I agree with every single point!! The audiobook one particularly - I finally got into audiobooks this year and they've helped so much with books I'm reading but struggling to get into.
This might be a little too applicable to me but I'd love to leave comments sections in 2024. Every time I open them something will undoubtedly piss me off.
Yaaaay! Honestly discovering audiobooks back in 2020 felt like discovering the wheel 😂 I can read?? Anywhere?!? I don’t know why people hate on them so much…
And you’re so right about comment sections. Even when I’m tempted to scroll through them, it’s only ever out of morbid curiosity, not because I’m hoping to learn anything. They really shouldn’t exist…especially on the likes of Daily Mail, Metro etc
This was my exact reaction too 😂 I always worried I would struggle to focus and when I realised I could listen without getting too distracted, my life changed for good.
Yep I’m the exact same! If there’s ever anything I already know will have shitty comments underneath I try and avoid it as much as I can. Would love it if they just vanished lol
Can I jump in here? (too late, I already have!) I'm curious to hear what books you struggled with before jumping to the audiobook. I've barely touched audiobooks before, but plan to in 2025.
For me: Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway! Something about having it read immersed me in the flow of the story, rather than focusing on every line, worrying about whether I’d understood it fully
I know Alanna's already replied but thought I'd share my suggestions too!
For me it was:
- Happy Place by Emily Henry. I was really busy when I first read it and didn't like it, but wanted to give it another go as people had said it was great. It was much easier getting the tone through audiobook.
- A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. Too many characters were being introduced in this book and I was forgetting who was who - the audiobook made this sooo much easier and I swapped between listening and reading this.
No need to click on my profile, but can you see my picture in the circle and what I look like - I’m a cranky old Gen Xer 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I’m not sure I’m in the target audience for those books, am I?
I am kidding (!), and I love getting out of my comfort zone and discovering new authors. As I mentioned in a previous comment to Alanna, I tend to go more in the direction of non-fiction (but NOT self-help/development) and am always trying to read more fiction. I did recently buy The Secret History, but I’m always a bit slow to embrace more contemporary lit. I tried, for curiosity’s sake, to read some of Conversations with Friends and just gave up. Again, I’m not the target audience.
But you know what? I’ll give Happy Place a shot, why not? I’m going to be dabbling in audio books in the new year and I’ll try it.
(for what it’s worth, the last few pieces of fiction I’ve read: We Always Treat Women Too Well (it’s not what it sounds like!), Death in Venice, Liar’s Dictionary (loved it), Death Comes for the Archbishop (Willa Cather) and a reread of Difficult Loves (Italo Calvino). Currently reading A Heart So White (Javier Marias) and am trying to support other Substack writers, and am enjoying Cold Secrets by Vicky Randle - if it’s your thing, you can find it here: https://randlebooks.substack.com/s/cold-secrets-a-scottish-murder-mystery
Haha, you probably aren't the main target audience to be honest but who knows! 🤣 These weren't the only audiobooks I listened to this year, just the ones I preferred on audio to physically reading.
If you enjoy non-fiction and don't despise him, Prince Harry's memoir is fabulous on audiobook. It's looooong but he narrates it brilliantly.
‘Have you showered today? Then you are a clean girl’ made me laugh.
Also compleeeeetely agree about all the non fiction books and fixating on ‘which path is the right path’ I think it would do people a lot of good to put them down for a bit, and as you say, relax their imagination into new interesting stories! Also the celeb obsession thing YES it’s driving me mad, don’t get me started with the Kardashians.
Hahaa I’m so glad you agree! Kardashian’s must suuuurely feel their crowns slipping already. People are over their specific strain of overt in-your-face luxury
Couldn't agree more with this list. I'm glad we are all on the same page regarding celebrity worship - a lot of them have lived double lives for a while and now that they are exposed, we can move on with uplifting each other.
Oh some of these have already be implemented, Twitter especially. I only have the desktop form now for my personal account and every time I decide to check in it's a dumpster fire, and I am someone who has blocked thousands of accounts and muted hundreds of words and phrases. I can't imagined how an unfiltered Twitter timeline looks at this point...
I think exclusivly reading non-fiction isn't the issue, e.g. biographies, essays, science etc, are all A-Ok. But I don't think you should only read self-help books. You can't live a life of theory.
I agree that historical, political, or anything humanities-based is well worth reading! But I still think incorporating fiction is good for the soul and the imagination 😊
So many good points! I wholeheartedly agree about only reading nonfiction books. Is it a crime that I enjoy fantasy romance or silly books once in a while? I don't think so!
This list is perfect. As someone who prefers reading to listening, the audiobook discourse is wild to me. Who cares how you're consuming media? Either way, you're still supporting an author! Also hard agree about the Paul clowns. How many times do they have to be "canceled" before it sticks?!
This one is probably more personal but I really want to leave hate scrolling in 2024. It just gives off such bad vibes and does it really matter what the people who have left my life are up to? The block button has become my friend in the past couple of months and I'm hoping to continue putting that energy to things that can actually improve my life.
Thank you!! I know?? I also often use audiobooks as a bit of a test drive to see if I like a book enough to buy the hard copy, too. So it's not as though one rules out the other.
Love the hate scrolling idea! I'm such a fan of blocking/deleting/ignoring if someone's presence brings me anything other than happiness, or at the very least benign neutrality haha
All such good ideas - I know others have mentioned this and it's nothing original, but I don't get that snobbery about audiobooks at all. It's baffling. I say this as someone who's never been into audiobooks (I'm just a bad listener) but I'm going to try to in 2025. In fact, I thought it would be fun to support some Substack authors by trying their audiobooks. (for example, The Athenian Murders by Vicky Randle).
About the non-fiction - I've always been more of a non-fiction reader, I'd say 75% of my usual yearly reading is non-fiction (I average about 50 books a year). However, I'm with you on the self-development thing - most of my non-fiction is not self-development at all, and I hate self-help books. The closest thing to self-help I've read, I suppose is Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel and anything by Oliver Burkeman. I highly, highly recommend both writers, because I don't see them as purely self-developmental. Alanna, I think you'll understand what I mean when I say this (I'm half-British/half-American), but too many of the American-authored books like this are full of bravado and cockiness (I attempted Atomic Habits and gave up halfway through the Introduction). Writers like Burkeman are so self-deprecating and I appreciate that. Doesn't feel like preachy self-help/development.
Otherwise, non-fiction books like Robert Macfarlane (nature writing), takes on an elegiac, fictional like quality that is soothing for the soul. That stuff is great.
I've read a handful of your posts (all good!) but I might have missed it - I'd be curious to hear your recommendations about 3-5 really good audiobooks, books that can be appreciated more in that format.
Yes! In hindsight I should have clarified that I meant self-help rather than non-fiction, because a friend pointed out that lots more fall under that wider umbrella (like historical non-fiction, which I really enjoy).
I’d absolutely recommend you start adding audiobooks into 2025! Depending on what genres you’re into, one of the best I’ve ever listened to was The Exorcist, read by the author, William Peter Blatty. He has this incredibly eerie voice that made the whole experience amazingly creepy.
Donna Tartt reads her own novel The Secret History very well, too. And I massively enjoyed Penance by Eliza Clark which has multiple narrators on Audible 😊
I might be having some kind of deja vu - I have a vague memory of me commenting on a note or previous post of yours re: self-help/non-fiction, but you know how it is on Substack, things get mixed up and whatnot!
I recently bought the paperback of the Secret History, I wonder how it would go with a readalong? I like the idea of an author reading their own book. I'd normally never read the Exorcist, but I'm intrigued now. And I saw your other comment about Mrs Dalloway, that might be a good shout.
I also remembered - a while ago I came across a list of books that Alan Rickman has read, those would be a treat for sure.
So far the only one I've got lined up is The Athenian Murders, by Vicky Randle.
I got started with audio books this year cos I thought, life’s too short to decide I’ll consume books only if I can sit down and read them. But I’m also in my non-fiction phase cos when I read fiction these days I think, Yeah I’m not sure this would happen irl. And I can’t move past it, especially cos my life right now seems better than fiction (not being a snob, I have a decade where I immersed myself in fiction). Just the phase I’m in 😅
With you completely on the audiobooks 👏🏼 And it sounds like you’ve read plenty of fiction to allow yourself a non-fiction phase! I hope your life keeps being better than fiction 🥹
Great list. I am a huge fan of audiobooks. I read about 100 books a year and I would say 1/3 of them are audio. They allow me to incorporate books into every corner of my life.
I agree with every single point!! The audiobook one particularly - I finally got into audiobooks this year and they've helped so much with books I'm reading but struggling to get into.
This might be a little too applicable to me but I'd love to leave comments sections in 2024. Every time I open them something will undoubtedly piss me off.
Yaaaay! Honestly discovering audiobooks back in 2020 felt like discovering the wheel 😂 I can read?? Anywhere?!? I don’t know why people hate on them so much…
And you’re so right about comment sections. Even when I’m tempted to scroll through them, it’s only ever out of morbid curiosity, not because I’m hoping to learn anything. They really shouldn’t exist…especially on the likes of Daily Mail, Metro etc
This was my exact reaction too 😂 I always worried I would struggle to focus and when I realised I could listen without getting too distracted, my life changed for good.
Yep I’m the exact same! If there’s ever anything I already know will have shitty comments underneath I try and avoid it as much as I can. Would love it if they just vanished lol
Can I jump in here? (too late, I already have!) I'm curious to hear what books you struggled with before jumping to the audiobook. I've barely touched audiobooks before, but plan to in 2025.
For me: Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway! Something about having it read immersed me in the flow of the story, rather than focusing on every line, worrying about whether I’d understood it fully
I know Alanna's already replied but thought I'd share my suggestions too!
For me it was:
- Happy Place by Emily Henry. I was really busy when I first read it and didn't like it, but wanted to give it another go as people had said it was great. It was much easier getting the tone through audiobook.
- A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. Too many characters were being introduced in this book and I was forgetting who was who - the audiobook made this sooo much easier and I swapped between listening and reading this.
Thanks Soph, appreciate your recommendations :)
No need to click on my profile, but can you see my picture in the circle and what I look like - I’m a cranky old Gen Xer 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I’m not sure I’m in the target audience for those books, am I?
I am kidding (!), and I love getting out of my comfort zone and discovering new authors. As I mentioned in a previous comment to Alanna, I tend to go more in the direction of non-fiction (but NOT self-help/development) and am always trying to read more fiction. I did recently buy The Secret History, but I’m always a bit slow to embrace more contemporary lit. I tried, for curiosity’s sake, to read some of Conversations with Friends and just gave up. Again, I’m not the target audience.
But you know what? I’ll give Happy Place a shot, why not? I’m going to be dabbling in audio books in the new year and I’ll try it.
(for what it’s worth, the last few pieces of fiction I’ve read: We Always Treat Women Too Well (it’s not what it sounds like!), Death in Venice, Liar’s Dictionary (loved it), Death Comes for the Archbishop (Willa Cather) and a reread of Difficult Loves (Italo Calvino). Currently reading A Heart So White (Javier Marias) and am trying to support other Substack writers, and am enjoying Cold Secrets by Vicky Randle - if it’s your thing, you can find it here: https://randlebooks.substack.com/s/cold-secrets-a-scottish-murder-mystery
(apologies for my rambling!)
Haha, you probably aren't the main target audience to be honest but who knows! 🤣 These weren't the only audiobooks I listened to this year, just the ones I preferred on audio to physically reading.
If you enjoy non-fiction and don't despise him, Prince Harry's memoir is fabulous on audiobook. It's looooong but he narrates it brilliantly.
Thank you for these recs too!
Very good 👏🏼
‘Have you showered today? Then you are a clean girl’ made me laugh.
Also compleeeeetely agree about all the non fiction books and fixating on ‘which path is the right path’ I think it would do people a lot of good to put them down for a bit, and as you say, relax their imagination into new interesting stories! Also the celeb obsession thing YES it’s driving me mad, don’t get me started with the Kardashians.
Hahaa I’m so glad you agree! Kardashian’s must suuuurely feel their crowns slipping already. People are over their specific strain of overt in-your-face luxury
Really hope so !!
Couldn't agree more with this list. I'm glad we are all on the same page regarding celebrity worship - a lot of them have lived double lives for a while and now that they are exposed, we can move on with uplifting each other.
Also audiobook snobs need to touch grass
So glad you liked it! And I’m so excited to reach the era where celebs lose (at least some of) their influence
YES to all of this! I'm specially interested in reading more fiction. Something specific to recommend? I would love your thoughts!
Oooh I have so many! Are there any particular genres you think you’d enjoy?
Novels with the vibe of Margo's Got Money Troubles!
Oh some of these have already be implemented, Twitter especially. I only have the desktop form now for my personal account and every time I decide to check in it's a dumpster fire, and I am someone who has blocked thousands of accounts and muted hundreds of words and phrases. I can't imagined how an unfiltered Twitter timeline looks at this point...
Being trigger happy with the block button is good for the soul!!
Like a little boost of good chemicals every time it happens hahaha
I think exclusivly reading non-fiction isn't the issue, e.g. biographies, essays, science etc, are all A-Ok. But I don't think you should only read self-help books. You can't live a life of theory.
I agree that historical, political, or anything humanities-based is well worth reading! But I still think incorporating fiction is good for the soul and the imagination 😊
Oh yes absolutely! I forgot to mention in my above comment that fiction is incredibly critical, it forms the basis of our imagination and our empathy
Loveeeeee this
Thank you!! 💓💓💓
So many good points! I wholeheartedly agree about only reading nonfiction books. Is it a crime that I enjoy fantasy romance or silly books once in a while? I don't think so!
Absolutely!! Reading needs to be exciting and fun as well as educational. Thank you 🫶🏼🫶🏼
This list is perfect. As someone who prefers reading to listening, the audiobook discourse is wild to me. Who cares how you're consuming media? Either way, you're still supporting an author! Also hard agree about the Paul clowns. How many times do they have to be "canceled" before it sticks?!
This one is probably more personal but I really want to leave hate scrolling in 2024. It just gives off such bad vibes and does it really matter what the people who have left my life are up to? The block button has become my friend in the past couple of months and I'm hoping to continue putting that energy to things that can actually improve my life.
Thank you!! I know?? I also often use audiobooks as a bit of a test drive to see if I like a book enough to buy the hard copy, too. So it's not as though one rules out the other.
Love the hate scrolling idea! I'm such a fan of blocking/deleting/ignoring if someone's presence brings me anything other than happiness, or at the very least benign neutrality haha
Yes yes yes to every one! ❤️
Thank you, Kayla! 🫶🏼🫶🏼
All such good ideas - I know others have mentioned this and it's nothing original, but I don't get that snobbery about audiobooks at all. It's baffling. I say this as someone who's never been into audiobooks (I'm just a bad listener) but I'm going to try to in 2025. In fact, I thought it would be fun to support some Substack authors by trying their audiobooks. (for example, The Athenian Murders by Vicky Randle).
About the non-fiction - I've always been more of a non-fiction reader, I'd say 75% of my usual yearly reading is non-fiction (I average about 50 books a year). However, I'm with you on the self-development thing - most of my non-fiction is not self-development at all, and I hate self-help books. The closest thing to self-help I've read, I suppose is Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel and anything by Oliver Burkeman. I highly, highly recommend both writers, because I don't see them as purely self-developmental. Alanna, I think you'll understand what I mean when I say this (I'm half-British/half-American), but too many of the American-authored books like this are full of bravado and cockiness (I attempted Atomic Habits and gave up halfway through the Introduction). Writers like Burkeman are so self-deprecating and I appreciate that. Doesn't feel like preachy self-help/development.
Otherwise, non-fiction books like Robert Macfarlane (nature writing), takes on an elegiac, fictional like quality that is soothing for the soul. That stuff is great.
I've read a handful of your posts (all good!) but I might have missed it - I'd be curious to hear your recommendations about 3-5 really good audiobooks, books that can be appreciated more in that format.
Yes! In hindsight I should have clarified that I meant self-help rather than non-fiction, because a friend pointed out that lots more fall under that wider umbrella (like historical non-fiction, which I really enjoy).
I’d absolutely recommend you start adding audiobooks into 2025! Depending on what genres you’re into, one of the best I’ve ever listened to was The Exorcist, read by the author, William Peter Blatty. He has this incredibly eerie voice that made the whole experience amazingly creepy.
Donna Tartt reads her own novel The Secret History very well, too. And I massively enjoyed Penance by Eliza Clark which has multiple narrators on Audible 😊
Thanks for this, much appreciated! ☺️
I might be having some kind of deja vu - I have a vague memory of me commenting on a note or previous post of yours re: self-help/non-fiction, but you know how it is on Substack, things get mixed up and whatnot!
I recently bought the paperback of the Secret History, I wonder how it would go with a readalong? I like the idea of an author reading their own book. I'd normally never read the Exorcist, but I'm intrigued now. And I saw your other comment about Mrs Dalloway, that might be a good shout.
I also remembered - a while ago I came across a list of books that Alan Rickman has read, those would be a treat for sure.
So far the only one I've got lined up is The Athenian Murders, by Vicky Randle.
Agree with all of these lol
That’s what I like to hear!!
Ahhh been thinking about saying goodbye to Twitter for good, this was the push I needed haha
I know! I still actually have to delete my account but maybe it’s time to make that final effort 😂
Yesss I need to delete it too haha
I got started with audio books this year cos I thought, life’s too short to decide I’ll consume books only if I can sit down and read them. But I’m also in my non-fiction phase cos when I read fiction these days I think, Yeah I’m not sure this would happen irl. And I can’t move past it, especially cos my life right now seems better than fiction (not being a snob, I have a decade where I immersed myself in fiction). Just the phase I’m in 😅
With you completely on the audiobooks 👏🏼 And it sounds like you’ve read plenty of fiction to allow yourself a non-fiction phase! I hope your life keeps being better than fiction 🥹
Great list. I am a huge fan of audiobooks. I read about 100 books a year and I would say 1/3 of them are audio. They allow me to incorporate books into every corner of my life.
Thanks, Matthew! And woooow 100 books is so impressive. You've inspired me to cram more in 😊
Shedding myself of Twitter was the greatest act of self care I gave myself this year
I love that for you!! It is an absolute cesspit 🤢