Recapping 2024 Book Reads

 

2024 was probably the best year of reading I’ve had… maybe ever. I set a reading goal of 40 books and blew it out of the water. I actually completed 61 in the calendar year. The goal for 2025 is 70 books.

I think I am hesitant to get started on my 2025 list because last year was just so amazing. There is a little fear that this year will not measure up. It’s already the 9th of January, and I have yet to complete a single novel.

---

Let’s go over some data. I am nothing if not a huge nerd.

Of the 61 books, every single one was written by a woman. Apparently, 2024 was my girliest year to date.

According to my GoodReads account, I averaged 4 days per book.

Romance and Fantasy were the two most popular genres (no surprise there).

Meghan Quinn (10), Sarah J Maas (8), and Kerri Maniscalco (6) were my most read authors.

Most of the books I consumed were in the 300-499 page range, totaling 54%. Books over 500 pages equaled about 34% of the year’s total.

Isn’t that fun?

Here are the books I absolutely devoured and will continue to recommend: (each pic is linked to Amazon for purchase, most are available on Kindle Unlimited)

---

2024 Best Reads

You know how sometimes you get a book-hangover? I have been in a big one since Haunting Adeline and Hunting Adeline. Even though I read 6 books after those, I haven’t been able to shake them. They were mind-altering.

My top pick for the year was Lights Out. While I was more affected by others, Lights Out was easily the most entertaining and fun read of the year. I laughed so often. It was a completely unexpected journey for me, and I loved every second.

Kerri Maniscalco’s Kingdom books really jump started the year of obsessive reading. The first Kingdom of the Wicked book had been chilling on my bookshelf for a few years. I didn’t know much about it before cracking it open. I bought it really because the cover looked like my vibe. I was nearly instantly hooked. I tore through this trilogy and then read Throne of the Fallen (#1). The second book in that series came out in the fall of 2024, but I have not purchased it yet. It’s on the TBR for 2025.

The Ruinous Love Trilogy, well the first two anyway, falls in line with Lights Out for me. I liked Leather & Lark better than Butcher & Blackbird, but they were both a really good time. I have discovered that I quite enjoy the journey through comical dark romance. I am also a big fan of the forced proximity and fake marriage tropes. And obviously, touch her and die ranks real high on my list of yes please. The final book in this trilogy is set to release on June 10, 2025.

Another surprisingly good time came complements of The Serpent & the Wings of Night and The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King. These are the first two in a four-book series called Crowns of Nyaxia by Carissa Broadbent. The Serpent & the Wings of Night had been on my shelf for while. When September rolled around, I was looking for something with vampires. This was like if the Hunger Games hooked up with True Blood. I was here for it.

---

Now do you see my hesitation and nervousness for beginning this year’s list? I am going to change things up a little this year. The goal is to have a little more variety in the 70 total. I am beginning the year with Eruption. My son Riley gives me a book for Christmas, and it is my first read of the following year. This year, he gifted me Eruption. So already we are slightly more diverse than last year… since this one was penned by two dudes.

Until next time, happy reading!

Chapter 13: Therapy Progress Report

 

It has been almost one year since my ex-husband and I separated, and nearly a year since I began my journey in therapy. So much has changed since then. Life is somewhat unrecognizable.

I was reluctant to begin therapy. It feels like it was a combination of things…

• I grew up in the 90’s when mental health was not a common topic, and it certainly wasn’t for preventative help or maintaining mental stability. It was (in my view) something reserved for the truly nuts. It was reserved for people with major issues – and remember I suppressed my traumas like a freaking champ, so that obviously wasn’t me. If you can’t see a problem, there is nothing to discuss with some stranger.
• I did not see the value in it.
  • And this was kind of true right up until about the second or third session with my current therapist. Perhaps a small part was due to the fact that I have serious issues trusting and opening up… especially to a virtual unknown human.
  • But I think for me, more of the difficulty in understanding the value came from the false belief that if I just didn’t begin picking at an uncovering the traumas, they would remain relatively harmless.
  • I also did not know what the end game was going to be. I like to have a goal. I appreciate knowing what I am striving for… so to go into something potentially painful and distressing without a clear understanding of the WHY or even WHAT I was trying to accomplish felt stressful.

The ending of my marriage and beginning of my therapeutic journey are intricately woven together. It is impossible to separate the two.

Things in my marriage had deteriorated to the point that I could not see straight. I was living, scratch that, surviving each day in utter panic. Things were stressful constantly, with little to no relief. My heart rate was so out of control that my watch would several times a day ask if I was ok because my heart rate was elevated without physical movement to explain it away. I wasn’t sleeping. I would find myself hyperventilating. My vision felt off, like I was in tunnel vision most of the time. I was, by all accounts, in a stress-induced panic attack. I needed to make a change. I was almost paralyzed with fear.

Part of the change was to find a professional to speak to on a regular basis. I knew I needed help. And I needed it quickly.

I began therapy in March of 2023. Again, I really didn’t know what I needed, I just needed someone to help me. I chose my therapist because her specialty is abusive relationships and sexual assaults. I thought I should find someone who would understand my problems, my stresses, my traumas. I knew I was going to need to talk about the past. That first relationship rewired me for failure… It changed me; it taught me to accept far less than the minimum; it created a sense of worthlessness in me. And I know that is a foundation for how I moved forward through life and relationships (platonic and romantic alike).

---

As I look back over the last year of work, I am SO proud of myself. I can honestly (and proudly) claim to be a stronger, happier, healthier version of me.

I have spent nearly every week on the couch of my therapist’s office, working through my world. Crying. Yelling. Cursing people. Cursing myself. Talking. Thinking. Trying. There have been many times when I leave her office and need to crumble on my couch. It is emotionally exhausting. It is physically demanding. It is mentally straining.

Even with all the uncertainty in the beginning and the frustration throughout, I can see major changes and improvements. I have a sense of peace and calm about me. I am more confident and excited about the future.

I was in a tunnel of darkness, therapy is making steps toward the light. And today, I feel like I can feel the sun on my skin. I am shedding the darkness. And man, it feels amazing.

Chapter 12: Choosing Positivity

 

Apparently there were a few things I needed to get off my chest this week.

Positivity is a choice. I believe that.

When I began sharing publicly these things, I kept wondering why I was able to get through it all… truthfully, I have wondered that many times over the last few decades. Why me? Not why did this happen to me, but why am I still here?

That seems grim. It’s the truth though.

I have never considered suicide. I never fell into utter despair or complete darkness. I always wondered what my purpose was… what was I supposed to do with my life? Why save me? There was always a light – albeit sometimes dim and far away – that I could focus on.

As I have been listening to myself retell these things, as I have been talking with my close friends, family, and therapist, as I have been reading my Bible… maybe positivity saved me. Maybe extending grace saved me. I am not talking about God’s grace – yes, that saved my soul – I mean giving myself grace for not knowing how to process the abuses and rapes. I mean extending grace to the “friend” I speak about in this week’s video. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, forgiving her for something she did not know she did, allowed me to let go of the anger I could have carried forever. It was an unspeakable pain, one that continues to hurt me; however, I harbor no anger there.

Anger has the ability to eat me alive. I know this. I have a healthy amount of fear toward that emotion. Perhaps the keys to releasing anger are grace and forgiveness. Grace and forgiveness feel interchangeable sometimes, don’t they? Grace is a kindness gifted to someone else; forgiveness is letting go of the anger caused by someone else. Grace feels easier for me; forgiveness is a struggle.

So how did I choose positivity in a realistically poopy situation?  I’m thinking it started with grace. I tried never to beat myself up too much because of the actions of someone else. I have reminded myself countless times that I was young, impressionable. I have held onto the peace in knowing that there is something SO much better to come. Recently I have been learning who I am, but all along I was reminding myself whose I am.

I do not say any of this from a place of braggadocious superiority but rather a place of gratitude and awe. This is an everyday battle. Every single day.

Christmas Vacation 2023

 Yeah, yeah.  I know I am behind. But I have been living in the moment. Completely and thoroughly going with the flow, not forcing any specific emotions, activities, tasks. It’s been fabulous.

As I mentioned in one of my Untitled chapters, I had Christmas this year with the kiddos. I had no idea how I was going to feel this year, if I was going to really notice. Let’s be real, I was the Christmas magic maker, so that was nothing out of the ordinary. Also, my ex-husband was a police officer for many years, and there were years that he worked on December 25. And finally, I have made countless trips to my parents’ house with just the kids. I was genuinely wondering how this first divorced Christmas would feel.

So, anyway. We drove over to North Carolina on the 23rd. We were blessed with amazing traffic! I am so grateful for that. You never know what to expect driving through both Chattanooga and Knoxville, especially the Saturday before Christmas.

We met up with my family at this local pizza joint my mom and dad found. Maddie Moe’s. SO good. It’s in Butler, TN on the Watagua River. Steph, Reagan, and I split a jalapeno popper pizza. I am still dreaming about it. They closed for the week between Christmas and New Years, otherwise we would have eaten there at least once more.

This was the first time that Remy and my nephew have seen each other in a while. And although we send videos back and forth, Remy had always had it in his mind that Eli was still a baby. I kept telling him this was not true, but he would not believe me.

The moment we walked in, Eli said “Remy, I have a truck for you.” Then he handed Remy a yellow toy truck, similar to the yellow car he had. They instantly bonded and raced cars all through lunch. They were best friends for the remainder of the trip. Eli was probably only topped by Unker Scratch (Zach’s new moniker) in coolness.

---

Christmas 2023

I spent a large chunk of Christmas Eve wrapping presents while the kids played and hung out. I have found it is a lot easier to pack and travel with the gifts when they are unwrapped. I had them all tucked away in a solid Rubbermaid container. Each kid received a fairly large gift from Santa this year, so Santa actually left those at my house. And the monsters were surprised with another round of mini-Christmas when we returned home.

The most important task on Christmas Eve is decorating Santa’s cookies. Before we drove to NC, I whipped up a batch of our egg-free sugar cookies. At mom’s, I made the buttercream icing. We kept it simple this year… just white buttercream, with sprinkles and M&M’s. Santa wasn’t disappointed. He loved them.

Reagan and Riley wanted record players this year. I can’t believe I am that old. But I digress. Santa delivered… turtnables? 

Riley’s turtnable (which is of course what we will forever call them) didn’t work. Something wrong with the speakers. So I swapped it out for a different version.

Basically, Christmas was wonderful. And it snowed the day after we left – that seems to happen every single time. We will be heading back to the mountains next month to play in the snow!

Chapter 11: Taking Up Too Much Space and Time

 

The title is a reference to the Taylor Swift song “Tolerate It”. Yes, I am currently a super Swiftie and unapologetically so. Some of her lyrics hit hard. Like this song in particular – I have felt like I am always taking up too much space and time or how about this doozy -> my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it. I mean, whoa.

In this chapter’s video, I talked about a moment last week. Go, watch this. It’ll give the backstory and slightly more context to the rest of this post.

When I discussed all of the events of that morning with my therapist, she broke my heart. She told me that these episodes will be happening more and more often on my healing journey. Great.

Well, technically she said this is part of the healing journey. For so long, I was in survival mode. And my brain would not allow me to feel/think about/experience certain things. It was keeping me safe.

But now that I have created a space of healing, peace, and love, my brain will begin to open up and force me to face certain traumas. Things I need to heal from. I should be proud – it is a testament to the peace I have created for myself.

Hopefully these triggering moments will be few and far between. And the goal is to pinpoint what the root cause of the nervous system response is.

I am so proud of myself for the way I handled this one. I reached out for a lifeline, even just a few months ago I would not have done that. I spoke openly and honestly with myself about the moment. I gave myself the space and grace to feel that, look it right in the face, process it, and then move on from it.

One of the things I think I do really well is self-reflection. I probably borderline on being too extreme and hard on myself because of that. But I try to recognize that too.

---

This year has been a lot. Life has been a lot.

It is daunting to think about how long this journey is going to be. I know I still have so much sift through. BUT I feel content. Joyful even. I cannot find the proper words to express how I feel – it is a car full of all sorts of emotions – peaceful, happy, joyful, sad, lonely, stressed, nervous, anxious, grateful, and several others. All at the same time. They take turns taking the front seat.

Through it all though, I feel this overwhelming sense of peace. And always have. I am grateful for that peace. I am sure it is what has kept me pushing forward and prevented me from drowning.

Chapter 10: Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animals

 

Christmas is fast-approaching. I can not wait! Although I am a Halloween girl for sure, I love Christmas too. With all the decorations, lights, chilly temps, trees, baked goods, parties… how could you not love Christmas time? 

I suppose it was more meh to me when we lived in south Florida, and it was always hot. I mean HOT. Like open the door and get hit in the face by a wall of humidity. Yuck. And that is not fun on Christmas. 

Now that we live in Alabama, we get SEASONS. Actual temperature changes. It’s amazing. 

I love the cold. Cold means sweater weather. Cold means bundling up in coats, boots, maybe even gloves. It means I use the seat and steering wheel warmers more than the AC in the car. It means the stockings have to be taken down because we want a fire crackling in the fireplace – heck, it means having a fireplace to hang the stockings above. 

The countdown to Christmas signifies a few non-negotiables in my house. Christmas movies, Christmas cooking/baking, holiday parties, and that ridiculous elf. 

Elf on the Shelf 

I tried to get away from the elf tradition, but I was unsuccessful. Yes, I realize I could have dug my heels in and refused. But why? What a silly, harmless joy to deprive the kiddos. 

Anyway, the bigs are responsible for the elf. This is their first taste of creating holiday magic. So far, so good. I no longer have to drag myself out of bed in the middle of the night because I forgot to move it. Win win. 

The biggest win is that Remy LOVES it. He is almost 5, so this is pretty much the most magical year for holidays. He loves the lore (we create fantastical stories sometimes to explain certain things). 

I have a feeling Christmas morning is going to be very exciting this year for him. 

Christmas Movies

We are big fans of “movie night”. Essentially, that just means we turn off the lights for a movie screening. Sometimes we throw down a picnic blanket (Remy calls them pinkets) and eat dinner on the floor too. I know, wild and crazy! 

Our must-watch holiday flicks are: 

1. Home Alone
2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
3. Love Actually
4. The Santa Clause 
5. Die Hard

Reagan and I are huge fans of cheesy holiday romance movies too. But those don’t make Riley’s short list. 

Christmas Cookies

We make egg-free sugar cookies each year to leave out for Santa. I will be making a batch next week and freezing them. I will make the buttercream icing on Christmas Eve when we are ready to decorate the cookies. 

I played around with some melting chocolate earlier this month. Melting chocolate and Oreos is a beautiful combo.

 

So, what do you look forward to the most in December?

Chapter 9: Goodbye 2023, Hello 2024

 

As this year is nearing its close, I can’t help but reflect on what a wild one it has been. I know I joked many times that 2023 tried to kill me, but honestly, I have a sense of peace and pride when I look back at the last calendar year.

According to Kelly Clarkson, what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. And isn’t that the truth?

Goodbye 2023

So yes, I experienced a few of life’s big negative stresses – divorce, job loss, moving. I also can’t ignore these chapters – I stripped myself down and shared my darkest secrets and fears. 

Let’s deal with the easiest one first. The job. It feels odd to even put this on the list, but it was a big moment over the summer. And the timing of it hurt (6 days after my divorce was finalized). After getting over the sting, I picked myself up, dusted off, and got to work building the life I ultimately want and deserve. 

Moving and divorce are intricately intertwined. I moved because of the divorce. The actual move was good… even though earlier that week an anxiety attack sent me to the ER. With time in my new space, I was able to relax. Through all of the self-reflecting, therapy, and researching I have done, I learned that my nervous system was resetting – I had been living in a state of flight, fight, fawn, or freeze for who-knows how long, probably decades. 

This safe, calming space is what has allowed me the ability to dig into my past, evaluate my choices, and create a loving future.  

I do not for one minute regret the decision to get divorced. That is not to say that it wasn’t sad, difficult, nerve-wracking, terrifying. But it was the right one.

Our marriage wasn’t perfect. Obviously. Spoiler: there is no such thing as a perfect one. The smear campaign that was launched has been quite the show (if we are being honest, it launched before I said goodbye). To quote Taylor Swift, Did you think I wouldn’t hear all the things you said about me? 

One of the most important lessons I have learned – probably a trauma survivor spidey sense thing – is to pay attention when people speak badly of other people. Consider the situation… who are they speaking ill of?- is it someone they “love” or don’t like? If they will talk badly of someone they love, they most definitely will stab you in the back one day. 

Remember kids, vents go into other rooms. What you say, can and will get around. 

Long story real short and with very vague details, I am not ready to go into specifics. Suffice it to say, I had to go. Sometimes, that is the right choice. I don’t expect everyone to understand, not everyone has heard my side. 

The final big, emotional stressor for me was opening up to share my story. I was terrified. There was no possible way for me to predict how it was going to be received. And as a friend pointed out a few weeks ago, it is emotionally exhausting to metaphorically strip down and allow everyone to look. 

---

Hello 2024

Taking all of this stuff into consideration, I still smile when reflecting on the year. I am SO proud of myself for facing the fears – fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, and more. Those were some of the biggest steps I could ever have taken. Sometimes the ground felt shaky and unsteady, but I just kept going. One step at a time. 

And now, I am confident, happy, at peace, and ready to walk into 2024 with my head held high. What will next year bring? I have no idea.

I do not like resolutions. Just the term. I love the idea of setting goals for the year. Resolutions though are usually broken. Goals, not so much.

I’ve got a handful for 2024 Mindy.

1. Read through the Bible.
2. Walk 4-5 times per week for at least 30 minutes.
3. Read 24 books.
4. Write more.

I am confident these four things will help me grow in the ways that I want.

Are you following along on YouTube or TikTok? You should be.