My Favorite Reads of 2024

I read just over 50 books in 2024. I enjoyed most of them, and only one landed in the dreaded pile of abandoned books. If any theme can be extracted from my motley crew of favorites, it’s fiction that touches only the edges of otherworldly possibility. The brief glimpses of magic or science fiction settings for stories about people. (Which is, probably not coincidentally, the type of novel I’m writing.) Of course, not all of my favorites fit the mold. Here are a few of the best books I read last year, in the order I read them.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher retells Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of a changeling who put Sleeping Beauty under her curse. It’s unexpected and beautifully written. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings with a twist.

In The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates adds just a bit of magic to a story surrounding the tragic events of slavery. I learned so much about writing and history by reading this book. I don’t think another book has gotten me searching online for historical events like this one did. I recommend the book to anyone who likes historical fiction and beautiful writing. It does not attempt to soften the atrocity of slavery in any way.

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin tells the story of a young lesbian woman obsessed with death who gets a job at a Catholic Church. This book mentions dump bears, a topic near and dear to my heart. It’s full of dark humor and emotion. If you appreciate dark comedy, I think you might like this book. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead was my favorite read in 2024.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutano has to be the coziest murder mystery I’ve ever read. It’s funny, twisty, and heartwarming. If you like mysteries and found families, you’ll love this one.

The Book of Love by Kelly Link is a beast of a novel filled with beasts. The story builds in the best way, starting with a bit of weirdness and adding in more and more weirdness until, before you know it, you're deeply attached to the characters. I recommend it for fans of weird who appreciate slow-moving plots that build and untimely delight.

I can’t stop recommending The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart. It’s the first in a completed fantasy trilogy about a princess whose father rules through bone magic. Automatons built from cobbled-together bones are brought to life with shards taken from the kingdom’s subjects. The magic is fascinating, the world-building is exquisite, and the books include my favorite lesbian couple in fiction. I devoured the entire trilogy.

2024 was a year of me reading lackluster thrillers, Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera being the one exception. I’m particularly drawn to the "books about murder podcasts" micro-genre, and of course, I immediately read this one. If you like thrillers with unlikable and potentially unreliable narrators, this one’s for you.

Cults. Fungus. Parenthood. These topics come together beautifully in Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon. It’s a thought-provoking novel that defies genre. It’s strange, beautiful, and like nothing else I’ve ever read. If you enjoy books exploring the darkness within ourselves and society, and you're okay with body horror, you might appreciate this book.

My mom recommended I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger to me, and now I’m recommending it to you. Set around Lake Superior, this novel tells the story of a man adrift in a world ravaged by climate change. You might enjoy this one if you like slower-paced speculative books with beautiful language. It’s more like the book I’m currently writing than anything else I’ve read.

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I’m always looking for book recommendations! Did you read anything particularly good last year?