It is time for one of my favorite yearly traditions: my annual post on books!
For the past several years, I have been busting through anywhere between 50-60 books a year. I will read anything as long as it isn’t horror or something painfully depressing about the human condition (looking at you, Heaven and Earth Grocery Store).
Out of everything I read this past year, here are the ones that rose to the top.
Book Recommendations from Years Past
- Best Books 2023Â (only 9 here, but another Klune)
- Best Books 2022 (oh those nonfiction picks are so good!)
- Best Books 2021 (interestingly, EVERY SINGLE ONE of these books has come up in conversation in the last two weeks)
- Best Books 2020 (I still stand by all these picks and, look, another Haidt)
- Best Books 2019 (I am still impressed that I had a poetry pick)
- Best Books 2018 (some great fiction in here)
To get book updates in real-time or to see everything I read, you are welcome to follow me on GoodReads or on Instagram, where I post quick reviews on Stories.
Book Recommendations (from Everything I Read) 2024
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Classics
A Separate Peace
John Knowles
I read this as a high schooler and when I recommended it to my 10th grader, decided to read it again. It is a beautiful book. If you like Dead Poets Society, this is for you.
The Great Gatsby
F Scott Fitzgerald
This book is talked about and referenced and revered for a reason. People want to live in this book. As per usual, the book is much better (and more complex) than the movie – any of the versions.
Fiction
In the Lives of Puppets
T.J. Klune
I love this author. The imaginary worlds he creates are beautiful. This is what a magician is. I was intrigued by the characters and their adventures.
How to Solve Your Own Murder
Kristin Perrin
This was a classic murder mystery. The idea of the woman obsessed with her own death was great – the characters carrying trauma that affected their decisions and subsequent generations felt surprisingly realistic.
The Heiress
Rachel Hawkins
This had some twists and turns I did not see coming. A little darker than what I usually tend to like, but still fantastic.
Assistant to the Villain
Hannah Nicole Maehrer
What lovely main characters! While the book synopsis seems like the plot would be hard to believe, I completely bought that world.
Travel
Mother, Nature: A 5,000-Mile Journey to Discover if a Mother and Son Can Survive Their Differences
Jedidiah Jenkins
This is the best of what travel writing is. Travel is the mechanism for personal growth. In a year where America was bitterly divided by politics and beliefs, this book was a balm.
Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain
Andrew McCarthy
McCarthy has been on my past book lists and this particular travel book of his had me in tears at the end. As a mom with teenaged boys, I felt this.
Nonfiction
The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality
Amanda Montell
I love books that expand my thinking and challenge the way I process the world. This book asked me to think about why I have certain beliefs.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Jonathan Haidt
I am already screen-strict with my teens. This reinforced my approach. While the book ended up creating some controversy, everything in here felt true to my lived experience.
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
Peter Attia
My parents became obsessed with this book and subsequently I did, too. No tricks or diets in here. Just science and moderation.
Fire Weather: On the Front Lines of a Burning World
John Vailiant
Surprise! I was gifted this book through a book box and initially was not interested. But when I gave it a try I was mesmerized. The true story of what we are doing to the land, how the huge Canadian fire happened, and our actions in the aftermath is infuriating and something everyone should know.Â
Memoir
Crying in H Mart
Michelle Zauner
A touching memoir about a complicated relationship between a daughter and her mother, an immigrant to America. The way Zauner captures the complexity of their love and interactions is remarkable.
No Ordinary Assignment
Jane Ferguson
This isn’t just about her incredible life as a news journalist, particularly as an attractive white woman traveling to war-torn parts of the world. It’s more about her trauma, recovery and healing. I was drawn in by her honesty and experience.
Read anything great this year? Drop it in the comments below. I am always on the hunt for new worlds to experience and lessons to learn.