Favorite books I read in 2024

As every year, I am here with my list of favorite books I read. I read 70 books in total (or at least, I was at 70 books two weeks before the end of the year*), and I am happy with the books I read – I have given a fair number of 5 star ratings. I read a lot of women authors, and chewed on various flavors of feminism.
I read in various languages, and read fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Here are my 10 favorites read this year:

10. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald: A classic, and for good reason.

9. Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami: Another book that left me a little bit out of sync, and with a lot of themes to ponder.

8. Het schaarse licht – Nino Haratschwili: A bit less magical than her previous work, and a bit more intense – but still a colossus of a story, which tells us so much about Georgia (and the background to its current political turmoil).

7. La peste – Albert Camus: I would have wanted to read this during the pandemic. Still, a fantastic book.

6. Las aventuras perdidas – Alejandra Pizarnik: I bought the complete works of Pizarnik and it has been quite a trip.

5. Huis clos – Jean-Paul Sartre: A reread, a good practice for my French, and of course, a classic in which I seem to discover something new every time I read it.

4. De wetten – Connie Palmen: How we can learn about life through our relationships – and how men create the laws we have to comply with.

3. All Fours – Miranda July: I love how vivid of a rollercoaster this book is – not just your average midlife crisis book.

2. Passion Simple – Annie Ernaux: I discovered Annie Ernaux this year – and what a discovery it has been for me. I resonate with her form of feminism, deeply.

1. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath: I postponed reading this for many years, as I knew it would affect me. It affected me and left me a bit skewed, and yet, her writing is hauntingly beautiful.

What is the best book you read in the past year?

* end of year edit: 74 books, ultimately