Dear readers and book enthusiasts,

The new year has already started—2025! I hope that all of you had the chance to read some amazing works of literature, fiction, and non-fiction last year and that you already have some great reading plans for this year. I will soon post my reading goals and planned books, but first, I will summarize the last two months of 2024 in this newsletter.

Read in November & December

In the last two months of 2024, I tried to finish as many books as possible from my TBR and the books I was already in the middle of. I managed to finish seven books, which is not too bad, and in total, I read 30 books that year.

Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant 5/5

This was my first book by Kant and I’m glad that I have purchased the Oxford University Press edition since it provided me with an insightful introduction. Without this introduction, I would have been lost in the complex text. In The Groundwork, Kant explains his theory of universal moral laws. This book is the foundation and a must-read for understanding his other works on the subject; Critique of Pure Reason and Critique of Practical Reason. Kant has an interesting view of autonomy and morality, one that is rarely used in the field of bioethics or as a general view of autonomy in other fields. For Kant, autonomy is not merely free choice; doing whatever you want. It is freely choosing the right action, one that is in accordance with the universal law of morality. An action can only be correct and rightful when it can be performed by every rational human being without causing chaos, harm, or unjust. This means that many choices are immoral; lying, killing, deceiving, manipulating, coercing, stealing, etc. This sounds reasonable because not one person likes it when this is done to him or her, however, many people think that they have a good reason for an exception. Not according to Kant. A rational human being should always reflect on his actions and think about the scenario wherein everyone in the world would do the same. Would this be feasible? A world where everyone lies, manipulates, and kills? If not, then the action should not be done. In this view it seems like a person does not have autonomy, since the choice of doing is not entirely free, however, Kant explains that autonomy is indeed present because without it there would be no morality. If doing good was not a choice but an autonomous and standard act, then morality would cease to exist. Doing a good thing is a human duty. Yet, humans often lose sight of the good path due to desires and something Kant calls a natural dialect. When we find ourselves in a situation wherein the reasonable thing would be to do something that is good for one self, however, the right thing (the duty) is to do the opposite.

”Innocence is a wonderful thing, but sadly it is so hard to preserve and so easy to seduce”

I have found Kant’s view and arguments very convincing, however, I do understand why many have had their critique on the universal law; it is hard to maintain. That’s what makes the categorical imperative a worthy and good thing on its own, something worth striving for. Everyone has a chance of doing the right thing but not everyone will be able to follow through due to the natural dialect ( a conflict between reason and duty).

A Poem for Every Autumn Day compiled by Allie Esiri (2020) 4/5

This collection of poems has been my first real introduction to poetry. I would advise everyone who is new to poetry and doesn’t know where to start, to pick up one of Allie Esiri’s anthologies. I chose the autumn collection because this is my favorite season and because this collection contained one poem that I already loved; The Guest House by Rumi. The book contains two poems per day, one for the morning and one for the night, and Esiri provides a short introduction to every poem.

You Like It Darker by Stephen King (2024) 5/5

I flew through this short story collection by King. I like short stories in general but I definitely love his! This collection was a wonderful experience, I liked every story, which is great because I did not enjoy Holly and I was dreading to pick this book up and encounter yet again many references to the pandemic and American politics. But this was not the case. The stories are suspenseful, fun, and dark. The title suggests that the stories are darker than usual but that’s a bit overstretched.

Fun fact: the collection contains a sequel story to King’s classic novel Cujo!

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 4/5

It’s interesting how some novels can give you the experience of living a hundred years while others, of approximately the same length, take place only in one day. Mrs. Dalloway is such a novel, one that plays with the concept of time but only covers one specific day. In this case; the day of Clarissa’s party! We meet Clarissa Dalloway, a woman of high standards, on the day of the party that she hosts for all her friends. She still has a lot to arrange but this is what she does best; bringing people together. The reader gets to know Clarissa not only through her own thoughts but mostly through the thoughts of others. The narrative switches quickly and without warning which requires a lot of concentration from the reader. Many different characters from Clarissa’s environment are introduced in this constant flowing string of thoughts.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami 4/5

I’m very proud of reading this long trilogy by Murakami (1300+ pages), usually, I’m not very good at committing to trilogies and book series. But it was a lot of fun!

This is a work of literature, however, it may also fit various genres: magical realism, sci-fi, and even fantasy. Personally, I would describe the novel as a love story, a good romance taking place in a peculiar setting. I loved the main characters, Aomame and Tengo, they are strange and as a reader, we slowly find out why their life has turned out the way it is. Childhood trauma, societal pressure, and failing relationships are something both characters have in common, however, there is more that they share without yet knowing it. Obviously, the novel’s title is a reference to 1984 by George Orwell but it is not a rip-off. The story is original and takes place in a different setting. There are many other references to great works of literature throughout the book. I especially liked how Proust’s In Search of Lost Time had a special place in Aomame’s life. A collection of seven novels that many people do not find the time to read in their lives but usually have the intention to do so.

‘’Everyone, deep in their hearts, is waiting for the end of the world to come.’’

The novel has many interesting aspects; an ominous cult, loyal friendships, tragic love, ancient gods, two moons, and a cursed work of fiction. It is not the weirdest book that I have read but it is definitely one that I would not forget.

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera 4/5

A short and influential novel about the hardships of immigration. The main character, just a young girl, is sent by her mother to the United States, to cross illegally the border, find her brother, and return home, to Mexico, with him. She is smart and moves quickly, hoping to complete her task as soon as possible. She has no intention of staying in that foreign country for too long. But life has a different plan for her. After finding her brother she is confronted with a feeling of actually having lost him. Immigration is not just about changing countries, it reaches deeper into the human being. It requires a change of identity, a merge of culture, and the creation of a new language; one that can express the new situation.

“…all families had started off in some mysterious way; to populate the earth, or by accident, or by force, or out of boredom; and it’s all a mystery what each will become.”

This was my second book by a Mexican author, and I picked it up because of the first novel I had read, The Iliac Crest by Cristina Rivera Garza. Both novels deal with changing identities, borders, and immigration, but in a different way. After reading Herrera’s book, I understood The Iliac Crest better.

One thing that this book has in common with 1Q84 is the apocalyptic end-of-the-world feeling that the characters feel even though the world is not really ending. For them, the world that they know is ending but the rest of the people live on unknowingly.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot 5/5

Lastly, I read this piece of creative non-fiction on the life of Henrietta Lacks; an African-American woman who played an important role in the advancements of biomedical science. Unfortunately, without her knowledge or consent. In the 1950s medical scientists were trying to grow human cell cultures but for a long time, they did not succeed. Until Lacks’ cells were extracted during her cervical cancer treatment and sent to George Grey’s lab for testing. Like many other patients at that time, Lacks was not informed about the extraction of her cells and thus she had never had the chance to refuse or give permission. Months later she died due to her cancer but her cells lived on. This led to many discoveries and a lot of stress for her family.

Rebecca Skloot does an excellent job of describing the historical setting of Henrietta’s life and that of her family. Years of research and dedication have been put into the writing of this book. I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to learn more about medical research and ethics.

I finished the year with fascinating books (some of them even made it to my favorites of 2024 list) and I’m looking forward to reading even more in 2025. And of course, sharing that information with you. Thank you for subscribing and reading my newsletter! I hope that I was able to recommend some good books to you throughout the year.

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