I read some truly wonderful books in 2024, and I want to share them (and my reviews!) with you. When you click on a book below, it will take you to Bookshop.org, so you can support both fabulous authors and independent bookstores.
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When Among Crows
VERONICA ROTH
“When Among Crows” feels real and tangible in a way that makes me recognize Chicago. It is also fantastic in the old sense of the word, in that it feels like a curtain has been pulled away so that I step into a magical backstage. For something without any ordinary mortals, it is so grounded in emotion and intergenerational trauma. I loved it.
As a bonus I sat down with Veronica to talk all about it. Watch the spoiler free interview below.
Someone You Can Build a Nest in
JOHN WISWELL
Before I even halfway through the book, I had a list of people that needed to read it. You are one of them. This is the book for everyone who has ever struggled just to make it through the day pretending to be human. It’s funny and heartbreaking and gross and lovely. It is the kind of book that I want to read again.
Starling House
ALIX E. HARROW
Being from the South, I know these places and these people. This book takes you deep under the skin to Underland. Parts of it feel so real that I wanted to reach for the internet to see if this was history I’d just forgotten. I’m a sucker for books that make me cry and this one did, more than once. Once from sadness, once from rage, and once from hope. I loved everything about it.
Remember You Will Die
EDEN ROBINS
Remember You Will Die is the kind of book that make you use words like “audacious.” It is told entirely through obituaries, dictionary entries, found letters, and it is compelling. It is moving. It makes you think deeply. I started teaching this book before I finished reading it because it does so many really cool things. Anytime someone says a book has to have a main character, a book has to have conflict, I want to hand them this book. It shows how you can have tension and strong emotion without having a conflict, without having a linear timeline. This is just amazing. Loved it. Highly recommend it. I know that some people will bounce off of it because of the format, but trust me– everything ties together. Not a single word is wasted.
Spirits Distilled: A Guide to the Ingredients Behind a Better Bottle
NAT HENRY
Spirits Distilled is such an engaging read. As an enthusiastic amateur, it gave me a lot to think about and makes me feel more confident in seeking out new (to me) spirits. I started recommending it to people before I even finished it. If you are into cocktails or spirits, this should be on your bookshelf.
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
JOHN SCALZI
This is one of those books that should absolutely not work. It does. I laughed in an airport lounge loudly enough that people turned to look at me. I also cried MORE THAN ONCE over a book about a MOON MADE OF CHEESE. Fuck you, John Scalzi. How dare.
Storm Waters
KAT RICHARDSON
I fully expected Humphrey Bogart to rise from his grave and volunteer to narrate Storm Waters. Kat Richardson has managed to capture that gritty noir feel of post-prohibition Hollywood. Marty Storm is tortured — physically and also just really messed up emotionally — and the mystery takes twists I wasn’t expecting. It’s a noir and stormy ride.
