We may be a few weeks into 2025, but it’s not too late for a little end-of-year reflection. Last month I shared all of my favorite reads and bookish insights from my 2024 reading. That post included my very top favorite books of the year, but there were so many books I wanted to include and couldn’t. That’s were this list comes in!

Today I’m sharing some bookish superlatives beyond my eighteen favorite books of 2024. A lot of these were 4.5-star reads for me (I’ve marked 4.5-star reads with an asterisk) and very well could have made it onto a Best Of list if there wasn’t such an abundance of riches to choose from. For each superlative, I’ve listed the book title and author, as well as a link to the Quick Lit post where that book was first reviewed. I’m excited to share these with you; if you’ve read any of these books, see if you agree with my assessments!

NONFICTION SUPERLATIVES

*MOST VULNERABLE MEMOIR ON MARRIAGE: How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told, by Harrison Scott Key (Review)

*BEST COLLECTION OF MICRO-MEMOIRS, FAVORITE NONFICTION RE-READ: Heating and Cooling, by Beth Anne Fennelly

*MOST SURPRISING CELEBRITY MEMOIRS: Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, by Tom Felton: (Review) and Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond, by Henry Winkler (Review)

*MOST IMPORTANT CULTURAL CRITIQUE: Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda, by Megan Basham (Review)

*BEST TAKE ON TECHNOLOGY: Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age, by Samuel D. James (Review)

*MOST UNIQUE TAKE ON ART AND FAITH: Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, by Madeleine L’Engle (Review)

*MOST ASPIRATIONAL PARENTING BOOK: The Opt-Out Family: How to Give Your Kids What Technology Can’t, by Erin Loechner (Review)

*MOST PRACTICAL FAITH-BASED PARENTING BOOK: M is for Mama, by Abbie Halberstadt (Review)

MOST USEFUL NEW PERSONALITY FRAMEWORK: The Seven Primal Questions: Take Control of the Hidden Forces That Drive You, by Mike Foster (Review)

MIDDLE-GRADE SUPERLATIVES:

*FAVORITE READ-ALOUD REREADS (BOOKS I LOVED AS A KID AND AS AN ADULT): Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Review) and Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary (Review)

*CUTEST NEW-TO-ME MIDDLE-GRADE CLASSIC: Trixie Belden #1: The Secret of the Mansion, by Julie Campbell (Review)

*MOST UNIQUE FAIRY TALE: The Ichabog, by J. K. Rowling (Review)

*MOST ORIGINAL MIDDLE-GRADE: Olivetti, by Allie Millington (Review)

*BEST NEW MIDDLE-GRADE SERIES: The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielson (Review)

BEST NEW MIDDLE-GRADE SERIES: (CHARLESTON’S CHOICE): Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor, by Ally Carter (Review)

BEST 1990S THROW-BACK: Rewind, by Lisa Graff (Review)

FICTION SUPERLATIVES:

*BEST PHILOSOPHY/FICTION MASH-UP: On Love, by Alain de Botton (Review)

*BEST (ALSO CREEPIEST) THRILLER, BEST BOOK IN TRANSLATION: Confessions, by Kanae Minato (Review)

*BEST CURMUDGEON STORY: All the Lonely People, by Mike Gayle (Review)

*SWEETEST SECOND-CHANCE ROMANCE: Summer Romance, by Annabel Monaghan (Review)

*MOST ENDEARING CAST OF CHARACTERS: The Phoenix Ballroom, by Ruth Hogan (Review)

MOST PROPULSIVE FINAL PAGES: None of This Is True, by Lisa Jewell (Review)

MOST UNIQUE TIME-LOOP STORY: Maybe Next Time, by Cesca Major (Review)

MOST COMPLEX HISTORICAL FICTION: Absolution, by Alice McDermott (Review)

BEST SENSE OF SUMMER: Funny Story, by Emily Henry (Review)

BEST MIDDLE-AGE COMING-OF-AGE: The Same Bright Stars, by Ethan Joella (Review)

NEGATIVE SUPERLATIVES:

While a vast majority of my reads in 2024 were successes, there were a few books that either didn’t meet my expectations or simply were NOT for me. Below, find my “Hall of Shame” of Bookish Superlatives for 2024. Unless otherwise noted, these all received 3 stars or under for me.

BOOK THAT (ON PAPER) I SHOULD HAVE ENJOYED MORE (still a 4-star read): Go As a River, by Shelley Read: (Review)

BOOK I LOVED BUT FOUND TOO CRASS (still a 4-star read): The Wedding People, by Alison Espach (Review)

MOST OVERRATED: Shark Heart, by Emily Habeck (Review)

LEAST LIKABLE CHARACTERS, LEAST DESERVING OF THE HYPE: The Housemaid, by Freida McFadden (Review)

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT FROM A FAVORITE AUTHOR (NONFICTION): How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away, by Emily P. Freeman (Review)

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT FROM A FAVORITE AUTHOR (FICTION): Spells for Forgetting, by Adrienne Young (Review)

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT FROM A FAVORITE AUTHOR (SHORT STORIES): So Late in the Day, Stories of Women and Men, by Claire Keegan (Review)

MOST DISAPPOINTING POETRY COLLECTION: A Bit Much, by Lyndsey Rush (Review)

WORST ROMANTIC CHEMISTRY, POOREST EXECUTION OF A GREAT PREMISE: A Novel Love Story, by Ashley Poston (Review)

WORST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians, by James Patterson (Review)

I hate to end on a low note, so I’ll bring us back up with a reminder that you can find a roundup of my very favorite books of 2024 right here.

Have you given any bookish superlatives (positive OR negative) to your recent reads? Please share them with me! And I’d love to know how you align with my own superlatives. Agree? Disagree? Let’s discuss!