‘I read 150 books in 2024 and these are my five absolute must-reads’

With dark evenings and chilly temperatures, many of us look forward to getting home and unwinding after a long day at this time of year.

While some enjoy relaxing with candles, a warm bath, or their favourite TV show, others find solace in getting lost in a good book.

For some people, reading is a casual pastime, but for others, it’s an integral part of their daily routine and on BookTok, you’ll find enthusiasts who devour 50, 100, or even 150 books in a year.

Liz, known as @everypageturned on TikTok, is one such avid reader. In a recent video, she revealed that she’s already read 150 books in 2024, with a month still to go before the year’s end, reports the Mirror.

Liz shared her top five reads of the year, saying: “All five of these books if I did not cry, I teared up or thought about it for days afterwards. So read these if you have not yet. They are very good books.”

She noted that her ranking was “in no particular order”, explaining that it’s “because I could never actually rank them in order because they all have different spots in my heart”.

Here are Liz’s top recommendations.

‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah

Lovers of historical fiction will adore Liz’s first recommendation: ‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah, a gripping tale centring on a young nurse who enlists for Vietnam following her brother’s death in combat.

“If you have not read any of Kristin Hannah, do it now,” Liz said. “Her books are amazing.”

‘Kingdom of Ash’ by Sarah J. Maas

‘Kingdom of Ash’ stands as the climactic conclusion to Sarah J. Maas’ wildly successful ‘Throne of Glass’ saga chronicling an assassin’s quest for liberation.

Reflecting on her recent reading spree, Liz revealed: “I finished all of her [Maas’] universe this year and ‘Kingdom of Ash’ is definitely one of her top books.”

Maas is also renowned for her ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ and ‘Crescent City’ series.

‘Babel’ by R. F. Kuang

In ‘Babel’, readers will find themselves immersed in the life of an orphan taken under the wing of an enigmatic professor, whose training in ancient languages is but a preamble to his destined role at Oxford’s illustrious Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel.

‘Funny Story’ by Emily Henry

‘Funny Story’ tells the story of Daphne and Miles and their unconventional cohabitation-turned-romance after both are abandoned by their partners.

Liz shared: “This is my favourite Emily Henry book. She is also an auto-buy author for me. I love her writing style.

“I love the depth of her books for being a romance book. She really bases a lot of her writing on relationships within the book as well, not just your two main characters, which you typically see in a lot of contemporary romances and I really like that.”

‘Manacled’ by SenLinYu

This dark Harry Potter fanfiction novel is set in a dystopian world where Voldemort has emerged victorious and Harry has met his demise.

Despite its origins as a work of fanfiction, Liz couldn’t sing its praises enough: “This is technically fan fiction, yes, but I read Manacled back in January of this year. Amazing.

“It’s the one and only fan fiction I’ve ever read but it’s so good. I think about it weekly, if not daily. This book will rip your heart out.”