I read 68 books in 2024, which breaks my record from last year (hooray!) I’m still in a monthly bookclub where we read mostly fiction. I really got into psychological thrillers and fantasy this year – if you have any good thriller recommendations let me know!
Here is the breakdown of genres I read this year and my favorites from each:
Thriller – 8
Historical Fiction – 10
Fiction – 24
Religious/Spiritual – 8
Nonfiction – 13
Memoir – 5
Thriller
I read this book in a single day, I could not put it down! I am not a big audio book fan, but my bookclub told me this was a great audio book to listen to because one of the characters is a podcast host, and they do a great job of making you feel like you’re actually listening to a podcast! The main character in this book, Lucy, thinks she might be a murderer, but she can’t remember. Her best friend was murdered years ago and the mystery was never solved – but now podcast host Ben Owens has decided to investigate the case.
Another thriller series I fell in love with this past year was The Housemaid. I just finished the third book yesterday (it was also one I read in a single day – we had a snow day so I took advantage of it by reading!) Each book in this series has had a unique twist that I never saw coming – the author is a genius! I haven’t read any of Freida McFadden’s other books, but she has quite a few, and I’m interested to see if they are as good as this series. I believe this book has also been chosen to be made into a movie – stay tuned!
Historical Fiction
Despite this book being published in 2014, it became popular last year and it seemed like everyone was talking about it. This is a WWII story, following two characters: a girl from Paris, Marie-Laure, and a boy, Werner, from Germany. Marie-Laure is blind, which intrigued me due to the title referencing one’s inability to see (is it literal or metaphorical?)
The owner of our local bookshop, Seven and One Books, had this book listed as one of her favorites for 2024, so I picked it up. I loved that it had a bit of a fantasy element to it, despite it being historical fiction. It takes place during WWII, and is about two sisters, Hazel and Flora, that are evacuated from London. One day while playing near the river, Flora goes missing. It is assumed she is dead, but years later clues begin to turn up and pieces start coming together…
This was another very hyped-up book of 2024, but I really did like it! It follows the character of Frances McGrath who joins the Army Nurse Corps to serve in Vietnam. I liked reading a book that was not about WWII, it was just nice to read about a different historical event for once. I also appreciated the focus on women serving in the Vietnam war, and I had no idea that so many women were not properly honored or acknowledged for their service. This book really hit on the themes of feminism and women’s rights, which made it a win for me!
Fiction
A Court of Mist and Fury
Romantasy, Young Adult, Fae
I feel down deep into the ACOTAR rabbit hole, and this book, which is the second book of the series, was my absolute favorite! The first book in the series was just “meh” for me, but I decided to continue on and I’m so glad I did! I’ll admit, I can be a sucker for a good fantasy-romance (I loved the Twilight books…) and I’m not saying this is the peak of great literature or anything, but it was definitely enjoyable! I have not read any of Sarah J. Maas’ other books, but they are on my TBR list!
Iron Flame
Romantasy, Young Adult, Dragons
Speaking of second books in a Romantasy Young Adult series… if faeries are not your thing, maybe you’d prefer dragons! Overall, I enjoyed this series a bit more than ACOTAR – at least so far, the third book in the series comes out tomorrow!!!! (So excited!) This series feels a bit more like Hunger Games rather than Twilight, although I enjoyed both of those series for different reasons – to each their own!
The Midnight Library
Fantasy, Magical Realism
I try to read at least one book a year that has “library” or “librarian” in the title – what can I say? I’m a little biased! This book is about coming to terms with regrets in your life, and seeing what life would be like if you could undo the choices you’ve made. It’s a great book about how getting everything you ever wanted doesn’t always make you happy. I found it to be very thought-provoking and helpful as I examined my own life.
Religious/Spiritual
Last year I wrote a series on how my faith had been affected recently, and I was still leaning into books that dealt with questioning and uncertainty. Barbara Brown Taylor has written a lot of great stuff, so I wanted to give this book a read and try to lean into my “dark” time. I’m learning that it’s okay to be in this stage of faith, there’s no rush to “fix” it or move out of it. I also recently found a book that describes stages of faith, titled The Critical Journey, (it’s on my TBR list this year!) and one of the natural stages of faith is sort of a rediscovering of God and yourself.
Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God: The Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News
If you struggle with the idea of a God that just wants to punish people for every little mistake they make, this book is for you. If you struggle with how a loving God could send people to eternal suffering in hell, this book is for you. What does it actually mean in the Bible when it says, “God is love”? As I started reevaluating many of the things I had always heard growing up in church, this was another book I found helpful (there are many good books available on this topic).
If you’re a podcast listener, I’d also recommend The Bible for Normal People, as they take a lot of difficult Biblical topics and do a great job of talking about them honestly and thoughtfully.
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Threads of Anxiety 