It has been a good year for reading, in terms of both quality and material. I read 126 books (and counting!) in 2024, most of them at least respectably solid reads. Some, of course, were standouts – more on them in a moment. Over the summer, after a decade-long hiatus, I restarted the tradition of weekly visits with my daughter to the public library. I still buy a lot of books for my personal library at home, but with space running out, I have to be more selective with new additions, so I’ve been falling back on library loans as a way to supplement my reading material. Plus, it’s a nice bonding experience for my daughter and I; she calls the public library “our happy place”. Well, that and our local bookstore. Like mother, like daughter – she’s got her own burgeoning personal library to consider.

I thought I would share my top 10 favourite reads of the year, because if there is one thing book lovers enjoy more than receiving reccs, it’s sharing them. They’re listed in no particular order; one cannot be asked to rank their darlings, it’s too cruel. And since it’s also cruel to ask someone to choose only 10 books out of XXX, I’ve added one or two bonuses at the end 😉

Top 10 Reads

William Blake vs the World – John Higgs

Described as a “wild and unexpected journey through culture, science, philosophy, and religion”, this book strives to provide a fresh, carefully considered look at William Blake’s philosophical worldview and art. I didn’t know a lot about Blake going in and bought the book off the clearance shelf on a whim. It was a surprise and a delight. As someone drawn to Eastern philosophies (Taoism and Buddhism), I was fascinated by Blake’s ideas; Higgs writing is insightful and accessible, managing to weave together a lot of different sources and strands into a tremendously pleasurable read.

Slough House series – Mick Herron

You don’t have to love spies to love Mick Herron’s Slough House books. At its heart, this is a series about a dysfunctional work culture – with hierarchies, various arbitrary or arcane traditions, idiosyncratic characters, and so on. Sort of like The Office, if the work setting was MI5 instead of a Midwest paper company. And the comparison is not as wild as it might seem, because one of the best things about Herron’s writing – which is fantastic – is its humour. There are so many memorable one-liners and wonderful turns of phrases. But be warned: this is the opposite of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series. Main characters die with alarming frequency and little fanfare. Enjoy the ride, but don’t get attached to any fellow passenger.

Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change – W. David Marx

I love reading about social class and status, and how it influences and plays out in Western culture, so this book was very much up my alley. Fascinating and thought-provoking, it has given me many ideas to ponder. I have returned to it several times, rereading and redigesting. As I get older, I find myself increasingly drawn to any art (books or other) that stokes my curiosity and provides new avenues of exploration, philosophical and/or creative. For me, this is one of those.

Last Devil to Die – Richard Osman

A new Richard Osman book is a dead cert guarantee of a good time, and this one was no exception. His writing is like a warm, soft blanket, enveloping you in comforting cocoon far removed from troublesome reality. Escapism at its coziest.

Black Bird Oracle – Deborah Harkness

I loved the original A Discovery of Witches trilogy, and I am not in the least embarrassed to admit that Diana Bishop is one of my favourite literary characters, even though it might be said (not without reason) that these books are essentially Twilight for middle-aged women. Anyway, Black Bird Oracle is a continuation of Diana’s story, in which she pursues her journey to discover and master her full powers with the help of her Bishop relatives, witches hailing from Salem. It’s an engrossing, fun read and my only complaint is that the ending merely sets up the next book. On the plus side, there will be another book – yay!

The Emperor of Scent – Chandler Burr

As y’all know, I got super interested in perfumes, and perfume history, this year and this was the best book I read on the subject. It covers the story of Luca Turin, a scientist and perfume connoisseur, who shocked the scientific establishment by putting forward a controversial new theory on the human sense of smell (still being debated today). Burr manages to make the science accessible, and the story thrilling. Even if you’re not a fraghead like me, you’ll probably find the book hard to put down.

The Decagon House Murder – Yukito Ayatsuji

This year, I discovered the genre of Japanese locked room mysteries, inspired by classic English detective fiction of the likes of Agatha Christie. They are jolly great fun! And this one is a classic. Its plot is very loosely based on And Then There Were None, but it is masterful in its own way rather than anything like a pastiche. It will keep you reading into the small hours, because you’ll want to get to the end. Ask me how I know.

The Dark Interval and Collected Poems – Rainer Maria Rilke

Rilke is my favourite poet, and I finally got around to adding a collection of his best-known works to my library. It was also the first time in more than a decade that I re-read his poetry; I found it as beautiful, elegiac and meditative as I did in my 20s, though I’m finding different beats in it now. The Dark Interval, on the other hand, is a collection of Rilke’s letters to friends in which he wrote about grief. Having gone through my own journey with grief over the past 4 years, I found his writing deeply moving; he managed to capture and articulate many of the feelings and ideas which my own experiences brought up for me. If you or someone you know is going through a season of loss, this is a book that may speak to you or them.

The Last Murder at the End of the World – Stuart Turton

Turton might be something of a love-it-or-hate-it writer. Some people think his books are gimmicky and/or incomprehensible, and some think they’re inventive and utterly brilliant. I’ll let you work out which category I fall into. Each of his 3 books are genre-bending mysteries, and the only thing they have in common is that they’re unlike any other mystery you’ve read before. The Last Murder at the End of the World combines classic Sherlockian detective fiction and apocalyptic science fiction. I don’t enjoy the latter genre as a rule, but that did not impact my enjoyment of this book. It’s a thrill ride from beginning to end.

Red Side Story – Jasper Fforde

I waited 14 years to read the sequel to Shades of Grey (no, not THAT one), which was one of my favourite books of 2010, and by the time it came out — to relatively little fanfare — I had more or less given it up as a lost cause. But it’s here now, and it’s wonderful. Comic fantasy is a genre that is close to my heart, as a die-hard Terry Pratchett fan (indeed, it’s the only kind of fantasy I enjoy reading on the regular), and Fforde is up there on the list of greats, imo. The universe of Shades of Grey — a world where people are sorted by their ability to see a specific, single colour — is unique and fascinating and full of quirky, memorable characters. The dystopian elements are softened by the humour and zest of the writing, which is the only way I find them digestible these days.

Best of the Rest – Romance

I’m going to present this trio without further comment, apart from the fact that it represents my top 3 fave romance novel heroes: Gabriel St. Vincent; Tom Severin; Wulfric, Duke of Bedwyn. I’ll leave you to discover the rest, should you be so inclined 😉

Devil in Spring – Lisa Kleypas

Chasing Cassandra – Lisa Kleypas

Slightly Dangerous – Mary Balogh

Best of the Rest – Historical Non-Fiction

Historical non-fiction is my most-read category, so I thought it deserved its own separate list. If not obvious from the title, I’ve added the subject matter in brackets.

Marriage and Family in the Middle Ages — Frances and Joseph Gies

House of Lilies – Justine Firnhaber-Baker (history of the French royal dynasty, the Capetians)

The Regency Years – Robert Morrison (society, culture, and politics of the Regency era in Britain)

Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power – Clare Hunter

Blood Sisters: The Hidden Lives of the Women Behind the Wars of the Roses – Sarah Gristwood

Young Queens: The Intertwined Lives of Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary, Queen of Scots – Leah Redmond Chang

Young Damned and Fair: The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII – Gareth Russell

A Rome of One’s Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire – Emma Soputhon

Elizabethans: How Modern Britain Was Forged – Andrew Marr (society, culture, and politics of QEII’s reign)

The Borgias – CJ Meyer

The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire – Bart Van Loo (history of Burgundy, the territories now known as the Low Countries, modern Belgium and the Netherlands)

Two Houses Two Kingdoms: A History of France and England, 1100–1300 – Catherine Hanley

And that concludes my list for the year, but keep the recommendation train going in the comments and share yours!

Details: Club Monaco sweater, Levi’s jacket, Kate Hewko skirt (all thrifted), Chicwish tulle skirt (Poshmark), MbMJ bag (swap), Laredo boots (consignment)

Thoughts: This outfit is so my jam, I don’t think I need to say more. What I discovered in wearing it is that tulle is a very effective insulator. With winter now arrived in Edmonton, note to self: stay cozy with tulle. You bet I’m assessing my skirt collection to identify other potential layering combinations. In fairness, I am doing that with my entire closet because we have reached that time of year when I will do practically ANYthing to avoid wearing a proper winter jacket (aka some puffer parka thing, which I actually currently don’t own). If you keep piling on enough layers — wool and cotton, thankyouverymuch — eventually you achieve an acceptable degree of climate control; since I avoid the outdoors as much as possible in wintertime (the walk from my front door to the car door is long enough), I can do this before I reach Michelin Man-levels of layering, which is always a bonus.

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Jones & Co jacket, vintage bag (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I found a polka dot skirt! Admittedly, this one isn’t exactly the style I was hoping to get — I wanted a fuller silhouette — but it has the advantage of being silk and silk is a difficult proposition to turn down, ok? I am not wild about the frilly bits, but I have to admit that the overall cut makes the skirt drape quite nicely on the body. As a placeholder (maybe?), I am very happy with it. Also very happy with this outfit. See how lovely this shade of red looks? So good. That’s why I had to thrift this vintage wool blazer, even though I have a bazillion blazers already. Including a red one in a similar shade BUT that one’s a summer weight. Totally acceptable distinction, as far as I’m concerned. And, viz. above, good quality wool blazers are also difficult to resist because they’re a handy “outerwear” option if one subscribes to the All The Layers philosophy of fall dressing.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt & vest, unbranded cardigan, Cartonnier pants (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Grandpa chic, checking in. I am strangely obsessed with this beige cardigan, which definitely puts me in mind of some chic 1950s grandpa. So I committed to the Beige Grandpa theme with this vintage Ralph Lauren sweater vest, and then spiced things up with some subtle pattern-mixing by adding the striped shirt and striped pants in colours that complement the sweater vest pattern.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger sweater, DKNY jacket, Nicole Miller skirt (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: If I were still going to the office regularly, this is what I would wear. I normally avoid black blazers, but the cut of this one is so good, it’s actually fun to wear.

Details: Esprit vest, A&F cardigan, Heritage House skirt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I really just wanted to wear this vest and skirt combo, but it’s cold now and my husband is the thermostat police so I had to add a cardigan. I remain convinced about the usefulness of a cropped white cardigan, but growing to hate this one more every day. I have become too used to and fond of (vintage) cotton chunky knits, so acrylic stuff like this makes me cross. It’s so heavy and non-breathable, ew.

Details: Supply & Demand tee, Banana Republic turtleneck, Levi’s jacket, Tommy Hilfiger jeans (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Teenage Adina circa 1997 would have been delighted with this outfit, and so was my currently-teenage daughter, so this got a double seal of approval. I’d forgotten about layering turtlenecks under oversized tees, but then happened to thrift these two pieces recently, and it all came back to me. (Cue Celine Dion!) I’ve been on a turtleneck-buying spree lately because they’re a staple of my winter wardrobe, but I previously only had black ones. Now that I am wearing a lot less black than before, I need to expand my base-layer turtleneck collection. This pale blue, vintage Banana Republic one was a solid choice; the colour goes well with brown and denim which represents, like, 60% of my wardrobe at this point.

As we move ever closer to winter, let’s revisit my fall wish list and take stock of how my plans panned out, and what new ones might be shaping up. I’ve been a very busy bee thrifter this fall, and my closet stands proof – and also stands in need of some editing, but that’s a blog post for another day. I’ve added some fabulous (mostly vintage) pieces that have brought lots of small joy into my daily life, in a season that has otherwise lacked much cheer. Some of those pieces came straight off my wish list, others were gifts from the thrift gods that were too good to be refused. You’ve seen most of them in my weekly outfit roundups, because I won’t let a good garment go unworn too long if I can help it. Some things I’ve been buying with an eye to the future as well as the present, because good quality is getting harder and harder to find, and classic staple pieces – wool sweaters and jackets, base layers, leather shoes and accessories, etc. – are unlikely to go to waste. Not to mention, I am buying for two. There is now a constant flow of clothing from my closet into my daughter’s, and it doesn’t look like it will be slowing down any time soon.

Here is what I’ve checked off my fall wish list so far:

I had initially picked out a pair of cap-toe low-heeled pumps on Poshmark, but had not yet pulled the trigger when I found this vintage pair (Storey’s, first time I’ve seen/heard of this brand) at the thrifts. They’re beige-and-black, not white-and-black as I originally had in mind, but otherwise exactly what I was looking for. The heel is high enough to give me a little lift, but not too high to be uncomfortable. This is a classic shoe style that pairs well with my aesthetic, and I expect to get lots of wear out of them next year.

I haven’t found an olive leather jacket (yet) but did score this awesome red Tommy Hilfiger one. It’s such a classic 90s style, I love it. I paid $35 for it, which thrift-expensive but a great deal nonetheless. Red is one of my fave colours at the moment; more on that later.

I found not one but two cropped chunky cardigans: one in ivory and one in black. The ivory one is Abercrombie & Fitch, and while I don’t love its quality, it has proven extremely versatile. I have worn it a bunch of times already, so I think it will be worth upgrading when the opportunity arises. The black cardigan is Banana Republic Factory, and slightly better quality so I think it should last me a good while.

This wasn’t technically on my fall wish list, but as it’s something that I’ve wanted for years and years, I think it’s worth including here. Vintage Club Monaco crest sweatshirts like this have been a hot commodity on the resale market for years now, which may explain why – despite searching the thrifts for the better part of the decade – I’ve never managed to find one ‘in the wild’. I finally gave up trying and took the plunge on a Poshmark listing that was reasonably priced. No regrets!

There are a few items on my fall wish list that I have not yet found: brown cowboy boots (still!), chunky platform Mary Janes, olive leather jacket, diamond tennis necklace. I’m rolling these forward because they remain pieces that I would like to have in my closet. In addition, there are a few other things I’m adding to the list – not specifically for winter as such, as they’re pieces I could wear year-round.

Deep red dress & cardigan

I am obsessed with a specific shade of red I find difficult to describe: cool-toned, saturated, rich. Darker than lipstick red, but a true red rather than burgundy or maroon. I would love to find a maxi dress in this colour, preferably in a long-column sheath style, as well as a cardigan – something cropped and chunky most likely, because that’s how I roll. A sleeveless turtleneck would be nice as well; I recently got a regular turtleneck in a slightly-lighter-than-ideal shade of red and am finding it a very versatile addition to the closet. In the past, I’ve mostly stuck to a warm-toned poppy red (which I still love), but this deep red is a great complement to the other colours I’ve been wearing a lot lately, like navy and brown.

Polka dot maxi skirt

Polka dots are not a pattern I’ve tended to wear a lot in the past, but I have been drawn lately to the idea of a flowy, swishy, polka dot maxi skirt – either dark navy or black background with tiny white dots. I think a small-scale pattern would look elegant rather than whimsical (which I want to avoid). I am hoping to find a vintage option that ticks off these boxes. I’ve found some listings on Poshmark that have promise, but as always, will look to my local thrift stores first.

Gold-tone huggie and knot earrings

A while back, I thrifted a pair of huggie earrings in a vintage gold-tone finish (which is warmer than typical yellow gold, I find, and suits me better) that I absolutely love. They’re classic and elegant, but simple and versatile enough to be an ‘everyday’ option. They’re perfect … except for one thing: they’re clip-on earrings, and they start to pinch after a couple of hours. I would love to find an identical – or at least very similar – regular pair. Along the same lines, I would love to find a pair of gold-tone knot earrings; another classic design that would work well for everyday wear. I’m looking for the Goldilocks version: not too large, not too small.

Calvin Klein vintage jeans

A couple of months ago, I thrifted a pair of vintage CK slim straight jeans and I have become obsessed with them. I want to find a similar pair in a slightly more relaxed fit and lighter wash. It’s giving “90s off-duty model” vibes. Well, a girl can dream, anyway. The silhouette works well with both long and/or oversized blazers, as well as boxy, cropped jackets. And we love versatility!

Kitten heel mules

Speaking of that 90s model vibe, a pair of 90s-style kitten heel mules would be fabulous to pair with jeans or column skirts/dresses. I’d settle for either a pointy toe or a tapered square toe, and I’m not too fussy about colour; black, brown, oxblood, or dark red would all be just dandy.

Navy bag

Currently, my only navy bag is a bucket style; it’s not as versatile as others in my closet, and I am not a huge fan of the stiff faux leather material. Since I’ve started wearing navy more frequently, I’m finding myself wishing that I had another option; something classic and chic, but easier to open and close. A navy-and-cream bag would also suit me very well, I think. Vintage Coach would be my first choice, but the current state of that particular resale market makes it an unlikely prospect – I don’t want to spend upwards of $200 on this bag. Another possibility would be a vintage Paloma Picasso bag. Her designs are fab and the quality is excellent, but being less well-known than Coach, prices are much more reasonable.

Having written it all down, it’s time to hope and wait to see if that whole manifesting business works … even a little bit. I’ll take every little bit I can 😉