Best Books I Read in 2024
Is the book in this Canva image titled “Dear Female Founder”? If so, I shall take it as a sign my forthcoming debut novel about a female founder will be a huge hit.
As I transitioned to my writing career this year, I immersed myself in books. My reading habits transformed from pure pleasure to a craft study - every book became both entertainment and education. Night reading in bed merged with daytime craft analysis, and audiobooks accompanied long drives and many a puzzle session, notebook nearby. Some I read twice in a row, others I listened to the audiobook after reading with my eyes.
This year, I finished 73 novels via Kindle and 12 novels via audiobooks, totaling 85 reads. Most books I read are either nominated for awards, recommended by other writers, celebrity book clubs, or my sister and friends. Many popped up on Instagram. Some were discovered on writing and literary podcasts.
I love mixing up new releases and backlist author exploration, classics and random books found in my local bookstore because the cover appeals - I’ll happily pick up anything. And I will also put it right back down if I don’t vibe with it (see DNF post).
Best Books I Read in 2024
All Fours by Miranda July (2024) - A surreal, unforgettable and intimate novel about connection, aging, and finding yourself (see my book review here).
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (2024) - A haunting exploration of friendship, love, family, memory, and justice (and painting!) in rural America.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (2024) - A suspenseful story of a wealthy family, their summer camp, and mysterious missing children set in the Adirondacks.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey (2023) - 2024 Booker Prize Winner, a beautiful meditation on space, time, and human consciousness told through the lens of a single orbit around Earth.
Lucky by Jane Smiley (2024) - This one got me good. A slow burn, quiet book about a singer in St. Louis with an epilogue that punched me in the gut.
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner (2024) - Spies, rural France and Neanderthals. Can’t stop thinking about it, or how the author’s voice sounds so much like Abby Jacobson’s.
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (2024) - A thought-provoking novel about parallel lives, choices, and the paths we don't take (see my review here).
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (2022) - An Octopus narrator, loneliness and connection. Enough said.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (2015) - One of my first fantasy reads ever, and it blew my mind - along with the rest of the Broken Earth trilogy. Geological powers, magic, oppression, post-apocalyptic survival, mothers and daughters, and the moon.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (2002) - A masterful Victorian thriller weaving together the lives of a pickpocket and an heiress in a tale of deception and unexpected love (and INSANE plot twists). I heard about it on a Plottr webcast this year, and it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.
