Favorites of 2024: Top 10 of the Year
10 books I couldn't stop thinking about
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I'm excited to share my Top 10 of the Year with you today! These are the books I gushed over all year and that stayed with me long after I read the last sentence.
I love this list of books because when I look at each title, I'm brought back to a specific moment of the year (more on that next week 😊). Like a photograph, our books can hold memories that transport us back to a memory or a feeling. So, looking at this list is like looking at a version of a highlight reel from the year.
We all read for different reasons, and these books represent why I read. I read to experience beautiful writing, feel connected to a human experience, or have my eyes opened to one different from my own, to be entertained and comforted.
As a mood reader, what I need from books constantly changes, and year after year, I'm in awe that books will always find me at the right time. This year, I tried to let go of the word "should" in my reading life and make room for more serendipitous reading experiences, and because of that, some of these wonderful books came into my reading life at the perfect moment.
Rental House by Weike Wang is a sharp and funny take on interracial relationships and what it means to be a family when you decide not to have children.
The Most by Jessica Anthony is a slim, tightly woven novel set over one day about a marriage that feels, at the same time, domestic and tense.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio is a clever, funny, and unique story about the infinite, unlived versions of our lives and when it's time to focus on the one you have.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach is a novel that goes down smoothly but is full of deep insights into the human experience.
Piglet by Lottie Hazell is a beautifully written novel about the dissolution of a marriage and all the ways in which women can make themselves small for relationships.
Open Throat by Henry Hoke is a tiny, strange novel that is one of the most unique and memorable things I've read in a long time.
Real Americans by Rachel Khong is an immersive, generation-spanning tale about what it means to want something better for the next generation and if that's possible.
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton is a wild and twisty novel about how power dynamics play out in our age of climate disasters.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar is a beautifully written story about death and the ways we try to make meaning and sense of it.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore felt like a slightly spooky walk in the woods, uncovering the trail as you go.
And, in case you’re looking for more great suggestions:
Have you reflected on your year of reading? I'd love to hear which books you loved most.
‘Til next time,
Martyr! was my favorite book of the year!
Completely agree that books can transport you back to a specific memory or moment in time, I love that feeling!