Captain’s Log. Stardate 20251.01
A library reveal and book + fic recs from 2024
Hey friends!
Welcome to my 2024 reading + writing recap. I’ll start with library things, then share book recs, and finish with fic recs.
Library Reveal:
The coolest book-related thing I accomplished in 2024, other than publishing my fourth novel, was building my library!
Our basement in the new house was Very Boring, but also the perfect space for a library. It’s not finished yet—I still need to stain and finish trimming the shelves, paint the doors, frame the TV, build a rolling ladder, and thrift some better throw pillows…but I’m putting all that off for a few months. I’m tired. Until then, feast your eyes on this before/after:
We had to move that door 12” forward, which was 100% worth the hassle for wall-to-wall shelves. And yes, I can still access that panel on the back wall (those shelves are removable and the bookcase has a little door in it).
And some details + aesthetic pics with the ceiling projector running:
After 30 years of wanting my own library, I finally have one. I’m beside myself every time I walk down the stairs (if folks are interested in all the work that went into this transformation, I can share more deets in a separate post).
Let’s talk about reading + writing goals:
In 2024, my writing goal was 100k words and to publish Free From Falling. Check and check. I wrote 145,803 words this year (damn!); I am 2/3 through with a new novel, 2/3 through with a novel-length bit of Trek fic, and have completed a novella-length Stranger Things fic. Considering I was working full time AND renovating our house, I’m quite pleased with all that. FFF had a tidy December release, made appearances on multiple best-seller lists, and received so much hype from the lovely folks online. If you’ve rated my books on Goodreads/Storygraph/etc., shared reviews on IG/Tiktok, or told your friends/family—Thank You. Genuinely. I appreciate you SO much. I’m el_massey on IG, if you want to tag me in a review (or just be friends).
I didn’t set any reading goals for 2024, but I think my totals came out to somewhere around 70 traditionally published books and, according to AO3 wrapped, 2,000 works and 40million words of fanfic which is…a lot. My desire to consume familiar stories that are clearly tagged so I can curate happy, low-stress, reading experiences surely makes no commentary on the current state of the world.
Anyhow.
My writing goals for next year: Complete the Trek fic, complete the novel, and get the novel under contract.
My reading goals: read 50 original fiction books, leave more (and better) comments on the fic I read, and share the stories I enjoy.
But let’s get to the recommendation portion of this post! We’ll start with book favorites and end with fic.
Book Recs:
Only book discussed but not pictured is Tadek and the Princess, which I read on my Kindle.
Favorite fantasy series: The Folk of the Air. I do NOT understand the hate this series gets on booktok/IG. The world-building is immaculate, the politics are juicy, the writing is engaging, and the romance is a slow burn that’s secondary to the plot and character development. I will read anything that Holly Black writes.
Favorite sci/fi series: The Murderbot Diaries. These are quick, quippy, and satisfying reads. I would die for Murderbot.
Favorite romance series: Not sure if they count as a series since they’re all standalones in the same universe, but Ali Hazelwood’s books ft. Women in STEM having unrealistic romances gets an A+ from me. If you need easy beach reads with happy endings, go for one of these (Also, the first book started as Star Wars fic; neat!).
Favorite graphic novel series: I’ve been following the Heartstopper webcomic for years, but I finally purchased/ re-read the print books this year. If you want sweet, nostalgic writing with diverse queer representation and whimsical art, Heartstopper is for you. If you want a historical/educational story, I highly recommend the March series, which is an autobiographical view of the civil rights movement by John Lewis.
Favorite historical romance: I know I’m not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, but I put off reading A Lady for a Duke despite rave reviews because I simply did not vibe with the cover. This was a terrible choice. I read this book in one euphoric sitting and then re-read it two additional times this year. The banter! The pining! The drama!
Favorite fantasy: A Taste of Gold and Iron and its follow-up short novella Tadek and the Princess. These books may have changed my brain chemistry. I loved this world and its characters and the novella made me cry like a baby.
Favorite science fiction: The Martian. I’d read this before but I re-read it on a work trip and fell in love all over again. Such an excellent science-y sci/fi book that nonetheless feels very approachable and fun.
Favorite non-fiction: They Were Her Property is the driest book I read this year but the content was fascinating (and horrifying). If you want to interrogate your perception of white women’s role in slavery (and, to a lesser degree, the role of Christianity therin) — take your time, and be ready to adjust your worldview—especially if you think Gone with the Wind was an accurate portrayal of the south. How to Survive a Plague, on the other hand, is less dry—you can tell a journalist wrote it—but it’s very detailed. It’s rare that I don’t finish a book in one or two sittings, but this took me over a month. If you’ve ever wondered about the social history of the AIDS epidemic and how a diagnosis went from a quick death sentence to an easily manageable condition (and how hard grassroots movements had to work to get some fucking help to make that happen), this is for you.
Favorite comic: Infidel. Damn. The art. The narrative. So short but so impactful. This is horror, so be mindful.
Favorite graphic novel: This is a tossup between If You’ll Have Me, a sugary-sweet sapphic romance, and The Prince and the Dressmaker which is an equally adorable story about expressing ones true self regardless of social expectations.
Favorite WTF: Butcher and Blackbird and Bride. I’m still not sure how I feel about B&B but it was certainly an interesting way to spend two hours. Bride is on the list purely because reading the word “knot” on a print page instead of an AO3 tab felt illegal.
Favorite feel-good/comedy: Monstrous Regiment. I’ve read this book so many times and, after the election, I read it again. I doubt any other book will surpass what has become an emotional support story for me.
Favorite YA: Cemetery Boys (Magic! Mystery! Queerness!) She Drives me Crazy (Athletics! Misunderstandings! Enemies to lovers! Queerness!), and A Little Bit Country (Country music! Thinly veiled Dolly Parton references! Queerness!) (Hm. Seems to be a theme here).
Favorite Sports Romance: Icebreaker (the Graziadei one, not the Hannah Grace one). You know how a lot of hockey books (my own included) can be light on the actual hockey? Not the case with Icebreaker. The character development was lovely, but the hockey was divine. Graziadei clearly knows and loves the sport.
Favorite historical fiction: What the Wind Knows (Mystery! Time Traveling! Love! Ireland!) and Kindred (Mystery! Time Traveling! Love! The Antebellum South!).
Favorite Space Odyssey: Gideon + Nona the Ninth. I had to make a special category because neither sci/fi nor fantasy feels appropriate for this yet incomplete series which is as rollicking good fun as it is completely confounding. I still have no idea what’s happening but I can’t wait to read the next one.
Favorite pleasant surprise: A Court of Mist and Fury. I waited so long to read the ACOTAR series because I got such conflicting reports from folks. I took the advice of a reader I trust and powered through the first book. ACOMAF was worth the contextualizing journey. I loved it. I’m still working through the rest of the series but this book was an unexpected joy.
Least favorite book: Lol, no. We don’t play that game here.
Fic Recs:
K'diwa: A Steamy Novel of Interspecies Romance, by Jim Kirk
Fandom: Star Trek
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Rating: Explicit
Words: 103k words
Possibly my favorite fic ever. Hurt/Comfort. Banter. Found family. Frankly no description I give will do it justice. Just. Go read it.
Children Will Look to You [series]
Fandom: Star Trek
Pairing: None—McCoy being a resigned, grumpy, guardian to a bunch of Vulcan kids
Rating: General
Words: 68k
Fantastically wholesome. A+ characterization all around.
Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Draco/Hermione
Rating: Explicit
Words: 200k
Utterly charming enemies to friends to lovers and some of the best writing I encountered this year.
All That’s Said in the Low Light
Fandom: COD Modern Warfare
Pairing: Soap/Ghost
Rating: Mature
Words: 168k
Holy shit. The recovery hurt/comfort fic to beat them all. I don’t even go here. I’d never played the game, nor had any idea who these characters were, but I read it at the behest of a friend whom I trust implicitly. Then I spent three months afterward absolutely devouring the Soap/Ghost tag trying to find something that lived up to this story and, alas, I could not. Tragic.
Fandom: Witcher
Pairing: Lambert/Female OC/Aiden
Rating: Explicit
Words: 240k
Listen. Inex’s Accidental Warlord series has my heart (and was probably my favorite 2023 read) but this Witcher offshoot fic was an equal delight and I adore the OC, Milena, who is dainty and pretty and abhors violence while still kicking ass and taking names.
Fandom: Stranger Things
Pairing: Eddie/Chrissy
Rating: Teen
Words: 88k
Laugh out loud funny. Fake dating (but is it??), anxious perfectionist girl /awkward infatuated boy, lovely banter.
Robin Buckley's Extremely Normal and Heterosexual Friend Group [series]
Fandom: Stranger Things
Pairing: Steve/Eddie
Rating: Teen
Words: 6.5k
I love an outsider POV and I love Robin Buckley and the author has her internal voice DOWN.
Layer by Layer, the Framework was Formed [series]
Fandom: Stranger Things
Pairing: Steve/Eddie, but more generally Uncle Wayne getting to be a father figure to to both Steve + Eddie
Rating: General
Words: 14k
I love an outsider POV, I love Uncle Wayne, and I love Wayne getting to parent. Perfection.
And that’s a wrap! I’ll be posting about book giveaways shortly, and I’ll try to keep more regular monthly updates in 2025. Love y’all! Stay hydrated!