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It took nearly a month, but I have searched the Internet and read, watched, or listened to over 200 "Best Books Of 2024" lists. Why would I waste my time doing this? Because I'm insufferably nosy and want to know what everybody is reading. I also have a bad case of FOMO. What if there's an awesome book in the world that everybody knows about except me? I can't let that happen!
While I was perusing the lists, I jotted down the titles of books that sounded intriguing. That's what I'm going to show you today.
Which books did I see most often on the lists? James by Percival Everett, The Women by Kristin Hannah, and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia Of Faeries by Heather Fawcett are all extremely popular with readers who have similar tastes to me. When I looked at lists that are outside of my comfort zone, I saw Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and Funny Story by Emily Henry. I guess those five books are the darlings of 2024.
Here are some other books that caught my attention:
Best Books Of 2024
(That I'm Reading In 2025)
Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Adult Science Fiction
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.
In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.
But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold.
Why I want to read it: While looking at the lists, I saw so many Japanese and Korean books with cats on the covers. The books all seem to have some elements of fantasy or sci-fi. And they all have cats on them! I want to know about the magic-cat-cover genre. Before the Coffee Gets Cold appears to be the most popular representative of the cat books. (The synopsis doesn't mention a cat. Are the cats purely decorative?)
Bunny by Mona Awad
Adult Horror
Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort—a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other Bunny, and seem to move and speak as one.
But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled Smut Salon, and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door—ditching her only friend, Ava, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the Bunnies' sinister yet saccharine world, beginning to take part in the ritualistic off-campus Workshop where they conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur. Soon, her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies will be brought into deadly collision.
Why I want to read it: I have an MFA! I can totally see how an MFA program could turn into a horror novel. This story sounds relatable. Also, readers seem to be extremely divided in their opinions. People either love the book or hate it. I want to see where I land.
How To Become The Dark Lord And Die Trying by Django Wexler
Adult Science Fiction
Groundhog Day meets Guardians of the Galaxy in Django Wexler’s laugh-out-loud fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself.
Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.
This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side.
Why I want to read it: This synopsis is awesome. Sometimes you get tired of being good and want to watch everything burn. The book sounds snarky and like it's going to have a lot of fun with sci-fi tropes.
Monstrilio by
Grieving mother Magos cuts out a piece of her deceased eleven-year-old son Santiago’s lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her family’s decaying Mexico City estate. Eventually, Monstrilio begins to resemble the Santiago he once was, but his innate impulses—though curbed by his biological and chosen family’s communal care—threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.
Why I want to read it: Because it sounds creepy! It also sounds like it might have an interesting perspective on love and grief. (Is it weird that I think the monster on the cover is slightly adorable? I kind of want to pet it.)
Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell
Adult Horror
Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she's fallen in love.
Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth.
However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she’s found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don’t think about love that way.
Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as she’s about to confess, Homily reveals why she’s in the area: she’s hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Has Shesheshen seen it anywhere?
Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option. Shesheshen didn’t curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homily’s twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk.
And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.
Why I want to read it: Aww . . . this sounds heartwarming. Actually, it sounds like a creative twist on a romance novel. I think romance horror is a genre I could appreciate.
Supercommunicators: How To Unlock The Secret Language Of Connection by Charles Duhigg
Adult Self-Help Nonfiction
Communication is a superpower and the best communicators understand that whenever we speak, we’re actually participating in one of three conversations: practical (What’s this really about?), emotional (How do we feel?), and social (Who are we?). If you don’t know what kind of conversation you’re having, you’re unlikely to connect.
Supercommunicators know the importance of recognizing—and then matching—each kind of conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations, and deeply held beliefs that color so much of what we say and how we listen. Our experiences, our values, our emotional lives—and how we see ourselves, and others—shape every discussion, from who will pick up the kids to how we want to be treated at work. In this book, you will learn why some people are able to make themselves heard, and to hear others, so clearly.
With his storytelling that takes us from the writers’ room of The Big Bang Theory to the couches of leading marriage counselors, Duhigg shows readers how to recognize these three conversations—and teaches us the tips and skills we need to navigate them more successfully.
In the end, he delivers a simple but powerful lesson: With the right tools, we can connect with anyone.
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin
Young Adult Historical Fiction
Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amidst one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother.
The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother's disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues which unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?
Why I want to read it: Putting this book on the list is probably cheating because it was already on my TBR, but I'm happy that so many readers loved it. It's written by two of my favorite authors. Both of these authors are brilliant researchers and excellent at writing about little-known events from history. I'm excited.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Adult Fantasy
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.
When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.
In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.
But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.
Why I want to read it: Honestly, I was sold when I saw "magically sentient spider plant." That sounds delightfully stupid. Also, the synopsis is giving me Legends & Lattes vibes. I really like that book because it's charming and funny.
The Worst Journey In The World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Adult Autobiography Classic
The Worst Journey in the World recounts Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the youngest member of Scott's team and one of three men to make and survive the notorious Winter Journey, draws on his firsthand experiences as well as the diaries of his compatriots to create a stirring and detailed account of Scott's legendary expedition. Cherry himself would be among the search party that discovered the corpses of Scott and his men, who had long since perished from starvation and brutal cold.
Why I want to read it: It's an ice book! I was shocked to find a classic ice book on somebody's "Best Books" list in the cursed year of 2024. This book was first published in 1922. It was on my radar because I like books about explorers, but I'm going to bump it up my priority list. It sounds harrowing. And cold.
Have you read any of these?
What was your favorite book in 2024?
I haven't read any of these, but I don't usually read much from most "best of" lists! I do have The Women on my TBR and hope to get to it someday!
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard good things about Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
ReplyDeleteI do really want to read The Spellshop.
ReplyDeleteLauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net
The Bletchley Riddle is going onto my reading list immediately as both authors are fantastic in my opinion, not to be missed.
ReplyDeleteI have read Bletchley and Coffee, both of which I really enjoyed! Have fun reading the books from this list.
ReplyDeleteThese look good. Spellshop was meh for me and Before The Coffee Gets Cold was so emotional. I still need to read Fourth Wing. The third Emily Wilde book is on my list - I enjoyed the first two so have high hopes for it!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy reading them when you get to them.
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2025/01/21/top-ten-tuesday-my-to-read-list/
LOL! I totally understand about checking out reading lists! Though I’m not as dedicated as you, I do like to skim them. I read and enjoyed The Women, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. The others seem interesting.
ReplyDeleteBefore the Coffee Gets Cold is the first book in a series! I love a good series and enjoy Asian authors immensely. Oh! And The Bletchley Riddle is certainly one my granddaughter and I will enjoy! Thanks for sharing!
I never got to Before The Coffee Gets Cold or Spellshop, both of which are books I think I would really like. I want to read How To Become The Dark Lord And Die Trying just for the title. Someone You Can Build A Nest In is another one that I have heard great things about and want to read. I hope you get a chance to read all the books on your list, AJ, and enjoy each and every one!
ReplyDelete