Hi everyone,
I hope you’re doing well and 2025 is off to a great start for you! I can tell you that I’m definitely hoping it’s better than 2024. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some ups, but as always, there were some downs, too.
Some ups were:
- I was named the G.O.A.T math teacher at my middle school
- I got to sell some wonderful books for clients
- I was able to attend the incredible Rocky Mountain Letters and Lines Conference and met my client Jolene Gutierrez in person for the first time
- One of my students emailed me to share what a good teacher she thinks I am
Some downs were:
- Saying goodbye to our wonderful neighbor who was from Australia and doing her research project here
- Dealing with some family medical problems that are unfortunately still ongoing including (but unfortunately not limited to) me spraining both my feet (muscles, tendons, or ligaments, I don’t know, but I had to use a walker for a pretty big chunk of 2024).
But of course, through it all, there are always wonderful books, and we sure had a phenomenal year in books! People often ask me what books I’m enjoying or readings, and I’m always sharing my favorite at the time, so I thought it would be fun to share my favorite books that I fell in love with last year. Because there are so many, I’m going to cover novels and graphic novels in this post, and I’ll share my favorite picture books in another post.
Please note: not all of these books were published in 2024; they’re all books that I read and fell in love with in 2024.
Please let me know in the comments if you read any of these and what your thoughts were.
Also, don’t forget to share some of your favorite books, too, so I can get them in my to-be-read pile!
Without further ado…
Kaitlyn Sanchez’s favorite novels from 2024:
(click any book cover for a GoodReads link)
I hope you enjoyed some of these books, too, or have them on your wishlist now. Please make sure to tell me your thoughts in the comments.
Also, my daughter reads WAY more books than I do, and she reads a lot more early reader, chapter books, and graphic novels, so if you want me to share her list of favorites, too, let me know in the comments, and I’ll try to make some time for that.
Wishing you all a wonderful 2025!
Sincerely,
Kaitlyn Sanchez
Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez 
Thank you for a great new year newsletter. I hope your feet are getting better.
Yes I am interested in your daughter’s reading list, especially if it includes early reader and chapter books.
thank you,
kind regards
Lee Sutton
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Hi! Congrats on the GOAT maths teacher!
I would love your daughter’s list of fave chapter books please! X
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Hi Kaitlyn, congratulations on your G.O.A.T award and I’m so sorry about the long healing of your sprains. Love your book list, some of the covers jumped right out at me and I was surprised they weren’t already on my Want to Read list (like The Firefly Summer). I enjoyed Nothing Else But Miracles, but loved Kate’s first book A Place to Hang the Moon even more. My list would include We Still Belong by Christine Day and The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree by Lucille Abendanon. And maybe The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh, too. For graphic novels, A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat and Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi are two I particularly liked. I’m sure I’m forgetting many, but other books I’ve recently enjoyed are on my latest blog post called Celebrating Books. Thanks for sharing your favorites and best wishes for a fantastic 2025!
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I love The House in the Cerulean Sea! I have to read the sequel now too!
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Awwww…you’re gonna make me cry!!!! I’m so incredibly honored to have STRONGER AT THE SEAMS included with these gorgeous titles. Thank you!!!!! 💛
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Great list, Kaitlyn! Thanks for sharing! I would love to hear your daughter’s favorites :-). How old is she? Mine is 8 and is also a little bookworm. I wonder if their lists have a lot of overlap, and I’m always eager to introduce my daughter to a new favorite!
Thanks!!
~Danna
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I read The House in the Cerulean Sea and loved it. The other books I’m not familiar with, so thanks for sharing. I’d love to hear your daughter’s favorites.
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Congratulations on your G.O.A.T award! I hope your sprains will be behind you soon. Would definitely like to hear your daughter’s list.
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Thanks for the list, Kaitlyn. I’d love to see your daughter’s as well! And best wishes for healing. Soon! I agree 2024 had its down moments, medically speaking. Fortunately, good books always serve to balance things out a bit, don’t they? Here’s to a healthier 2025. Oh yes, and hooray for the email from your student!
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Congratulations On your GOAT Math teacher award! Yay!
I have been reading historical fiction recently. Three women authors have become my favorite! Williams, Willig and White have written ALL THE WAYS WE SAID GOODBY, THE FORGOTTEN ROOM and several others! All were great reads!
I’d love to see your daughter’s favorites as well! 😊
Thanks for sharing these posts. Hoping and praying 2025 is a great year for you! ❤️
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I enjoyed, When You Trap a Tiger, as well. I will be adding a few of these to my TBR list, especially the Kate Quinn book. My two favorite reads this year that have stayed embedded in my mind are Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt and The Visitors by Greg Howard. I am a sucker for stories with a bit of ghostly historical fiction. Would love to hear what your daughters favorite reads are.
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precious! Global Internet Outage Affects Millions of Users 2025 impressive
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