Amy’s Favorite Books of 2024

I read fewer books this year than I have in many years. I'm going to blame this on life getting in the way. Also unusual for me, I only read one book in the young adult genre this year! 

Here are the best books of the 51 books I’ve read (so far) in 2024! 38 of these were audiobooks. I started but chose not to finish another 7 books. To read my full review of any books listed below, click on the title.

Also, while I’ve named my favorite audiobook narration of the year at the bottom of this post, I will be posting all of my favorite audiobook narrations of the year in a separate post soon. But just to let you know, all but two of the books in my Favorites below were audiobook experiences and they were wonderful in that format! (I did not listen to Fourth Wing or The Book of Doors audiobooks.)

MY FAVORITE NOVEL OF 2024

The Women by Kristin Hannah (5 stars!), historical fiction: When her brother decided to volunteer to serve in Vietnam in 1966, Franky also decided that she’d like to use her new nursing degree to serve American soldiers in Vietnam in honor of her family's long military history. She naively got in over her head when trying to do what she felt was the right thing. Yet, despite the new difficulties facing her, she rose to the occasion. In fact, she thrived in the horrific, despicable conditions in Vietnam. She made a difference saving lives and found friendships dearer than any others she’d known before. But the way she was treated back home at the end of her service took a huge toll. I thought I knew enough about Vietnam but realized, as I was reading this novel, that my knowledge only touched the surface. I thought about the characters all day, wondering how they were doing and what would happen with their lives. A quote from the book perfectly captures my experience reading this book: “fear and joy in equal measure”. 

THE OTHERS IN MY TOP 10:

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan (5 stars!), romance: Nora is a screenplay writer who recently wrote a movie mimicking her own recent divorce. When the production company films in her own outbuilding property, which she calls her Tea House, the lead actor convinces Nora to let him rent her Tea House for a week so he can unplug from his stressful life. There is also the fact that Leo was once America’s Sexiest Man Alive. Perhaps because Nora was older than the typical romance protagonist, she felt real and authentic and could have been a friend of mine. I think this is the main reason I liked this novel so much. Her concerns were always valid. Her mindset was genuine. And this wasn't written with the typical romance trope where they don't get together until the end of the novel.

Fourth Wing and Iron Flame (The Empyrean #1 and #2) by Rebecca Yarros (4 and 4-1/2 stars), romantasy: These are the only novels that have been released in this series so far. Violet’s father had groomed her to be an academic Scribe. But her mother is now insisting she become a Dragon Rider, instead, after only 6 months of training. She must compete against hundreds of others who have spent their lifetimes preparing for the challenge of becoming a Rider. Her mother’s respected position puts a lot of pressure on Violet and makes her a target at the Rider trials. The Empyrean Series is a fun, violent, adventure-filled fantasy about a young woman who must fight hard and use her head to succeed in a world which has been stacked against her. Dragon Rider hopefuls must survive a series of challenges, have a dragon select them to be their rider, and develop their special “signet” power in order to earn the designation of Rider. It’s daunting but Violet wants to succeed in spite of her improbable odds. Friends and allies become clearer with time. These books are page turners! And the romance is very spicy. Amazingly, the second novel is even better than the first, which is a rare occurrence! Iron Flame was one of the most entertaining and engrossing novels I’ve read in a while which is why these books are appearing on my list. The quick pace of the story was never-ending, continually moving somewhere, and exciting.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (4-1/2 stars), fiction: Deanna is a Wildlife Manager in a national forest in Kentucky living alone in the wilderness, observing and documenting the wildlife in the park, when a stranger crosses her path. Lusa is young, recently widowed, and left to manage her husband’s farm while dealing with his large family. Garnett is a crotchety, bitter, lonely old man living on the property his ancestors have lived on for generations. Prodigal Summer is about these people, and others in their community, over the course of a few months. Kingsolver shined a light on the difficulties of farming as well as the casualties of hunting animals and deforestation. I’ll admit that the pacing was a little slower than I normally like but it was perfect for this story. The best part of the story was the people. They were all so vivid and knowable. 

All the Broken Places (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas #2) by John Boyne (4-1/2 stars), historical fiction: Gretel, a German girl whose father was a leader in Hitler’s regime, suffered for her father’s crimes and had a difficult young adulthood. She is now an old woman living in England. But her past still haunts her. She has been carrying guilt for over eighty years. I have not read the first novel in this series, but this second one was a book club selection and it stands on its own! Gretel’s choices, deceits, shining moments, and shames all felt very authentic. The story, told alternatingly between Gretel’s past and present, was so compelling and even had a pleasant surprise near the end that wasn’t necessary but was extremely satisfying. 

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (4 stars), contemporary mystery: Lucy and her best friend, Savvy, are beloved in their small Texas town. Both are beautiful and smart, but Lucy has returned from college married to a man with generational wealth, while Savvy is known as a very social butterfly with boyfriends all over town. One evening, Lucy is found walking down the road covered in Savvy's blood with no memory of what happened. The police don’t uncover enough evidence to prosecute her but the people in her small town in Texas are convinced Lucy killed her friend. Five years later, the meddlesome podcaster of "Listen for the Lie", Ben, is reopening the case, bringing what happened that terrible night into the public eye along with all the wounds associated with it. When Lucy agrees to go home for her grandmother’s big birthday, she has to face all the suspicion and mistrust that is thrown her way in town. I found this novel to be un-put-downable. Due to the nature of the podcast in this story, I highly recommend listening to this one on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (4 stars), historical fiction: This novel is about the close friendship and effective civil rights team of First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, and First Lady of the Struggle, Mary McLeod Bethune. It is a fictionalized version of their story. I loved learning about Mary McLeod Bethune. She was such a proactive, intuitive person who spearheaded many important changes for the African American community. I had never heard of her before reading this novel but I feel like everyone should learn about her! What a hero! When Eleanor and Mary worked together, their natural individual talents complemented each other and proved to be very effective. The two weren’t only political partners. They formed a close friendship and were there for each other. It was a great story! I loved learning about these impressive women. 

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (4 stars), nonfiction: This is a very short collection of letters between the American writer, Helene Hanff, and the employees (and family members) of the London bookshop, Marks & Co., between 1949 and 1969. Hanff initially wrote to the bookshop to ask if they could help her find some used books and Frank Doel responded to her query.  The two then developed a 20-year friendship solely through their written correspondences. They never met in person. The people in these pages were so charming and heartwarming. I absolutely loved their stories and getting to know them. 

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (4 stars), historical fiction: Cyril’s life story, told from his point of view, begins with his young birth mother’s story when she was unwed and pregnant with Cyril in small-town Ireland in the 1940s. It then continues through his challenging, loveless childhood with two adoptive parents who never let him forget he was not their natural child, his dissatisfied young adulthood when he was continually frustrated being gay in his Catholic-run country, his adult life outside of Ireland, and the remainder of his life surrounded by family. Quite coincidentally, I later had to read another novel by John Boyne for book club (see All the Broken Places above), and I’m as surprised as anyone that Boyne has earned 2 of my Top 10 spots for 2024! This fact is even more powerful when you take into account that the only other novel I’ve read by this author, A Ladder to the Sky, was my favorite novel of 2019! Apparently, I love Boyne’s writing! The characters within Cyril’s story felt so real. The situations were relatable. I laughed out loud a few times! I really enjoyed the coincidences with certain people being in Cyril’s life at the right time and how they were interconnected, and kept reappearing, without his awareness. 

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown (4 stars), fantasy: If you possess The Book of Doors, you can travel anywhere by envisioning the door you want to open while opening whatever door is handy. Then you can just walk through to the envisioned space anywhere in the world. But it’s not only that--other magical books exist, each bestowing a different power upon whomever is touching them. Within the small, underground community of people who are aware of these magic books, there are people who are trying to collect more of them and others who are trying to protect the books and their owners. When Cassie’s favorite customer dies while reading in her bookstore, she becomes the new owner of his mysterious Book of Doors. She is delighted to figure out how it works but has no idea of the dangerous position in which she now resides. Right off the bat, this book hooked me.  Magic, adventure, and books! This is one of the most creative novels I’ve read in a while.
 

BEST AUDIOBOOK NARRATION OF 2024

Julia Whelan reading The Measure (Nikki Erlick): This speculative fiction novel did not make my Top Ten but I really enjoyed it (4 stars!) and Whelan was absolutely incredible in this one! (You can read about the plot in the link above.) I’ve heard her narrate about a dozen audiobooks and she always does a terrific job but I usually have some minor complaint and withhold my highest grade of A+. But this is the second book in a row she’s narrated where she was spectacular and truly earned the A+. For The Measure, I’m giving her a special shout out for her fantastic old man voice!

I will be creating a separate post about the best audiobooks of the year soon!!

If you’re hungry for more recommendations, here are my favorites of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Also, don’t miss Lynnie’s favorites of 2024! We both have The Book of Doors and Listen for the Lie on our lists so those are highly recommended. :D