It happens every year…

You see magazines, newspapers, and tech companies. Even libraries get in the mix.

I am talking about releasing their picks of the best of 2024. Our social media platforms are bombarded with Best Book Lists, picking out what they consider the best of the year. And usually, during December and probably other book bloggers, I also go along with the bandwagon. However, this year, I decided to opt out.

Now, don’t worry. I will still be listing my “Best of the Year” list. I just decided to do it in January instead of this month. Not only have I not had the time to read and/or finish the 2024 books, but I started to notice a few things about these “best of” lists…most of the books that are listed came out in the first half of the year. And yes, these lists are subjective, but it doesn’t seem fair that the books that come out later in a year have less chance to be on a list. It doesn’t seem plausible that the “best of the year” books only highlight the ones from January to July. Also, the year doesn’t end during the last week of November or the first week of December, but on December 31, so I want to be fair and do myself and the people who read my blog justice. I know I won’t get to every book, but I want to ensure my lists are robust, diverse, and reflect our world.

So, that’s why I decided to wait until January to list my favorites of the year. It will give me enough time to catch up and read the books with my full attention instead of rushing through. Although I won’t be listing my “best of” lists, you can look forward to my list of books that you should be excited about in 2025! I am busy compiling the list and excited to share it with you, so stay tuned for that! I will also be sharing my 2025 reading challenge, but if you want to close out 2024 with a reading challenge, sign up for my Reading For The Holidays challenge on The Story Graph!

So are you rethinking how you are listing your “best of” lists? I would be interested to find out. Let me know in the comments below!

P.S. This Threads post pushed me to make this decision, so I would like to thank the author, Simon James Green, for inspiring me to make this choice.

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