The 24 Books I Read and Loved in 2024** post has become one of my favourite annual challenges, especially when it comes to writing these mini book reviews. I’m reminded of just how much I loved each of these books and also how incredibly enriching it is to be a reader. In my debut book, Bringing Up Race, I wrote a chapter titled ‘Books Will Save the World’ because I really believe they can. So many studies have shown the benefits of reading and yet literacy rates continue to fall in shocking numbers. If there’s one resolution you should make for the coming year: read more books and encourage your kids to read more too. You will be doing yourselves a world of good.
24 Books I Read and Loved in 2024
My 24 books of the year brought me untold joy and several of them have become all-time favourites. For those who practice jolabokaflod (the Icelandic tradition of curling up with a book on Christmas Eve), here’s some extra inspiration. There are stories in a variety of genres (e.g. mystery, nonfiction, poetry) and as a Wainwright Children’s Prize judge this year, I included 4 outstanding books from the shortlist. Happy reading!
Books I Couldn’t Get Out of My Head
Come And Get It by Kiley Reid
I read this on a DIY writing retreat in Lisbon and found it delicious and utterly engrossing. Kiley Reid has become known for her social commentary about messy people getting tangled in each other’s increasingly twisty lives. This book didn’t get as many accolades as her debut Such A Fun Age but if anything, I enjoyed it more. Set mostly on a college campus, it’s a razor-sharp, funny and often poignant take on class, race, university politics, ambition, desire, and self-actualisation. Some have called it ‘plotless’ but I’d describe it as slow motion car crash literature — it builds and builds until things go tits up and all the time, you can’t look away. Come and Get It is a masterclass in characterisation, narrative tension, and cutting deep with the lightest touch. One of the standout books of 2024.
All Fours by Miranda July
The book everyone’s talking about, or at least every woman of a certain age. I won’t lie, I came for the smut and I wasn’t disappointed but this is more than just a brazen sex-fest. It’s a raw, vulnerable, occasionally hilarious portrait of a woman having not so much a midlife crisis as an unravelling. After bidding her husband and child farewell for a cross-country road trip, the protagonist takes a detour to a local motel. Here she lives out a fantasy life while trying to come to terms with her menopausal symptoms, a wildly inappropriate crush, and a traumatic incident in her past. Though writing with strong echoes from her own life, Miranda July presents us with a narrator so unreliable that she can’t even trust her next move and yet we root for her. All Fours was like a fever dream. I was mesmerised by the author’s lucid, at times hallucinatory prose and her piercing takes on ageing, motherhood, and the strange dance that happens between people who can never fully say what they need. An astonishing read in more ways than one.
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
If there’s a book on this list that I would pair with All Fours, it would be this one by Jenny Erpenbeck. Like Miranda July’s book, Kairos deals with an age-gap relationship although this man and woman are decades apart. Kairos captures Berlin before the wall came down, a city that’s on the cusp of rapid change while still haunted by its history. What starts off as an illicit, electric love affair becomes a tale of coercive control, jealousy and betrayal that makes you question everything that came before. Erpenbeck’s writing is so finely tuned to her characters’ sensibilities that by the end, it felt claustrophobic and I couldn’t wait to break free. However, it was also the musicality and intricacy of her writing that kept this story turning in my mind long after I turned the final page.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
You know when a book arrives with a ton of buzz and a part of you wants to ignore it, but then you read it and it’s better than the hype? The Ministry of Time is a generation-crossing, genre-bending, urban sci-fi fantasy with a touch of mystery and a sprinkling of magic. Oh, and it’s also a rom-com with sex scenes that will make your toes curl (in a good way). I don’t want to say too much about the plot but it’s essentially a fish out of water story in which a modern woman winds up chaperoning and then falling for a man from the past. There are elements of The Time Traveller’s Wife and One Day and glimmers of 1984, but this story is entirely its own invention. And Kaliane Bradley’s writing is in another dimension.
We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker
At first, I found the voice of this novel a little too stylised. However, several chapters in I was seduced by the lilting, American Western drawl of the narration and especially by the central characters. The book revolves around a bunch of small-town misfits caught up in a murder that implicates every one of them in some way. When Duchess Radley and her little brother Robin are forced to flee their home, it’s up to police chief Walker (nursing his own secrets and sorrows) to keep track of who’s after them, while trying to figure out who killed their mother Star. Author Chris Whitaker deftly weaves an atmospheric mystery-suspense tale with an emotionally charged coming of age story that I didn’t want to end.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
A successful podcaster is hired to teach a podcasting class at the boarding school where she spent several miserable years as a teenager. Here, she grapples with some of the old insecurities that plagued her time there, but also with the sense that the murderer of her former roommate might still be lurking. Back then, a Black man was accused of the crime but Bodie (our protagonist) becomes increasingly convinced that someone else was responsible. Against its #MeToo backdrop, Rebecca Makkai’s mystery novel also explores race, identity, the true crime obsession, and the blurring of lines between teacher and student, past and present, stories and real life.
Books I Want Everyone to Read
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Sam and Sadie meet as kids and befriend each other through a shared love of gaming. A chance encounter as adults sets them off on a journey of friendship, romance, fame, competition, heartbreak, and healing. Their story spans years that feel like multiple lifetimes and takes many diversions, yet it’s their connection that pulses throughout this gorgeous gem of a novel. I fell hard for the main characters and for Zevin’s writing which is as immersive and playful and open-ended as the video games her characters create. A life-affirming tribute to love and the power of storytelling that is not only my book of the year but on the list of my best books of the 21st century so far.
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
Imagine Hamlet was staged in Palestine by a group of local players and one returnee from England? That’s the setup in this riveting tale that begins in north London and takes us into the heart of a nation under occupation. Sonia is an actress who’s recovering from a breakup and comes back to her homeland in Haifa after years away, joining a Hamlet production in the West Bank. She finds herself caught between her childhood memories and the confronting nature of reality, the shadow of her ex and a new romantic interest, and the challenges of making art when oppressive forces stand in your way. This is a richly textured story with clever interplay between Shakespeare’s drama and our heroine’s journey. Isabella Hammad writes beautifully and the audiobook narrator did an outstanding job with every voice and accent so that I felt like I was living the experience. At a time when the Palestinian people and culture are threatened with eradication, this deeply humanising novel couldn’t be a more illuminating and essential read.
Water Baby by Chioma Okereke
There’s a community in Lagos that lives entirely on water, like our own version of Venice, except Makoko is a floating slum. I’ve driven past many times but never ventured in, until author Chioma Okereke invited me deep inside through the eyes of her heroine Baby. As she steers her canoe boat along the lagoon, Baby dreams of flying higher and when opportunity knocks, we follow her from water to land to sky and back down to earth. Can she find her wings and use them to help lift up the people and place she calls home? Water Baby is a fictional tale written with care for the real world environment of Makoko and its inhabitants. I was utterly submerged in the story thanks to its lifelike characters, vivid descriptions, and the author’s fluid prose.
Global by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
This might be the first graphic novel to make my year-end lists and it’s a stunner. One of several books that I read as a judge for the Wainwright Prize for Children’s Nature Writing, Global is also the first graphic novel to win Best Runner Up at the prize ceremony. It’s a story of survival told through the experiences of two children on opposite sides of the planet: Sami in the Bay of Bengal and Yuki in Nova Scotia. Their daily lives are defined by struggle in the face of climate change but also by bravery, humour, and hope. The story bursts off the pages with its distinctive and emotive art style and spare, captivating writing. I was hooked from start to finish and highly recommend this especially if you have big kids and teens who find it hard to engage with ordinary texts.
Monsters by Claire Dederer
What do we do when the artists we love commit monstrous acts? That is the question driving this book, although perhaps the underlying question is what we do when the artists we’ve turned into gods show us their full humanity. Art critic Claire Dederer wrestles with a conundrum that feels ever more timely in the era of social media and the constant threat of being ‘cancelled’. She picks through Western icons from Woody Allen to Hemingway to Picasso and others, exposing the dark side of genius and how we respond to it. She doesn’t offer easy answers but she does force us to reckon with our lust for greatness, how easily we are seduced by art, the monsters that lurk within us all, and why love is central to this question. Funny, incisive and brilliantly written, Monsters is a conversation starter and a thinker’s feast.
Foxlight by Katya Balen
Oh, this book. Winner of the Wainwright Prize for Children’s Nature Writing, it was our unanimous pick as jurors. Two abandoned children are found in a foxes’ den and raised among other foundlings at the edge of the wildlands. Fen hears the call of the fox in her heart, while her younger sister Rey is more rooted in the natural world. One day, they decide to leave safety in search of the mother who left them behind. Thus begins a deeply affecting and enchanting tale of two sisters losing and finding themselves against the odds. Beautifully written in lyrical streams of consciousness, Foxlight hums with life, loss and sheer awe at both the beauty and the terror of nature.
Books That Totally Stole My Heart
You Are Here by David Nicholls
I’m a David Nicholls fan girl (One Day, Starter for Ten, Us) and his latest novel, You Are Here, does not disappoint. In fact, he says it’s his favourite and it’s hard to disagree. By the end of the book, I was so enmeshed with the characters that I found myself reading extra slowly so it didn’t finish too soon. We meet midlife single Marnie and recently separated Michael who, for different reasons, wind up on a cross-country walking tour. Along the way, a burgeoning friendship sparks into something more, but will it last the distance? There are few writers like Nicholls who can make you laugh and break your heart, often in the same paragraph. Closely observed, at times painfully funny, You Are Here is an inspiring (and perspiring) love story for the ages. And it might make you want to dust off your walking boots too.
This Motherless Land by Nikki May
Nikki May’s debut Wahala was a blockbuster hit and I gobbled it up. Her follow-up is more of a slow burner but every bit as engaging with characters you won’t forget in a hurry. Billed as a ‘decolonial reimagining’ of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, This Motherless Land tells of Funke, born and bred in Lagos, and her cousin Liz, growing up in ‘grey and rainy’ England. When tragedy strikes, Funke winds up with Liz and they become as thick as thieves, until fate pulls them apart again. Taking us from 1978 through to 1992, this nostalgic coming of age tale brims with humour and emotion, as well as May’s obvious affection for both her native Nigeria and her British roots. I absolutely loved this book. From the relatable characters and familiar descriptions to the author’s sharp-eyed observations on race, culture, family and power dynamics. I listened on audio and the voice actors (particularly Weruche Opia as Funke/Nigerian characters) were fantastic too.
The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
If you haven’t heard of this book, I don’t know where you were in 2024 since it was the breakthrough debut of the year and a No.3 Sunday Times bestseller. It’s set in 1979 during the Yorkshire Ripper’s reign of terror and Jennie Godfrey’s writing breathes life not only into her protagonist and her community, but into the mood and feeling of the era. When women and girls go missing and local men come under suspicion, 12 year old Miv and her bestie Sharon decide to keep a list of suspicious things, in hope of catching the killer. As they widen their net, inevitably the people Miv loves (and the ones she fears) become tangled in it too, with devastating results. Another incredible audiobook performance with a stellar cast of voices, this was a fully immersive story that had me bawling at one point but never left me in the dumps. An instant classic that deserves all the praise.
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr
Clayton Stumper is a late bloomer, raised by celebrated crossword creator Pippa Allsbrook in a house full of puzzle makers. When his adoptive mum passes on, she leaves behind a series of clues for him to find his birth parents. Clayton must use his wits, with support from members of the fellowship, to crack the code to his own identity. Along the way, he might find first love and we, the readers, will enjoy an endearing mystery that flips from Pippa’s past to Clayton’s present. If you love puzzles as much as I do, you’ll be tickled by the trail of clues to solve, as well as charmed by the eccentric characters in this heartwarming tale.
Skrimsli by Nicola Davies
Another jewel from this year’s Wainwright Children’s Prize list, I think this might be my personal favourite. It’s one of the most extraordinary children’s books I’ve ever read. This is the origin story of Skrimsli, the tiger sea captain that readers fell in love with in The Song That Sings Us. Here Skrimsli is imprisoned in a travelling circus, in a world where animals share their thoughts with special humans, although he hasn’t yet found his voice. Skrimsli joins forces with new friends Owl and Kal, along with a desert princess, and a chihuahua who believes she’s a wolf. Together, they must battle an evil ringmaster, twin assassins, and the power hungry men whose greed threatens not just animals but all life on earth. Nicola Davies is a gifted writer and Skrimsli made me feel like a child again, discovering the wonder of stories for the first time.
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Following his mega-hit The Midnight Library, Matt Haig turns to Ibiza, a magical setting that becomes transformative for the protagonist Grace Winters. A retired maths teacher, Grace receives an unusual invitation from a former colleague and decides to throw caution to the wind. Arriving in Ibiza, the last place she expected to find herself as a senior citizen, Grace learns there’s much more to this island than meets the eye. While trying to figure out what actually happened to her colleague, Grace discovers a mysterious life force that has the power to upend everything she knows. But is she fully ready to take the plunge? Or has this all been one giant miscalculation? Matt Haig has given us another heroine to root for in Grace and another bewitching story that made me pause to re-read certain passages. This book is everything I love about his writing: philosophical, funny, whimsical, deceptively simple, profoundly entertaining, and ultimately enthused about this thing called life.
Books I Will Return to Again and Again
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Is this the first time I’ve listed the same author twice on the same list? Probably but I have good reason. Not only did Gabrielle Zevin write my book of the year (see above) but she’s written a book that I plan to reread at least once every few years. It’s a brief, bittersweet read in some respects while also being funny and big-hearted. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry is a midlife coming of age story about AJ, an introverted widower who runs a failing bookstore in a small town. When two-year-old Maya lands on his doorstep, his life changes forever, and so does the town. Zevin’s stirring portrait of grief, found family and second chance romance is also an ode to the joy of reading and the fellowship that comes through loving books.
1000 Words by Jami Attenberg
This was another book that I took with me on my DIY writing retreat to Lisbon. It was the perfect read to get me in the writing zone and to encourage me whenever I hit a wall. Jami Attenberg is the creator of the wildly popular 1000 Words of Summer writing challenge and I subscribe to her fantastic newsletter, Craft Talk. I really enjoy her notes on the literary life and her warm, witty voice. In this book you’ll hear not just from Jami but from a host of brilliant minds, including Roxane Gay, Celeste Ng, Deeshaw Philyaw and other award-winning writers. Whether you’re a beginner or an established writer, 1000 Words will give you the motivation to keep putting one word after another.
Let The Light Pour In by Lemn Sissay
I was lucky enough to hear Lemn Sissay reading excerpts from this book at the Groucho Club’s World Book Night event. He dashed off before I could get my copy signed, but I’m so glad I came home with this book. Not only does it reflect one of my words of the year (Light), it’s an uplifting, tender, playful and poignant take on topics ranging from grief and depression to longing and belonging. Lemn began this collection based on a morning practice of sharing a quatrain (a 4-line rhyming poem) every day on social media. I have so many pages bookmarked with sticky notes and every time I look at the book, my overwhelming feeling is joy. Thank you Lemn.
Wilding by Isabella Tree and Angela Harding (illustrator)
The final inclusion from my list of Wainwright Children’s Nature Prize books and the only one I gave a 10 out of 10. Wilding is a staggering labour of love told through breezy text and stunning hand-drawn and linocut illustrations. It recounts the incredible story of the re-wilding project taken on by author Isabella Tree and her husband, owners of the Knepp Estate in West Sussex. It’s a testament to the interconnectedness of everything in nature, including the ‘wood wide web’ of fungi. I loved learning about the badger they named Banksy and the return of the White Stork after 600 years. The book is full of tips on living a ‘wilder life’ and how humans can become a keystone species helping to maintain balance in the ecosystem. Most of all, Wilding is full of hope. There’s a more grownup version that came out earlier but this illustrated guide is ideal for any age.
Top Doll by Karen McCarthy Woolf
Disclaimer: the author Karen McCarthy Woolf is a friend and I haven’t finished this book yet, but it’s already a top 2024 pick (and I’ll have completed it over the holiday break). Don’t just take my word for it though as Top Doll has received a ton of critical praise including being shortlisted for the prestigious TS Eliot Prize for Poetry. A novel partly in verse, Top Doll tells the legend (in their own words) of some of the dolls collected by reclusive billionaire Huguette Clark. It’s an intriguing and outlandish narrative that crosses the boundaries of space, time and common sense and yet never loses its thread. Karen has so effectively channelled the voices of her dolls that they feel like living, breathing beings. From race and gender politics to queer liberation, there’s some heavy stuff in here. But it’s a rollicking read and Karen’s brilliant, buoyant writing keeps you floating along. The characters linger and I know I’ll come back again to hear Dolly, The General, Lady Mamiko, the Barbies and Miss Ting.
Drink Water and Mind Your Business: A Black Woman’s Guide to Unlearning the BS and Healing Your Self-Esteem by Dr Donna Oriowo
Since I was a teen, I’ve heard a lot of talk about self-esteem and why we need it. However, it’s not so straightforward when you’re up against powerful systems that hold you back no matter how hard you try to crack through. Dr Donna Oriowo’s book is a love letter to Black women specifically since across Western society, we bear the twin burdens of racism and sexism. Addressing us directly in conversational language laced with professional wisdom, Dr Oriowo explores what self-esteem really is, how we can set better boundaries and place more value on our own worth. It’s an empowering and resonant book that will make you shake your head, laugh out loud, and occasionally punch the air. I read a proof copy but you can preorder now to get your hands on the book in 2025.
My Tsundoku List
A quick shoutout to books that are on my bedside (or Kindle/Audio) reading pile that I’m intending to dive into over the holidays: Playing Games by Huma Qureshi, James by Percival Everett, How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie, Butter by Asato Yuzuki, The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner and Love Me by Marianne Power. Just to name a few!
My Previous Lists
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**I’ll be sharing book recommendations via my social media throughout the year (follow @BabesaboutTown on Instagram and Twitter).
From Baby Room to Toddler Paradise: A Helping Hand for the Perfect Transition
