As a literature student, I have to read a bunch of novels, poetry collections, and plays for my classes. Unfortunately, that often means I have less time available for the books that I want to read, as there are only so many hours in the day.

However, as the new year approaches, I thought I’d share some of the books that are currently on my ‘To Be Read’ list for 2024.

1 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy

2 The Handmaiden’s Tale – Margaret Atwood

3 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov

4 A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) – George R.R. Martin

5 Babel – R.F. Kuang

6 The Poppy War – R.F. Kuang

7 The Starless Sea – Erin Morgenstern

8 Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid

9 Bloodmarked – Tracy Deonn

10 All’s Well – Mona Awad

I’ve had physical copies of these books for a while now, and they’ve been sitting on my shelves collecting dust while I’ve been busy writing or working or at university. However, I’ve decided that this is the year I will finally read them!

Normally I end up reading a lot more than ten books, but I know I will be reading other works for my classes. I also know that I don’t do very well with super rigid systems, so I figured ten would be a round number that I could aim for, while still allowing the flexibility to read other novels around them.

The first four books are some classics that I’ve been trying to read for a while now, and which I have heard interesting things about, so I wanted to try them each for myself.

I recently read ‘Yellowface’ by R.F. Kuang and thought she had a very unique writing style that I enjoyed, so I thought I would give her other books a go. Babel has also become a favourite in the ‘dark academia’ spheres and aesthetics which I enjoy, so I think I will like this book too.

‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern has become one of my favourite books, so I bought ‘The Starless Sea’ almost immediately, but I never got around to reading it. I loved Morgenstern’s writing style and of course the incredible Circus she imagined, so I’m hoping that this novel will also transport me to another fascinating world.

The last three books are by authors that I really liked, so I bought these books basically the second I saw them. I have thoroughly enjoyed the interesting concepts and ideas that Taylor Jenkins Reid comes up with, and so I am excited to see how ‘Malibu Rising’ fits into the star-studded world she has created.

‘Legendborn’ absolutely took the book world by storm in recent years, and I enjoyed the first book (even though the font was so small I could barely read it), and I’ve heard that this one is just as good.

Finally, Mona Awad absolutely stunned me with ‘Bunny’, and I loved it so much that when I saw she had another book out I bought it immediately. I’m so excited to see what strange world she takes us to this time, and what uncanny characters are thrown my way.

All in all, I’m really excited for these, and I do hope that they live up to my expectations!

If you have already read some of these books, I’d love to hear your thoughts – did you enjoy them, and would you recommend them?

Let me know what you’re hoping to read next year too, I’m always looking for more inspiration and recommendations.