What's On My Mind (and My Reading List) — December 2024
Some Cozy Reads to Wind Down the Year With
As this turbulent year begins to wind down—as the holiday season wraps up and we get ready for what the year ahead may bring—now seems like a perfect opportunity for some lighter reading and to catch up on projects that have been long neglected.
Fiction
For myself, this means stepping back from some of the denser reads on my to-be-read list and winding down with some fiction.
Although I plan to continue reading the hefty Stormlight Archive series with its upcoming release in early December, I will also take this moment to catch up on some smaller novels that I happened to have missed in my childhood and adolescent years.
Between those and a few other cozy reads I have in store, I'll have plenty of time to unwind as 2024 draws to a close.
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
Education
Of course, I can't slow down forever. I have plenty of plans for the new year, including taking the next steps in my book-writing process. When the Christmas ham has been cleared off the dining room table, it's back to work assembling my note cards into the first proper manuscript of my book.
As I proceed into the drafting stages, I'll continue to read some of the lighter works in my bibliography to fill in any gaps in my research. My note-taking process demands that I take my time. My hope is that by tackling the lighter books first, I'll be able to maintain a regular balance between reading, notetaking, and writing.
Anti-Education by Friedrich Nietzsche
An End to Inequality: Breaking Down the Walls of Apartheid Education in America by Jonathan Kozol
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal by Bettina L. Love
Schools and Society During the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Education Systems Changed and the Road Ahead edited by Fernando M. Reimers
2025 is shaping up to be an interesting year. At the start of this year, I gave myself a resolution to finish 4-5 books a month. As of the beginning of this month, I've finished over 50 books so far and I still have a month to go!
I'm grateful to all of you who have graciously supported my writing and What’s On My Mind. I can't wait for all of you to see what I have in store. Until then, here's to another year dedicated to learning more than we did the year before!
Happy holidays and happy reading!
Socials:
Substack: bryceallenreads.substack.com
Twitter: twitter.com/bryceallenreads
Threads: threads.net/@bryceallenreads
Glasp: glasp.co/#/bryceallen
For more articles on reading, writing, and the creative process, subscribe to my free Substack newsletter!
You can support my writing by buying me a coffee!
You can also show support by purchasing from the affiliate links in this article.