I thought it would be fun to look back on my 2024 reading and pick my top 5 reads. I’ll be honest, this was actually pretty easy as I have found myself continuing to think about them long after I’ve finished them.
1. The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
It’s about a library that has maybe always been and might always be? And maybe the space between. It follows Evar and Livira as their lives circle around the library and each other. I loved this book. It’s complicated and beautifully written and is probably one of my new all-time favorite books. Add to your Storygraph TBR!
2. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
This. Book. I LOVE this book. I tell everyone who has ever glanced at a book that they have to read this book. And this is one of the only times I will every say that if you can handle an audio book, that is the way it should be read. Vera runs a dying tea house and is very lonely. She is also very nosey so when a body ends up in her tea house one morning, of course she is going to “help” the police solve the case. I found myself laughing out loud and replaying parts for other people to hear. Add to your Storygraph TBR!
3. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
I tend to stray away from historical fiction. It’s just not a genre I tend to enjoy. But, it’s popularity led me to get a copy from the library (after a six month wait!). This story follows the intertwined lives of immigrant Jews and African Americans in the ‘40s. The story weaves from person to person, picking up backstories and events so casually that you don’t even realize there were time jumps but it always makes perfect sense. James McBride is a phenomenal storyteller. Add to your Storygraph TBR!
4. The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
Yes, I love a library story. And also a story about heaven and hell. When books are never written, they reside in a special wing of the library in hell. While Claire, the librarian, is tracking down an escaped character from an unwritten book, they are attacked by an angel. I absolutely fell in love with all of the characters and the world Hackwith created. Add to your Storygraph TBR!
5. The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
I don’t remember why I grabbed this book from the bookstore, but I’m glace I did. This is marked as young adult, but holds up outside of that label. Nora isn’t really Nora. She’s been a lot of girls for her con-artist mom. But she gets caught up in a bank robbery with her best friend/ex-boyfriend and best friend/secret girlfriend. The story jumps back and forth between the bank robbery and Nora’s previous lives. I couldn’t read this book fast enough and the resolution in the second book is just perfect. Add to your Storygraph TBR!
So how about you? What were your top reads of 2024 that I should put on my own list?
