Depending how you look at it, 2024 might just be the biggest flop of a reading year for me. It’s no surprise, I suppose, considering that, for the first time in years, I wasn’t safely secured inside a full-time employment. Although I eventually found a place I could once again call my ‘professional home,’ it took me a long time to get there. Meanwhile, for most of the year, my time and energy went to figuring out what my career would look like going forward. That took a toll on my reading, which slowed considerably. And once I picked up a book, it wasn’t always up to my desired quality.
By the time this post is written, I am still struggling to finish my 30th book and hit that yearly reading goal. December, in particular, has been spent neurotically scanning book after book to hit the goal in time. Let’s get into the statistics so far! The books I read this year comprised of 24% nonfictions, 21% illustrated volumes, 18% classics, 12% German books and 9% unaccounted for. Truth be told, I’ve surpassed my reading goal a while back, but I’ll tell you later why some of them don’t count. Allow me to rank and review the best ones first.
Depending how you look at it, 2024 might just be the biggest flop of a reading year for me. It’s no surprise, I suppose, considering that, for the first time in years, I wasn’t safely secured inside a full-time employment. Although I eventually found a place I could once again call my ‘professional home,’ it took me a long time to get there. Meanwhile, for most of the year, my time and energy went to figuring out what my career would look like going forward. That took a toll on my reading, which slowed considerably. And once I picked up a book, it wasn’t always up to my desired quality.
By the time this post is written, I am still struggling to finish my 30th book and hit that yearly reading goal. December, in particular, has been spent neurotically scanning book after book to hit the goal in time. Let’s get into the statistics so far! The books I read this year comprised of 24% nonfictions, 21% illustrated volumes, 18% classics, 12% German books and 9% unaccounted for. Truth be told, I’ve surpassed my reading goal a while back, but I’ll tell you later why some of them don’t count. Allow me to rank and review the best ones first.
#10: Menua dengan Gembira
by Andina Dwifatma
This was my first ever purchase from POST Bookshop in Pasar Santa—not gonna lie, I bought it mostly because of the cover by Nadya Noor, one of my favourite local illustrators. It contains a collection of essays from a woman who’s lived 15 years just on the outskirts of Jakarta. In fact, Andina lives in South Tangerang like me—our homes are probably only less than 25 km apart.
She mentions a lot of topics that I’m only all-too-familiar with—societal living, public transportation, Indonesian modern culture. While her essays are witty and informal, they are incredibly well researched and intellectually delivered. This book later on sparks my interest in another book on this list.
#10: Menua dengan Gembira
by Andina Dwifatma
This was my first ever purchase from POST Bookshop in Pasar Santa—not gonna lie, I bought it mostly because of the cover by Nadya Noor, one of my favourite local illustrators. It contains a collection of essays from a woman who’s lived 15 years just on the outskirts of Jakarta. In fact, Andina lives in South Tangerang like me—our homes are probably only less than 25 km apart.
She mentions a lot of topics that I’m only all-too-familiar with—societal living, public transportation, Indonesian modern culture. While her essays are witty and informal, they are incredibly well researched and intellectually delivered. This book later on sparks my interest in another book on this list.
#9: Interpreter of Maladies
by Jhumpa Lahiri
It is no secret by this point: Jhumpa Lahiri is one of my absolute favourite authors. Her poignant writing of the intercultural experience, especially that of the people from India or thereabouts, is simply breathtaking. She is a great observer of life and that comes out very well in her works. That being said, I’d never read this rather early work of hers—though I’ve heard so much about it—until now.
Much like her other works, this amazing anthology encompasses stories from people who may—in one context or another—identify as Indian or come from the subcontinent. The stories challenge us to rethink what we know of cultural identity and racial belonging, creating a deeper nuance within the same ethnicity.
#9: Interpreter of Maladies
by Jhumpa Lahiri
It is no secret by this point: Jhumpa Lahiri is one of my absolute favourite authors. Her poignant writing of the intercultural experience, especially that of the people from India or thereabouts, is simply breathtaking. She is a great observer of life and that comes out very well in her works. That being said, I’d never read this rather early work of hers—though I’ve heard so much about it—until now.
Much like her other works, this amazing anthology encompasses stories from people who may—in one context or another—identify as Indian or come from the subcontinent. The stories challenge us to rethink what we know of cultural identity and racial belonging, creating a deeper nuance within the same ethnicity.
#8: Homo faber
by Max Frisch
Started out as one of those books I picked up at random from Goethe Institute Library, this book ended up breaking my heart in a way I’d never thought possible. Honestly, I only picked it up because the book looks small enough for me to finish in a hurry—devil may care for its synopsis.
The story revolves around a middle-aged man whose work takes him all over the place. We see his relationship with his girlfriend deteriorate, as he often flashes back to what seems to be ‘the one who got away’—until one day his life leads him back there and into the biggest loss of something he didn’t know was his. Reading it feels akin to watching our loved one unflinching in their trauma, leading our tears to fall in their stead.
#8: Homo faber
by Max Frisch
Started out as one of those books I picked up at random from Goethe Institute Library, this book ended up breaking my heart in a way I’d never thought possible. Honestly, I only picked it up because the book looks small enough for me to finish in a hurry—devil may care for its synopsis.
The story revolves around a middle-aged man whose work takes him all over the place. We see his relationship with his girlfriend deteriorate, as he often flashes back to what seems to be ‘the one who got away’—until one day his life leads him back there and into the biggest loss of something he didn’t know was his. Reading it feels akin to watching our loved one unflinching in their trauma, leading our tears to fall in their stead.
#7: The Intersectional Environmentalist
by Leah Thomas
My friend Uta was kind enough to lend me this book before she even had the chance to read it. I’d never heard the term ‘Intersectional Environmentalist’ before, but I feel like I was going to learn something I ought to—and I was right. For a long time, I suspected that activism shouldn’t be divided into boxes; that doing good for the world should be tackled from various aspects—ecological, economical, social, political, the works. I think it’s just hypocritical to fight for sustainability without considering classism or racism—and that’s what Intersectional Environmentalism is all about.
This book opened my eyes about how lopsided the battle against climate crisis and big oil companies has been for decades. Often environmentalist movements are created by people with privilege for people with privilege, without any consideration for the less economically (or physically) able—not to mention the indigenous people. I mentioned this briefly in my post about Zero Waste and How We Can Do Better. But for the bigger picture, I highly recommend reading this book.
#7: The Intersectional Environmentalist
by Leah Thomas
My friend Uta was kind enough to lend me this book before she even had the chance to read it. I’d never heard the term ‘Intersectional Environmentalist’ before, but I feel like I was going to learn something I ought to—and I was right. For a long time, I suspected that activism shouldn’t be divided into boxes; that doing good for the world should be tackled from various aspects—ecological, economical, social, political, the works. I think it’s just hypocritical to fight for sustainability without considering classism or racism—and that’s what Intersectional Environmental-ism is all about.
This book opened my eyes about how lopsided the battle against climate crisis and big oil companies has been for decades. Often environmentalist movements are created by people with privilege for people with privilege, without any consideration for the less economically (or physically) able—not to mention the indigenous people. I mentioned this briefly in my post about Zero Waste and How We Can Do Better. But for the bigger picture, I highly recommend reading this book.
#6: Die Verwandlung
by Franz Kafka
One of my small dreams in life is to read Kafka in its original German. So, when my friend Iva informed me she would be visiting Indonesian soon, I jumped at the chance to ask her to get me this book—of course, I paid for the book myself. Thanks to her, I can check this off my bucket list.
Despite never having read the work itself, I know the gist of the story—a man got turned into a roach—but I didn’t expect the emotional roller coaster that I was about to go through. While the book never mentioned specifically what kind of insect our protagonist turns into—as far as my understanding—I can’t believe Kafka made me feel sorry for a roach. And so deeply too! Definitely not for you happy ending-lovers out there.
#6: Die Verwandlung
by Franz Kafka
One of my small dreams in life is to read Kafka in its original German. So, when my friend Iva informed me she would be visiting Indonesian soon, I jumped at the chance to ask her to get me this book—of course, I paid for the book myself. Thanks to her, I can check this off my bucket list.
Despite never having read the work itself, I know the gist of the story—a man got turned into a roach—but I didn’t expect the emotional roller coaster that I was about to go through. While the book never mentioned specifically what kind of insect our protagonist turns into—as far as my understanding—I can’t believe Kafka made me feel sorry for a roach. And so deeply too! Definitely not for you happy ending-lovers out there.
#5: Swing Time
by Zadie Smith
This year I somehow went from someone who’d never read any Zadie Smith books to someone who’s read three. Aside from this book, I’ve also read On Beauty and The Autograph Man—but this one is my favourite.
Swing Time follows the life of two Black British girls who are childhood friends and neighbours—yet with very different social backgrounds and experience growing up. As they develop into women, we see them drift further and further apart from each other, yet somehow always find their way back—whether they want to or not. This book really explores what it means to be Black in England and how that pertains to the rest of the world—while also serving a perpetual coming-of-age throughout various stages of the protagonist’s life.
#5: Swing Time
by Zadie Smith
This year I somehow went from someone who’d never read any Zadie Smith books to someone who’s read three. Aside from this book, I’ve also read On Beauty and The Autograph Man—but this one is my favourite.
Swing Time follows the life of two Black British girls who are childhood friends and neighbours—yet with very different social backgrounds and experience growing up. As they develop into women, we see them drift further and further apart from each other, yet somehow always find their way back—whether they want to or not. This book really explores what it means to be Black in England and how that pertains to the rest of the world—while also serving a perpetual coming-of-age throughout various stages of the protagonist’s life.
#4: A House for Mr. Biswas
by V.S. Naipaul
Possibly the most epic story I’ve read since One Hundred Years of Solitude. I was made aware of this book when it was included in Romancing the East—plenty of titles from that book have made it to my TBR and have even been read this year. This particular copy that I own was bought used from Instagram and the book turns out to be incredibly memorable to me. If you’re a believer of the American Dream—that no good deed goes unrewarded—this may be a pretty hard book for you to read, but it is definitely so animated and rich in character, with a setting that is unusual to the mainstream readers.
The story takes place in Trinidad, yet revolves around a group of Indian families—apparently very commonly found in Trinidad. It starts with the birth of Mohun Biswas, who is said to bring bad luck to his family and, basically, how he—as the person with said bad luck—survives 46 years of his life. There are definitely ups and downs as he goes through life, and the book gives pretty thorough accounts of his experiences—623 VERY DENSE pages, mind you. But every single one is SO WORTH IT!
#4: A House for Mr. Biswas
by V.S. Naipaul
Possibly the most epic story I’ve read since One Hundred Years of Solitude. I was made aware of this book when it was included in Romancing the East—plenty of titles from that book have made it to my TBR and have even been read this year. This particular copy that I own was bought used from Instagram and the book turns out to be incredibly memorable to me. If you’re a believer of the American Dream—that no good deed goes unrewarded—this may be a pretty hard book for you to read, but it is definitely so animated and rich in character, with a setting that is unusual to the mainstream readers.
The story takes place in Trinidad, yet revolves around a group of Indian families—apparently very commonly found in Trinidad. It starts with the birth of Mohun Biswas, who is said to bring bad luck to his family and, basically, how he—as the person with said bad luck—survives 46 years of his life. There are definitely ups and downs as he goes through life, and the book gives pretty thorough accounts of his experiences—623 VERY DENSE pages, mind you. But every single one is SO WORTH IT!
#3: I Who Have Never Known Men
by Jacqueline Harpman
Arrived as a late contender, yet coming in hot—this book left me completely speechless. Out of the blue, my friend Divina bestowed this book upon me when she came to visit. While she loved the book, she doubted she would ever read it again as it felt hard to read for her. Although I don’t feel the same, I could see why some people might feel that way—this is not a book for the fainthearted, indeed.
The book is narrated by a woman who is the youngest of 40 women trapped in a bunker. They don’t know how they got there and why they are being held captive, yet they continue living there for a long time—the protagonist has lived there her whole life. Until one day, by pure luck, they manage to break free…only to find that the outside world isn’t any better.
#3: I Who Have Never Known Men
by Jacqueline Harpman
Arrived as a late contender, yet coming in hot—this book left me completely speechless. Out of the blue, my friend Divina bestowed this book upon me when she came to visit. While she loved the book, she doubted she would ever read it again as it felt hard to read for her. Although I don’t feel the same, I could see why some people might feel that way—this is not a book for the fainthearted, indeed.
The book is narrated by a woman who is the youngest of 40 women trapped in a bunker. They don’t know how they got there and why they are being held captive, yet they continue living there for a long time—the protagonist has lived there her whole life. Until one day, by pure luck, they manage to break free…only to find that the outside world isn’t any better.
#2: Kota Rumah Kita
by Marco Kusumawijaya
Not that it’s a particularly difficult book, but it took me 9 months to finish this title—since the book belongs to a coffee shop near my house. I wasn’t allowed to bring it home, but the first time I flipped through it I got intrigued and I just couldn’t stop.
Published in 2006, this book unpacks everything we know about urban life—starting from defining a ‘city’, to how its structure shapes the culture of the people, to what the structure of Indonesian cities (especially Jakarta) exposes about how the government thinks about their people. It explains a lot of questions I’ve had about Indonesian cities throughout my life, yet almost 20 years later, still very little (if nothing) has changed. It’s not acceptable the way we live in Indonesian cities, and we have the right to demand for a better urban life for all.
#2: Kota Rumah Kita
by Marco Kusumawijaya
Not that it’s a particularly difficult book, but it took me 9 months to finish this title—since the book belongs to a coffee shop near my house. I wasn’t allowed to bring it home, but the first time I flipped through it I got intrigued and I just couldn’t stop.
Published in 2006, this book unpacks everything we know about urban life—starting from defining a ‘city’, to how its structure shapes the culture of the people, to what the structure of Indonesian cities (especially Jakarta) exposes about how the government thinks about their people. It explains a lot of questions I’ve had about Indonesian cities throughout my life, yet almost 20 years later, still very little (if nothing) has changed. It’s not acceptable the way we live in Indonesian cities, and we have the right to demand for a better urban life for all.
#1: Animal Farm
by George Orwell
If you ever want to explain politics to children—although I don’t see why they should be exposed to such atrocity—I feel like this book will be perfect for you. Like many people, I’ve heard so much about this book before finally reading the story. Having read 1984 and Burmese Days, I am no stranger to George Orwell—but this book truly pushes his potential beyond my expectation. It is so well written that even children, I imagine, can understand it—although the story is still as bleak as his other dystopian books.
In case you’re not familiar with it, this book tells the story of a farm whose animals rebel against the humans for freedom. Having successfully driven their humans out of the farm, these animals start to live by their own rules and create their own society, so to speak. However, little by little, things start to change and the pigs end up becoming dictators to the rest of them. Filled with deceit, black campaigns and violent threats, there is truly no better representation of world politics than in this grotesque farm.
#1: Animal Farm
by George Orwell
If you ever want to explain politics to children—although I don’t see why they should be exposed to such atrocity—I feel like this book will be perfect for you. Like many people, I’ve heard so much about this book before finally reading the story. Having read 1984 and Burmese Days, I am no stranger to George Orwell—but this book truly pushes his potential beyond my expectation. It is so well written that even children, I imagine, can understand it—although the story is still as bleak as his other dystopian books.
In case you’re not familiar with it, this book tells the story of a farm whose animals rebel against the humans for freedom. Having successfully driven their humans out of the farm, these animals start to live by their own rules and create their own society, so to speak. However, little by little, things start to change and the pigs end up becoming dictators to the rest of them. Filled with deceit, black campaigns and violent threats, there is truly no better representation of world politics than in this grotesque farm.
Honourary Mentions
Books without ISBN
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I have actually surpassed my reading goal. Unfortunately, three of the books I read this year do not come with ISBNs, which means I cannot log them into Goodreads or Fable. While those platforms may not count these as books, I definitely still do and here they are:
Back in 2015, Agung visited an exhibition called Indonesia Media Arts Festival, which was held by OK. Video as part of ruangrupa—and this is the companion reading material that he got. With a total of 227 pages, this guide definitely should count as a book. The festival displayed 68 works by 73 artists from 21 countries, all of which are elaborated in great detail in the book. This book taught me a lot about the art scene in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, making me feel much more well versed and prepared for the current stage of my life.
Published this March by Folxtale, this house-shaped book is an illustrated children’s board book with a total of 30 pages. Every page is filled with colourfully beautiful images that evoke such emotions, making this book perfect for both children and adults. Also, as I’m writing this paragraph I just found out that this book is listed on Goodreads, but not on Fable—it doesn’t have ISBN, but it does have ASIN.
Not going to lie: I stole this book from the office a week after I started working there (lol), but I kept it in good shape and will return it after this, I promise. In collaboration with The British Council, his book explores the growth and evolution of artistic collectives in Indonesia, mapping out the archipelago to name existing groups, their history, their subculture and how they function as a collective—including interviews with notable figures. What an inspiring and thorough index to help navigate the artistic community in Indonesia!
This year my reading portfolio has been filled with a lot of trials and errors—it’s hard not to draw a parallel between that and my own life as I try to figure out this whole freelancing career. While there were—thankfully—mostly 5-star books, a couple 1-star and 2-star books made it to my portfolio too. There are two authors that I read frequently—Zadie Smith, as we’ve previously established, and Anthony Burgess, which is actually pretty surprising. I feel like I haven’t really been reading books I desparately wanted to read this year, like I just went by what is available near me. Aside from Kota Rumah Kita, I feel like the other books didn’t really offer me anything particularly new. I don’t know.
I feel like 2022 and 2023 were such good reading years for me—despite whatever else happened those years. I read a lot of books that inspired me and gave me insights I’d never known before. Perhaps, for 2025, I’d like to read more intentionally again. I’d like to explore books I’ve always wanted to read and forget books that I don’t. Perhaps it will be the year I could finally say, “Reading goals be damned!”
What were your favourite 2024 reads?
Let me know in the comments!
Books without ISBN
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I have actually surpassed my reading goal. Unfortunately, three of the books I read this year do not come with ISBNs, which means I cannot log them into Goodreads or Fable. While those platforms may not count these as books, I definitely still do and here they are:
Back in 2015, Agung visited an exhibition called Indonesia Media Arts Festival, which was held by OK. Video as part of ruangrupa—and this is the companion reading material that he got. With a total of 227 pages, this guide definitely should count as a book. The festival displayed 68 works by 73 artists from 21 countries, all of which are elaborated in great detail in the book. This book taught me a lot about the art scene in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, making me feel much more well versed and prepared for the current stage of my life.
Published this March by Folxtale, this house-shaped book is an illustrated children’s board book with a total of 30 pages. Every page is filled with colourfully beautiful images that evoke such emotions, making this book perfect for both children and adults. Also, as I’m writing this paragraph I just found out that this book is listed on Goodreads, but not on Fable—it doesn’t have ISBN, but it does have ASIN.
Not going to lie: I stole this book from the office a week after I started working there (lol), but I kept it in good shape and will return it after this, I promise. In collaboration with The British Council, his book explores the growth and evolution of artistic collectives in Indonesia, mapping out the archipelago to name existing groups, their history, their subculture and how they function as a collective—including interviews with notable figures. What an inspiring and thorough index to help navigate the artistic community in Indonesia!
This year my reading portfolio has been filled with a lot of trials and errors—it’s hard not to draw a parallel between that and my own life as I try to figure out this whole freelancing career. While there were—thankfully—mostly 5-star books, a couple 1-star and 2-star books made it to my portfolio too. There are two authors that I read frequently—Zadie Smith, as we’ve previously established, and Anthony Burgess, which is actually pretty surprising. I feel like I haven’t really been reading books I desparately wanted to read this year, like I just went by what is available near me. Aside from Kota Rumah Kita, I feel like the other books didn’t really offer me anything particularly new. I don’t know.
I feel like 2022 and 2023 were such good reading years for me—despite whatever else happened those years. I read a lot of books that inspired me and gave me insights I’d never known before. Perhaps, for 2025, I’d like to read more intentionally again. I’d like to explore books I’ve always wanted to read and forget books that I don’t. Perhaps it will be the year I could finally say, “Reading goals be damned!”
What were your favourite 2024 reads?
Let me know in the comments!