{"id":9288,"date":"2025-01-01T05:57:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T13:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/?p=9288"},"modified":"2025-01-01T05:57:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T13:57:24","slug":"my-favorite-reads-of-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/my-favorite-reads-of-2024","title":{"rendered":"My Favorite Reads of 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Gandalf<\/p>\n

Welcome to 2025, and a new year of reading. Before moving forward into a new year I like to reflect on last year’s books, looking for patterns, appreciating blessings, and choosing my ten favorite reads.<\/p>\n

As I look back over the books I read in the last twelve months, what stands out more than anything else is that, for me, 2024 is a testament to the value of rereading. Half of the books I read last year were rereads. And among my top ten books of 2024 are several books I initially didn’t connect with when I first read them years ago, but which I now love. The rest of the top ten is filled with a mixture of old favorites and new favorites.<\/p>\n

First, the old favorites that continue to claim a spot in the library of my heart include Lord of the Rings<\/em>, The Chronicles of Narnia<\/em>, and the Aubrey\/Maturin series. These books are old friends, and I never tire of reading them.<\/p>\n

New favorites include books on spirituality: The Ignatian Adventure<\/em> by Kevin O’Brien and\u00a0Immortal Diamond<\/em> by Richard Rohr; a book on mindfulness:\u00a0Wherever You Go, There You Are<\/em> by Jon Kabat-Zinn; and the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.<\/p>\n

But as I mentioned earlier, I reread three books last year as part of Benjamin McEvoy’s Hardcover Literature Book Club<\/a> that I was previously lukewarm toward, but which now I love: A Tale of Two Cities<\/em> by Charles Dickens,\u00a0East of Eden<\/em> by John Steinbeck, and\u00a0Far from the Madding Crowd<\/em> by Thomas Hardy. Why do I appreciate them so much more now than when I first read them? To begin with, I am a different person today than I was then. Next, I was already somewhat familiar with their stories, so I could concentrate more on the writing than on the plot. Third, I took my time and gave the books more of a chance to work on me. And finally, Benjamin McEvoy’s lectures for each book helped open up them up in new ways. It is such a blessing to be able to see the beauty of a finely written book that I had previously overlooked. Rereading is a sheer joy, and I encourage all readers to make it a regular practice.<\/p>\n

And so, here are my favorite reads of 2024, counting down to my favorite read of the year:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling<\/li>\n
  2. Immortal Diamond<\/em> by Richard Rohr<\/li>\n
  3. Wherever You Go, There You Are<\/em> by Jon Kabat-Zinn<\/li>\n
  4. East of Eden<\/em> by John Steinbeck<\/li>\n
  5. The Chronicles of Narnia<\/em> by C.S. Lewis, with a special nod to The Last Battle<\/em><\/li>\n
  6. A Tale of Two Cities<\/em> by Charles Dickens<\/li>\n
  7. Far from the Madding Crowd<\/em> by Thomas Hardy<\/li>\n
  8. The Ignatian Adventure<\/em> by Kevin O’Brien<\/li>\n
  9. The Aubrey-Maturin Series by Patrick O’Brian, books 16-21:\u00a0The Wine-Dark Sea, The Commodore, The Yellow Admiral, The Hundred Days, Blue at the Mizzen, Twenty-One<\/em><\/li>\n
  10. Lord of the Rings<\/em> by J.R.R. Tolkien<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I have to mention another book that I began in 2024 and which is still having a profound effect on me, even though I have not finished it yet. It will likely take me years to read it, since I am savoring it as much as possible. And after I finish, I will likely turn back to page one and start right back into it. I am talking about The Complete Poems<\/em> of Walt Whitman from Penguin Classics<\/a>. I have read quite a bit of Whitman’s poetry over the course of my life, going all the way back to high school, but I have never read a book of his poems from beginning to end. I started the book in January of 2024 and am only about a quarter of the way through, but it has been a profound experience so far. Whitman’s poetry is so full of life, and each poem begs to be read aloud with the energy of the wind. As an example, here are the glorious final two stanzas from the poem I read most recently, “A Song of Joys”:<\/p>\n

    O to sail to sea in a ship!
    \nTo leave this steady unendurable land,
    \nTo leave the tiresome sameness of the streets, the sidewalks and the houses,
    \nTo leave you O you solid motionless land, and entering a ship,
    \nTo sail and sail and sail!<\/p>\n

    O to have life henceforth a poem of new joys!
    \nTo dance, clap hands, exult, shout, skip, leap, roll on, float on!
    \nTo be a sailor of the world bound for all ports,
    \nA ship itself, (see indeed these sails I spread to the sun and air,)
    \nA swift and swelling ship full of rich words, full of joys.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    “A swift and swelling ship full of rich words, full of joys.” — a perfect description of Whitman’s poetry. As I look toward 2025, I still hope to continue savoring this collection from Penguin.<\/p>\n

    I am also looking forward to several of the books scheduled for the Hardcore Literature Book Club, especially these titles I have never read:<\/p>\n