‘I Am Simply A Book Drunkard’ and Here’s Proof

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“I am simply a ‘book drunkard.”

― Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables

 

I share that sentiment with Ms. Montgomery, the Canadian author of Anne of Green Gables, a hugely popular children’s novel adapted for stage, screen, and television since its publication in 1908. Several years ago, my Beautiful Mystery Companion gave me a wooden tchotchke with that quotation on it, which now sits on, well, a bookshelf.

With the passing of the holiday season, and another stack of books arriving as gifts from my family, who understand and share this addiction, I am taking my annual look back on the books I read in 2024. For the past seven years, I have used Goodreads to keep up with the consumed titles. The social media app is useful for that, more efficient than writing titles down in a journal as I once did. I refrain from using any of Goodreads’ other tools, not bothering to review or rate books or really pay attention to what others are reading. I have never had any desire to join a book club, being naturally resistant to being told what to read if I am not enrolled in a class.

I always have one fiction and one non-fiction book going at the same time. For example, at the moment I am reading There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib, a young (to me) poet and essayist who takes on the sport he loves in transcendent fashion. For fiction, I am continuing my deep dive into the work of Attica Locke, a Houston native whose Highway 59 mystery trilogy deftly captures Deep East Texas. Now I am reading Pleasantville, set in her hometown of Houston.

For the record, in 2024, Goodreads informs me I finished 69 books for a total of 26,257 pages read. That is a plethora of page thumbing, though it didn’t feel so at the time. The longest book I read was Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot, weighing in at a cat-crushing 880 pages. Boot is a respected conservative columnist for the Washington Post who wisely left the Republican Party with the ascendancy of that orange-haired fellow in 2015. I was never a fan of Reagan, but the biography is even-handed and interesting. It is a welcomed addition to my collection of presidential biographies and autobiographies.

The shortest book read was the Miniature Donkey Owner’s Manual at 110 pages. (I momentarily thought about getting some miniature donkeys but decided it was not feasible on our land.)

As we stumble through January, from that 2024 list here are some reading suggestions to keep you cozily camped out by the fireplace:

• What An Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds, by Jennifer Ackerman. The best-selling author of several books about our feathered friends dives into these fascinating creatures in fascinating detail. Not long after reading this last year, my BMC summoned me to a window overlooking the front pasture. Standing beneath a tree as dusk approached was a large owl, who stayed there for several minutes. I am fairly sure it was a Great Horned Owl but cannot swear to it. Owls are often heard at Three Geese Farm but rarely seen.
• James by Percival Everett. I read several of this National Book Award novelist’s works last year, with James topping the list. It is a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the slave and major character in Twain’s 19^th-century novel. If I were forced to pick my favorite novel of 2024, this would be the one. (However, I have long disliked the question, often asked of me over the decades: What is your favorite book? That is akin to asking who my favorite child or dog is.)
• Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Raden Keefe. This New Yorker writer’s account of The Troubles in Northern Ireland – a decades-long guerrilla war of terror pitting the British occupiers against the I.R.A. – was recently turned into a compelling television series now streaming on Hulu. My unsolicited advice is to read the book first, then watch the nine-part series. Reading Say Nothing first will greatly enhance your understanding of those terrible times.
• Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono. Speaking of the Irish, the lead singer of the band U2 has written an honest and introspective memoir of his remarkable career, not just as a musician but as a global activist: combatting the spread of AIDS, fighting poverty, meeting with world leaders to push for justice. Bono is remarkably self-aware, able to poke fun of himself with candor and humor, and has managed to write one of the few rock star autobiographies I could actually finish reading – and was glad I did.
• The Hunter by Tana French. Again, the Irish. It is unintentional, but I ended up reading a number of books, both fiction and nonfiction, by and about the Irish. French, who lives in Dublin, is a longtime favorite mystery writer. She set her latest novel in a small Irish village featuring retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper, who has moved there to escape his past. The characters are as always solidly drawn, the plot slow but steady in unwinding. French has transcended the mystery genre with her latest and created a fine piece of literature that also happens to be a compelling murder mystery.

If you are interested in seeing what other books struck my fancy last year, click here to get to the full list on Goodreads. Happy reading, everyone. It is time for me to get back to my books!

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