Book notes '24

A chronological list of all the books I read last year with a few words about each.

For the second year running there are zero work-related books on this list, which I guess is the unintended side effect of sending a newsletter every Friday stuffed with work-related things.

• The Overstory, Richard Powers - starts brilliantly, but is way too long and gets annoying
• Yellowface, RF Kuang - page-turn-y but ultimately a bit ridiculous
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon - absolutely brilliant
• Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld - fun
• Elsewhere, Gabriel Zevin - slight but good
• A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles - elegant and rich
• Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver - immersive, compelling
• Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby van Pelt - charming
• The Happy Couple, Naoise Dolan - cold, unlikeable characters
• A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman - very Swedish
• Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata - strange and annoying
• Station Eleven, Emily St John Mandel - eerie
• The Nix, Nathan Hill - good, but trying to fit in too many ideas
• Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, Jesse Sutanto - funny, and really sweet
• The Return, Hisham Matar - thoughtful, poetic, devastating
• Eight Mountains, Paolo Cognetti - quietly beautiful
• Strong Female Character, Fern Brady - confronting, hilarious
• On Trails: An Exploration, Robert Moor - half intriguing, half irritating
• James, Percival Everett - fantastic
• A Psalm for the Wild Built, Becky Chambers - a small, warm story
• Good Material, Dolly Alderton - 90% the most annoying character I read all year, 10% I wanted to hear more from
• Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen - a good story well told, if a little too long