With only a day left of the current year, I don’t think I’ll finish any new reads. So my final reading tally is 152 books (or 142 if I don’t count the 10 DNFs).

I had such an up and down reading year. Some months I read and read, while other months (hello August and September) I really only did re-reads, which I don’t count in my yearly stats. Instead of picking one favorite book of each month since some months I didn’t read enough to pick a favorite book for that month, I just decided to just pick my top 12 favorite reads of 2024.

Have I mentioned how much I love all the graphs and charts that StoryGraph has?

So here are my top 12 reads of 2024 (in no particular order). Or skip the rest of the post and just visit my Top 2024 Reads Shelf on my Bookshop page.

Divine Rivals

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross was an unexpected 5 star read for me. This book came in one of the OwlCrate monthly boxes. I subscribed to OwlCrate during the covid can’t-go-anywhere-or-do-anything years and ended up keeping the subscription longer than I probably should because I ended up piling the books on one of my many TBR shelves and ignoring them.

Because the original OwlCrate subscription focuses on YA reads, I found that I wasn’t really enjoying them. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against YA reads (even though I hate the label “YA”). But I’m not the target demographic as I’m firmly in the cynical, no foxes left to give middle-age camp. So I tend to roll my eyes a lot at YA even though I was, once upon a time, a YA myself.

But thanks to a reading challenge, I picked this book up in May and absolutely got my heart ripped out of my chest.

I could not put this book down. I started it and as much as I wanted to take my time and savor all the delicious prose, I also wanted to know what happened next. Beautiful writing with such emotional depth. Two incredibly crafted main characters in a sublime, an enchanting, a divine story.

The pacing was perfect. The story flowed and kept me on the edge of my seat. The world-building exquisite. She doesn’t info dump but sprinkles pieces of the world as they fit and make sense. The story is set in a world that’s facing a crisis that feels a bit like WWI but is actually a fantasy world with gods and monsters.

I absolutely love this story. And while I did enjoy the second book, Ruthless Vows, I didn’t love it like this one. But this duology is a must-read if for nothing else than the beautiful prose.

Network Effect

Pretty much any time I have a fave book list or top read post, I will always, always include a Martha Wells book. When I was going through my 2024 reads, I initially had 3 Martha Wells books on the list. Because everything she writes is ah-mazing.

She is one of the handful of writers that is an auto-buy for me. If she writes it, I will read it.

So while I also read and loved Witch King and City of Bones (a 1995 release, which has been updated and rereleased by Tor) this year, I had to pick Network Effect, book 5 in the Murderbot Diaries series. Because I totally feel Murderbot.

Overse added, “Just remember you’re not alone here.”

I never know what to say to this. I am actually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.”

I have recommended this series to sooooo many people. In fact, I have purchased copies of the first book, All Systems Red, and given it to people to read. The first 4 books are novellas, only about 150 pages each. But they are a masterclass in writing.

This series has been so popular that Apple TV is making a 10-episode adaptation starring Alexander Skarsgård. I’m not sure how an adaptation will work, but I will definitely give it a try.

You may also note that this is book 5 and it is not the last book in the series. Book 6 (another novella) and Book 7 (another full-length novel) are out. I love this series so much, I’m trying to take it slow. Savoring each book for what it is and hoping, hoping, hoping that she continues to write Murderbot books.

Running While Black

I cut back on reading challenges in 2024. But one I did do was the 2024 summer reading challenge hosted by East City Bookshop, a local indie bookstore in D.C. The bonus challenge was to read all BIPOC authors, which of course, I did because CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

While browsing to find books to meet the various prompts, I found this one to meet the sports prompt.

Running While Black by Allison Mariela Désir focuses on her personal experiences in the sport. She started running at a low point in her life and found that running greatly helped both her physical and mental wellbeing. But beyond that, she uses her experiences running to show how systemic racism and white privilege continues today in our society.

This is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand the racism black and other minorities face, how to be anti-racist, and how to recognize white privilege. It will make you uncomfortable, but that’s the entire point. We need to be uncomfortable to understand not only how our the society has been structured to discriminate, but our own individual unconscious bias to start making real change.

Winter Lost

Patricia Briggs is another one of my few auto-buy authors. I love everything she has written. So when she announces a new book is forthcoming, I immediately pre-order it. And then I also go and pre-order the audiobook.

Winter Lost is book 14 in the Mercy Thompson series, one of my all-time favorite series. The Mercyverse, as it’s also known, begins with Moon Called and stars a kickass female mechanic coyote shifter. If you love paranormal urban fantasy with shapeshifters, vampires, witches, and more, you will love this series because it is fantastic.

Patricia Briggs also has the Alpha and Omega companion series that is set in same Mercyverse world. In fact, there’s a kind of cross-over as the events in Moon Called basically start the Alpha and Omega series with the short story “Alpha and Omega” featured in the anthology On the Prowl.

I also get the Mercy series on audiobook. In fact, these books were how I trained myself to listen to audiobooks without phasing out of the story. The series is narrated by Lorelei King, who is one of the best audiobook narrators. And recently, Graphic Audio has begun adapting the books with a full cast. I do love full cast recordings (although I admit, I’m not crazy about the woman who voices Mercy).

Either in print or on audio, this is one of my all-time favorite series.

War Dances

This was definitely the year of finding great books through the summer reading challenge and why I should try more reading challenges. War Dances by Sherman Alexie was another book I picked up to meet the reading prompt of a PEN or Faulkner award winner, and it also met the BIPOC author challenge.

War Dances is a fiction book of short stories connected with poetry. The stories feature “ordinary men on the brink of exceptional change.” And of course, all the stories feature indigenous characters.

After finishing this book, I struggled to describe how I felt. And maybe that was the point. I often rate short story collections as 3 stars because usually I love one or two of the stories, but find the majority just okay, and typically dislike one or two. I found each of these stories not beautiful or fantastic but sad and real, which made each of them lovely in their own way. In particular, the last story, “Salt,” stomped my heart into tiny little pieces and did not apologize for it. But I loved it.

In the end, I think what I liked is that how the poetry really tied this collection of stories together.

I also need to read his National Book Award Winner, and frequently found on banned book lists, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

King and the Dragonflies

Yet another summer reading challenge book, this one for the prompt of National Book Award Winner from the last 5 years. King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender is a middle grade book. The main character is twelve, but the book’s themes—loss, grief, finding yourself—transcend age.

I normally don’t read middle grade books because the stories obviously are written to their middle grade (ages 8-12) demographic. While we need books to tell stories of all ages and all peoples, like the YA category, I’m not the target demographic. But I picked up this one because I needed a National Book Award Winner.

And what a beautiful novel this is. I can see why it was an award winner.

This story is about starting to find yourself in the midst of grief and change. This story touches on several big topics including grief, LGBTQ+, racism, and child abuse. I will note that the happy-ish resolution of the child abuse arc definitely gave consideration to the book’s target demographic because it wrapped up a bit too neat. But that’s okay and honestly, I hope all children believe in happy endings and my wish is that all children would receive a happy ending.

Overall, I found this to be a thoughtful as well as thought provoking story.

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

Haben by Haben Girma is her story, from her childhood in Oakland, California to becoming a lawyer and a disability rights advocate. Starting in early childhood, she began losing her vision and hearing as a result of an unknown progressive condition, which resulted in the near total loss of both her vision and hearing.

Haben writes in episodes, discussing different events and points of view from her childhood through professional life. Throughout, she consistently proves that she can do whatever she sets her mind to despite the naysayers. She hikes, learns to salsa dance from a blind instructor, climbs glaciers in Alaska, and helps build a school in rural Mali. She was the first deafblind student to attend and graduate Harvard Law School in the school’s nearly 200-year history and is now a disability rights advocate. Throughout her stories, she highlights how the world is designed for able-bodied people and discusses the concept of ableism.

In an interview, Girma stated, “I was frequently left out of the spotlight, unable to fully engage in a world that seemed to forget I existed.”

Her story shines a light the need for all people to be seen and allowed to take up space and experience this beautiful world.

In other words, this book is a must-read.

The Unmaking of June Farrow

Right around the time I was going to cancel my OwlCrate subscription since I had been a bit disappointed with the YA selections (which was definitely a me-not-you problem), OwlCrate came out with the Adult Fantasy book box. So I gave it a try. This was the fifth book selected for OwlCrate’s Adult Fantasy book box. Of course, like usual, I set it aside in a pile of other unread books where it sat for longer than I want to admit but not as long as some books that are still sitting on my TBR shelf.

At the time, I had been reading a different book but The Unmaking of June Farrow kept interrupting me. The red door of OwlCrate’s exclusive cover was too tempting to ignore. I had been ignoring this book because I didn’t care for Adrienne Young’s YA book, The Girl the Sea Gave Back. But the red door kept calling to me.

Don’t you hate it when books get fussy and demanding that you read them?

So I finally put down the other book and picked this one up just to shush it. I thought I’d read a couple of chapters then go back to my other book.

Despite my dislike of her other book, I found Young certainly made up for it in this one. Maybe the difference was the setting—this book is set in Jasper, NC, which doesn’t exist, is supposed to be found in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which do exist, and not a completely fantasy world.

(Okay, so there actually is a Jasper, NC, but it’s on the eastern side of the state near Morehead City, about 5.5 hours east of Asheville, whereas this Jasper is supposed to be north of Asheville, nearish the Tennessee border.)

Regardless of the reason, I got so swept up in the story that I read it in one sitting. She has crafted a beautiful, emotionally compelling story. The characters here feel authentic. And the time travel element, while a bit convoluted as most time traveling stories are, worked for me. (Honestly, as long as the time travel makes sense for the purposes of the story, I really don’t try to think about it all that much.)

Just For the Summer

Yet another auto-buy author! I discovered Abby Jimenez during the covid lockdown months when I checked out Happy Ever After Playlist from the library via the Libby App.

(Did you know the Libby App lets you check out audiobooks and e-books from libraries for free?)

And ever since Playlist, Abby has been a must-read auto-buy author. And one where I get both the paperback version as well as the audiobook. So when Just For the Summer was announced, I pre-ordered both the paperback and the audiobook.

Just For the Summer is book 3 in the Part of Your World series (Part of Your World is book 1 and Yours Truly is book 2). While each book can be read as a stand-alone, the books are tied together by sharing the same world, characters, and Easter eggs. As I mentioned above, I actually read Playlist before reading The Friend Zone, which is technically first book in that interconnected series. And really, all 6 books are interconnected with character cameos and Easter Eggs.

As for this book, it arrived at 4:30pm and I started reading it immediately. I didn’t get up again until I hit the last word on the last page. Emma and Justin might have edged out Sloan and Jason as my favorite Jimenez couple. And if you’ve read her books, picking a fave couple is really, really difficult. (Because Josh might be my fave book boyfriend of the 6.)

Just For the Summer is like a beautiful synergy of the entire Abby-world, a place I wish I could live. If only I could get Nadia Cakes in DC, that might be a good consolation.

Psalm for the Wild Build and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

Okay, so technically two books. But they’re both novellas, so it’s really like one book.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers are set in the world of Panga, a world not unlike our own, where centuries ago, robots gained self-awareness and wandered into the wilderness. Since that day, robots have become urban legend, and all the factories and other business where they worked have become ruins.

In Psalm, Dex, a tea monk traveling from village to village, has their life upended when they come across a robot named Mosscap who seeks to answer the question of “what do people need?” But what people need is a question that has a multitude of answers depending on who you ask. Then the adventures of Dex and Mosscap continue in Prayer where they ask if having more matters in a world where people have what they want.

These books are delightful and thought-provoking and rather philosophical. And I love how the titles tie in to each of the books. (But I won’t spoil it by telling you how.)

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

The last summer reading challenge book on my top list. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies met the prompt of a book published by an indie press as it was published by the West Virginia University Press.

In Church Ladies, Deesha Philyaw explores the intersection of faith and sexuality and family with each story taking a raw look into a slice of a black woman’s experience. The nine stories feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church’s double standards and their own needs and passions.

Normally with a short story collection, I will find at least one story that I don’t like at all. Sometimes more than one, and then there will be the ones that I’m meh about, and only one or two I really like. But this collection had no duds. While I liked some more than others, I found each story incredibly layered, thoughtful, and nuanced.

Letters to Molly

As I mentioned in my previous post, about 60% of the books I’ve read this year were romance. I admit, a lot of the romance books I read are fluffy, and often spicy, fun. I enjoy them. They are an escape, which is usually what I’m looking for, and I will often reread (or rather, re-listen) to them. But they tend not to be books that I give 5 stars to.

Recently, I listened Letters to Molly by Devney Perry. And wow, what an incredible story. It’s book 2 in the Maysen Jar series. Book 1, The Birthday List, featuring Poppy and Cole, is interconnected as Molly and Finn are supporting characters in that book. (And Cole moved quickly up to the top of my book boyfriend list.) But the books can be read as stand-alones.

What made this romance make my top 12 fave list is because this might be the most realistic romance story I’ve ever read. It is a second chance story that is heavy, heartfelt, and tear filled. This is not a lightweight, fluffy romance story. Through most of it, I wondered if the HEA would actually end up as Finn + someone and Molly + someone and not Molly + Finn. So much angst, so much backstory, so many hurdles to overcome—this story really demonstrates that it takes two to make a marriage and two to break it apart, that relationships are hard and take a lot of work, honest communication, and self-reflection.

I admit, this was a hard story to listen to. Molly and Finn love each other so much, but had so many wounds, many of which they inflicted on each other.

I did listen to this one on audiobook. This story has dual POV and so 2 narrators. Teddy Hamilton is one of my favorite narrators and was perfect for Finn. But . . . I did not like the female narrator. She sounded like she had been inhaling helium, and her male voices were cringy to me. But the story kept me captivated. And while narrators can make or break a story, between Teddy Hamilton and the heart-tugging story, I still rate this one high.

Final Thoughts

My top 12 books include fantasy, sci-fi, biography/memoir, urban fantasy, philosophy, short stories, sports, romance, contemporary fiction. I was pleasantly surprised that I even read 100 books because there was a time back in the fall where I didn’t think I’d hit 100. Overall, not too shabby a year of reading.

That’s a wrap-up of my Top 12 Reads of 2024. Now onto 2025!

Share your favorite reads of 2024 in the comments below.

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