My Year in Books 

From Dylan to aliens, to Mormons to Appalachia, and returning to a vampire classic

2024 was not my best year for reading and I 100% blame the addition of a tv to my bedroom. However, after catching up on a lot of great shows in 2024, I got back to my usual pace of knocking out some great reads.   

Here are the books I read this year, and a few thoughts on the books that shaped my 2025. 

“Dylan Goes Electric!” by Elijah Wald

I’ve seen Bob Dylan twice and took deeper dives into his music and life as I began playing music. Having already read a few Dylan biographies over the years, I wasn’t sure what this one would bring I hadn’t already covered. This book was the inspiration for “A Complete Unknown,” a rare biopic done well that reflects the myth of Bob Dylan and the chaotic 1960s.

The book captures the rise of folk music scene along with the timing of Dylan traveling to New York and recognizes folk legends in the Greenwich scene. The impact of folk music not only on popular music at the time, but the culture underneath that was pushing to the top of the nation’s awareness about the injustices of racism, challenges of war, and a changing of cultural guards. 

It all leads up to the Newport Folk Festival. The differing accounts of the sound, the boos, cheers, and whether Pete Seeger really did grab an axe to cut the sound. If you enjoyed the movie; this book is a must read. 

“Death’s End” by Cixin Liu

The final book in the Three Body-Problem trilogy delivered a galaxy-spanning, yet bleak look into the arrival of aliens to our world. The Netflix television series use elements from all three books to make the series. A couple of events in the final book were spoiled for me but now makes way more sense.   

The three novels are dense while spanning galaxies and generations of characters. Plus, a truly frightening vision of  

“Crossroads” by Jonathon Franzen

This is my second Franzen novel I’ve read. It has been several years since I had read “The Corrections” and had forgotten how much Franzen can transport you to a time and place in America long forgotten now. 

The novel takes readers into a family changing with the times. Kids rebelling against the values of their parents while those same parents are looking at their decisions, regrets, and the events that made them who they were. 

“Interview with the Vampire” by Anne Rice

This is the third time I’ve read Rice’s introductory novel that influenced the vampire genre for decades. I read this in junior high and was inspired to read it again after watching AMC’s television adaption. The portrayal of protagonist Louis and Lestat’s relationship, as well as Sam Reid’s take on Lestat, made me curious about revisiting the novel’s dynamic

The novel was as rich in detail as I remember. Revisiting the novel that started a franchise of books and adaptions has me wanting to revisit the follow-up The Vampire Lestat next year.

“Crapalachia” by Scott McClanahan

I picked a bad year to read this and Demon Copperhead. Both touch on the themes of poverty, drug use, and growing up in Appalachia. This is an easy and fast read, and well worth it, but doesn’t compare to Demon Copperhead. I picked this up at a free library box in Fayetteville and will be passing it along in the same manner for the next reader to enjoy. 

“Folk Music” by Greil Marcus

Marcus has written several books on the life and times of Bob Dylan, but in Folk Music he takes a different approach by focusing on the origin of some of his most popular songs. From “Blowin’ in the Wind” to his 11-minute song on the JFK assassination in “Murder Most Foul,” the book examines cultural impacts, influences on songs from other artists, and their lasting impacts on music. 

“Educated” by Tara Westover

It is a toss-up between Educated and Demon Copperhead as my favorite book of the year.  
This powerful memoir details Westover’s journey from a survivalist family in rural Idaho to earning a PhD from Cambridge. The events are mind-boggling as she grows up in a family that doesn’t believe in doctors and is certain the government is coming after such as the incident at Ruby Ridge. 

“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver

I am absolutely saving the best book of the year for last. Yes, there are more novels and memoirs capturing the Appalachian region recently than ever before. The challenges of poverty, the spread of the opioid crisis, generational substance abuse, and the efforts to break those cycles. 

Kingsolver takes you through a rollercoaster of ups and downs of an orphan being raised by family, friends, and eventually the foster care system. In the last decade there has been an increase in novels, memoirs and short stories focusing on the Appalachian region and this one is one of the best.