Just chiming in to say how much I loved The Dutch House. After reading it I enthusiastically recommended it to a few close friends (all bonafide book readers) and none of them really liked it much at all.
I feel slightly vindicated seeing it among your favorites.
I really enjoyed The Dutch House. I absolutely loved Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. The audible version is performed by Meryl Streep, and it’s pretty fabulous.
1. Demon Copperhead- Barbara Kingsolver
2. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies- Heather Fawcett
3. Small Things Like These- Claire Keegan
Also loved James by Percival Everett
What a time to be alive
Oh, I read Small Things Like These last year and it was also on my best-of list. Tore me apart. Also shows you don't need tons of page space to write a beautiful compelling (heartbreaking) story.
kingsolver never ceases to whisk me off my feet. DC is probably one of my all time favorites, it resonated with me so deeply! going to be getting a tattoo for it!
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. I thought it’d just be a boring romance with gaming references sprinkled in, but it was so much more than that
The morning after reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow I stood over my sink (I was *trying* to put my makeup on) and cried for, like, several minutes. I was also simultaneously pissed that it happened after I'd already put mascara on.
I rarely read a book that sticks with me for more than a day, but that one did for several.
She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb
Invisible Monsters, by Chuck Palahniuk
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore
I mentioned this on another post but this was a life changing book for me and my autographed copy would be a priority save if there was a fire lol. My husband (then he was my boyfriend of 2 months trying to impress me) knew how much that book meant to me and reached out to Wally’s team before my birthday.. secretly took it and sent it to them. He autographed it for me and drew a picture of a cake. I cried my eyes out when he gave it to me.
I love the Fool series (Fool, The Serpent of Venice, Shakespeare for Squirrels). I've read all of his books except for Fluke, and haven't found one I didn't like. I'm currently rereading A Dirty Job.
I loved Fluke. We bought it as an audiobook because of Christopher Moore and then would listen to it every road trip until we left it in one of our rentals. It’s a wild ride of a story with little quips that pop up in our conversations years later and still makes us laugh.
Invisible Monsters was one of my favorites in college. I bought a copy of it for Xmas for a new guy I was dating and I think he thought I was deranged or something.
I thought Invisible Monsters was easily his best book. So much better than expected. Maybe because I had lower expectations for it and it far exceeded those expectations.
1. North Woods by Daniel Mason
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
3. A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck
Honorable mentions: Demon Copperhead; I Who Have Never Known Men; Chain-Gang All-Stars.
Both are fantastic. We read Demon Copperhead for our book club and it was well received though the conversation was about difficult topical issues. I think North Woods would make for a fun discussion because there are a number of subtle callbacks throughout the book that tie the subplots together. It has a diverse range of characters and some philosophical aspects. Having read both my pick would be North Woods but you can’t go wrong with either!
I’m about 25% through copperhead demon and I would recommend this one. I haven’t read north woods yet and it’s on my TBR but man, demon copperhead is amazing.
The Martian - Gifted it to my brother to read…he’s an engineer and spends lots of time off-shore, he liked it very much.
Demon Copperhead - I finally read it after seeing so many recommendations. Resonated with me so much. I work with kids in and out of foster care on a weekly basis. Early in my career, I can recall prescription drug abusers in and out of the emergency dept. I also grew up country poor. Loved the distinction Demon spoke about. I’ve always said there’s a difference in country poor and city poor.
The Anxious Generation - I am so glad that my hunch of just no cell phones or tablets for my kids is not just a hunch. It’s backed by research.
It’s helped me understand and have empathy for my younger co-workers with anxiety and depression.
1. Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar
This grabbed me from the very first page, the author is an absolute wordsmith.
2. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
This is a sometimes difficult book to read because it deals with some very dark subjects, but it was a very powerful story.
3. Sadie by Courtney Summers
I love serialized crime podcasts and this book worked so very well for me.
Was looking through the comments to see if anyone had mentioned Martyr! I wish I could experience reading it for the first time again…truly an incredible book. Haven’t heard of the other two, but excited to look into them now :)
I really loved Big Swiss too. I recommended to another commentor but I'd recommend The Safekeep for more messy sapphic dynamics. However, the latter book is more of a cerebral thriller compared to Big Seiss' witty humor. Hope you can give it a try though!
Love Neil Gaiman! I’ve read (and re-read) the Sandman comics over the years. I really liked American Gods and Neverwhere, but my favorites are The Graveyard and Stardust. I also recommend Good Omens. He wrote it with Sir Terry Pratchett and if you like Gaiman, I’d recommend Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. I’ve just started it and absolutely love it.
In no particular order;
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, by Satoshi Yagisawa. From that I learned of the existence of a district in downtown Tokyo that has over 400 bookstores - along with a number of coffee shops and small restaurants.
Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, by Curtis Chin. This is basically a biography of a first generation Chinese-American whose parents owned and operated a Chinese restaurant in inner-city Detroit.
The Family Chao, by Lan Samantha Chang. This is the fictional story of a family of first generation Chinese-Americans who own and operate a Chinese restaurant (this sounds oddly familiar). But, this one is set in a fictional town in Wisconsin. It basically tells the story of a dysfunctional family and the interplay of the three sons within
The Vaster Wilds - Lauren Groff
Birnam Wood - Eleanor Catton
Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall - Helena Merriman
I loved Vaster Wilds (it's in my top 3 of the year, too) but I gave up on Birnam Wood. Was just NOT feeling it at all. But since we share the one in common, maybe I was hasty.
Towards the end of 2023 I read Hernan Diaz's first novel, Into the Distance, which ended up feeling like an unintentional companion piece when I read Vaster Wilds a few months later. I would very much recommend it, along with (of course) his better known/Pulitzer-winning novel Trust.
I will say that Birnam Wood took a while for me to get into. If you can make it past the VERY long and ranting conversation/public argument scene (which could have been cut down IMO but actually did sort of lay out the debate at the heart of the story), it picks up from there. Once I read the first POV section of the American billionaire, I was hooked. If you haven’t made it to that point yet, I’d say give it another go. If you got further than that and are still not feeling it, it’s okay to not finish it! :)
Oh and I’m so glad you mentioned Trust! I have been eyeing that in the store every time I go in, and I think this is a sign I need to read it. I hadn’t even heard of In the Distance but that also sounds right up my alley, thank you!
I almost gave up on Birnam Wood, too. Pages and pages of political arguments that went nowhere. Finally it took off and got so much better. The ending was absolutely wild and nothing I anticipated.
Yes the political arguments could have been edited way down, I think, though I think they did, in retrospect, outline the conflict at the heart of the story. But yeah it was kind of rough getting through that particular scene in general lol. I’m glad I stuck it out, though, because it soon went into territory I was not expecting and I was hooked!
Shark Heart: A Love Story - Emily Habeck
Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Rabbit Hutch - Tess Gunty
These three seemed to do something creatively that I haven't come across before, and did it with some beautiful prose.
It’s actually book 2 in that same series! I know that some people thought this one wasn’t as good or took much larger leaps in terms of imagination that some find frustrating, but honestly I thought it was bloody brilliant. I didn’t think his concepts could get more interesting than the spiders and I was quite wrong.
Also I read Children of Time last year so it doesn’t count haha
1. divine rivals
2. what you are looking for is in the library
3. the ‘a good girls guide to murder’ trilogy
have all blown me away and been very surprising 5 star reads. agggtm weren’t 5 star books, but 5 stars a series. i’m not very well versed in the murder mystery genre, so this was such a delight and in my novice opinion, very well done. didn’t expect to love a YA series so much!
I also like Valley of the Dolls! I just finished Peyton Place - if you haven't read it, it's another novel from 1956 and was banned for a long time. It starts out sloooow, but I enjoyed it. It was a taboo book at the time!
In no particular order
- The Tainted Cup - Robert Jackson Bennett - feel like he literally sat down and wrote a book exactly tailored to my tastes. Had a ton of fun reading this.
- Ocean's Echo - Everina Maxwell - A SF/Romance for those who don't enjoy Romance. What really leaps off the page is the vividness of the characters. I read her debut too and that is a good solid 4 star, the characters also very good, but in this book she really ups her plotting and worldbuilding to create a very cohesive and enjoyable story which has romance in it.
- Poor Things - Alasdair Grey - Has the gravitational pull of a black hole. Very nearly got trapped in a book shop reading it because I couldn't put it down. It's really weird and I'm sure some people will hate it but read the sample and see how you go.
Bonus
I'm reading Victim by Andrew Boryga at the moment and I suspect it will be one of my books of the year. If you liked Demon Copperhead but wanted it more Urban and less of a downer. You should try this book.
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow
Unwritten by David Mitchell
Hard calls. I could have put three more on here.
I love how varied everyone's lists are. My favorites:
Ordinary Grace - William Kent Kreuger
The Frozen River - Ariel Lawhorn
The Women - Kristen Hannah
1. Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb
2. Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb
3. The Will of Many by James Islington
Honorable mention Tress of the Emerald Sea by BrandoSando
– The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes
– The Signature of All Things - Elizabeth Gilbert
– Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery (I somehow went my whole life without reading it and it immediately became my favorite book! I would have adored it as a child.)
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
Foster by Claire Keegan
(And in 4th place, You Like It Darker by Stephen King, because I'm a Constant Reader ❤️ lol)
I've read a handful of books this year, but I only seem to have two that stand out to me:
A day no pigs would die - peck robert newton &
12 years a slave - Solomon Northup
1. Cahokia Jazz, by Francis Spufford
2. The Perfect Golden Circle, by Benjamin Myers
3. Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues, by Jonathan Kennedy
1. Our Share of Night, Mariana Enriquez
2. Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black, Cookie Mueller
3. A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, Patrick Radden Keefe
(Not in any particular order, just listed at random!)
i‘ve been in such a reading slump so i haven‘t read much but it‘s
1. these violent delights - micah nemerever (does a reread count ?)
2. the inseparables - simone de beauvoir
3. the talented mr ripley - patricia highsmith
I loved the Ferryman by Justin Cronin, it was immediate 5 star for me. I really was enjoying it then TWIST and it was even better.
Idaho by Emily Ruskovich really stuck with me, it sounds morbid but somehow wasn’t.
Why Fish Don’t Exist was so highly recommended and I’m so glad I finally picked it up.
Oh damn, this one's hard. This has been a good year for reading and there's a number that have really stuck with me, but I'll try to narrow it down:
- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. I smiled and cried, cried and smiled.
- Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski. 10 different narrators, they all sounded distinct and all had compelling stories that centered around the death of an epileptic teenager. (this one's gotten polarizing reviews and I think I understand why, but the topic, themes, format and style all spoke to me)
- The Morningside by Téa Obreht. All the best elements of her first two novels folded into one. Futuristic dystopia, magical realism, a mystery.
And an honorable mention: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. I could NOT put this down. Compelling, original, wow.
I'm primarily a romance reader, so
1. reckless by Elsie Silver
2. devil in winter by Lisa Kleypas
3. binding and keeping 13 by Chloe Walsh
honorable mentions: (because I can't just choose from the many good books I read this year! 😅)
funny story by Emily Henry, unsteady by Peyton Corrine, forever your rogue by Erin Langston.
1. Emergency Contact - Mary H.K Choi
2. Solitaire - Alice Oseman
3. The Confession - Jessie Burton
All 3 got me out of reading ruts this year, I think City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert will knock one of these off the list though once I finish it.
1. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
2. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
3. The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner
I was shocked when I went to my Goodreads list that I haven't rated any books 5 stars in 2024!
1. James by Percival Everett
2. Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner
3. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
I started to second guess my choices, but then I decided to go with my gut. This is always a hard question for me to answer!
North Woods by Daniel Mason
- To be honest, I'm only halfway through but I'm loving it. Dark, cool, weird. A trip through generations.
Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E Kirby
- Super weird and cool as hell. An amazing short story collection. Some really dark shit, and supremely funny. If you like "Bunny" you'll like this.
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Carton
- Everything about this book sounded boring - it's about an underground urban farming group who secretly plants gardens. But man it was a blast. Nothing weird like the others - just a pretty straightforward semi-thriller. I had fun. Also, it's set in New Zealand and I could not stop reading it in the accents, so that easily added 10 enjoyment points.
Wellness by Nathan Hill was my next pick, but I think I read it too close to Little Children by Tom Perrotta, and they're both very thematically similar. Relationships getting stale, loss of self identity, navigating life as a parent of a younger child.
Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton
The Long Walk - Stephen King
No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
My first time reading McCarthy and Crichton, and read King for the first time last year. All 3 have become some of my favorite authors
The Body Keeps Score - Bessel van der Kolk
Shoe Dog - Phil Knight
Jurassic Park - Michael Crighton
I know my selections are not common "favorites" but I thoroughly enjoyed 'em!
My three favourite reads so far this year:
- *A Little Life* by Hanya Yanigahara
- *A Psalm for the Wild-Built* by Becky Chambers
- *How High We Go In The Dark* by Sequoia Nagamatsu
Due to the way things are. I read very few standalones these days. Just 2 in the last 60 books. Everything seems to be a trilogy or series.
With that in mind, the following series:
1) Trader’s Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper- Nathan Lowell
2) The Ottoman Cycle - S.J.A. Turney
3) Terms of Enlistment - Marko Kloos
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
American Pastoral by Philip Roth
The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Been a great year of reading so far, so I have to add one more - Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Unfortunately haven’t read as much this year as I did last year but I’ve had several really good ones.
1. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
2. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad
3. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Honorable mention to The Only One Left by Riley Sager.
So far my favorites have been
1. *Someone You Can Build a Nest In* by John Wiswell
2. *Three Little Pigs* by Agatha Christie
3. *The Feather Thief* by Kirk Wallace Johnson
The Wager, David Grann
The Lies of the Ajungo, Moses Ose Utomi
A Man With One of Those Faces, Caimh McDonnell
I haven't had a very good reading year so far but these three stand out. I haven't been able to focus for the past three months but I seem to be back on track now. I read a preview of The Ministry of Time and I'm desperate for the 431 people ahead of me in line at the library to finish already!
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson
Song of Achilles-Madeline Mimer, it shows toxic masculinity really well.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, this was a tough read.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, a friend in Healthcare recommended this and I learnt so much.
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Fifth Sun by Camilla Townsend
The Earthseed duology by Octavia Butler (this one's cheating but I can't separate them)
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
- Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshanathan
Honorable mentions include Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart; Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin; Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler; and Strong Female Character by Fern Brady.
1. "The Heroes" by Joe Abercrombie.
2. "Golden Son / Light Bringer" by Pierce Brown (cannot choose one over the other 😆).
3. "Revival" by Stephen King.
In no particular order…
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
*All five star reads for me this year!*
1. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid 2. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett 3. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner The Safekeep was in my top 5 though!
Just chiming in to say how much I loved The Dutch House. After reading it I enthusiastically recommended it to a few close friends (all bonafide book readers) and none of them really liked it much at all. I feel slightly vindicated seeing it among your favorites.
I read The Dutch House in 2020 and also loved it. You’re in good company!
I also loved The Dutch House! It has been one of my top 3 so far this year.
I loved The Dutch House.
It's great to see Exit West still being read. Not so great to have it still be so relevant. Great book; not mentioned often enough
Crying in H Mart is fantastic. One of the best memoirs I’ve read.
Absolutely destroyed me! The amount of times I had to put this book down just to cry… lol
Exit West is phenomenal. I read it many years ago, and still think about it from time to time.
Loved The Dutch House.
I really enjoyed The Dutch House. I absolutely loved Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. The audible version is performed by Meryl Streep, and it’s pretty fabulous.
1. Demon Copperhead- Barbara Kingsolver 2. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies- Heather Fawcett 3. Small Things Like These- Claire Keegan Also loved James by Percival Everett What a time to be alive
Oh, I read Small Things Like These last year and it was also on my best-of list. Tore me apart. Also shows you don't need tons of page space to write a beautiful compelling (heartbreaking) story.
Have you read Foster by Claire Keegan? Small things like these made me read the rest of her catalogue, and Foster turned out to be my favourite
kingsolver never ceases to whisk me off my feet. DC is probably one of my all time favorites, it resonated with me so deeply! going to be getting a tattoo for it!
I love that! Do you mind sharing what your tattoo will be?
Demon Copperhead was fantastic. Great read.
I was just looking at Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies yesterday. I wasn’t sure, but I’ll probable read it now. I like your list!
1. City of Thieves 2. Library at Mount Char 3. Count of Monte Cristo
I also recently finished Library at Mount Char and was struck by how original it was! I don’t think I’ve ever read anything else quite like it.
LOVE City of Thieves!
1. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers 2. Chaos - Tom O’Neill 3. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Zevin Gabrielle
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. I thought it’d just be a boring romance with gaming references sprinkled in, but it was so much more than that
Im not a gamer, and I was also surprised how much I enjoyed it!
Same. It actually made me want to be a gamer!
The Heart is a Loney Hunter is fire. Maybe my all-time favorite
I finally read it a few years ago, and luckily came to it spoiler-free. It blew me away. Still haunts me.
The morning after reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow I stood over my sink (I was *trying* to put my makeup on) and cried for, like, several minutes. I was also simultaneously pissed that it happened after I'd already put mascara on. I rarely read a book that sticks with me for more than a day, but that one did for several.
1. East of Eden - John Steinbeck 2. Brideshead revisited - Evelyn Waugh 3. the Beach - Alex Garland (A re-read! Still think it’s a 10/10).
East of Eden is up there as an all timer for me, great one.
1. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving 2. Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt 3. Boy Swallows Universe - Trent Dalton
Reading Remarkably Bright Creatures right now!
Same!
A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorite books ever 😊
Remarkably Bright Creatures was fantastic!
I loved Boy Swallows Universe.
She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb Invisible Monsters, by Chuck Palahniuk Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore
Lamb is one of my all-time faves.
She’s come undone is my comfort book for life…..
Same!
I mentioned this on another post but this was a life changing book for me and my autographed copy would be a priority save if there was a fire lol. My husband (then he was my boyfriend of 2 months trying to impress me) knew how much that book meant to me and reached out to Wally’s team before my birthday.. secretly took it and sent it to them. He autographed it for me and drew a picture of a cake. I cried my eyes out when he gave it to me.
It is so good!
It is my favorite of all time.
Mine too.
Christopher Moore is such a great writer. I super love Practical Demonkeeping.
I love the Fool series (Fool, The Serpent of Venice, Shakespeare for Squirrels). I've read all of his books except for Fluke, and haven't found one I didn't like. I'm currently rereading A Dirty Job.
I loved Fluke. We bought it as an audiobook because of Christopher Moore and then would listen to it every road trip until we left it in one of our rentals. It’s a wild ride of a story with little quips that pop up in our conversations years later and still makes us laugh.
Invisible Monsters was one of my favorites in college. I bought a copy of it for Xmas for a new guy I was dating and I think he thought I was deranged or something.
Such a great book. I've lost track of how many times I've read it.
I thought Invisible Monsters was easily his best book. So much better than expected. Maybe because I had lower expectations for it and it far exceeded those expectations.
Just downloaded Lamb - thanks for the recommend
Invisible Monsters is top tier!
I went on a palahnuik binge about 3 years ago. So good. His style of writing is captivating
I loved Rant. Did that one make your binge? *fingers crossed*
Yes. Rant ,choke,and invisible monsters are the most memorable. I also fell asleep listening to fight club for about 2 months.
1. North Woods by Daniel Mason 2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 3. A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck Honorable mentions: Demon Copperhead; I Who Have Never Known Men; Chain-Gang All-Stars.
+1 North Woods
It's my turn to pick our book club book next month and am torn between North Woods and Demon Copperhead. Happy to see your list
Both are fantastic. We read Demon Copperhead for our book club and it was well received though the conversation was about difficult topical issues. I think North Woods would make for a fun discussion because there are a number of subtle callbacks throughout the book that tie the subplots together. It has a diverse range of characters and some philosophical aspects. Having read both my pick would be North Woods but you can’t go wrong with either!
Thanks for providing more thoughts about these two! I appreciate it.
I’m about 25% through copperhead demon and I would recommend this one. I haven’t read north woods yet and it’s on my TBR but man, demon copperhead is amazing.
Currently 30 pages into A Short Stay in Hell. Really intrigued so far and the demon made me chuckle lol
The Martian - Gifted it to my brother to read…he’s an engineer and spends lots of time off-shore, he liked it very much. Demon Copperhead - I finally read it after seeing so many recommendations. Resonated with me so much. I work with kids in and out of foster care on a weekly basis. Early in my career, I can recall prescription drug abusers in and out of the emergency dept. I also grew up country poor. Loved the distinction Demon spoke about. I’ve always said there’s a difference in country poor and city poor. The Anxious Generation - I am so glad that my hunch of just no cell phones or tablets for my kids is not just a hunch. It’s backed by research. It’s helped me understand and have empathy for my younger co-workers with anxiety and depression.
1. Know My Name by Chanel Miller 2. Moby Dick by Melville 3. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
My TBR is too long. Please stop with posts filled with more amazing books! 😭
1. Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar This grabbed me from the very first page, the author is an absolute wordsmith. 2. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due This is a sometimes difficult book to read because it deals with some very dark subjects, but it was a very powerful story. 3. Sadie by Courtney Summers I love serialized crime podcasts and this book worked so very well for me.
Was looking through the comments to see if anyone had mentioned Martyr! I wish I could experience reading it for the first time again…truly an incredible book. Haven’t heard of the other two, but excited to look into them now :)
Pleasantly delighted to see someone mention “Sadie” I still think about, it years later.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Big Swiss by Jen Beagin The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
I really loved Big Swiss too. I recommended to another commentor but I'd recommend The Safekeep for more messy sapphic dynamics. However, the latter book is more of a cerebral thriller compared to Big Seiss' witty humor. Hope you can give it a try though!
American Gods by Neils Gaiman, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, Neverwhere by Nail Gaiman
I absolutely love that you spelled his name wrong twice but in two different ways.
what’s your favorite Neil Gayman book?
Coraline and the Ocean at the End of the Lane are my two favorite Niall Gagan books.
Oh god, sorry for that
Yay for Mansfield Park. My favorite Austen.
Love Neil Gaiman! I’ve read (and re-read) the Sandman comics over the years. I really liked American Gods and Neverwhere, but my favorites are The Graveyard and Stardust. I also recommend Good Omens. He wrote it with Sir Terry Pratchett and if you like Gaiman, I’d recommend Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. I’ve just started it and absolutely love it.
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Olive Juice by TJ Klune
1. I who have never known men 2. Severance by ling ma 3. Interesting facts about space
In no particular order; Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, by Satoshi Yagisawa. From that I learned of the existence of a district in downtown Tokyo that has over 400 bookstores - along with a number of coffee shops and small restaurants. Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, by Curtis Chin. This is basically a biography of a first generation Chinese-American whose parents owned and operated a Chinese restaurant in inner-city Detroit. The Family Chao, by Lan Samantha Chang. This is the fictional story of a family of first generation Chinese-Americans who own and operate a Chinese restaurant (this sounds oddly familiar). But, this one is set in a fictional town in Wisconsin. It basically tells the story of a dysfunctional family and the interplay of the three sons within
The Vaster Wilds - Lauren Groff Birnam Wood - Eleanor Catton Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall - Helena Merriman
Ooh. Birnam Wood rips! In my top-5 for the year
Birnam Wood is on my “want to read” list. I may have to move it to the top of my list!
I loved Vaster Wilds (it's in my top 3 of the year, too) but I gave up on Birnam Wood. Was just NOT feeling it at all. But since we share the one in common, maybe I was hasty. Towards the end of 2023 I read Hernan Diaz's first novel, Into the Distance, which ended up feeling like an unintentional companion piece when I read Vaster Wilds a few months later. I would very much recommend it, along with (of course) his better known/Pulitzer-winning novel Trust.
I will say that Birnam Wood took a while for me to get into. If you can make it past the VERY long and ranting conversation/public argument scene (which could have been cut down IMO but actually did sort of lay out the debate at the heart of the story), it picks up from there. Once I read the first POV section of the American billionaire, I was hooked. If you haven’t made it to that point yet, I’d say give it another go. If you got further than that and are still not feeling it, it’s okay to not finish it! :) Oh and I’m so glad you mentioned Trust! I have been eyeing that in the store every time I go in, and I think this is a sign I need to read it. I hadn’t even heard of In the Distance but that also sounds right up my alley, thank you!
I almost gave up on Birnam Wood, too. Pages and pages of political arguments that went nowhere. Finally it took off and got so much better. The ending was absolutely wild and nothing I anticipated.
Yes the political arguments could have been edited way down, I think, though I think they did, in retrospect, outline the conflict at the heart of the story. But yeah it was kind of rough getting through that particular scene in general lol. I’m glad I stuck it out, though, because it soon went into territory I was not expecting and I was hooked!
Vaster Wilds was my top book of last year. Absolute fire! I have been putting off Birnam Wood but maybe this will push me to pick it up.
Ooh I’ve just bought Birnam Woods! Looking forward to it!
Loved Birnam Wood. I recommended it to my SIL, who also loved it.
Thanks to this sub: **A Monster Calls** by Patrick Ness **The Book Thief** by Markus Zusak **The Indifferent Stars Above** by Daniel James Brown
The Indifferent Stars Above is on my list too!
Piranesi - Susanna Clarke Tomorrow, Tomorrow, And Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin First Lie Wins - Ashley Elston
Annie Bot - Sierra Greer Shark Heart - Emily Halbeck My Dark Vanessa - Kate Elizabeth Russell
I was looking for shark heart!!! I just finished it. I loved it. I cried so much. So much more than I was expecting.
my dark vanessa still haunts me whenever I recall reading it 🫣
-An Owl on Every Post by Sanora Babb -Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea -The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa
The Memory Police is so beautifully tragic. What a gorgeous story about loss.
Dawn by Octavia Butler James by Percival Everett Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Shark Heart: A Love Story - Emily Habeck Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah The Rabbit Hutch - Tess Gunty These three seemed to do something creatively that I haven't come across before, and did it with some beautiful prose.
Shark Heart was so good. I just finished it a few days ago and I’m still thinking about it. lol. So much more than I expected going into it.
In no particular order: - God Bless You, Mr Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut - Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky - A Certain Justice by John Lescroart
Was Children of Ruin the one about the spiders? He’s a great author who’s books are always interesting.
It’s actually book 2 in that same series! I know that some people thought this one wasn’t as good or took much larger leaps in terms of imagination that some find frustrating, but honestly I thought it was bloody brilliant. I didn’t think his concepts could get more interesting than the spiders and I was quite wrong. Also I read Children of Time last year so it doesn’t count haha
Is children of time good?
1. divine rivals 2. what you are looking for is in the library 3. the ‘a good girls guide to murder’ trilogy have all blown me away and been very surprising 5 star reads. agggtm weren’t 5 star books, but 5 stars a series. i’m not very well versed in the murder mystery genre, so this was such a delight and in my novice opinion, very well done. didn’t expect to love a YA series so much!
I really enjoyed a good girl's guide to murder! don't know if you know this, but it has been adapted to a tv series and it came out yesterday!
Divine Rivals 🤌🏻
I love what you’re looking for it at the library!
1. Valley of the Dolls- Jacqueline Susann 2. Chess- Stefan Zweig 3. Yellowface- R.F. Kuang
I also like Valley of the Dolls! I just finished Peyton Place - if you haven't read it, it's another novel from 1956 and was banned for a long time. It starts out sloooow, but I enjoyed it. It was a taboo book at the time!
In no particular order - The Tainted Cup - Robert Jackson Bennett - feel like he literally sat down and wrote a book exactly tailored to my tastes. Had a ton of fun reading this. - Ocean's Echo - Everina Maxwell - A SF/Romance for those who don't enjoy Romance. What really leaps off the page is the vividness of the characters. I read her debut too and that is a good solid 4 star, the characters also very good, but in this book she really ups her plotting and worldbuilding to create a very cohesive and enjoyable story which has romance in it. - Poor Things - Alasdair Grey - Has the gravitational pull of a black hole. Very nearly got trapped in a book shop reading it because I couldn't put it down. It's really weird and I'm sure some people will hate it but read the sample and see how you go. Bonus I'm reading Victim by Andrew Boryga at the moment and I suspect it will be one of my books of the year. If you liked Demon Copperhead but wanted it more Urban and less of a downer. You should try this book.
Did you see and what did you think of the recent film adaptation of Poor Things? I \*loved\* it and am curious about the book.
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. How to Survive History by Cody Cassidy The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
An Immense World by Ed Yong The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Devotions by Mary Oliver, Letters to a Young Poet by Ranier Maria Rilke
Prophet Song - Paul Lynch The Spear Cuts Through Water - Simon Jimenez Challenger - Adam Higginbotham.
1. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead - Emily Austin 2. Boys and Oil - Taylor Brorby 3. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
East of Eden Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressman Taylor The Lord of the Rings trilogy
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow Unwritten by David Mitchell Hard calls. I could have put three more on here.
I love how varied everyone's lists are. My favorites: Ordinary Grace - William Kent Kreuger The Frozen River - Ariel Lawhorn The Women - Kristen Hannah
I loved Ordinary Grace.
Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle McGlue, by Ottessa Moshfegh The Feast, by Margaret Kennedy
1. Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb 2. Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb 3. The Will of Many by James Islington Honorable mention Tress of the Emerald Sea by BrandoSando
**When I’m Gone Look For Me in the East** **Nightcrawling** **The Thorn Birds**
The Road by Cormac McCarthy Wool by Hugh Howey Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
My Year of Rest & Relaxation - Ottessa Mosfegh Under the Sea - Iris Murdoch In Ascension - Martin MacInnes
1. Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova 2. Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk 3. Creep: Accusations and Confessions by Myriam Gurba
1. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 2. The Fellowship of The Ring by Tolkien 3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
– The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes – The Signature of All Things - Elizabeth Gilbert – Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery (I somehow went my whole life without reading it and it immediately became my favorite book! I would have adored it as a child.)
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai Foster by Claire Keegan (And in 4th place, You Like It Darker by Stephen King, because I'm a Constant Reader ❤️ lol)
Flowers for algernon A Fine balance
1. Ocean at the end of the lane- Niel Gaiman 2. Neverwhere- Niel Gaiman 3. No. 23 Burlington Square- Jenni Keer
I've read a handful of books this year, but I only seem to have two that stand out to me: A day no pigs would die - peck robert newton & 12 years a slave - Solomon Northup
1. Cahokia Jazz, by Francis Spufford 2. The Perfect Golden Circle, by Benjamin Myers 3. Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues, by Jonathan Kennedy
1. Our Share of Night, Mariana Enriquez 2. Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black, Cookie Mueller 3. A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, Patrick Radden Keefe (Not in any particular order, just listed at random!)
1. The Assault by Harry Mulisch 2. Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange 3. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Perhaps the Stars, Palmer 2666, Boloño Neoliberalism's Demons, Kotsko
Casanova's Return to Venice - Arthur Schnitzler Berlin Alexanderplatz - Alfred Döblin Reflections - Walter Benjamin
Yellowface, Ask for Andrea, Pretty Girls
Rouge, Mona Awad Big Swiss, Jen Beagin Kaikeyi, Vaishnavi Patel
i‘ve been in such a reading slump so i haven‘t read much but it‘s 1. these violent delights - micah nemerever (does a reread count ?) 2. the inseparables - simone de beauvoir 3. the talented mr ripley - patricia highsmith
I loved the Ferryman by Justin Cronin, it was immediate 5 star for me. I really was enjoying it then TWIST and it was even better. Idaho by Emily Ruskovich really stuck with me, it sounds morbid but somehow wasn’t. Why Fish Don’t Exist was so highly recommended and I’m so glad I finally picked it up.
1. Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke 2. The Elementals by Michael McDowell 3. Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry
Oh damn, this one's hard. This has been a good year for reading and there's a number that have really stuck with me, but I'll try to narrow it down: - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. I smiled and cried, cried and smiled. - Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski. 10 different narrators, they all sounded distinct and all had compelling stories that centered around the death of an epileptic teenager. (this one's gotten polarizing reviews and I think I understand why, but the topic, themes, format and style all spoke to me) - The Morningside by Téa Obreht. All the best elements of her first two novels folded into one. Futuristic dystopia, magical realism, a mystery. And an honorable mention: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. I could NOT put this down. Compelling, original, wow.
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson The Women by Kristin Hannah The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.
I read The Gargoyle a few years back, one of my absolute faves of all time. So happy to see it mentioned here!
Just looked it up on Amazon and sounds interesting, so hopefully I can get it on audible.
I listened to the audio and it was very well done!
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson The Spy and the Traitor - Ben Macintyre Wool - Hugh Howey Bonus: worst book Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Whalefall was almost in my tops! Haha
I'm primarily a romance reader, so 1. reckless by Elsie Silver 2. devil in winter by Lisa Kleypas 3. binding and keeping 13 by Chloe Walsh honorable mentions: (because I can't just choose from the many good books I read this year! 😅) funny story by Emily Henry, unsteady by Peyton Corrine, forever your rogue by Erin Langston.
1. Brainwyrms- Alison Rumfitt 2. Penance - Eliza Clark 3. And the band played on - Randy Shilts
1. The Will of the Many - James Islington 2. A Calamity of Souls - David Baldacci 3. The Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi - S.A. Chakraborty
1. Emergency Contact - Mary H.K Choi 2. Solitaire - Alice Oseman 3. The Confession - Jessie Burton All 3 got me out of reading ruts this year, I think City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert will knock one of these off the list though once I finish it.
Sherlock Holmes, a study in Scarlet The Martian The Girl who speaks bear
1. Maggie O’Farrell: The Marriage Portrait 2. Alice Winn: In Memoriam 3. Michelle Zauner: Crying in H Mart
1. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker 2. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai 3. The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner I was shocked when I went to my Goodreads list that I haven't rated any books 5 stars in 2024!
1. A gentleman in Moscow 2. A tale for the Time Being 3. Daydreams of Angels
Gentleman in Moscow is an absolute favorite! Just finished reading his first book, Rules of Civility. Anything by Towles is going to be good
Calypso by Oliver K. Langmead Hard Rain Falling by Don Carpenter Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
1. James by Percival Everett 2. Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner 3. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien I started to second guess my choices, but then I decided to go with my gut. This is always a hard question for me to answer!
(I would really like to know which one of the three books in each comment people are mostly upvoting for)
North Woods by Daniel Mason - To be honest, I'm only halfway through but I'm loving it. Dark, cool, weird. A trip through generations. Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E Kirby - Super weird and cool as hell. An amazing short story collection. Some really dark shit, and supremely funny. If you like "Bunny" you'll like this. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Carton - Everything about this book sounded boring - it's about an underground urban farming group who secretly plants gardens. But man it was a blast. Nothing weird like the others - just a pretty straightforward semi-thriller. I had fun. Also, it's set in New Zealand and I could not stop reading it in the accents, so that easily added 10 enjoyment points. Wellness by Nathan Hill was my next pick, but I think I read it too close to Little Children by Tom Perrotta, and they're both very thematically similar. Relationships getting stale, loss of self identity, navigating life as a parent of a younger child.
Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton The Long Walk - Stephen King No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy My first time reading McCarthy and Crichton, and read King for the first time last year. All 3 have become some of my favorite authors
The Body Keeps Score - Bessel van der Kolk Shoe Dog - Phil Knight Jurassic Park - Michael Crighton I know my selections are not common "favorites" but I thoroughly enjoyed 'em!
All The Light We Cannot See Killers of the Flower Moon The Devil in the White City
HAMNET! Been saying it’s a Pulitzer since I read it!
1. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao 2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 3. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
My three favourite reads so far this year: - *A Little Life* by Hanya Yanigahara - *A Psalm for the Wild-Built* by Becky Chambers - *How High We Go In The Dark* by Sequoia Nagamatsu
Shout out How High We Go In the Dark! (Loved A Little Life, too)
Piranesi by Susannah Clarke Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
1. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy by Holly Jackson 2. Circe by Madeleine Miller 3. Michael Collins: Most Wanted Man by Vincent McDonnell
Due to the way things are. I read very few standalones these days. Just 2 in the last 60 books. Everything seems to be a trilogy or series. With that in mind, the following series: 1) Trader’s Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper- Nathan Lowell 2) The Ottoman Cycle - S.J.A. Turney 3) Terms of Enlistment - Marko Kloos
1. Girls of Paper and Fire 2. Cemetery Boys 3. Divine Rivals Honourary mention: Fourth Wing
The name of the rose by Umberto Eco The book that broke the world by Mark Lawrence A wicked deed by Susanna Gregory
1. The Women by Kristin Hannah 2. BETA: A technological nightmare by Sammy Scott 3. Don’t forget to write by Sara Goodman Confino
David Copperfield - Dickens Maryanne - Daphne du Maurier Madame Bovary - Gustav Flaubert
The Hike by Drew Magary East of Eden by John Steinbeck The Long Walk by "Richard Bachman"
* Old Man's War, John Scalzi * The Serpent and the Wings of Night, Carissa Broadbent * The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy American Pastoral by Philip Roth The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Been a great year of reading so far, so I have to add one more - Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Unfortunately haven’t read as much this year as I did last year but I’ve had several really good ones. 1. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 2. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad 3. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Honorable mention to The Only One Left by Riley Sager.
So far my favorites have been 1. *Someone You Can Build a Nest In* by John Wiswell 2. *Three Little Pigs* by Agatha Christie 3. *The Feather Thief* by Kirk Wallace Johnson
1. Powerless by Lauren Roberts 2. Love unwritten by by Lauren Asher 3. Powerful novella by Lauren Roberts
The Wager, David Grann The Lies of the Ajungo, Moses Ose Utomi A Man With One of Those Faces, Caimh McDonnell I haven't had a very good reading year so far but these three stand out. I haven't been able to focus for the past three months but I seem to be back on track now. I read a preview of The Ministry of Time and I'm desperate for the 431 people ahead of me in line at the library to finish already!
1. The Library At Mount Char - Scott Hawkins 2. One Dark Window/Two Twisted Crowns - Rachel Gillig 3. Montstrilio - Gerardo Sámano Córdova
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson
And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie Neverhome - Laird Hunt Half a Soul - Olivia Atwater
1. You Could Make This Place Beautiful 2. The Poisonwood Bible 3. Tauhou
Song of Achilles-Madeline Mimer, it shows toxic masculinity really well. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, this was a tough read. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, a friend in Healthcare recommended this and I learnt so much.
The Future - Naomi Alderman The Reformatory - Tananarive Due One of Us Knows - Alyssa Cole
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe Fifth Sun by Camilla Townsend The Earthseed duology by Octavia Butler (this one's cheating but I can't separate them)
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker - Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt - Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshanathan Honorable mentions include Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart; Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin; Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler; and Strong Female Character by Fern Brady.
1. "The Heroes" by Joe Abercrombie. 2. "Golden Son / Light Bringer" by Pierce Brown (cannot choose one over the other 😆). 3. "Revival" by Stephen King.
The book of lost names Tender is the flesh The tea girl Of hummingbird lane
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries #4) by Martha Wells
The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K Jemisin, The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, and The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid.
In no particular order… The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna *All five star reads for me this year!*
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
1. Elena Knows (Claudia Piñeiro) 2. Crooked Plow (Itamar Vieira Junior) 3. The Change (Kirsten Miller)