Top 3 Reads of 2024

2024 has been a crazy year, filled with a whole bunch of scary beginnings and sad endings. But despite life changing on us, it continues to go on, and that means I continue to read more books.

I read a little over twenty books this year. Which wasn't as many as I was aiming for, but I blame my attention span and extremely busy mind for that. Anyway, out of those twenty books, I had three that I could not stop thinking about, even weeks and months after I read them. So, here they are.

1. Nectar in a Sieve

   
   

If you haven't heard of this book, it follows the story of a young woman, Rukmani, living in rural India. Without giving away any spoilers, it is essentially her account of her married life. She talks about the losses she faces, along with the never-ending struggle to stay alive. This truly was such an emotional read. Even though I have never experienced the things she experienced, she was able to write about it in a way that made you feel as though you were there with her struggling and feeling her pain. Despite how upsetting this novel was, it was extremely real and transparent, which is something I value in a book. Nothing was sugar-coated or left to the reader's imagination. This is why I think this was such a thought-provoking read because this was real for someone and is still real for many others out in the world.

2. Carmilla

   
   

This book is one of the earliest works of vampire fiction. The entire book is essentially about the predator and prey relationship between Carmilla and a girl Laura. I knew what this book was about before I read it. I knew what would happen, yet I was eager to witness it on my own. Even though I knew the plot, I still finished the book in a few hours. The relationship between the two main characters had many layers to explore and crossed many boundaries considering the era it was written, which I thought to be quite bold. Everything was set at a good pace and the book was able to keep me on the edge of my seat. Overall, it was a very entertaining read.

3. The Yellow Wallpaper

   
   

Unlike Carmilla and Nectar in a Sieve, I went into this book completely blind. But, let me tell you, it did not disappoint. As a woman, it was an extremely interesting tale of something that was such a reality for women in history. Not to mention the fact the ultimate horror feel of this book. After I finished the book, I had to sit and stare at the wall for a few moments to process what I had just read. Yes, it was that strange. But, if you were being controlled by a man like that would you not also go as crazy as the main character did? And the ending? Definitely not what I was expecting. I read this book in June and I am still thinking about it in December. It has become one of, if not, my favorite book.

Art: Unable to find

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