I wasn't planning to do a year-in-review episode (those are the epis I skip, because I was HERE, okay?!), but I do love analyzing my numbers, so here we are. I am starting the new year exactly how I like—talking about books and writing. I'm just bringing you all into the conversation.
Let's talk about my reading year first. I smashed my Goodreads goal! with 225 books in 2024 while working full-time and writing three books. December was my most active reading month with 39 books (actually closer to 42, but some didn't make it into my Goodreads export). May and July were also strong months with 22 and 21 books respectively, thanks to some nice long vacations. Even my "slow" months - January and September - saw me reading 10ish books each.
Some standout authors I discovered were Kendra Elliott and Melinda Lee (15 books each), Shae Sanders (10 books), and continued favorites Christina C. Jones and Tay Russ. My reading naturally leans toward romantic suspense and thrillers, with the occasional nonfiction, literary fiction, or women's fiction to cleanse the palate.
My five-star reads for the year included "Winter, A Love Story" by Norian Love (if you're a WNBA fan, you need this book in your life), the MLK biography "King" by Jonathan Eig, and "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell" by Robert Dugoni.
On the writing front, I published two books in 2024, wrote a newsletter exclusive short story, created a four-part short for the podcast, and started reposting a serial on Substack. My top earning titles were "The Pearl at Black Diamond Bay" (Book 3 in the series), "The Never List" (standalone), and my debut "Brunch at Ruby’s" which is still going strong after 10 years.
Looking ahead to 2025, I've got several projects in the works. There's "Missing Persons," my attempt at a romantic mystery that I'm really excited about, and "Calculated Risk," which is part of a group project coming this spring. I'm also planning to work on more short fiction to strengthen that muscle. I'm determined to master the art of saying more with fewer words.
For those wondering about series continuations, I'm taking a break from Black Diamond Bay this year, but I might add to the Potter Lake series. I've got about six chapters written of Still I Rise, but I'm also craving new characters and fresh stories.
I'm heading into 2025 focused on what keeps me grounded: reading and writing. With the political climate being what it is, I need these creative outlets more than ever. My plan is to keep my head down, my headphones on, and stay deep in podcasts, books, and bookish content while celebrating our culture and our stories.
That's the shape of things to come for The Bookcast and Books by DL White. If you want to keep up with what I'm reading or join the conversation, you can find me on Goodreads as Coffee and Books (please send me a note if you add me because I don’t like randoms following me. I will probably deny you if we don’t have reading habits in common), or catch me on Instagram @Author_dlwhite. I'm also on Bluesky and here at Substack, where I post both free and subscriber-exclusive content.
Here's to another year of books, writing, and building community through stories.
xoxo,
DL
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