My favourite books I read in 2024

A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

You’ve probably seen a thousand of these kinds of lists by now. But as the festive season sets in there’s no harm in adding my own voice to the mix.

As far as I’m concerned, any time spent reading is time well spent, and I read 34 books this year. Not a huge amount by any stretch of the imagination, but more than I used to, and it has only had a positive impact on me. Not all of them are nature-related, and as a writer it would be remiss of me to read exclusively within one genre. Some were great, some were immediately forgettable, but I learned something from each of them.

Here are just a few of my favourites I read in 2024 and why I liked them.¹

Small Things Like These

by Claire Keegan

This novel tells the stoy of a coal merchant in 1980s Ireland who begins to suspect abuse at the local convent. I read this on my birthday, back in January, in just a day. I love moments between characters that are quiet and unspoken, and this is loaded with them. It’s worth a couple of readthroughs to pick up on all the nuances.

Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man's Quest to Rewild Britain's Waterways

By Derek Gow

Derek Gow is a farmer turned ecologist and a leading figure in Britain’s rewilding movement. In this entertaining non-fiction narrative he recounts his grand plans to bring the beaver back to his farm, and the eye-opening stupidity of governmental regulation he encounters along the way.

(You may also like this piece I wrote on the beavers in London.)

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

by Malala Yousafzai

I was late to the party with this one, it being 11 years old at the time of writing, but Malala’s story of standing up to oppression and speaking out about something you believe in is as timely now as ever. There is a particular eeriness to it knowing the Taliban have again returned to power in Afghanistan, reflecting the unpleasant cycles in which society has a tendency to turn.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

by Gabrielle Zevin

I wasn’t sure how much I would like a will they/won’t they romance set in the world of independentvideo games development, but this is far more than the sum of its parts. Tender, heartbreaking and utterly human, this is a celebration of creativity at its most passionate.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

by Jenny Odell

Now that Elon Musk is a Republican croney and his social media platform X is little more than a propaganda machine, rethinking the role of social media in our society has never been more important. Jenny Odell explores what it means to do nothing in a time when our most banal interests are expected to be monetised, and what our declining attention spans mean for the environmental movement.

Orbital

by Samantha Harvey

Several astronauts orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station contemplate life, death, and the fragile beauty of our only home in this stunningly poignant science fiction Booker Prize-winner.

J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography

by Humphrey Carpenter

The founder of modern fantasy is brought to life in this only authorised biography that explores his experiences of loss, fellowship of men and love of nature, and how they influenced the creation of one of the greatest and most influential works of fiction ever written: The Lord of the Rings.

A Thousand Mornings

by Mary Oliver

Just a taste of the Pulitze Prize-winning poet’s remarkable writings on the natural world. Shot through with equal parts celebration, humour and devastating loss, never before have I heard the story of our relationship with Earth written with such heart.

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So there we have it. A bit of an eclectic mix but those who know me might be able to see how my tastes shape or reflect my work. What are your favourite books you have read this year? Let me know in the comments.

I’m heading to stay with family for a while so will likely be a little quieter over Christmas. I suggest you do the same, if you can. Thank you so much for reading Urban Nature Diary this year. As our world continues to change - some of it for the better, a lot of it for the worse - I will continue to do what I can to give nature and humanity a rational voice through my writing and filmmaking, and I hope you find some solace and comfort in that.

You can support Urban Nature Diary and my filmmaking projects by upgrading to a paid subscription or buying me a coffee.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I’ll leave you once more with my film The Birdwatchers and four remarkable women working to make a small slice of this planet a better place.

1. Disclaimer: if you make any purchases through the affiliate links in this post I may earn a small commission through bookshop.org.