Best Reading 2024 Part One – Fiction

Each year, I set a target to read fifty books—not just because I enjoy or think it important, but because reading remains a profound way to explore and expose yourself to the human condition and sate a curious thirst for knowledge and vicarious experience.

At the end of 2023 I grew concerned that a bit of ‘what gets measured gets managed’ had crept in to the process and the goal of fifty books was starting to overshadow the quality and nourishment of my reading choices. I even caught myself looking for shorter books to duke the stats late in the year.

In 2024, I prioritised quality over quantity, resulting in reading a total of 43 books: 32 non-fiction and 11 fiction. For transparency, I read across various platforms and formats—hard copy, digital, and audiobook—depending on the situation. That said, I can’t do fiction via audiobook, which explains the heavier weighting of non-fiction. Still, I’m fighting the good fight to connect with great fiction.

My reading interests this year spanned leadership, history, creativity, the lives of creative people, science, education, and learning—forming a broad and eclectic “topical church.” The list below highlights the fiction books that hit hard, sparked joy, or shook up my perspective and next time I will share the non – fiction choices. I hope you find something useful, and I’d love to hear your recommendations too.

FICTION

I love reading fiction but like many of us, have drifted away, distracted by other demands on time and attention. Yet, I am consciously determined to return to it. Adler and Van Doren in their classic ‘How to Read A Book’ said:

Fiction seems a necessity for human beings. Why is this?

One reason why fiction is a human necessity is that it satisfies many unconscious as well as conscious needs.

I’m not sure what these titles say about my needs – conscious or otherwise – but do know that they were incredibly bright windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors in a reading year.

Loosely arranged by favourites, here they are:

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Late to the party is better than never arriving. From page one this had me hooked and wanting to savour every word. Kingsolver expertly captures the cadence and vernacular of Appalachian hillbilly life in a manner almost Shakespearian – or, more appropriately, Dickensian. This reimagining of Dickens’ David Copperfield is set in the Southern United States during the opioid crisis and traces the life of Demon amidst a cast of stunning characters as he rides the ups and downs of fickle fortune and fate. Having not read the original is no barrier at all to enjoying this masterful story full of life in its messy, gory and glorious detail. It was my absolute favourite read of the year.

The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher J. Koch

An oldie but a greatie. As mentioned in ‘Should We Read Where We Are?’, so much of the enjoyment of this came from reading this during a Balinese holiday. Set in a tense, volatile 1960s Jakarta, the story unfolds through the lives of Western newshounds and expatriates navigating a post-colonial city rife with subtle yet overt tension on all levels. Central to the narrative is the friendship between Guy Hamilton, a newly arrived journalist, and his enigmatic cameraman, Billy Kwan, who is one of the greatest fictional characters I have encountered. A perfect read for lounging in the sun and connecting with another time and place.

Question 7 by Richard Flanagan

Difficult to classify, this blend of creative non-fiction, memoir, history, and philosophical rumination defies categorisation. Whatever you call it, Flanagan’s masterful writing crafts and weaves a complex tapestry of disparate forces across time. His voice, varying from pensive to blunt, is completely engaging as he guides us through the incongruous lives of H.G. Wells, Flanagan’s family, Hiroshima bombardiers, Los Alamos scientists, Oxford scholars, Tasmanians alive and gone. It’s a compelling journey through history, highlighting the sliding doors and radiating circles of coincidence and fate that shape lifetimes. You won’t want to rush this one.

Desolation Island by Patrick O’Brian

Part of the Aubrey/Maturin series, this was a perfect end-of-year decompression read while reclining by the coast and a departure from a customary early holiday diet of pacy, chewing gum for the eyes tales starring Jack Reacher, Renee Ballard, or John Rebus. Famous for the wonk level of historical detail and nautical lingo, they are also ripping and fast paced yarns of drama and action upon the high seas. This volume follows Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin on a mission to assist Governor Bligh in New South Wales, with the journey itself becoming the story as they are stalked by a Dutch warship. Beyond the adventure, the friendship between Jack and Stephen is a joy to follow.

Swallow The Air by Tara June Winch

This debut 2006 novel does what only good literature does, drags you from a comfortable place into somewhere poetically visceral and jarring. The sudden death of her mother forces May and her brother, Billy, to confront their pasts and the consequences of choice. May travels from Sydney to the outback in search of her indigenous heritage and the journey is wild and confronting. Winch’s prose does not waste a word in creating vivid characters and setting to form an Australia I don’t recognise, which is very much the point. This is a tender, chaotic story that grounds itself in a place I’m striving to better understand.

Honourable mentions –

• Dusk by Robbie Arnott is a beautifully written tale set in Tasmania – think Tasmanian Big Cat Lit if there is such a category?
• Oedipus the King by Sophocles – while the story was well known I had never read the play – and the infamous self imposed ocular punishment scene raised my hackles and made my heart beat fast – not bad for such an old text.
• Finally, The Road to Winter by Mark Smith. With my teacher hat firmly on, it has a Tomorrow, When the War Began vibe, but for surf rats. A great pick for reluctant readers, particularly boys.