Books YOU Recommended The Most In 2024
Fair reader, you did some READING last year
Hey there! It is day 2 of me wearing red sweaters around the house and it is only fitting to celebrate with the books you liked the most this year.
Part 1 of this series, which involved my personal most recommended books in 2024 lives here (and I have already reminded myself that BEFORE I started this newsletter in March I did read “Good Material” by Dolly Alderton and “All The Sinners Bleed” by SA Crosby and pretty aggressively pushed it on people for a few months, so…. ADD THOSE TO THE LIST IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, they couldn’t be more different but both are terrific and take genre expectations and elevate them to, dare I say, literature).
BUT TODAY IS ABOUT YOU!
So, what did you love so much you had to have your friends read it?
Now, dozens filled out my survey (which, considering the very-hobby-level subscription size of this newsletter is an AMAZING turnout)
And only two books popped up more than once:
(surprise surprise) ALL FOURS by Miranda July because:
….despite all the buzz I haven't actually met anyone else who has read it and still need to discuss - McKee Floyd, consultant/writer/ceramic artist?
… outrageous, thought-provoking, funny, beautifully written - SKG
….this book set me aflame. I’m a 43yo mom and wife and creative. I read all the time, and this book floored me. In general, I find Miranda July a little annoying but I also feel like she’s part of my personal canon. I told my most favorite and discerning friends to read All Fours, doling out the recommendation like a secret, over coffee or in hushed tones in the grocery store aisle. I didn’t bother recommending it to anyone under 40, though. That just seemed wasteful. - Amanda Murray
(btw, if we need a All Fours group chat, I will step away from my underlying suspicion of substack group chat situation and start one - let me know)
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix - (I approve, btw, and did make my Southern book club read it in 2023) - because:
…I am not a horror person but I could not stop reading this one! It felt so grounded and realistic and I loved the women at the center of the book. I also found it deeply enraging and sad and I think about one particular character whenever I get lost in thought. - Elizabeth
for having one of the best opening lines I’ve seen in a LONG time, serving up gorgeous female friendships, and filling the gaping True Blood sized hole in my heart. - Shannon Sheridan, hairstylist and founding member of the Chambray Book Club, est 2014
Some of your picks reminded me of great books I read and loved:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe - easy to read, fun, but also had a lot of heart. Also… OnlyFans and wrestling!! -
of Downtimegod of the woods - bc liz moore is a genius -
(ebats on instagram where we regularly discuss nordic thrillers and Liz Moore)Thursday Murder Club Series- established (completed?) series that is both fun and serious, and resonates with a lot of kids who have aging parents - Anna Derryberry
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - I’ve read 53 books this year (and counting- there’s still a few days until 2025!), and the titles that I repeatedly INSIST my fellow readers add to their holds list are Tom Lake, even though Ann Patchett completely wrecked my theatre kid self and had me drowning in nostalgia (though I never did get to play Emily Webb) AND ALSO Elektra, Ariadne, Atalanta, and Herc, four sensationally fun retellings of Greek Myths by Jennifer Saint and Phoenicia Rogers- Shannon Sheridan, hairstylist and founding member of the Chambray Book Club, est 2014
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - stories of women in Kamchatka that you didn't know you needed to hear - J.S.
All the Colors of the Dark. - It was just that perfect mix of emotion, thriller, epic story, twists, and incredible writing. I’ve recommended it at least a dozen times in the last few months. - Kate Bennett (full disclosure from Svetlana: I am a little on the fence about this one personally - the short chapters and twee-ness of characters kind of drove me crazy, but EVERYONE loves it)
Some of the picks reminded me of books I DEFINITELY OWN but have not gotten to yet:
The Frozen River. I don't know why people aren't talking about this book more, it's incredible. - Megan Biram
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. Immersive story that has it all. - Peter Stewart
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout because always and forever I love her books and her characters so much. Her writing is engrossing and wonderful. The latest is no exception. Also, fwiw I’m an urban transplant now rooted on the coast of Maine, and she nails the voices and sense of place so beautifully. No caricatures. - Amanda Murray
A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy - all of her books are wonderful and soothing, and this one is extra cozy! - Catherine (loves reading)
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica - The book I recommend most I actually read in the last trimester of 2023. Over a year later, and I am still thinking about Tender is the Flesh ... a beautifully translated dystopian horror with a twist. I wish I was proficient in Spanish so I could read it again in it's native language. - Rebekah
James by Percival Everett - It deserves all the hype it got and is funnier and funnier the more you think about it. You do not need to reread Huckleberry Finn to “get it”. The ease of his writing style makes it digestible literary fiction even to those who tend to not read litfic. It’s astounding what he can pack into a slim novel- speaking as much to the time it was set as to 2024 America. Giving voice & nuance & heart to the fully human “side kick” of an American classic is it worth a read (and a re-read.) phenomenal on audio. - Jenna - @extracreditBC
And some were just good old fashioned new-to-me, which is always thrilling:
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman - I recommend this book the most because, despite being a fantasy novel about King Arthur, it felt like a very 2024 book: it was about a broken nation, and what it takes to rebuild it. - Alan “I want to be credited as the person who recommended Birnam Wood to you” (note: this is true and high praise, and “Birnam Wood” was probably my personal most recommended book of 2023 - Svetlana)
Husbands by Holly Gramazio. I mean it is a ridiculous adventure that plays on everyone’s obsession with the Multiverse and our own desires to find the perfect man. - Nicki G - Publicist who uses reading to recover from social events
Service by Sarah Gilmartin - it was the book that I just keep thinking about. - Jill Tyler
‘Consumed’ by David Cronenberg. If you are a horror fan, and like Cronenberg’s films, this is the best of both worlds. Why I recommend it? As a horror fan I’ve seen and read it all, nothing has truly shocked me in a very long time. So saying I had to put this one down a few times and I was totally creeped out is something. It’s a slow-burn, menacing creep. Perhaps I was picturing this as a Cronenberg film in my head as I read and visualized it, and maybe that was what did it? From a technical perspective, the writing is tight and very descriptive where it needs to be. - Roy D
By Any Other Name, by Jodi Picoult. I do not feel cool for this pick, but I ran through this book like a house on fire, I started reading it and I did not put it down. Historical fiction about Shakespeare, or rather the person whose work Shakespeare got the credit for, and it is absolutely addictive. - Sara
How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis. Its been a year of uncovering the names of various chronic illnesses I've been suffering from for years. Also some neurodivergence. This book set me free from the self-blame I've carried my entire adult life for struggling with logistics, of which cleaning is a big piece. My spouse carries so much and I've taken on shame for not being the "partner" I can imagine in my mind. The book object itself is a wonder in design. It's written for quick little interactions. It has an alternate reading path for folks who want to experience it in an hour at most. It explains metaphors for those who think hyper literally. It includes little illustrations. It zooms close to the micro practical and out to the philosophical. It's meant for active use and slow reflection and does both at the same time. I can't stop talking about it. -
, writer, namingblueCanto Contigo by Jonny Villa Garza — a most charming queer YA love story that explores Mexican culture in the US. The main character, Rafie, is a high school mariachi star who moves to a new school for his senior year and struggles to overcome the death of his beloved grandfather, who was his mariachi mentor. His frontman status is upended by Rey, a trans young man at this new school, who challenges his ego but captures his heart. Reads like a romcom movie you’ll never forget. Loved it! - Nicholas Brown-Cáceres, your local book nerd and #1 proponent of dropping everything to travel to Mexico
So, there you have it! Overall, I AM VERY PROUD OF US. We did some reading, we talked about some reading, we were excited to get other people to do the same. Please feel free to continue the recs chain in the comments, and all that other communal stuff.
p.s. I will be delivering A LOT of emails over the next two weeks - a holiday viewing thing, some starter-pack-for-2025 stuff, etc, hope that’s ok.