me was the takeaway that dying is a verb, not the definition of a person. So insightful.

Entertaining:   5.0 stars

There were funny parts in a book about hospice and dying. The one that stuck in my head was an elderly patient who wanted to feel the wind on certain body parts. Hysterical!

But, this book was more enlightening than entertaining. It was just so well done!

Book cover: 5.0 stars

Lovely.        

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Perfect.  

HIGHLY recommend

STATISTICS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

On Living by Kerry Egan

Penguin Audiobooks

4 hours, 11 minutes

Release date of 10/25/2016

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Kerry Egan

My Goodreads review

Penguin Audiobooks

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

On Living by Kerry Egan (audiobook) 

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - If Jewels Could Talk (audiobook)

 

If Jewels Could Talk by Carol Woolton (audiobook)

OVERVIEW

This was a fascinating audiobook by Carol Woolton, jewelry historian and jewelry editor at British Vogue, and podcaster. She discusses the seven most important types of jewelry: hoops, rings, beads, charms, brooches, cuffs, and head ornaments. This self-appointed "history nerd" loved hearing all about the origins of the seven types of jewelry from prehistoric times to the current. 

Unfortunately, Carol works with jewelry and knows all the cool, specialized names for everything which I don't. Since I couldn't see the spelling of some of these terms, it would be hard to research further. I just went with the flow and enjoyed the audiobook. 

If I had read this as an ebook, it would have been less enjoyable as I would have researched as I read. It would have completely ruined the flow. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

The writing was well done, but it was written as if the reader knew fashion and jewelry. Since there weren't explanations about these specific terms, it made it hard to follow.  

However, this book was very well-researched and thorough. There was so much fascinating information about the origins and history of jewelry. Since the author is a podcaster, it is possible that listening to the podcasts first would have been helpful. 

Narration: 4.0 stars

So the narration was weird for me as Carol has a strong British accent which I quickly acclimated to. The problem was the fashion and jewelry language, primarily in French. 

 

Character Arc: 4.0 stars

This audiobook had a chapter for each type of jewelry with sub-chapters for the different types. This made it easy to follow and focus on each jewelry type. 

Memorable:  4.0 stars

The big takeaway is that humans have always adorned themselves with whatever was available. This could have been furs, leather, or flowers. When metal was used, jewelry became important for trading and business. 

Entertaining:   4.0 stars

This was not an entertaining book, per se. It was more informative. 

I liked this book but didn't love it. 

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Pretty.        

Book title: 4.0 stars 

Appropriate.  

STRONG recommend

STATISTICS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

If Jewels Could Talk by Carol Woolton

Simon & Schuster Audio UK

7 hours, 50 minutes

Release date of 7/26/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Carol Woolton

My Goodreads review

Simon & Schuster Audio UK

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 If Jewels Could Talk by Carol Woolton (audiobook)

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜