Here are a few of the standouts from this year for me:
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister (also a great audio book!)
Non Fiction
An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin (In the audiobook edition, there are marvelous instances of presidential speeches, which are provided in the original speaker’s format. For example, if Goodwin mentions a JFK speech excerpt, then the audiobook is narrated by a clip of JFK’s voice of the speech. Of course, this is another example where the author narration of the book is enjoyable, too.)
It’s been a while since I read There are Rivers in the Sky, but it seems like the parts about the Epic of Gilgamesh were more centered on a rare physical copy of the work, rather than the text itself. If you end up reading it you’ll have to let me know if it enhanced your reading experience of the novel.
Rivers was one of those books that had me constantly doing Google searches to see which parts of it were true (a whole bunch, it turns out). That’s my favorite kind of historical fiction, where fictional characters are set in a largely factual context.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far; adding a bunch to my reading list for 2025! The books I have loved the most this year have been:
Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Wifedom by Anna Funder Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
If I had to pick an absolute favourite/s, it would be the first and the last on this list. The first is a cracking debut novel with a cast of eccentric characters I never wanted to say goodbye to. The last is an incredible, genre-defying achievement by a novelist at the height of his power.
Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore
This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
The Cliffs by J Courtney Sullivan
The Women by Kristen Hannah
The Sun is a Compass by Caroline Van Hemert
Educated by Tara Westover
The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Funny Story by Emily Henry
After I do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
These are a few of the books I LOVED reading in 2024
The Plot / Jean Hanff Korelitz, ( great mystery!)
The Undoing of June Farrow/ Adrienne Young
There are Rivers in the Sky/ Elif Shafak
Tell Me Everything / Elizabeth Strout
Crow Mary/ Kathleen Grissom
All the Colors of the Dark/ Chris Whittaker
These were my favorites this year
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
James by Percival Everett
The Women by Kirstin Hannah
clear by Cary’s Davies
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
Salt House ms by Hala Alyan
Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina
The Lion Women of Tehran Marjam Kamala
Camp Zero by Michelke Min Sterling
Things in Jars Jess Kidd
Weyward Emilia Heart
What the Wind Knows Amy Harmon
Dog Stars and Burn both by Peter Heller
Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
The Bear by Andrew Krivak
Red Rabbit by Alex Grecien
The Bog Wife Kay Chronister
The Mighty Red Louise Erdrich
The Witching Tide Margaret Meyer
Small things Like these Claire Keegan
The house on Needless street Catriona Ward
I’m really glad that one’s coming up for discussion, @Jennifer_C1. I’m not sure I’d get to it otherwise. It opens January 23rd, and I hope you’ll join us!
My favorite books in 2024:
The Unfinished Love Story, Doris Kearns Goodwin
The House of Doors, Tan Rwan Eng
The Anomaly, Hervé Le Tellier
Master Slave Husband Wife, Ilyon Woo
The Frozen River, Ariel Lawhon
Thank you for sharing your lists. It will be good reference for my bookclubs.
That’s great Gabi, thanks for letting me know. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. Nodar in particular is such a wonderful huge-hearted character!
Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Wifedom by Anna Funder
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner