Category: Books, Books, Books

2024 Best Books of the Year

2024 Best Books of the Year

by akc

Best Book Club Book
Our Wives Under the Sea, by Julia Armfield

This is an atmospheric book that’s not really about the plot, it’s about processing grief and trauma. The mysteries are never resolved, but to me the ending fit well. We had a good discussion about this one and I’m so glad my friend B chose it for us.

Best Audacious Book Club Book
Martyr!, by Kaveh Akbar

This was the January book for Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club. It’s a beautiful, reflective novel with some philosophical elements, but it stays grounded in the story and the characters. The perspective shifts back and forth between different characters, and you get to hear from them at different points in their lives. I think this worked really well to build a better sense of the main character’s development and to push the story along, but it also gives you more glimpses into some of the supporting characters, which I really appreciated.

Best Recommendation from TBR
The Force of Such Beauty, by Barbara Bourland

TBR is a paid service from Book Riot, where you get three book recommendations each quarter. I rarely read them right away, but I do keep track of them. This one started off slow for me but once it got going it grabbed my attention and did not let go. The protagonist is a difficult character, but still very sympathetic. I did not see the ending coming but it does fit with the story, and I thought the epilogue was a nice touch.

Best Book in a Series I’m Already Reading
The Women of Troy, by Pat Barker

This is #2 in a series by the same name. We read the first book for book club in 2019 and I loved it! But I somehow missed this when it came out in 2021. This picks back up with Briseis (former Trojan queen and also former mistress of Achilles) after Troy has fallen and the Greeks are waiting for a favorable wind to sail home. I know there was some detail I forgot from the first book, but I didn’t feel like I was missing a ton. Briseis has a lot of empathy for the women around her, despite having been through the same trauma as them, and it was really lovely to see her try to help them navigate the situation in the camp.

Best Book in a New-to-Me Series
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands, by Heather Fawcett

I read the first two books in this delightful series this year. It’s set in the in the Edwardian era (early 1900s) and features a strong, independent woman who is a scholar of faeries. In this second book she’s doing fieldwork to finish her map of faerie realms. I’m reading this series on audiobook and the narration, by Ell Potter with Michael Dodds, is wonderful. If you like fantasy and you enjoy books featuring anachronistic period women, this is for you.

Best Buzzy Book
The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore

This is admittedly a very subjective category, because what constitutes a “buzzy” book will depend on where you get your book news. But for me this year, it was The God of the Woods, which came out in the summer. I really enjoyed the setting and characters, especially once I settled in. There are quite a few threads to the story, but nothing that felt out of place. I also really liked the ending, it was sad but felt right.

Best Book I Bought
The Familiar, by Leigh Bardugo

This was so immersive, with great characters. I do think that if you’re not typically into historical fiction you may not enjoy this, but if you do enjoy historical fiction, and you also like fantasy, this is worth your time. I particularly enjoyed the ending, I thought tied things up just enough. Also the hardcover of this is gorgeous, with edges sprayed black and a beautiful print on the endpapers.

Best Book I Read in Print
Orbital, by Samantha Harvey

This is all vibes, no plot, so it will not be for everyone. But I really enjoyed it. If you’re looking for something contemplative and atmospheric, this will fit the bill. Even if you’re not into sci-fi I think you’d still find something to enjoy, it’s a very reflective book.

Best 2024 Release
Bear, by Julia Phillips

I read 47 books published in 2024. I had a hard time picking for this category but this is the one I think you might not have heard about. This story is told from a single point of view, and I really liked how the character development was woven in, it slowly changed my opinion of the narrator. I did not expect the ending, but I don’t think any other ending would have worked. This was very immersive and moody and the tension that built was so subtle, it was really great.

Best Backlist Title (2022 or prior)
Fake Like Me, by Barbara Bourland

Every so often I go back through my highly-rated books to see if the author has published anything else. I found this one using this method late this year. This was so compelling and hard to put down, I was up late reading a couple of nights. The tension works perfectly and I thought the twist was clever (in a good way). I also really enjoyed the descriptions of the artwork in the book, and the process of making it.

Best Audiobook
All Our Yesterdays, by Joel H. Morris

I got back in to audiobooks this year when I started to lose interest in podcasts. I loved this imagining of how Lady Macbeth came to be the woman we know so well from the play. We see her steeliness develop as well as her superstition, and her struggles to not be seen as too soft. And it was likewise interesting to see another side of Macbeth and Macduff. The story here has some parallels to the play, which worked well and felt natural. I listened to this on audio as it’s narrated by Ell Potter, who also does the Emily Wilde books and who is a lovely narrator.

Best Shortlisted Book
Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh

This year I started reading awards shortlists. Over the course of the year I read the full shortlists for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the National Book Award for Fiction, and all but one of the books (the one that’s not out in the US until February) on the shortlist for the Booker Prize. It’s been fun and interesting to do this, and I think I’ll continue doing it, though perhaps not with the same shortlists every year.

I finished the shortlist for the Hugo before that winner was announced, and for the other two I was about halfway through before the announcements and as it turned out had already read the winners. I was thrilled with all three winning novels. Some Desperate Glory won the Hugo, Orbital took the Booker, and James won the National Book Award.

But picking my favorite of all the books on the shortlist is hard! I’m not counting any that I’d read before the shortlists were announced, so I think I have to go with Some Desperate Glory. The main character goes on an incredible journey of personal development and de-programming, going from almost comically unlikeable at the start to a much more nuanced point of view at the end. I also appreciated that the reader goes along with her on this journey, so my opinion of her changed over time as I learned about her world alongside her. That said this book takes on a lot of big topics and can’t really explore all of them. If you can deal with some threads that aren’t pulled, you’ll be fine.

Other Books I Want You to Know About

  • James, Percival Everett: Another buzzy book and an award winner to boot. This was really good, and I think as long as you have a vague memory of Huck Finn you’ll be fine.
  • Drunk on All Your Strange New Words, Eddie Robson: I picked this off the shelf at random at my local indie bookstore, Loyalty. It’s got a very cool concept: in the world of this book, there are aliens that speak by placing thoughts in the heads of their translators. As a translator is working, they slowly start to develop symptoms similar to being drunk and have to sleep it off.
  • The Rich People Have Gone Away, Regina Porter: I wasn’t super interested in this at first, but there was one storyline in particular that I found really compelling, which warmed me up to the whole thing as I went along.
  • North Woods, Daniel Mason: A very cool story focusing around a single plot of land. Sounds weird but it works.
  • The Stardust Grail, Yume Kitasei: A space romp involving an archive and a fun group of characters.
  • Lost Ark Dreaming, Suyi Davies Okungbowa: This recommendation from TBR is somewhere between a novel and a novella, and it was so good. It left me wanting more but was also perfectly self-contained.
  • Weyward, Emilia Hart: I listened to this on audio and the voice actors were great, one in particular. While there wasn’t much character development I liked the parallel threads to the story. Be aware that there are some graphic descriptions of domestic abuse, though.
  • Starter Villain, John Scalzi: This was hilarious and I would love to see it adapted into a movie.
  • The Vaster Wilds, Lauren Groff: This won’t be for everyone but I really enjoyed it. Some reviewers said they found it repetitive but when you are alone and on the run in the winter in the 1600s life is going to be pretty repetitive.

National Book Lovers Day

National Book Lovers Day

by akc

According to my bestie, who heard it from Sandra Boynton, today is National Book Lovers Day. What better time to give you a few of this year’s 5-star reads?!

Orbital, by Samantha Harvey: This is on the Booker longlist, and it both is and is not a Booker-ish book. The writing is beautiful but as Deedi said, it is “all vibes/no plot.” I was into it but I know some folks find that kind of book frustrating.

The Familiar, by Leigh Bardugo: A historical fantasy set in the Spanish Inquisition. I loved it, but if you’re not into historical fiction you probably won’t. If you can, at least take a look at the hardcover edition, it is absolutely gorgeous.

The Vaster Wilds, by Lauren Groff: I really enjoyed this, and I think if you go into it understanding that you’re going to be spending your time with someone going through a profoundly difficult and exhausting experience, you’ll be able to enjoy this novel.

Lost Ark Dreaming, by Suyi Davies Okungbowa: There is so much worldbuilding packed into this novella, and some really wonderful characters.

The Weaver and the Witch Queen, by Genevieve Gornichec: Another historical fantasy, this one set amongst the Vikings. I thought the character development throughout the book was great.

Update #3: Reading the 2024 Hugo Nominees for Best Novel

Update #3: Reading the 2024 Hugo Nominees for Best Novel

by akc

I finished Translation State at the beginning of the month, which finishes out the entire shortlist. Here’s an update, presented in the order of my current personal rankings.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Read in April 2024; 4.5 stars. Wow was this great! Kyr, the protagonist, goes on a pretty incredible journey of personal/character development, which also serves as very effective world-building. There’s big plot point that’s left in the abstract, but to me it makes sense given the context and POV.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Read in August 2023; 4 stars. This was such a fun concept and a really enjoyable story overall. I loved Amina as a character, she felt very relatable. And I enjoyed the relationships between her and her crew; you really got a sense of how well they knew one another.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Read in February 2024; 5 stars. This was hilarious. I have no idea if all the machinations of the plot actually make sense, but IMO that’s not really the point with a book like this. The characters were great, and I appreciated the way it ended. Someone please option this for a movie! And actually make it!

Translation State by Ann Leckie

Read in July 2024; 4 stars. There was some political stuff in this one that I didn’t quite follow, though I think it was explained pretty well. (I’m just not interested so it doesn’t stick in my brain.) There are a couple of plot points that I thought needed a bit more explanation, but overall this was a fun read. And somehow despite having some body horror, also had some cozy sci-fi vibes? Not quite sure how Leckie pulled that off but here we are.

The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

Read in June 2024; 3.75 stars. I liked this, but there’s a lot going on. There are some long, sidebar-ish passages, and while they do contribute to the world-building, I kind of struggled to pay attention. (This also contributed to some pacing issues that really slowed down the first half or so.) There’s also some political stuff going on with religious groups that I couldn’t really keep straight, and I’m not sure how important it was to the story. But it was beautifully written, and I did enjoy the story. Note that this recently won the 2023 Nebula award for Best Novel.

Witch King by Martha Wells

Did not finish in September 2023. I’ve enjoyed so much of Wells’ other work, I was ready to like this but found it to be pretty slow. There was a lot of worldbuilding, which is great, but for me it felt a little info-dumpy. There’s also some political situation that I think was going to become important, but I have zero interest in that kind of plotline. I don’t have any notes on how far I got into this, but I think it was close to halfway.

Update #2: Reading the 2024 Hugo Nominees for Best Novel

Update #2: Reading the 2024 Hugo Nominees for Best Novel

by akc

I finished The Saint of Bright Doors a few days go. Here’s an update, presented in the order of my current personal rankings.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Read in April 2024; 4.5 stars. Wow was this great! Kyr, the protagonist, goes on a pretty incredible journey of personal/character development, which also serves as very effective world-building. There’s big plot point that’s left in the abstract, but to me it makes sense given the context and POV.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Read in August 2023; 4 stars. This was such a fun concept and a really enjoyable story overall. I loved Amina as a character, she felt very relatable. And I enjoyed the relationships between her and her crew; you really got a sense of how well they knew one another.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Read in February 2024; 5 stars. This was hilarious. I have no idea if all the machinations of the plot actually make sense, but IMO that’s not really the point with a book like this. The characters were great, and I appreciated the way it ended. Someone please option this for a movie! And actually make it!

The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

Read in June 2024; 3.75 stars. I liked this, but there’s a lot going on. There are some long, sidebar-ish passages, and while they do contribute to the world-building, I kind of struggled to pay attention. (This also contributed to some pacing issues that really slowed down the first half or so.) There’s also some political stuff going on with religious groups that I couldn’t really keep straight, and I’m not sure how important it was to the story. But it was beautifully written, and I did enjoy the story. Note that this recently won the 2023 Nebula award for Best Novel.

Witch King by Martha Wells

Did not finish in September 2023. I’ve enjoyed so much of Wells’ other work, I was ready to like this but found it to be pretty slow. There was a lot of worldbuilding, which is great, but for me it felt a little info-dumpy. There’s also some political situation that I think was going to become important, but I have zero interest in that kind of plotline. I don’t have any notes on how far I got into this, but I think it was close to halfway.

Still to be read:

Translation State by Ann Leckie

This was the one that was already on my TBR. My hold on the ebook should come in soon.

The StoryGraph

The StoryGraph

by akc

The StoryGraph is a Goodreads alternative that’s put a bigger focus on statistics and recommendations than Goodreads has. I created an account a couple of years ago but never did anything with it, in part because I wasn’t sure how I’d use it in tandem with Goodreads without driving myself batty trying to keep them both up to date. Not that I write such captivating reviews, but I have a lot of friends and family on Goodreads and I didn’t (and still don’t) want to leave the platform entirely.

But in December I decided to give it a go. I exported everything from Goodreads, and imported it into The StoryGraph. What I did not know at the time, but should have realized, was that December is one of the busiest times of year for new accounts and imports into The StoryGraph, and it took several days before all my data made it in. Unfortunately it wasn’t a clean import, but I didn’t want to delete it all and start over. I made sure the last few years were correct, and from time to time I come across other things that need to be fixed. (Common fixes for me are re-reads not showing up, unfinished books being missing, and the audiobook being selected instead of the ebook. But note that some of these are issues with the Goodreads data.)

It took me a little while to adjust to the navigation, and at first it felt like things were kind of hidden. But once I got used to I liked it a lot, and at this point I’m using it multiple times a day. Overall the design is more inviting and less cluttered than Goodreads and there’s a lot of great features. Goodreads has some of them, but in many cases I think The StoryGraph does them better.

I really enjoy how easy it is to track your reading, and the many ways you can track it. The Stats page is easily accessible and has all kinds of interesting charts and graphs. The homepage you see when you log in also does a great job of featuring books from your To-Read Pile by loading a handful of covers at random whenever you hit the page.

But my favorite feature is Up Next, which is part of the To-Read Pile. This is a feature where you can track the books you’re reading next, and the order you’re planning to read them. I really like this as I can keep the books for my book clubs top of mind, and track my holds as they come in. However I did recently learn that you can only have 5 books in your Up Next pile, which is a little limiting when six holds and a pre-order arrive in less than a week.

I think the biggest thing that differentiates The Storygraph from Goodreads is the recommendations – they do feel much more tailored. Other neat features include Buddy Reads (a read-along with a friend), a really nice page to track Reading Challenges (like reading all the Hugo finalists), and more.

These days I’m using The StoryGraph on a daily basis, and updating my Goodreads once a week. If you want to see what I’m reading at the moment, and quickly look at my reviews of what I’ve read recently, you can see all that (and more) on my profile page. And if you’ve ever felt frustrated by Amazon’s lack of investment in Goodreads, give switching a think.