[Magdalen] favorite book(s) from 2024?

[Juli Tarsney]

It's good to hear from all of you, some of whom I do see on Facebook. I
have such good memories of St Sam's and then Magdalen, and I do value my
abiding connection with the Anglican world, as embodied by each of you ...

I'll chime in here on the books question -- a more straightforward
assignment than the "update" one :-)

After a look at Goodreads: My very favorites included two novels by David
Nicholls (One Day and Us) and, much earlier in the year and on the
non-fiction front, Liz Cheney's memoir (audio version -- highly
recommended). On the Anglican theme, I read Glittering Images by Susan
Howatch ... I had been assuming this was a reread, but it didn't feel at
all familiar to me, so I think the book I remember reading years ago was
actually a later title in the series. At any rate, I'd kind of like to read
the whole series, but since then I've been sidetracked ... the story of my
reading life.

Toward the end of the year (post-election) I finally figured out that
political podcasts don't make the best bedtime listening and I started
listening to some favorite old children's books instead at this hour.
Comfort listening, and almost white noise in that the storylines are
familiar so I can drift off without thinking I'm going to miss something. I
may listen to the Narnia books soon as part of this project -- I bought the
whole set from Audible a few years ago ...

Finally, one of my most captivating reads in 2024 was a book that I
borrowed from the library impulsively, based entirely on its cover (and
title): When the Angels Left the Old Country, by Sacha Lamb. Here is a link
<https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sacha-lamb/when-the-angels-left-the-old-country/>
to a very good review, where you can also see the gorgeous cover.

Love to all --

Juli Tarsney


On Wed, Jan 8, 2025 at 6:48 PM Suzie Buchanan <buchanan.suzie at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Knowing that we seem to do better when there is more than "intro" or
> "update" going on - I'm curious about what your favorite book was from
> 2024?  Not necessarily a book published in 2024, but one that you read
> then.  I'm looking for great new reads for this year.
>
> My hands down favorite was "How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea
> Creatures" by Sabrina Imbler (released in 2022).  I've even gifted it a
> couple of times now.  The essays are not long, but oh they are so deep and
> wonderful and insightful.  Sabrina (pronoun: they) is a queer, mixed race
> science writer who is enthralled by the sea.  And they make the most
> beautiful and profound connections between marine life and their own life.
>