Impactful Reads of 2024

Female writers took the crown in 2024. My best reading experiences were had because of each book’s impact on my way of thinking and lifestyle. These books gave me new ideas, expanded my way of thinking, made me question why I followed certain patterns in life and to sincerely decide if I want to continue to follow them or not. These books also validated certain thoughts and feelings; put language to my hurt and joy. These books made the intangible tangible, and I am so grateful to have read them.


Reclaiming QuietSarah Clarkson


Sarah Clarkson takes you through this sonorous journey into understanding and reclaiming quiet. Not the quiet of a soundless night, but the quiet of stillness, maintaining an unencumbered state, and embodying this state of being from the inside out. Clarkson is an empathetic, emotionally intelligent writer with such godly grace for people. She writes without judgment, and is just offering help with tools so you can proactively help yourself.


This book guided me through my tussle with faith in 2024. I may not fully understand it, but that’s what faith requires. Taking steps toward trust, and seeing God show up where he promised he would. This book shows us how we’re not alone; we all feel lonely, overwhelmed, achey, and exhausted with life. She meets us there first, then guides us through the ways to live this life with hope and grace.


The Year of Magical ThinkingJoan Didion


My first Joan Didion, and it took me through a vortex of exquisite writing and emotion. Didion seamlessly went into tangents that somehow connected in her own vortex of a mind that she wickedly took me into, enchanted. I put a blue sticky flag each time she wrote of someone being seen and known, each like a band-aid to my broken heart at the time of reading. This book gave me hope; a look into love in marriage. Though Joan and John had their complications, they knew and loved each other. 


“What would I give to be able to discuss this with John? What would I give to be able to discuss anything at all with John? What would I give to be able to say one small thing that made him happy?...I could not count the times during the average day when something would come up that I needed to tell him. This impulse did not end with his death.”



Dinner for VampiresBethany Joy Lenz


This memoir was so poignant and relatable for me; from Bethany Joy Lenz’s wants, her desires, her values, her intentions, I could relate to them all. The theme of faith was quite similar to the state I was in whilst reading. The eye-opening experience of stepping back, and really asking yourself: do I believe this? What do I actually believe? And why do I believe this? 


After finishing the memoir I listened to some of her interviews and she shares how since being out of that experience she has learned to trust her instincts, to listen to herself. She has experiences of her own that have told her that God is real, that Jesus is real, and that’s what she holds on to. Same for me. There were promises I felt from the Lord that were true then and I am still holding on to.


Know Yourself Know Your MoneyRachel Cruze


I picked up this book to start my journey into taking full responsibility, control, and ownership of my finances. I was a little overwhelmed with how to start managing money the way I truly wanted, so I reached out to a friend who recommended Dave Ramsey resources. This book by Rachel Cruze caught my eye by its subtitle “Discover WHY you handle money the way you do, and WHAT to do about it!” It starts with you taking a look on the inside, and gives practical steps for you to follow that basically works best with who you are; I liked how it’s not a one size fits all practice.


I didn't keep count of how many books I read, but I'm happy with the mark each book has made on my heart.  What books mostly impacted you in 2024?





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