Erik Eckel

I’m an avid, even passionate, reader. Since I was a kid, books—novels, short story collections, anthologies and nonfiction works alike—have entertained, educated, transformed and transported me. That’s why you’ll regularly find me in a bookstore.

My preferred shop is my favorite Louisville independent, Carmichael’s Bookstore, which I unreservedly recommend. If Carmichael’s, whose success earned a mention in Evan Friss’ The Bookshop this year, doesn’t have what you want, never fear, they’ll get it for you. Better yet, the shop’s booksellers are ready with trustworthy recommendations.

This past year the store helped me track down dozens of books. Without really setting a target, I’ve focused on reading works that appeal to me and arrest my attention. As a result, I read 66 books in 2024.

If you’re into statistics, I read 17,620 pages. The shortest book I read was Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Ted Kooser’s A Man With A Rake at just 23 pages, while the longest title I completed was Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting (656 pages). The average rating I gave books this year on the Goodreads site was just 3.4 (out of 5 stars), but I did award several works 5 stars. Interestingly, the highest-rated text on Goodreads that I read was the Autumn 2024 issue of 2600: The Hacker Journal.

My 2024 reading proved non discriminatory, with multiple genres represented. From literary journals to novels to poetry collections, I read a vast selection of material, as the following images attest.

After completing those 66 titles, these were my top 5-favorite reads of 2024:

5. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s A Little House Traveler

4. Ted Kooser’s Local Wonders

3. Wendell Berry’s Another Day: Sabbath Poems 2013-2022

2. John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed

1. Michael Richards’ Entrances And Exits

All these books are worthy of your time. Track them down at your independent bookseller. I recommend making visiting your local bookstore one of your New Year’s Resolutions, as that’s one commitment that’s easy to keep and that almost assuredly will enhance your year without your even having to sweat or go on a diet.