my 10 favorite books of 2024
It's that time of year again.
Y’all know the drill. Let’s get into it, shall we?
I read 58 books in 2024. At least a third of those books were manga (because of grad school, my brain couldn’t handle much more). I’m excited to rededicate myself to poetry and prose, post-graduation.
This list is ranked, descending to my top reads of the year. As a caveat for some notable titles that didn’t make the list: I haven’t read Intermezzo yet! It’s sitting on my nightstand, along with the sequel to House in the Cerulean Sea, and volume two of The Summer Hikaru Died. I will get to them. I promise.
I also can’t put a book by a very dear friend on here because it “hasn’t been published yet” or whatever. Personally, I find that evil because the book is by far the best thing I’ve read in a long, long time. (And if publishing doesn’t agree when she sets out to query it, I will riot.)
Anyway. Onto the list!
10. The Guest, Emma Cline. I really enjoyed this! It goes by at a speedy clip, and is quite engaging. It scratches a drama-focused itch in my brain, to the beat of succinct, smart prose. I love literary fiction and I love watching messy characters ruin their own lives.
9. Their Vicious Games, Joelle Wellington. I’m biased because Joelle is one of my besties, and I got to read this book back when it was called Bloodsport. This year, I finally got to it in its final iteration. I’m 99.9% sure that I’m being objective when I say that this book is so good. It’s thrilling, it’s twisty, it’s hilarious, and the characters are so fun to read/watch. I love when pretty girls do insane things, and that’s the conceit of the entire book. It’s a class dissection, a teenage girl dissection, and everything in-between.
8. Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno Garcia. This is my favorite SMG book thus far. I keep thinking about the story, the curse, the codependent relationship between the two leads. This novel has burrowed a hole in my brain and got real cozy in it. Such an experience is a rarity. I have so much respect for stories that stick with me, and this one definitely managed to.
7. The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 1, Mokumokuren, translated by Ajani Oloye. I read a lot of manga this year, but this was my favorite. I love a story that weaves external supernatural elements with the internal foreignness of coming-of-age. The art is also evocative and stunning. There are some full-page spreads that absolutely take my breath away. It’s getting adapted into an anime, as it should.
6. Assassin’s Apprentice, Robin Hobb. This book singlehandedly made me fall in love with fantasy again. I texted a friend saying that it had me “out here experiencing emotions”, which is a tough thing for a book to manage. I’m reading the third book in the first trilogy now, and I love this cast like they are my literal blood relatives.
5. The Secret History, Donna Tartt. Needs no introduction, I’m sure. I know a lot of people say they’re “getting to this one”, and it’s hard to get past the rather slow start. But the ending makes it all worth it. I highly suggest bumping this up on your TBR (I know it’s on there). It’s a story that sticks with you, tacky on the back of your brain, and I love a book that does that. If you do too, commit to get through this tome.
4. Cleopatra and Frankenstein, Coco Mellors. Reader, I inhaled this book. I love a well-written character drama. There’s literally nothing in my life I’m more obsessed with. Coco Mellors has her finger on the pulse. The pulse of what? Honestly, I’m not quite sure. Self-destructive rich people in New York City, perhaps. I won’t pretend to know. But I will sit down to be entertained by everything she writes. This book is twisty, funny, and fast-paced. You can ask for nothing more.
3. A History of Fear, Luke Dumas: I’ve recommended this book before on this newsletter, but it deserves to be mentioned twice. It is that good. It’s captivating, funny, chilling, mysterious, queer. The last line of the book literally made me gasp. I haven’t felt like that since reading Goosebumps as a kid. What a read, what a ride.
2. Just Kids, Patti Smith. A friend described this as necessary reading for artists, and I agree. It’s such a touching, heartfelt tribute to both Patti and Robert’s lives, their art, and their friendship. It completely revolutionized the way I think about myself as an artist, my community, and what it means to be of an age and in conversation with the world. Poetically written and easily readable, I can’t recommend this one enough.
1. My Dark Vanessa, Kate Elizabeth Russell. I am very sad about the author being chased off of social media and forced to divulge personal information that she had not wished to. This book is a work of art. We are lucky to have it, and I wish the situation would’ve unfolded differently. I think this is one of the best books I’ve read in years, let alone this year. It is raw, heartfelt, and deeply necessary. I hope Kate Elizabeth Russell writes more soon.
Please make any and all recommendations for books you think I’d enjoy in 2025. I’d love to hear them. In the meantime, happy reading, and happy new year!
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