best (& worst) of 2024

 At the end of last year, I saw someone make a bracket to decide their best read of the year, in which they selected their favorite book of each month, then each quarter, then each half of the year. I used that same template in order to determine both the best of 2024 & (at the suggestion of a coworker) the worst of 2024. I'm not fancy enough to make a cute little graphic, so take this low-quality photo of my brackets on paper as your cues. The best book I read in 2024 was How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key, and the worst I read was Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum. You can look at each photo below for more titles in the top & bottom. 

  

I completed 98 books (50 physical or e-books & 48 audios) this year and consumed over 34,000 pages. I went through the entire Harry Potter series with my boy and revisited several childhood classics with him in our drives to and from school, and that was a lot of fun. I did some re-reads, went on a historical fiction binge in the winter, and met some of the goals I started for the year while not meeting others, and that's ok. Reading is joy, and it shouldn't be stuffy or bound by rules. You're allowed to just enjoy what you enjoy without anyone else liking it. So without further ado, here is my top 12 list in order with brief descriptions / thoughts. These are not all necessarily 5 star reads, but they were the best from each month. I am not linking these to Amazon listings since (1) this isn't a monetized blog & (2) we are all grown and can Google titles that sound interesting. 😂

1. How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key - This was a true telling of how Harrison discovers his wife has cheated on him with his best friend and then decides to love her through the pain & stay together (that's not a spoiler; he literally tells you that in the first 5 minutes). He was the reader on audio, and it was perfection, because his deadpan humor ("Christianity is weird, because we believe in a virgin birth, but I knew all kinds of teenagers who were virgins and moms; they were called Baptists.") and wry wit really shone through. His wife also narrates a chapter of her perspective, which was at times heartbreakingly raw. This book made me think about the value of marriage and the importance of fighting for your family. I will buy this book.

2. Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano - Finlay is a 30-something single mom who is inadvertently hired to be a hit man (crazy, right?) and then tries to cover it up with the help of her nanny / assistant / accountant Vero. Hijinks ensue, and the dialogue is just so sharp and punchy. I adored this one. It's the first in a series that must be read in order, and I can't recommend this series enough. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in March.

3. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid - What would you do if your (presumed) dead spouse returned to your life after you had moved on and were engaged to be married again? That's the impossible question TJR asks us to answer in this backlist title that absolutely ripped my heart out. I found myself weeping in the car while I listened and heartbroken for Emma Blair & her impossible choice. I'm not going to spoil it, but I think EB made the right choice in the end.

4. The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline - I have long been a fan of Scottoline's work, as she explores complicated family dynamics and interactions without tons of filth or foul language. The Devlins are a prominent family of means facing dark secrets due to an unfortunate accident in the opening of the book, and they will go to any lengths necessary to preserve their family name. You will cheer for the heroes and despise the villains, and they all share the same last name. Excellent family drama from a master who doesn't get enough credit for her work.

5. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto - Vera Wong is a delightful old Asian lady who owns a tea shop and stumbles upon a dead body in her shop one morning. She then takes it up on herself to solve the murder on her own. She's nosy, she's slightly petty, she's hilarious. The audio reader was Asian herself, so the accents for the characters were *chef's kiss.* Octogenarian murder mysteries (see Thursday Murder Club et al) are becoming a fast favorite for me. 

6. Nothing is Wasted by Davey Blackburn - This true account of finding hope, forgiveness, and peace in the midst of loss will also rip your heart out but also make you think. You may remember the story of Davey, a pastor whose pregnant wife was brutally murdered one morning while he was at the gym, from about 10-ish years ago. His account of finding his peace and strength in Christ alone will remind you of your shelter & strong tower in your Savior. His take on learning to forgive and love those who have caused immeasurable hurt will really make you stop and think. I purchased a copy to re-read in seasons of loss. It was moving.

7. House of Cross by James Patterson - I don't feel like it's winter without a new installment in the Alex Cross series. Book #33 did not disappoint. I continually found myself wanting one more chapter (which is like 3-5 pages tops for Patterson), and I could not stop this one. This is definitely not for everyone, but if you've read the series, you'll enjoy this one. It's the best one in several years. Non-stop action and thrills.

8. Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar - As someone who chose to leave an overly legalistic, evangelical upbringing and work environment (don't misread that - I'm not deconstructing my faith or leaving the church), so many pieces of this resonated with me. Jill honestly and openly looks at her life and what happened to get her to the point she is at, and she honestly shared how her parents' action shaped her and hurt her in equal parts. She was honest without being catty, and I felt seen throughout this book. If you've been a part of a church or work environment that was legalistic and controlling, I can't recommend this enough to help you process and heal.

9. Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood - The Marlowe Murder Club series continues to deliver fun and adventure. Old ladies solving murders together is a new, fun trope that I've really enjoyed. Judith sets crosswords for a living, and she serves as an unofficial consultant for the local police. It's just lighthearted and fun. Highly recommend this series if you like Thursday Murder Club or Vera Wong.

10. The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine - The Last Mrs. Parrish by this sister author duo is forever one of my favorite psychological thrillers, and the series continues with more chaos and messiness in the second installment. Everyone in this book is crazy. Periodt. It's not as good as the first book, but it was an excellent summer read.

11. The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger - Supernatural spookiness and whodunnit abound in this thriller. It gave very light Riley Sager vibes at times. Not everyone I know who read this loved this one, but I loved the back half. I listened the final segment at 2x speed because I wanted to know how it ended. Lots of twists I didn't see coming. However, compared to another month, it wouldn't have made the list.

12. My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley - What would you do if your ex spouse needed you to help them get their child into a prestigious university, all while your life is falling apart at the seams? David is a high-end college counselor who is divorced, but when his ex-wife needs her to help him get her daughter into a good college while she is also navigating another divorce. This is an old book I randomly grabbed at a library sale, but it was an excellent exploration of love, loss, and transitions in new seasons of life.

The older I get, the more I am realizing there are no rules to reading. Read what makes you happy and don't read what doesn't. It doesn't have to be the latest thing you saw on BookTok or BookGram. It can merely be a book that works for you. So read or listen to that. Life is too short for mediocre books, so don't stress about completing a challenge. I didn't check all my boxes in the categories I wanted this year. Oh well. The sun is still shining. It's been very freeing for most of my reads to be at least 3 stars or higher (my average rating this year was 3.8!), because I don't stress about finishing what "has" to be finished because everyone is reading it. In 2025, I am tackling an alphabet challenge (not going in order, but at least 1 book whose title begins with each letter of the alphabet), and I am excited to read what I love as I tackle other new adventures in the year. Happy reading, friends. 

eras

For the better part of the last 3 years, I have been in a very dark place. Friendships have been hard. Marriage has been HARD. Parenting has been full of tears, frustrations, and near hopelessness. If you know me well, you know that my younger cherub has not been the easiest to parent. She is hard-headed (don't know anyone like that), fiercely independent (again, don't know anyone like that), and sometimes just a lot to handle (are you sensing the same theme I am?). Sleep training was hard, potty training continues to not be a cakewalk, eating was a struggle until we began early intervention, and in general I just struggled to enjoy being her dad. 

Every time an era ended, I would silently rejoice and think, "Phew! One more hurdle done and closer to her being an adult." In the trenches of it all, it was just so hard. I can't tell you how many times I told my therapist, "I know I'm not supposed to wish her life away, and everyone keeps telling me I will miss this, but right now I will not miss ____." And it's true. I am a fairly sentimental and emotional person, yet I was constantly in a mindset of "welp, that's over; no love lost." But this weekend, I had one of the first moments in a while of almost mourning the end of something. We sold our changing table this weekend, and I was a little sad. [This changing table was special because we had bought it on consignment the weekend we were supposed to bring home our Bennett before his birth mother decided to parent instead. It wasn't perfect, but it was loved.] And now for the first time in 8 years, the Dupuis home doesn't have a changing table in it. I've been full of emotions about it all. We are entering into a new phase of our parenting journey.

For most of my teenage and early adult years, I always envisioned myself as a girl dad. I was going to have 2 girls (Gillian & Genevieve if you must know), and we were going to go to Bama Softball games together, go to all the father-daughter dances, and shop at Target with frappuccinos like the basics we truly were. But God had other plans - our first was a boy, and I was terrified. I know that's counter-intuitive, but I've never been the outdoorsy mountain man type. Heck, I struggle to pull into the oil change bay and pop my hood some days, and I was truly afraid of stains on clothes and all the boy things. Yet, my boy was just what I needed. I learned to lighten up and enjoy the unexpected and share some really special things with him (turns out he also likes Bama Softball and Lego). 

For the past 3 years, I have struggled to enjoy being a dad to Thugalina. Some of that might lie in my expectations of what a girl dad would be, and some of that might just be her personality. I told my wife this week that, by comparison, he was far easier to parent at age 3 than she was. (And yes I know I'm not supposed to compare my kids because they are unique individuals blah blah blah.) It was just not enjoyable. But Friday night, I got to go to a Father-Daughter Dance at our church, and it was so much fun. I finally got to enjoy being her dad. We dressed up, had flowers and a CFA dinner, and then danced / chased each other around the atrium at church before she eventually began to spiral and we went home. But it was truly a sweet time, and for the first time in 3 years, being her dad was a joy. I am continuing to learn about lightening up and leaning into the Type B side of life and dadding. 

I know that not every day will be a cake walk, and I don't expect that by any stretch of the imagination. But I feel hope. I feel hope for my marriage, hope for my family, and hope for friendships. So if you find yourself at the end of an era in your life, consider where the Lord is leading you and look ahead joyfully to the beginning of a new chapter in your journey.