Books I Loved Reading in 2024

Reading skill, education, and literacy

• Several comments push back on “decline of literacy” takes, noting that many referenced books require huge practice in deep reading, which most people never get.
• School reading assignments are criticized: one-text-for-all, boring canon choices, heavy homework, and little autonomy are seen as killing the joy of reading.
• Some hope AI tutors and more choice of texts could nurture a love of reading; others argue the real issue is voters/taxpayers not funding better systems.
• One commenter cites evidence that babies may have brain regions pre-wired to connect visual symbols and language, challenging “brains aren’t wired for reading.”

Why and how people read

• Strong divide between reading for self-improvement vs pure pleasure.
  • Some reject “reading as self-optimization,” comparing it unfavorably to guilt-free Netflix watching.
  • Others say it’s fine to have explicit goals (skills, language learning, thinking tools) and still enjoy it.
• Recurrent theme: it’s okay to quit books that don’t work for you; don’t read things only for external validation.
• Some argue great literature trains critical thinking and empathy; skeptics note humanities majors aren’t obviously “wiser” than others.

Writing style and literary vs genre

• Big thread on clear vs dense prose:
  • One camp says complex sentence structures that could be simpler are bad writing.
  • Another insists that intricate, indirect prose can itself be part of the message.
• “Kill your darlings” comes up repeatedly: stylish, overly clever sentences are seen as tempting but often harmful to narrative flow.
• Distinction is drawn between “literary” (character/idea-driven) and “genre” (plot-driven) fiction, with different but valid goals.

Difficulty and seriousness of books

• Several recommend “gateway” prize-winning novels as accessible entries into serious literature; others counter that some high-prestige works are genuinely hard and demand training.
• Debate around non-linear, rule-breaking novels and invented dialects:
  • Some readers bounce off them or feel “not smart enough.”
  • Fans say the discomfort is the point, and the payoff comes after pushing through and sometimes rereading.

Audiobooks, time, and reading habits

• Many strategies to “find time”: reading at breakfast/bedtime, carrying a book everywhere, setting 30-minute daily blocks, using libraries and due dates, and escaping offline for days.
• Audiobooks are heavily endorsed for commutes and chores; some question whether they “count” as reading, but most say they do for storytelling and many kinds of non-fiction.
• People report reading dramatically more when they:
  • Replace phone/YouTube time with books.
  • Allow themselves to read “just for fun” instead of only educational texts.

Recommendations and diversity

• The thread is packed with recommendations across:
  • Classics, prize-winners, existentialist and philosophical works.
  • Experimental/dialect-heavy novels and postmodern fiction.
  • Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and “brain-bending” internet-born fiction.
  • History, economics, science (especially genetics, physics, systems theory), and memoir.
• Some meta-lists and personal “best of 2024” posts are shared; one commenter notes their favorites are now largely by women and people of color and argues they’re producing much of the most exciting work.

Other debates

• A brief tangent argues that documentaries are often misleading compared to books, especially on topics the viewer knows well.
• There’s a small linguistic skirmish over using singular “they” for an author whose gender isn’t known; others defend it as long-established English usage.
• Several highlight how reading certain biographies or novels helped them understand neurodivergence, war crimes, tyranny, or historical injustice in more human terms.