What if...the best books I read in 2024?
Highly subjective "best," plus a few highly subjective gripes.
Hello!
There are still more reading hours in the year, but whatever. Close enough. I am ready to discuss some of my favorites. Just like last time, I’ll keep these brief and sorted into categories.
I am not dishing out the number of books I read this year because I think the gamification of reading makes the experience worse and drenched in a strange shame for everyone involved—both those who read voraciously and those who do not.
As always, please tell me about what you loved and hated. The number one reason I read at all is to gossip with other people about it! So gossip with me! There is no book too “embarrassing” or “unserious” for this. I assure you!
And finally: If you buy any book linked here, I will receive approximately one dollar, and Amazon will receive zero dollars. A win for everyone involved! I also keep this shelf updated throughout the year.
Worth the Hype
Co-signs from all of those best of the year litfic lists.
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte. Turned me into a Tony T. superfan. Actually laughed out loud multiple times.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. Will be chasing the tonal high of this for a while—it’s just the right amount of unhinged and sweet (without being saccharine) for my taste.
James by Percival Everett. Made me so desperate to be back in a high school English class with the kind of teacher who’s down to shit talk Mark Twain.
Good Material by Dolly Alderton. Reads like a rom com but is the narrative opposite of a rom com (buyer beware: unlikable [stand-up comedian!] male narrator until a POV switch late in act three).
All Fours by Miranda July. Strongly endorse pairing with Tembe’s criticism.
My Favorite Genre
Unhinged, horny, and/or queer little bangers. Realized I read less of these than usual and need to rectify that immediately in 2025.
My Husband by Maud Ventura, translated by Emma Ramadan. If you loved RHOBH S2, but wish it were freakier and more French.
In Universes by Emet North. If you wished that Everything Everywhere All at Once had more Carmen Maria Machado energy.
Women by Chloe Caldwell. If you wanted the age gap situation from Intermezzo to be, like, 300 pages shorter and involve zero straight men.
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino. If you like your aliens to also be life-affirming.
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke. Finally, a book that bravely asks, “What if your consciousness got stuck inside of Slack?”
Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn. Dorn also offers fragrance fittings (I did one and she nailed it) and has a RHONJ-esque thriller out in a few weeks from the “author” of the book inside this book. I love an extended literary universe!
Open Throat by Henry Hoke. Dying for more darkly funny books from the POV of native LA wildlife.
We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons and Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker. Both of these really nail the very specific ways trauma lingers into adulthood, elasticizing even further when around children. (And they benefit from having a sense of humor about it.)
Non-Fiction I Couldn’t Shut Up About
Presented without comment as to keep this a reasonable length (most of these I’ve written about here before anyway).
How Far The Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen
Almost a Syllabus
A big ol’ hunk of my reading this year went toward potential new project research, which was basically just indulging my special interests. Also presented without comment because that is how being coy works.
Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilson
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein
Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer by Rax King
Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure by Amy Kaufman
The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell
Highly Specific Petty Grievances
I DNF’d 40 books (up from 18 last year! Quitters do win!). The reason for this was almost always “not feelin’ it right now.” I endorse this tactic and encourage you to do the same. I had some very specific qualms this year, though, that I still find myself thinking about. All but one of these are from books I did in fact finish.
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren. I don’t know what compelled Christina Lauren to call this dude’s schlong “Goddamn” as a proper noun, but it will haunt me until my dying day.
Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull. I got this reco from a writing podcast and THIS IS A BUSINESS BOOK. Like for people with MBAs who are trying to leech productivity from their teams. Big yuck.
Ways of Seeing by John Berger. The entire book is set in bold type and the pages are glossy, with the thickness of an expensive postcard. Hellish reading experience, especially if you’re trying to underline/take notes.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Way too many characters. Felt like doing a standardized test logic problem, and not even in a fun way.
For Kids and Beyond
Read some really excellent YA this year.
The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew. If you wished Uglies had more interesting things to say about race and class and collective memory.
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer. Gripping and moving and pace-y and against all odds, funny. Like Severance (both the TV show and the book, each in their own way) meets that episode of The Last of Us with Nick Offerman.
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington. It’s Squid Game x Ace of Spades x The Bachelor. You either want that or you don’t.
Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya. A witch must outwit a pirate to escape the islander where she’s being held prisoner. Would enthusiastically reco to anyone who has recently grown out of Tangled.
Romance <3
I read many romances (central love story, guaranteed happy ending) this year and these were just a few of the standouts.
A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams. If you like magical realism and jazz.
Neon Gods by Katee Robert. If you want Percy Jackson, but also smut.
Triple Sec by TJ Alexander. If you want to read something about polyamory that’s actually fun.
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun. If you want to feel grief and love at the same time.
Summertime Punchline by Betty Corello. If you want the Jersey Shore without Jersey Shore.
How To End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang. If you want to see someone pull off an impossibly bleak premise.
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner. If you feel gross about the ethics of USWNT real person fanfic, but still want adult activities happening in a locker room.
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce. If you’re curious who’s coming for Emily Henry’s neck.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood. If you have Twilight nostalgia and also want to dip the tiniest toe into omegaverse without opening AO3.
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian. If you want historical romance that doesn’t involve gowns or balls or ladies.
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera. If you want historical romance that’s pro-union and impossibly steamy and not about regency era white people.
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I, too, loved Margo's Got Money Troubles and All Fours. I put a ton of these books on my holds list at the library (and fully expect them to all come in at the same time). Thank you for this roundup (and your service)!