Favorite Reads of 2024

Now that I have been tracking my reading for a few years, it’s interesting to look at the trends. I read sixty books in 2024, only a bit more than 2023 and 2022. That surprised me because I thought I read a lot more last year, and I would like to be reading more. I go through stretches where I’m just inhaling books and then I’ll go a few weeks and barely pick one up. That is largely due to how well I’m feeling (or not).

Compared to 2023, I had a lot more five-star reads this year. I don’t know if that’s because I picked better books or because I was more enthusiastic/forgiving/positive overall. Out of sixty books, I gave twenty-seven five star ratings. I doubt anyone is interested in hearing about all twenty-seven of those books, so I narrowed it down a bit to share my favorites.

Non-Fiction

Books related to ME: I reread Encounters with the Invisible by Dorothy Wall this year, and loved it even more than I did when it first came out almost twenty years ago. Wall captures the experience of ME–of crashing and recovering to baseline–better than just about anybody. I enthusiastically recommend it. I also recommend Living Well with Orthostatic Intolerance by Dr. Peter Rowe, a plain language summary of what we know about coping with orthostatic intolerance. Dr. Rowe is one of the best experts on this, and this book captures what has worked for his patients over many years.

Trailed by Kathryn Miles: I am a true crime buff, but this book is about more than murder. Miles traces the investigation into the murder of two women in Shenandoah National Park in 1996, but uses the case as a springboard to talk about women in the wilderness and safety in national parks. I camped and hiked in multiple national parks in 1993 and 1994, and I believed I was completely safe. I was wrong (and foolish) and Miles explores the reasons why.

All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley: Bringley worked as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for ten years, and takes us behind the scenes of the museum in this memoir. This book is a love letter to museums, art, and how it can sustain us. I loved it so much that I ended up sending copies to multiple friends.

Fiction

Novels by Shirley Jackson: I decided to read all of Shirley Jackson’s novels during spooky season, along with some of her short stories and the excellent biography Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin. Friends, I am big mad that I got a degree in English Literature without reading Shirley Jackson before now. She was a brilliant writer, and reading her novels in order of publication allowed me to see her grow and develop. You may have read her story “The Lottery” in high school, and I recommend you read it again, but I also highly recommend The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. There are no jump scares in those books. They’re chilling and gothic, not straight up horror novels, and deserve to be considered among the best American literature.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: My favorite literary fiction all year. This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 2023 with good reason. Kingsolver set this retelling of David Copperfield in present-day Appalachia, examining poverty and addiction with compassion. It’s deeply affecting and brilliantly written.

Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell: This book made multiple “Best Of” lists for 2024, and deservedly so. It’s a monster story, it’s a romance, it’s delightful. I did not expect that a story about a monster who creates its own body out of spare parts (human and otherwise) would turn out to be so heartwarming.

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay: A horror novel about a horror movie? Paul Tremblay pulls it off. If you liked The Blair Witch Project, this book is for you. It’s super creepy with more than a few twists, and is a lot of fun (if you’re into this sort of thing).

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: I don’t tend to read buzzy books when they come out, I don’t know why. Book oppositional defiance order? Anyway, The Secret History was published when I was still in law school more than thirty years ago and is widely considered one of the best novels of the 20th century. It’s a compelling psychological thriller centering around participants in a special classics seminar at a New England college. Read this if you like dark academia, philosophical debates, charisma in group dynamics, and New England winters.

The Origins of Iris by Beth Lewis: If you are not reading Beth Lewis, then you are missing out. I’ve been a fan since her first novel, The Wolf Road. That was a story of a young woman trying to survive a serial killer in a dystopian wilderness. In Origins of Iris, the narrator is a woman who goes to the wilderness to escape her abusive marriage and figure out who she really is. Lewis’s protagonists have strong and unique voices that stick with you long after you finish the book.

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse: I can’t close out this list without talking about Mirrored Heavens, the final book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy. The trilogy is a sweeping saga of magic and religious war in a world inspired by pre-Colombian American cultures. Sometimes, the end of a series is disappointing but not this one. Roanhorse absolutely sticks the landing, weaving all the threads together in an emotionally satisfying and authentic way.

Up Next

In 2025, I not only want to read more, but I want to read the books I own. My new year’s resolution is that I will read two books I already own before I can buy a new book. Library books don’t count towards that two book rule, either. I’ve got so many great books! It’s time to enjoy them.