One of the advantages of retirement (aka redirected) is time for reading. What follows is not a best of 2024 (and late 2023) published books but a list of those I most enjoyed. You’ll note I’m more of a non-fiction reader. I’m sure some great novels were published in the past year, but that’s not where I find myself in nearby bookstores.

Here’s my list in no particular order

The Most Fun One

Willie, Waylon, and the Boys: How Nashville Outsiders Changed Country Music Forever by Brian Fairbanks

I never considered myself a country music fan, mainly because my exposure had been to the sugary pop versions offered in the 1980s and 90s. But a comment by drummer Levon Helm of The Band described the intersection of streams of American music of Jazz, Blues, and Folk all converging to form the underpinnings of rock and Roll stood out for me. Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin unearthed some real roots treasures with his Band of Joy. Then, this book sealed the connection to country music for me. I’m more partial to the Americana versions in today’s ever-expanding sound, but Willie, Waylon, and the Boys (and Girls, I’d add) provided insights and storylines I never knew. For instance, Waylon Jennings was a guitar player in Buddy Holly’s band. By pure random luck, he missed the plane that killed Holly. This is not the most profound book on this list, but it was the most fun to read. It’s listed first because my library edition copy joins me on my visits to coffee shops.

Three for the Psychological and Spiritual Reader

This is an area I spend a ton of time reading, so it’s been hard to limit this list. Haidt’s book is well known, well researched and debated. If you’ve got a friend who is always on their phone, teenagers seemingly living in that space, or you are just concerned about the impacts of phones and social media, you might want to read this book. After reading The Anxious Generation, you’ll likely support initiatives like banning cell phones from schools and giving yourself some time off from so-called Social media. Brewster’s book looks at Carl Jung’s psychology from the lens of an African American. Half of the book reviews his theories, and the other half, while embracing the basic ideas, then offers helpful critiques and alternative ways of approaching specific aspects, such as dream appreciation in non-white cultures. The Spirituality of Dreaming is my recommended book for people starting on dream appreciation. Bulkeley is likely the top dream researcher and writer at the intersection of religion and dreams. He’s taken decades of his work and written an accessible guide.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

Race and the Unconscious by Fanny Brewster

The Spirituality of Dreaming by Kelley Bulkeley

On the Creative

Years ago, I told everyone I knew they needed to read Stephen Pressfield. His book The War of Art remains the classic in the field. But these two books, one by Adam Moss and the other by music producer Rick Rubin, belong on your bookshelf. Last month, I wrote about the creative impulse as an antidote to our crazy times. These books help explain why. Rubin’s The Creative Act is the more philosophical of the two. It can sit on your nightstand so you can read a chapter before going off to bed. Moss’s The Work of Art leans more practical with tons of examples. A favorite is an essay by film director Sofia Coppola as she describes her work, including her time with actor Bill Murray for the movie Lost in Translation. These books are not read-through; they are open and read a small section, letting that churn around in your soul for a while.

The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing by Adam Moss

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

For the Poetic in Mind

Very few people would put Marilynne Robinson, most known for her novel Gilead, in the poetry category, especially considering her focus is on the Hebrew Bible book of Genesis. Yet, her treatment of this first book of the bible is so unusual that it strikes me as poetic. How has some of this information not become scholarly commentaries on the Old Testament? Robinson helps us see these old stories with fresh eyes and understanding. For instance, the famed narrative of the sacrifice of Isaac is retold as a tale against infanticide, as opposed to the simplistic interpretations and theological hoop-jumping around theodicy most often espoused. This book should be a resource for anyone considering a class, sermon, or film about this book central to the origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. British poet Malcolm Guite is always delighted with his sonnets. In 2024, he released an updated version of Sounding the Seasons. It’s one thing to read Guite, but it’s a whole new experience to listen to him, which you can do on his website. Many people say the same about poet/essayist David Whyte. He fancies repeating lines from his poems when he reads them aloud. Some seem to like that, but I find it irritating. It’s as if he’s telling me this is essential here, so listen carefully. I prefer reading Whyte; his latest release just arrived in today’s mail. Consolations II is a second volume of essays on ordinary living. In the mundane, he steers the reader to witness something extraordinary. I need that reminder.

Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson

Sounding the Seasons enlarged edition: One Hundred and Ten Sonnets for Christian Year By Malcolm Guite

Consolations II by David Whyte

That’s a wrap on some good reads. There was also great music in 2024. I’ll just give you one. If you like Jazz, check out Burnette Thompson’s American Rhapsody, which takes traditional music from the three continents of Africa, Europe, and North America and spins some lovely meditative tunes.

Until Next Time,

James Hazelwood is an author and photographer exploring the intersection of spirituality and everyday life. His most recent book is Ordinary Mysteries, a collection of essays on finding meaning in contemporary events. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net This essay was originally published on my free Substack Newsletter.