Happy New Year!

I read a lot of books in 2024. So many, I’m almost embarrassed to claim the number (shhh…110). Not only did I read a lot, but many, many, many of the books were really, really, really good. Here is a short list of the ones I liked the most.

MG=middle grade, ages 8-12; UMG=upper middle grade, ages 10-14; YA=young adult, ages 14-18; GU=grown ups (because calling a book “adult” makes it seem like it’s pornographic lol)

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow UMG

A very funny story about a boy who moves to a community where the internet is banned, trying to recover from something horrible that happened. It’s about making friends, hunting for UFOs, and dealing with trauma. A superb story. It received a well-deserved 2023 Newbery Honor.

A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds YA

A poem-novel about a boy going down in an elevator with a gun, planning revenge on the person who murdered his brother, but he’s visited by “ghosts” that have a lot to say about his plan.

Ladies’ Rest and Writing Room by Kim Kelly GU

Australia, 1920s. Sydney is alive and bustling after the chaos of the Great War, but two women who struggle with grief are coping in very different ways. A gorgeously written novella.

Cutting for Stone and The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese GU

This is the year I discovered Verghese. I’d known about Cutting for Stone for a long time but was discouraged by the length of the book. Don’t be! These two novels are tour de forces with exciting plots and phenomenal characters doing extraordinary things. Fiction but you learn so much–about medicine, history, Ethiopia, India…..

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde GU

Need a silly escape? This book is for you. In an alternate world in which humans hibernate, our main character takes a job staying awake in the winter, taking care of the sleeping from those who wake early as slow-moving, zombie-like humans. This is a very funny book.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks GU

This is the story of a horse, his jockey, his owners, a painting of the horse, and those who come in contact with all of the aforementioned through several time periods. A fascinating story.

Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, and Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie GU

Science Fiction. An ancillary is a man-like machine run by a larger AI system to do an assortment of tasks. When our main character’s ship is destroyed, he is suddenly an ancillary with no connection to what was his larger self. He seeks revenge on the god-like being who forced him to kill someone. Not a great summary, but a really incredible story. Great world building, exciting plot, and some thought-provoking ideas about technology.

The English Experience by Julie Schumacher GU

A grumpy English professor is cornered into taking a group of students on a study abroad experience to London. This hysterical story is told through emails, letters, and other correspondence.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik GU

Fantasy. Our protagonist is the most recent young woman chosen to work in the tower of the local sorcerer. She will need to learn to control her own magic if she can save her loved ones and the entire world from some bad people. Part of why I loved this book was all of the Polish names and references.

Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera MG/UMG

In a post-apocalyptic, western United States, survival is difficult but made easier when our main characters discover animal-drones that can be controlled by their “becoming” the drones. I don’t remember the story that well right now, but I do remember the world building was incredible, the plot engrossing, and thought-provoking ideas cleverly presented.

The Bolingbroke Chit by Lynn Messina GU

You all know I’m a huge fan of Messina’s Beatrice Hyde-Clare series. This is one of her other series, a Regency romance that is smart and funny. A delight to read. I need to get more of her books.

Black Girl You are Atlas by Renee Watson UMG/YA

A powerful collection of poetry about what it means to be a young black woman.

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo MG

DiCamillo does a great job of bringing together quirky, lovable characters. Ferris’s little sister wants to be a bank robber, her grandmother is getting old, her crazy uncle has moved into the basement, and her best friend is a piano prodigy. A story that will make you feel good.

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko MG/UMG

Although he’s only twelve, Hank has taken care of his baby sister more often and more responsibly than his mother. Now that his grandmother has passed, he has nowhere to turn when his mother disappears. How can he keep his sister safe and with him with no money? Bring a hankie for this incredible story. My vote for the Newbery.

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig GU

Horror isn’t my favorite genre, but I’ve been hunting for good horror story to replace The Shining in my English 202 classes. This is the one. It starts out a bit like The Shining: a father, mother, and son (this time a teenager) move into a house that seems like it could be haunted. This story is actually nothing like The Shining except that it is an exceptionally well-written horror story.

Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy MG/UMG

The story of a girl who is rescued by her mother from a cult they were both living in. The girl is extremely upset with her mother and wants to go back. A really interesting idea for a story. I thought about this one a lot after I’d finished it.

American Kingpin by Nick Bilton GU

Nonfiction. The story of Ross Ulbricht and how in 2011 he created the Silk Road, a dark-web online marketplace where you could buy or sell drugs, guns, body organs, and nearly any other illegal good. It’s also the story of the government agents who caught him and how they did so. Reads like fiction. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. A fascinating, true story.