A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Updated on Dec. 04, 2024
From a retold classic to a magical Timbuktu and a true tale of smuggling, the best books of 2024 present a remarkable assortment of incredible stories to dive into
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The air has begun to chill, and we’ve made it through another daylight savings clock change, which is as good a reason as any to treat yourself to some of the best books of 2024. Of course, narrowing down the picks was no easy feat. As a librarian, I read around 400 books that came out this year, selecting titles across book genres and from authors both new and familiar to me.
So which titles topped my must-read list? The year’s best books feature a new perspective on a familiar character, a 15th-century reimagining of the myth of Persephone in Timbuktu, a murder podcast, a teen struggling with addiction, a Crocodile god and a sword made of a spine. And that’s just scratching the surface.
It’s impossible for any one person to read every single book published in a year, so this list doesn’t just rely on personal recommendations. I’ve taken into consideration reviews, awards, book club and bookstore selections, and audience favorites to help determine the best books of 2024 so far. From there, I selected titles from several different genres, so there’s something for every type of reader. If you’re hunting for the absolute best books of the year, look no further!
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Genre: Essay collection
I usually reserve judgment for a book until I’ve read most—if not all—of it, but it took me only until the end of the first essay to know that the National Book Award–longlisted Magical/Realism was something truly special and one of the best books of the year. Vanessa Angélica Villarreal’s voice shines brightly, effortlessly blending memoir and pop culture deep dives. Every piece in the book is great, but the absolute standout is “When We All Loved a Show About a Wall,” which delves into an interpretation of the wall and Jon Snow from Game of Thrones.
Also worth your time: The Dead Don’t Need Reminding by Julian Randall and There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib
Genre: Historical fiction
Historical fiction has had a brilliant year with no shortage of winners, but it’s hard to argue that any book has had a better year than Percival Everett’s James. It won both the National Book Award for Fiction and the Kirkus Prize, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and earned the title of Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year. Everett (who you may know for Erasure, the novel upon which the 2023 Oscar-nominated film American Fiction was based) takes familiar characters from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and reimagines them—this time putting Jim in the leading role. When Jim, who is enslaved, overhears that he is about to be sold and separated from his family, he seeks refuge on Jackson Island, using his time to come up with a plan and intersecting with the young Huck Finn.
Also worth your time: Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung and The Women by Kristin Hannah
Genre: YA contemporary realism
If you exclusively read novels written for adults, let me introduce you to the superb Jas Hammonds, whose second novel, Thirsty, released this year. It’s a smart, thoughtful story that adults will love just as much as the teens it was written for. This YA must-read zeroes in on 18-year-old Blake, who’s pledging the exclusive Serena Society sorority alongside her girlfriend, Ella. Acceptance would land her everything she’s ever wanted, but it’s far from guaranteed. With so much on the line, she draws confidence not from within but from the alcohol she sees as a way to make her bolder and a better fit for the Serena mold.
Also worth your time: To The Bone by Alena Bruzas and A Constellation of Minor Bears by Jen Ferguson
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Genre: Fantasy
If you’re a fantasy novel reader like I am, you know there’s been no shortage of spectacular new worlds presented on shelves this year, but O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade is truly something special. A reimagined 15th-century Timbuktu sets the stage for an abduction. Plucked from her home and her blacksmith guild, Òdòdó is carted across the Sahara to be the wife of the warrior king of Yorùbáland. To stay alive and reinvent her future, she’ll grow into her role at court by forging alliances. The world-building here is divine—the world is something the reader feels just as deeply as Òdòdó.
Also worth your time: Evocation by S.T. Gibson and Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova
Genre: Thriller
Listen for the Lie, a Good Morning America Book Club pick, is a book that begs to be read in one sitting (or as close to it as possible). The need to know what happened is an itch that must be scratched. Here’s the setup to your next favorite thriller book: Lucy doesn’t remember what happened the night her best friend, Savvy, died. All she has are the details everyone else knows, that she was found wandering the streets covered in Savvy’s blood. She’s put it all behind her—or so she thinks. When a trendy crime podcast begins covering the murder, Lucy returns home to try and put together what really happened.
Also worth your time: While We Were Burning by Sara Koffi and House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton
Genre: Science Fiction
It may sound corny to say that science fiction is a reflection of our imagined futures, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true, especially in the case of Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson. Shortlisted for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, Those Beyond the Wall follows mechanic Scales, a crew member of the Emperor of the desert community Ashtown. Scales helps maintain day-to-day operations, but after a murder occurs in front of her, with no apparent murderer, peace in Ashtown is cracked. And things get worse, with even more bodies turning up, not just in Ashtown but in the walled and wealthy Wiley City too. There’s a beating heart of rage that thrums through the pages, crafting a reading experience that begs you to follow through.
Also worth your time: The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei and A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen
Genre: Historical fantasy
Though I read across genres, I’ve often remarked that if I could read only one thing, it would be historical fantasy. (That’s fantasy fiction grounded in a world that’s based on history, not completely made up.) And what a collection this year has presented me with! None astonished me more than The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo, one of the best books of 2024 in any genre. Set in 1908 Manchuria, where rumors of transforming foxes swirl, Detective Bao is hired to find the identity of a courtesan who was found frozen in a doorway. Meanwhile, Snow has just taken a servant position with a family under a curse while also searching for answers and vengeance after losing a child. Choo’s novel feels as delicate as a snowflake and as carefully crafted and unique as one too.
Also worth your time: Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope and The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Nonfiction
A winner of this year’s National Book Award, Soldiers and Kings is a triumph of nonfiction and an absolute must-read. Jason De León shares the voices of a group of smugglers who move migrants across Mexico, chronicling their journey over seven years. It is an intense, deeply felt and often hard read made all the more impactful by the author’s clear care and compassion.
Also worth your time: Knife by Salman Rushdie and By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle
Genre: Contemporary realism
Victim is the story of Javier, though in a way, it’s the story of two Javiers. There’s the real Javier, born to a family of hustlers and raised with the skill of molding the truth in a way that will serve him. And there’s the Javi of the stories, the embellished details that emerge through his college life and even land him a gig as a journalist at an exemplary magazine. It doesn’t really matter if none of it’s true—or at least that’s what Javi will need to convince his best friend, Gio, who knows the truth and was just released from prison. Blending satire and commentary with a whole lot of heart, Victim is a delicious work of fiction for anyone looking for something similar to last year’s stellar Yellowface by R.F. Kuang.
Also worth your time: Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli and Oye by Melissa Mogollon
Genre: Poetry
In your hunt for the best books of 2024, don’t overlook poetry collections—they’ll move you and expand your mind in ways fiction and nonfiction cannot. A worthy place to start: The Moon That Turns You Back. A fantastic collection from Palestinian American writer Hala Alyan, the book delves into displacement, diaspora, the influence of past generations and the possibility of the future.
Also worth your time: Something About Living by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha and Ward Toward by Cindy Juyoung Ok
Genre: Literary fiction
Many literary fiction mainstays released excellent novels this year, but it’s Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s debut novel, Catalina, that caught my heart. Catalina’s admittance to Harvard was hardly guaranteed. A girl who left Latin America after the death of her parents to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, Catalina is now a senior, facing not only the end of her college career but also a threat to her grandfather’s life in the United States. Covering the entirety of senior year, the book is a remarkable portrait of a character searching for a future. Villavicencio, a two-time National Book Award finalist, proves yet again that she’s a contemporary Latinx author everyone needs to read.
Also worth your time: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich
Genre: Romance
The phrase emotional roller coaster doesn’t quite encapsulate Whenever You’re Ready, though I’m not sure if any short description can. Nia and Jade were best friends from the time they were 10, when mutual friend Michal introduced them. But after Michal’s death from cancer and the ensuing fight, the two have barely spoken. It’s not until Nia opens a letter from Michal on her 29th birthday—a letter that asks the two of them, along with Jade’s twin/Michal’s boyfriend, Jonah, to go on the southern Jewish history trip they were planning—that the pair reconnect. It’s an emotional grab bag that’s effortlessly authentic and human, featuring fully realized characters making mistakes and traveling through their recent and cultural histories. Romance has provided a ton of incredible swoon-and-sob stories, and Whenever You’re Ready is certainly one of the best books of 2024 in every regard.
Also worth your time: The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce and A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Genre: Fantasy novella
The novella is an art form, capturing the full scope of a story and crafting it to perfection in a compact package. This year has had no shortage of these short novels, but on this list of the best books of 2024, we’re paying tribute to Veronica Roth and the Chicago-set fantasy world of When Among Crows. Dymitr and Ala are searching for Baba Jaga. Dymitr has been raised to kill monsters, carrying with him a sword made from his own spine. Ala is hoping for a cure to her family curse and needs an enchanted flower that Dymitr offers in exchange for her help. Roth excels at concise storytelling, creating fully formed fantasy worlds and characters you want to reach through the page to encounter.
Also worth your time: The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed and In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran
Genre: Graphic novel
Of the books on this list, 49 Days likely has the lowest total word count, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a lot to say. A graphic novel covering the 49 days traveled by one Korean American girl on the journey from death to fully crossing over, as in Buddhist tradition, 49 Days is a beautiful and bittersweet tale. Agnes Lee’s illustrations are the star here, filling readers (and each page) with great emotion and contemplativeness. Aimed at readers ages 12 to 18, this impeccable graphic novel is highly accessible to everyone—adults included.
Also worth your time: Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia and Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham
Genre: YA fantasy
One of the strongest compliments I can give to a book, especially a fantasy, is that it feels eternal—like it could have been written either five minutes ago or 500 years ago. The Maid and the Crocodile does just that. It feels like a fairy tale that belongs in a large, illuminated tome. When the book opens, Small Sade is looking for a job. While hoping to get hired as a maid, she ends up accidentally bound to the Crocodile, a powerful god who becomes the keeper of Small Sade’s secret: her ability to alter fates by cleaning people’s houses. The Maid and the Crocodile joins a fast-growing catalog of fantasy romances, but it’s a standout among books of all genres and certainly one of the best books of 2024.
Also worth your time: Spells to Forget Us by Aislinn Brophy and Heir by Sabaa Tahir
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