Just like last year, 2024 continued to be a strange year for reading. I started and didn’t finish a lot of books, listened to hours of audiobooks before realizing I hadn’t retained even one detail of the plot, and often felt distracted and unmotivated. I listened to a lot of books in the background that I paid half-attention to, and for maybe the first time, I listened to more books than I physically read. (Yes, audiobooks do count!) I thoughtlessly read a lot of less-than-great books. But thankfully I also came across some books that grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let it go.

I read 85 books this year. 65 of them were fiction and 20 were nonfiction. 19 of them were Advanced Reader Copies from NetGalley or from authors. I read 14 of them with my book club. (Shoutout to The Book Easy for being one of the best parts of 2024.)

A quick disclaimer about this list.

The links I’m providing below are for Bookshop.org. This is a website I love because their mission is to support local bookstores. “But can’t I buy books cheaper on Amazon, you ask?” Maybe. Quite possibly. But local bookstores support authors and publishers, so I want to support them. Because I’m an affiliate of Bookshop.org, I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use my links to make a purchase. But of course, you can buy them anywhere, including in person at your own local bookstore.

Special shoutout to the New Orleans bookstores where I’ve spent the most time this year: Blue Cypress Books (where my book club meets each month and where I practically live), Octavia Books (which has done such an incredible expansion this year), Garden District Books (which has a brand new bar and will let you bring your dog inside), and Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi, (which welcomed Chewie on her birthday like she was a celebrity). Also, special shoutout to our libraries, which never get enough credit. More than half of what I read comes from the New Orleans Public Library. And if you aren’t using the Libby app to borrow kindle and audio books through your own library, you’re missing out on one of the best inventions of my life.

The 15 Best Books I Read in 2024

(Plus, some honorable mentions, in alphabetical order by author.)

1. Beautyland – Marie-Helene Bertino

As a child, Adina knows she’s different than other people, and as she grows, she comes to realize that she’s been sent to Earth from her home planet to observe humans and society. She lives as a human while sending her observations about human behavior to her home planet via fax machine. As an adult, she’s faced with a decision about whether to continue keeping her identify a secret or sharing her true self with the world.

The depth and meaning of this novel cannot be conveyed with a plot summary. Marie-Helene Bertino has written an absolute masterpiece about love and the different forms it can take, feeling like an outsider at home, and the fragility of life. Though the main character is an “alien,” this is one of the most honest portrayals of what it means to be human that I’ve ever read.

This is the only book I’ve read twice this year—first the audiobook and then a physical copy. I was completely transfixed—once was nowhere near enough. I stayed awake half the night reading. I cried both times I read it. It’s one of the most original, honest, and gut-wrenching books I’ve ever read.

This is tied for the best book I’ve read in 2024.

 

2. The Wedding People – Alison Espach

When Phoebe arrives alone at the Cornwall Inn, everyone assumes she’s there for the wedding just like all the other hotel guests. But Phoebe isn’t there for the wedding—she’s there because she’d dreamed of visiting with her husband before her life fell into shambles and her mind started taking her to dark places. And while the bride, Lila, has micro-managed every detail of what is supposed to be her perfect wedding week, she did not account for this depressed stranger being in the way.

What follows is the story of a week that is equal parts devastating, hilarious, absurd, and unflinchingly honest. The book cover and description led me to assume I was reading a romantic comedy or lighthearted beach read. Do not be fooled like I was into assuming this book is light. Instead, it is complicated, sometimes dark, smart, bold, and hopeful. It’s the story of chance encounters, the impact strangers can have on one another, and what we can learn from being honest with ourselves. I adored this book.

This was the last book that my book club read together in 2024, and I believe it was the group favorite of the year.

 

3. Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance – Alison Espach

Sally’s older sister, Kathy, is her best friend and idol. They share a room and all their secrets, but as Kathy gets older, she begins to have her own private life separate from Sally’s. One thing they still share is their infatuation with Billy Barnes—the high school’s basketball star who has taken a sudden interest in Kathy. The summer before Sally starts 8^th grade, a terrible tragedy connects Sally and Billy forever.

The story examines the evolution of Sally and Billy’s relationship across nearly two decades. It’s a coming-of-age story about grief, loss, and love. After loving The Wedding People, I wanted to read another of Alison Espach’s books, and this one surpassed my already-high expectations. She has the remarkable ability to write about serious and dark topics with refreshing levity, moments of joy, and hope.

 

4. The Hunter – Tana French

When teenage Trey’s father reappears in their West Ireland town after leaving her family years ago, he brings a wealthy businessman with him and a get-rich-quick scheme that will affect the whole town. When the scheme doesn’t go as planned, retired cop and expat Cal Hooper is willing to do whatever it takes to protect Trey and the town that’s finally started to accept him.

This is a nuanced and atmospheric story about the complexities of motivation, revenge, and the measures we’ll take to protect those we care about. It honestly doesn’t matter what the plot of a Tana French novel is—you can be assured that whatever she writes will pull you in and not let go. This is Tana French’s 9^th novel, and I believe every one of them have made it on my “best of the year” lists. This one is a sequel to her previous novel, The Searcher. I recommend reading that one before you read this one.

 

5. Annie Bot – Sierra Greer

Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for Doug—the human who purchased her. She tries her best to please him, prepares dinner every night, and keep his house spotless, and she continues to learn more and more. But the more she learns, the more human her behavior and thinking become. Doug claims he loves Annie, but Annie begins to wonder what she wants for herself.

Sierra Greer does such a great job of presenting a philosophical question about consciousness and what it means to be human. This was a very quick read, but it stayed with me for a long time.

 

6. Funny Story – Emily Henry

Daphne is living an ideal life. She’s just moved into a beautiful home with the love of her life who she’s about to marry. That is until her fiancé abruptly realizes he is in love with his childhood friend instead. With nowhere to go, Daphne moves into the only spare room she knows is available—the spare room in the home of her ex-fiancé’s new girlfriend’s ex.

Daphne couldn’t be more opposite of her new roommate, Miles, but the two of them bond over their shared heartbreak. They decide on a plan together—maybe if they pretend to be a couple, their respective ex’s will realize what they’re missing and want them back.

Emily Henry is better than nearly any author I’ve ever read at taking a simple, romantic comedy plot and turning it into an emotional, honest story full of depth and incredible dialogue. She proves again and again that this is a genre to be taken seriously. I think she’s one of the best writers writing today, and she deserves every bit of hype she’s received in the past few years.

 

7. The Fortune Seller – Rachel Kapelke-Dale

For years, Rosie Macalister has hidden her middle-class upbringing from her equestrian teammates at Yale. By senior year, she finally feels like she fits in, and she arrives back from a year abroad excited to share a house with three of her teammates. But when she returns to school, she’s surprised to learn that there’s a fourth house-mate—a new girl who seems to have taken her place in the friend group and on the team. Despite her initial resentment, Rosie soon realizes why her friends love the new girl so much—Annelise is a generous friend, and one of the best riders any of them have ever seen. But when money starts disappearing from one of the housemate’s bank accounts, the girls become suspicious of Annelise and her mysterious past.

This is a brilliant exploration of class, power, privilege, identity, and friendship, and I was as riveted as I was horrified while I read. Kapelke-Dale captured these characters brilliantly, and even their worst behavior felt believable. I had no expectations when I started this book, but I couldn’t put it down.

 

8. I Have Some Questions for You – Rebecca Makkai

Media expert and famous podcaster, Bodie Kane, has tried to move on from the memories of her 4 years at boarding school and the tragic murder of her former roommate during their senior year. Though strangers online have never stopped speculating about the murder and wondering if the school’s athletic trainer was wrongly convicted, Bodie would rather not dwell on it. But when the school invites her back to teach a mini-course during the winter term, Bodie finds herself immersed in the old details of the case and what the authorities may have gotten wrong. As Bodie spirals into obsession, her personal life begins to unravel, but she’s unable to pull herself out of the rabbit hole when it feels like she holds the key to the truth.

Dark academia (which I call “spooky campus”) is one of my favorite genres, and it’s easy for books that fall into this genre to entertain me. But perhaps because I’ve read so many books that fall into this genre, it’s very hard for them to truly impress me. I assumed I’d enjoy this book, but it sat on my TBR list for a long time before I finally picked it up. Friends, this was a mistake.

During my junior year of college, I started reading The Secret History the night before a 20-page-paper was due as a temporary reward/writing break. I didn’t stop reading until the sun rose, nearly didn’t finish the final, and couldn’t bring myself to even care much because nothing felt more consuming and important that finishing that book. I am not certain that I’ve experienced such manic obsession again until reading this one. I barely slept for two days. I was spellbound. Did I even eat?

I think this is tied for the best book I read this year, and I’ll read everything else Rebecca Makkai ever writes.

 

9. The Small and the Mighty – Sharon McMahon

This nonfiction book tells the story of twelve Americans who helped shape the heart of our country. But unlike other books with similar missions, this one tells the story of “ordinary” people whose names you probably don’t know yet—proof that each one of us can make a lasting difference. It’s the inspiring story of unsung heroes that will give you the hope we all need in the current political climate.

Sharon McMahon, known as America’s Government Teacher, has been such a comforting presence to so many of us in the past few years as she’s used her online platform to explain the complexities of US politics with simplicity and clarity. In a time of fear and division, she’s united and encouraged us across party lines, and her book provides the same level of depth, research, and hope.

 

10. Short War – Lily Meyer

Gabriel and Caro meet as teenagers in Chile. He’s an American Jew trying to fit in with his Chilean friends, and she is as smart and confident as he wishes he could be. When political unrest breaks out in the country, Gabriel’s father whisks him away to America, leaving Caro behind. Decades later, Gabriel’s adult daughter, Nina, is studying in Buenos Aires when she learns a shocking secret about her family. Told in three parts, each section of the novel winds tighter and tighter in tension until we reach an ending that I never could have predicted.

This is an absorbing story about family, identity, power, privilege, and the impact of generational trauma and guilt. The characters and readers grapple together with the ways in which culture and geopolitical forces shape our lives. I have never been to South America and knew nearly nothing about Pinochet’s regime before reading this novel. This story taught me something important, and it will do the same for other readers. (I went to college with Lily, and I’ve had no doubt something this good was coming ever since our first fiction class together.)

 

11. Hello Beautiful – Ann Napolitano

William grows up feeling unloved and unwanted by his family. When his talent for basketball earns him a college scholarship, he meets Julia—a girl whose three younger sisters and parents welcome him with open arms. But then a family rift threatens to break the family bond apart and complicates William’s relationship with all of them.

This modern retelling of Little Women is an emotional and honest portrayal of the loyalty and complexities that hold families together, the tensions that challenge them, and the power love has to heal. Ann Napolitano wrote my favorite book of 2020 (Dear Edward), and Hello Beautiful was a gorgeous follow-up novel that I couldn’t have predicted.

 

12. A Voice in the Wind – Francine Rivers

In the first century of the Roman Empire, Jews and Barbarians are sold as slaves to wealthy families and as gladiators in the arenas. Hadassah is a young teenager when she’s taken from Jerusalem and purchased by a wealthy Roman family. She does her best to serve the family while clinging to her own faith—beliefs that she knows may cost her her life. Set around 70 AD, this is a remarkably researched work of fiction imagining Rome and Ephesus during early Christianity.

A disclaimer: this is not a book for everyone, and I imagine some might find it quite polarizing. This is very transparently a work of Christian fiction with some overtly Christian themes and morals. But what I loved about this book was the history. I cannot think of another work of fiction set in this period that does a better job of portraying life in the Roman Empire in a way that feels authentic, unflinching, and for a general audience rather than for scholars.

The way religion is depicted in the novel felt authentic to the time and context of the story, and I felt absolutely riveted by each character. As a person who spent years debating whether I wanted to pursue a graduate degree in European history, early Christian history, or Creative writing, I found this story to be captivating and so much fun.

 

13. Slow Dance – Rainbow Rowell

As kids, Shiloh and Cary were inseparable. Just when it looked like they might become something more than friends, everything fell apart. Now, it’s been 14 years since they’ve spoken, and Shiloh is living with her mom and two kids after her divorce. Running into Cary at an old friend’s wedding brings up all the memories she thought she’d gotten past.

For over a decade, Rainbow Rowell has gifted us with the most heartbreakingly believable and flawed characters, and she’s done it again with this book. This is the story of two best friends trying to navigate feelings larger than they understand and two adults trying to hold onto what’s important to them when it feels like things are falling apart. Rainbow Rowell writes characters so unflinchingly honest that she makes you feel exposed by seeing your own secrets thoughts on her pages. I love all of her books.

 

14. Romantic Comedy – Curtis Sittenfeld

Sally is one of the writers for “The Night Owls,” a late-night live comedy/sketch show that (not subtly) resembles Saturday Night Live. Sally has a theory that she’s seen proven true again and again—beautiful and famous female guests on the show fall in love with very average men. It never works the other way—attractive men never fall for less attractive women. That is until pop star Noah Brewster is a guest on the show and takes an unexpected interest in Sally. Sally knows better than to accept that it’s authentic, but can Noah prove her wrong?

Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my favorite writers of all time and one of my literary heroes. Even in a light and humorous book like this one, her cutting observations, complex characters, and social commentary elevate the story from a fun “romantic comedy” to something with far more depth.

 

15. Margo’s Got Money Troubles – Rufi Thorpe

Margo is the child of a former pro wrestler and a Hooters waitress, and she’s always known she needs to be resourceful to make it on her own. But things get even more complicated when she starts junior college, has an affair with her professor, and gets pregnant. At 20 years old, she’s unemployed with a baby and no way to pay rent—the worst possible timing for her father to show up asking if he can crash at her place. But Margo has an idea—she starts an OnlyFans account. She just never expected it would be so successful.

Smart, hilarious, and honest, Rufi Thorpe has written a novel that feels so true to the time we’re living in right now. It’s a brilliant novel about empowerment, writing your own story, and the difference between who you are to others versus who you believe you are.

 

And Some Honorable Mentions 

Swallow the Ghost – Eugenie Montague

From the outside, it looks like Jane’s life is going well. She’s successful as an experimental author, and one half of the writer duo creating an ongoing social media mystery story. She has a boyfriend (or a couple of them). She has friends. But in reality, she’s spiraling in a cycle of obsessive thoughts and self-harm. Then tragedy suddenly strikes, and everyone is Jane’s life is affected in a different way. Everyone is left examining their own version of the truth.

This is a bold and experimental story that takes readers on an expected ride. The book is comprised of 3 sections: the first a stream-of-consciousness inner look at Jane’s point of view, the second (and longest) is a more traditional narrative from the point of view of the private investigator hired to investigate the tragedy while caring for his sick mother, and the third is written as an interview at an author reading with Jane’s co-writer and sometimes-boyfriend. Each of these sections is written in an entirely different style, each a character study of its subject. This is a unique book that left me with no idea what to expect. It was one of the boldest novels I read this year.

 

Two-Step Devil – Jamie Quatro

In the mountains of Northern Alabama, an old man who paints his “visions” of the future lives off the grid in a dilapidated shack. While collecting supplies at an abandoned gas station, he encounters a teenage girl he suspects is being sex-trafficked and decides he must rescue her. He feels certain she was sent by God to become his messenger—the one who will take his apocalyptic warning to the White House. As their relationship develops, we learn more of the girl’s story and the opportunity the old man can provide for her.

The story starts slow but moves faster and faster, spiraling out of control as the lives of the characters do. It’s a strange and original story that asks us to examine modern society and our own assumptions.

 

You Deserve Good Gelato—Kacie Rose

Two O’Clock on a Tuesday at Trevi Fountain—Helene Sula

Alone Time—Stephanie Rosenbloom

And a few travel books that brought me joy! Two travel influencers I love wrote books this year. Kacie, an American living in Florence, wrote about her experience moving abroad and what it was like to suddenly become a public figure. I listened to the audiobook, and her good humor, self-awareness, and honesty made it so fun to listen to. Helene Sula wrote about moving abroad and the decision to live an unconventional life of travel. I got to meet her at a book signing she did in New Orleans, and she and her husband are absolutely delightful. Stephanie Rosenbloom is a travel writer for The New York Times. Her book is about slow travel and solo travel, and her descriptions are incredibly beautiful. Since I was not traveling much myself this year, I was able to vicariously explore through these books.