My Favorite Books - 2024

by Paul Semendinger

December 31, 2024

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NOTE - This article also appeared on my other site www.drpaulsem.com

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In short, I read a lot in 2024. 

In total, I read 42 different books.  For me, that’s a great amount.  My goal each year is to read 30 books.  I well exceeded my goal.  I greatly enjoyed most of the books I read.  What follows, though, is a list of the 14 books I most enjoyed during my 2024 reading journey.

1.      Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace – I have always loved the Charleston Heston movie version of this epic tale.  My son Alex gave me this book for Christmas in 2023.  I resolved the start 2024 by reading this book, something I have wanted to do for decades, once and for all.  I am very glad I did.  It was excellent.  Like so many “classics,” the book was long and, at times, difficult to get through.  I also must note that I enjoyed parts of the movie more than the book, but still, it is a great story.  I don’t read a whole lot of old classics.  I am very glad I finally read Ben-Hur.

2.      Bottom of the 33rd by Dan Barry – This book was one my father recommended.  This is the story, not just of the longest minor league baseball game ever, but of the players, the people involved, including some fans, and the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island.  Dan Barry weaves this all together extremely well.

3.      Out of My League by Dirk Hayhurst – I always wished that had the ability to be a Major League baseball player.  Dirk Hayhurst was.  This is his story, the tale of his life and his eventual arrival as a big leaguer.  Hayhurst’s path to the big leagues wasn’t easy.  He explains the tensions, the travails, and the struggles.  He shows how the big leagues changes some people – and not for the better.  This is also a love story of sorts as he finds the woman he eventually marries.  The book gives a clear picture of the human side of a Major League baseball player.

4.      The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski – Joe Posnanski is one of my favorite writers.  In the world of sports, I dare say that there is no one better.  This book is one of his most famous, maybe his best of all time.  In this book, the reader follows Buck O’Neil as he travels across the country (with Joe Posnanski).  One cannot help but gain respect and admiration for Buck O’Neil.  This is a baseball book, but it’s also a book about one of the best people (Buck O’Neil) who has ever been associated with the game.

5.      The Little Liar by Mitch Albom – This book was given to me by my son Ryan.  (My sons have great taste in books.)  When it comes to fiction, Mitch Albom is one of my favorite writers.  Like so many of the books already listed, Albom knows how to tell a great story.  This is not a happy book as it details the Holocaust, but there are examples of great humanity in this tale making this a book I will one day read again.

6.      Confrontation at Gettysburg by John David Hoptak – I have a book of my own focused on the Battle of Gettysburg coming out in 2025.  I came across this book as I was completing some of the initial research on the battle for my book.  John David Hoptak tells the detailed story of this epic battle in detail, but in a way that does not overwhelm the reader.  It’s both detailed and concise – an almost impossible task when dealing with an event as important (and with so many storyines) as the Battle of Gettysburg.  Of the many books I have read on the battle, in whole or in part, this is one of the very best.  Easily.

7.      Dead Wake by Erik Larson – I never knew much about the sinking of the Lusitania until I read this engrossing tale.  This was a very powerful book told amazingly by Larson.  I have been aware of Larson’s many books, and have had many on my “I’ll read that one day” list, but I had never read any until I finally encountered this one.  I learned, quickly, why Larson is an author of such renown. 

8.      Scattering the Ashes by Paul Russell Semendinger – Yes, I know.  It’s my own book.  I get it.  One isn’t supposed to put his own books on a list like this.  But…  Even though I wrote this book, and edited it, and revised it, and rewrote it many many times, I had never sat down and read it as a book, as a story, from start to finish.  I also hadn’t interacted with the story for many years until I sat down to read it before heading into New York City to bring my novel to life as an audio book in a professional recording studio.  When I first started reading Scattering the Ashes, I was afraid that I might not love it.  I surprised myself.  It was better than I thought.  It’s a wonderful story of family, love, travel, hope, and faith.  Yes, I wrote it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great book.  It is! 

9.      Cinderella Man by Jeremy Schapp – I enjoy reading about boxing and boxers.  I also love the movie this is based upon.  This book was just as good as the movie.  Braddock’s tale is one of hope and perseverance.  He never gave up and eventually attained his sport’s greatest heights.  Reading the story, I wished that I could have met James Braddock, the former Heavyweight Champion of the World.  There is a family tale that my grandfather, who grew up on the Jersey side of the Hudson River knew the champ.  I hope so.  It seems like Braddock was a good person. 

10.   Faulkner at West Point edited by Joseph L. Fant and Robert Ashley – This was a quick read, primarily because I skipped part of the book where a long speech Faulker gave at West Point where he read from his own book was transcribed.  The rest of the book, though, are the speeches and the discussions Faulker had while visiting West Point.  Faulkner’s answers give great insight into the writing process and so much more. 

11.   Hidden Potential by Adam Grant – This book was recommended by a friend.  In this text, Grant explains where success can come from and the ways in which individuals and teachers can access and bring out that excellence.  I enjoyed this enough to consider assigning it to my college students next year. 

12.   The Chosen (Book Four) by Jerry B. Jenkins – I am a big fan of The Chosen.  I have read each of the books that accompany the television series that chronicles the life of Jesus and His disciples.  The show is outstanding – as are the books (that, by and large) mirror the episodes.

13.   The Rational Bible (Numbers) by Dennis Prager – I also love this book series.  This is Prager’s fourth (out of five) books he is writing that breaks down the first five books of the Bible (The Torah) line-by-line with his own thoughts and understandings.  These are powerful and very detailed books.  Once the fifth book finally comes out, I’ll read that one, then I’ll read these all again starting with Genesis. 

14.   The Holy Bible – For the second year in a row, I read The Bible from cover to cover (well, not really cover to cover as I read an on-line version).  Each day (for the most part) I read a few pages – eventually finishing with the text on December 29.  As I read, I missed a lot, as I did last year.  In my quest to get through the whole book, I sometimes skimmed (probably way too much) but I took more out of the process this year.  Because this is the most important book ever, I’ll read The Bible again in 2025 (the more I read it, the more I will understand), but for next year, I’ll use a print version.  I am going to give The One Year Bible a try.  People ask me which version of The Bible I read, the answer is many.  Through the on-line program, I was able to easily switch between versions.  I usually opted for the simplest, but the words, the messages, and the meaning behind all of it is, of course, profound and extremely important.