One of my favorite things about December—besides the whole Christmas part, because that’s pretty great too—is the opportunity it provides for some recapping and reflection. And there are few things I find more exciting to reflect on than books and reading. I’ve been recapping my reading life every December for more than a decade (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013) and I still look forward to this post every year.
My reading in 2024 was heavily influenced by life circumstances: I read a lot at the start of the year when I was newly pregnant and feeling too sick to do much of anything BUT read. My reading slowed drastically in late summer, when I was very pregnant and too uncomfortable to read much of anything at all. And I’ve continued to stumble my way through books since Nico was born in August. I am reading, but not nearly as much as I do outside the newborn stage of parenting. I know from my previous postpartum experiences that this is a phase and that my regular reading rhythms will return; for now, I’m happy to read when I am able but also to put reading aside when necessary, knowing that the books will still be there when I’m ready to return to them with my usual gusto.
Despite my current reading lull, I’m rounding out the year having read/listened to 145 books—fifteen more books than I read in 2023, and the same number I read in 2022 (but far from my record of 205 books in 2018). My reading this year consisted of slightly more fiction than nonfiction (a constant in my reading for the past several years), and about a third of my reading came via audiobooks—another consistency since I began intentionally cutting back on audiobooks starting in 2021. If you’re feeling especially nerdy bookishly curious, you can see the full breakdown of my year’s book formats here.
The what of my reading in 2024 was lighter than my usual reading fare, with quite a few mysteries, romances, and time travel novels, and a lot less literary fiction. Read-alouds were also a big part of my reading life this year: I read twenty-six books with my kids in 2024, which means that quite a few of this year’s books were Middle Grade.
My books this year, as with most years, consisted largely of backlist titles: I read 108 books that were published before this year, and just 37 books that were published in 2024. This isn’t surprising, since most of my books (64%) were borrowed from the library, and it can be tougher to get my hands on new releases.
Overall I was pretty happy with my book selections this year: my average star rating for the year was just above 4 stars, with only three books receiving less than 3 stars and just two DNF’s. I read eighteen 5-star books, and thirty more books received 4.5 stars! You can see my full breakdown of books by star rating here.
I usually have a hard time narrowing down my favorite titles, so I made my job easier this year by keeping a running list of favorite books. I ended the year with a solid list of eighteen favorites—six nonfiction, and twelve fiction. Every one of these books was at least a 4.5-star read (with most being 5 stars), and all are titles I would be quick to recommend.
I’m sharing all of my year’s favorite books below, divided by Nonfiction/Fiction and listed alphabetically by author’s last name, since there’s no way I could rank them; just choosing favorites was hard enough! I’ve given a brief synopsis and some thoughts for each book, plus a bookish superlative, as well as a link to the full book review if you want to know more.
Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms, by Justin Whitmel Earley: This spiritual formation book offers parents the structure and inspiration we need to start implementing actionable and effective family habits that have the potential to transform our homes and our families’ futures. Earley reminds us that spiritual formation is a long game and that “it is the call of Christian parents to lift our eyes above the fog of the now and let the promise of the not yet inform our parenting today.” SUPERLATIVE: Best book on habits and discipleship. (Original Review)
Honest Prayers for Mama Bears, by Hillary Morgan Ferrer: This compilation of nearly 150 prayers is gathered from real moms and speaks to the spectrum of seasons and situations faced by contemporary Christian mothers, with prayers for the range of situations our kids may face, for ourselves as moms, and for the individuals, organizations, and cultural influences surrounding our kids. It is an incredible resource for every mom, from the woman who is new to faith and uncertain of how to pray, to the seasoned prayer warrior who is seeking to expand her prayer life. SUPERLATIVE: Best gift book for moms. (Original Review)
The Gift of Limitations: Finding Beauty in Your Boundaries, by Sara Hagarty: Visible or unnoticed, our limits can be stumbling blocks that evoke frustration and prompt stagnation and resentment. But what if we were to see these limits as gifts? Could it be that they serve a divine purpose? With this book, Sara Hagerty helps us name our limits, identify the ache beneath them, and begin to see them as “a deposit, directing our eyes to the now and to the far better things ahead.” Hagerty’s writing is honest and vulnerable, and her story is one of shedding idealism and replacing it with hope, of substituting bitterness for God’s peace, and of outgrowing independence and stepping into full dependence on the Lord. SUPERLATIVE: Most relatable. (Original Review)
Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, by Nancy Pearcey: Pearcey comes to the topics of body, identity, and sexuality from a Biblical perspective, but she also weaves philosophy and history into her arguments. She shows how misguided attitudes on all of these issues stem from a denigration of the human body and secular ideals that have abandoned objective truth and prioritize human emotion and self-determined values over rational thought, and she makes a case for a Biblical worldview which, contrary to popular belief, offers an elevated view of the body and sexuality and is MOST honoring of human design and well-being. This is the most comprehensive book I’ve read on this timely subject and it’s essential reading for any Christian wanting to understand how we’ve gotten to our current cultural place, and where to go from here. SUPERLATIVE: Best book on the body and sexuality. (Original Review)
Bad Therapy: Why Kids Aren’t Growing Up, by Abigail Shrier: Abigail Shrier—the journalist who blew open the conversation about the transgender craze in adolescent girls—argues that the biggest culprit behind the woes of today’s teens is an overemphasis on emotions that fosters rumination and plants seeds of anxiety and depression. From Social Emotional Learning in classrooms to the rise of the Gentle Parenting movement that has emotionally stunted our children while leaving parents defeated, we have exacerbated a problem that we were trying to solve. This is a challenging but necessary read, and I hope that the ideas presented here will begin to catch on with parents and educators in the ways that the ideas in Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious Generation are beginning to do. SUPERLATIVE: Most important book for parents to read NOW. (Original Review)
The Hard Good: Showing Up for God to Work in You When You Want to Shut Down, by Lisa Whittle: Christian author and speaker Lisa Whittle explores the many ways that we can embrace the goodness within some of life’s biggest obstacles and most challenging moments—moments like accepting difficult circumstances; forgiving and asking forgiveness; cheering for people when they get what we want; and opening our hearts again after being hurt. Lisa explores many aspects of each challenge and offers Biblical guidance and practical approaches that exude truth, compassion, and plenty of common sense. SUPERLATIVE: Best book for Christian book clubs. (Original Review)
The Husbands, by Holly Gramazio: Lauren returns to her London flat after an evening of partying and is greeted by her husband, Michael. Which is confusing for Lauren because she is not and never has been married, and does not know this strange man who claims to be her husband. Lauren is still trying to puzzle through this strange situation when Michael makes a trip up into the attic and disappears, and a new man—also claiming to be Lauren’s husband—emerges. Lauren quickly discerns that her attic is magical, capable of creating an infinite supply of husbands, each of whom comes with a new life for Lauren. The Husbands gives us a fascinating thought experiment on what we look for in a partner, and it explores the nature of marriage and singleness; the implications of a repercussions-free life with endless possible resets; the various stages of a romantic journey; and the importance of memory and history within a healthy relationship. Fun, frothy, and smart, this is the quintessential summer read. SUPERLATIVE: Best brain candy. (Original Review)
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, by Janice Hallett: The story of the Alperton Angels has captured public attention since it took place in 2003, when a cult of individuals claiming to be angels brainwashed a teenager into thinking her baby was the antichrist and needed to be assassinated. The girl and baby escaped and the “angels” died in a ritualistic cult suicide. Now the unidentified baby is on the brink of turning 18 and investigative journalist Amanda Bailey is certain she has found the subject of her next True Crime book. Unfortunately another journalist and former rival, Oliver Menzies, also has his sights on the case and the two are pushed by their respective publishers to work together on the investigation that is proving more sinister and more complex than they could have imagined. This is very dark, but utterly propulsive, with a mixed-media format (it’s told entirely through text threads, e-mails, transcribed interviews, letters, journal entries, and newspaper clips) that invites readers into the investigation. SUPERLATIVES: Best use of mixed media, Most unputdownable. (Original Review)
The Work of Art, by Mimi Matthews: Growing up in rural Devonshire, Phyllida Satterthwaite never gave much care to society matters, preferring the company of her grandfather and her beloved dogs. When Philly is left homeless and destitute after her grandfather’s passing, she is sent to London, where she is surprised to be considered an uncommon beauty, nicknamed a “Work of Art” because of her unusual dual eye color. Philly captures the attention of many suitors including the menacing Duke of Morland, an unscrupulous art collector intent on making Philly his next acquisition. And her only hope for rescue comes in the form of a marriage of convenience to the the brooding but noble Captain Arthur Hayward, a former war hero whose time in the Peninsular War left him broken of both mind and spirit. This book has everything I want—and rarely get—from a romance (a tender husband/wife love story, well-matched [emotionally heathy] protagonists, a little *extra* in the form of a suspenseful subplot) and none of what I have grown to expect—and tend to dislike—from the genre (steamy sex scenes between unmarried lovers, frustrating will they/won’t they drama, and storylines built on miscommunication). SUPERLATIVE: Best historical romance. (Original Review)
The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore: One early August morning, summer camp counselor Louise wakes to discover that one of her preteen campers is missing. And not just any camper: the missing girl is Barber Van Laar, daughter of the prestigious family who owns the camp and surrounding lands. It’s not the first time a Van Laar child has gone missing: fourteen years earlier—in 1961—Barbara’s older brother, Bear, vanished from the family’s summer home on the camp property, and his body was never found. As the story unfolds, we follow both disappearances—Bear’s in 1961 and Barbara’s in 1975—through the eyes of several characters in an investigation that explores issues of class, privilege, gender roles, marriage, parenthood, and the cyclical nature of tragedy and injustice. With its gorgeous writing, incredible sense of place, and slow-burn suspense, this literary mystery has earned its place on many Best Of lists this year. SUPERLATIVES: Best literary mystery, Most appealing to a range of readers. (Original Review)
Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty: The passengers aboard the packed flight from Hobart to Sydney are forever changed when an unassuming woman stands and begins to make her way down the aisle, offering predictions about when and how each person on board will die. Some passengers write off the woman’s predictions as the ramblings of a madwoman or maybe a practical joke, while others are certain there is truth to her prognostications. But a few months later, when a few passengers begin dying as predicted, they all start to wonder how much truth could have been in her forecasts, and many passengers begin altering their lives to ensure their prophecies do not come to pass. This book asks and answers the timeless question of how we would choose to spend our lives if we knew exactly how much time we (or a loved one) had left, and explores issues of destiny vs free will alongside other equally interesting themes of purpose, grief, and love (of a parent, a partner, a friend). Here One Moment checks off every one of my “must have” boxes for a stellar novel—unique premise, engaging narration, well-drawn characters, provocative themes, healthy balance of humor and sentimentality, and a storyline that incorporates a variety of genres—making it my #1 favorite book of the year. SUPERLATIVES: Top Favorite Book of 2024! (Original Review)
Parnassus on Wheels, by Christopher Morley: Helen McGill is a 39-year-old spinster who is bored with her life on a farm, baking bread and keeping house for her ungrateful brother, Andrew. But her life changes in an instant when a charismatic bookseller named Roger Mifflin arrives at her doorstep in Parnassus, his traveling book wagon, offering to sell the store so that he can settle down and begin writing books. Helen knows that Andrew will be quick to snatch up Parnassus, heading off on an adventure and once again leaving her at home, so she beats him to it and sets out on an adventure of her own. Soon she and “The Professor” are traipsing across the countryside, hand selling books to farmers and countryfolk and having the time of their lives. Their time on the road is peppered with harrowing roadside brawls, run-ins with the law, plenty of soul-searching and book discussions, and even a touch of romance. This book is an absolute delight, with bookish themes, spunky protagonists, a folksy tone, rollicking pace, and thoughtful insights into the role books can play in creating a meaningful life. For a book that was written more than a century ago, this feels shockingly current. This belongs on the shelf of every book lover. SUPERLATIVE: Best book about books. (Original Review)
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman: As a body guard to the stars, Amy Wheeler is no stranger to assassins, intrigue, and heavy doses of adrenaline—much the opposite of her father-in-law, Steve, who is enjoying a quiet retired life in his cozy British village. Amy is currently on assignment on a private island, where she’s protecting best-selling author Rosie D’Antonio whose life is being threatened by a disgruntled Russian mobster, and when it becomes clear that Amy herself is now the target of a hit job, she reaches out to Steve as the only person she knows she can trust. Together this unexpected duo embark on a race around the world to track down a killer and uncover a billion-dollar trafficking scheme. They might even attract a few new friends (as well as plenty of enemies) along the way. Witty banter and adorable characters—especially the unique pairing of father/daughter-in-law—make this a standout mystery, and a great introduction to a new series from the author of the Thursday Murder Club books. SUPERLATIVE: Best comedy/mystery mash-up, Best detective duo. (Original Review)
The Seven Year Slip, by Ashley Poston: Clementine’s late aunt always said that her New York apartment was magical. Clementine never understood quite what her aunt meant—until one day, when Clementine walks into the apartment that is now hers to discover a strange man standing in the kitchen. With his Southern drawl, incredible kitchen skills, and knack for words, he easily captures Clementine’s interest. . . until she discovers that, thanks to the apartment’s unusual magic, this man exists seven years in the past. Over a difficult summer, in which Clementine is trying to escape her grief over her aunt’s recent passing by digging into her high-stakes publishing job, Clementine is periodically visited by the man who is perfect for her, if only the timing were right. This is a love story, but more memorably, it is a meditation on grief: how it changes us and how we learn to say goodbye while never escaping the sadness. This is also a story about how we change—or don’t—and how we create space for our loved ones to do the same. SUPERLATIVES: Best (surprise) meditation on grief. (Original Review)
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, by Jesse Q. Sutanto: No doubt about it, Vera Wong’s glory days are behind her: at sixty, she still keeps to a rigorous schedule managing her “World Famous” (but long fogotten) Tea Shop in San Francisco’s China Town, but Vera’s life lacks the companionship and purpose that she felt when her husband was alive, her son was young, and her tea shop had frequent customers. Then one morning, Vera emerges from her living quarters to find a dead body in the middle of her tea shop. Certain that the police will botch the investigation, Vera takes matters into her own hands and becomes intent on solving the murder of this strange man. And soon, even more excitement appears in her tea shop in the form of four young customers, each drawn back to the scene of the crime. Leaning into her Chinese mother instincts, Vera surmises that one of these individuals is surely the killer. What she doesn’t except is that these four suspects will quickly become her friends and newfound family, the little chicks this mother hen has been aching to feed and nurture. This charming book has all the components of a cozy mystery, but it’s so much more: it’s a sweet story of found family, a comedy, and an engaging (and humorous) commentary on Asian culture, specifically the nature of overbearing but well-meaning Asian mothers. SUPERLATIVE: Most endearing protagonist. (Original Review)
How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood: Twenty-two-year-old Violet Powell spent the last two years in a Maine prison, where she served time for a drunk-driving crash that resulted in the death of a sixty-one-year-old Kindergarten teacher. Now she’s on her own in Portland, Maine—friendless, lacking purpose, and grief-stricken over the ostracization from her former life. When Violet wanders into a local book store to purchase a copy of the novel she was reading for her her prison book club prior to her release, she has two shocking encounters: the first with Harriet, the retired English Teacher who led her prison book club, and the second with Frank, a retired machinist whose deceased wife was the victim of Violet’s crime. Before long, the lives of Frank, Harriet, and Violet are intertwined as together they make peace with past transgressions and forge new identities built on mercy, hard-earned wisdom, hope, and the sweetest lessons literature can teach them. Monica Wood mesmerizes with flawed-yet-lovely characters, lessons of kindness and redemption, clear-eyed observations, and richly layered prose. SUPERLATIVE: Best “found family” story. (Original Review)
Crossing to Safety, by Wallace Earle Stegner: Published in 1987 and told mostly in flashback, this semi-autobiographical novel traces the lives and ambitions of two couples whose friendship spans decades. The story begins in 1938 when our narrator, Larry Morgan, and his new bride, Sally, settle into their new home in Madison, Wisconsin, where Larry has accepted a job teaching creative writing in the university’s English department. The Morgans are swiftly swept into an impassioned friendship with another couple from the department, Sid and Charity Lang, and quickly learn of Sid’s ambitions to succeed as a writer and Charity’s bolder ambitions to see her husband excel in the world of academia. As life and global events unfold and Sid and Larry’s careers mature, the couples take different paths but remain close, and their story offers an acute exploration of lifelong friendship.With its quiet but realistic characters, jaw-dropping prose, and thoughtful examination of marriage, hardship, perseverance, purpose, and ambition, this is just the novel many of us are yearning to read. This is one of the most compelling stories of adult friendship (especially “couple” friendship) and of marriage that I have ever read, plumbing the complexities and vulnerabilities of our closest relationships and tapping into the struggles and insecurities we all feel but rarely pause to examine or understand. SUPERLATIVE: Most thought-provoking classic, Best story of adult friendship. (Original Review)
The Unmaking of June Farrow, by Adrienne Young: Growing up working her family flower farm in the small town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow always realized she was different. As one of a long line of Farrow women who gradually went mad, June knows the curse is coming for her too, and when June begins experiencing strange visions at the age of thirty-four, she’s disturbed but not surprised. The next time a mysterious door appears—the door that June had previously passed off as a hallucination—June crosses the threshold into a past she could never have imagined, with some familiar faces but a new life that is destined to haunt her dreams. This magical time travel story that reads like historical fiction is a tale of mystery, suspense, romance, and the search for identity. We follow June as she comes to terms with her own fate and the role she may play in her destiny, and along the way we are treated to a heartwarming story of family, loyalty, and courage. SUPERLATIVE: Most creative use of the time travel trope. (Original Review)
Thanks so much for joining me on this journey through my 2024 reading life. I’d love to hear from you: what did your reading look like in 2024? What were some highlights? Do we share any favorites from the year? Let me know in the comments!
