My Favorite Books of 2024

Old picture of me and my favorite book ever (in my favorite edition ever)

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful reading year! Mine has been pretty enjoyable. My reading this year has been entirely mood-driven, and while I enjoy the occasional read that makes my brain work hard—my brain has been working extra hard lately, so I’ve needed my reading to be pure enjoyment. Even the nonfiction (especially the nonfiction) has needed to be as engaging as it is informative.

And really—shouldn’t books always be?

[Full disclosure: the following links are affiliate links on Bookshop.org!]

Favorite Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is the best fiction—and although I try to venture outside the bounds of WWII, this year I ended up coming back to that time period over and over again.

The Little Liar by Mitch Albom

You might be tempted to think this book is YA—I did at first—because the main character is an 11yo boy named Nico, but that’s just where the story starts. At the beginning of the book, Nico is pure innocence; he has never told a lie. But then a German officer uses his naivety against him, enlisting him in helping to round up Jews to board trains for Auschwitz. Nico doesn’t realize what’s happening until he sees his own family put on a train. Nico himself is spared, but he vows never to tell the truth again, and spends the rest of his life trying to atone for his sin.

I read this book early in the year, and it’s stayed with me. Definitely one that I would like to re-read, and which might become an all-time favorite. It has similar vibes to The Book Thief. If you want to learn more about it, I highly recommend listening to Mitch Albom’s episode on Adriana Trigiani’s podcast, You Are What You Read.

Also worth mentioning is The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani, about an Italian nurse who falls in love with a Scottish sailor during WWII, and Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra, which is a fascinating story of European refugees in Hollywood during WWII.

Favorite Genre Fiction

I’ve never been much of a reader of genre fiction (scifi, thriller/horror, fantasy, and romance), but now that I work for one of the best publishers of genre fiction in the country—and my business partner is trying her hand at writing romance—I’ve been dipping my toes into it more.

None of these books were life-changing, and I didn’t need them to be. These books are like candy; they’re delicious, engrossing, and fully enjoyable in the moment. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

This Girl’s a Killer by Emma Wells

The editor of this book described this book to me as “a book about your stabby best friend.” The main character Cordelia is just your average 30-something looking for love—with the added little twist that she avenges women who were wronged, killing creepy, abusive, and misogynistic men in brutal ways and then creating paintings with their blood. Don’t worry, I’m not giving away any spoilers; this is all revealed in the first couple chapters. But things start to go wrong when her best friend starts dating a new guy—and Cordelia’s the only one who can tell he’s not what he seems.

I started this book on the plane ride home from New York in October, and I was so anxious to finish it that I missed my husband’s calls at the airport when he was trying to pick me up! And even after I got home, I stayed up till midnight just so I could see how it ended.

Also in the genre fiction category: I needed to see what all of the Freida fanfare was about, so I read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. It was good! Also about a vindictive woman getting moral justice, with a nice twist thrown in.

And stepping away from the stabby murders, I also read a few Emily Henry romances this year. Funny Story was definitely my favorite. The main character is a librarian who is jilted by her fiance, who decides right before their wedding to get together with his childhood friend. Left with no options, she moves in with that girl’s now-ex-boyfriend—and discovers he might be the rebound she didn’t realize she needed. Or maybe not a rebound at all.

Favorite Prescriptive Nonfiction

Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy

This book is so good it was published in 2022 and it hasn’t even come out in paperback yet! I think this book saved my life back in January when our 6yo foster daughter arrived. You can read about some of the challenges we were having with her, and how this book helped me by reading this four-part series I wrote about it:

• Map a Book with Me! Part I: The Big Picture

• Map a Book with Me! Part II: The Transformation

• Map a Book with Me! Part III: Table of Contents

• Map a Book with Me! Part IV: Chapter Structure

[Fun fact: Dr. Becky herself came across these posts and her team invited me to do some freelance writing work on her app! It was small, but definitely a highlight of my freelance career.]

I love this book so much because it’s not about “gentle parenting” (although it is gentle/conscious/informed parenting); it’s about understanding what’s going on in a child’s mind when they “misbehave” and responding to the actual need they have. Now that we have three little ones again right now, it’s definitely time for a re-read!

The other nonfiction book I read this year that I’ve ended up recommending to several others is How to Walk Into a Room by Emily P. Freeman. This is the perfect book for anyone going through a transition in their life—it’s for when you realize that the “room” you’re in isn’t right for you anymore, whether that’s a community, a congregation, or a relationship. It’s also for when you’re excluded from a place you really want to be. This book has had so much resonance for my own life, as I’ve navigated entering motherhood (and then what felt like being kicked out of motherhood when our former foster kids unexpectedly left), closing down my business, and taking on a full-time corporate job again. The rooms in our lives are complex, and Emily P. Freeman shows us how to decide when to stay, when to go, and how to cope with where you are.

I also enjoyed getting to see Emily in person at her book signing in Chattanooga with my friend Camden!

Favorite Memoir

Grayson by Lynne Cox

This book became my hyperfixation this year—and it hasn’t let me go. One of our Map Your Book cohort members used it as a comp title during our course and I was so intrigued that I listened to it immediately on audio. And then bought a physical copy because I absolutely needed to read it again in paper. And I will probably be re-reading it again soon, because it’s that magical and unreal and yet real.

Grayson tells the story of teenage Lynne Cox, who’s doing her normal swimming workout off the coast of Long Beach, when suddenly she realizes something is different. Something big is in the water with her. Thinking it’s a shark, she heads back to shore—only to learn that it’s actually a baby gray whale, who’s been separated from its pod and has been following her. She can’t return to shore because the baby will follow her and beech itself. The whole story takes place over about four hours as Lynne exhausts herself trying to keep this baby alive and every fisherman, coast guard, and boat in the water searches for its pod. But it’s also a spiritual experience, as Lynne observes how Grayson interacts with other sea life and with her, forming a bond that Lynne has cherished ever since.

This book is a short read at less than 200 pages and honestly, if you take nothing else away from this list, this is the book you should read!

Favorite Children’s Books

One of the best parts of fostering has been getting to read books with our fosters every night before bed—even the older ones. Even the 11yo boy who at first turned down my offers to read to him changed his mind because these books are so good. (And, I think, because he needed the love of someone reading for and to him. Stories are meant to be shared together, and I don’t know that he’d ever experienced that before.)

How to Catch a Unicorn by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Andy Elkerton

The entire How to Catch series are continual bestsellers for good reason, but my favorite by far is How to Catch a Unicorn. The story follows a group of children at the zoo as they try to wrangle a wiley unicorn—but who eludes their traps at every turn. It’s delightful and ingenious, and our daughters love following the rainbow trail the unicorn leaves as she flits from page to page.

The Little Blue Truck by Alice Shertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

A classic for a reason! I love this book for helping us teach kindness, helping others, and asking for help. In it, a friendly little blue truck comes along a big, important dump truck stuck in the mud and also gets stuck while trying to help. So the little blue truck enlists its animal friends to help get them both out of the muck and mire.

Angela’s Airplane by Robert Munsch

My nana was a kindergarten teacher, and when she moved to a new state in March, she gifted me many of her Robert Munsch books—including this treasure! Our 6yo was obsessed with this book, mostly because it’s a lot of fun to make all of the sound effects as mischievous Angela sneaks into the pilot’s seat of an empty aircraft, pushes some buttons she’s not supposed to, and takes the airplane on a little adventure!

Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey

One of my neighbors recommended the Dog Man series to me when our tweens came to live with us. This is a series of silly retellings of classic literature. One of my favorite classics is Lord of the Flies, so naturally, we started with Lord of the Fleas! It’s silly to the max and our 11yo foster son loved it so much that I wanted him to have it when he left our home. I hope he loves it and always remembers his few weeks in our home.

Favorite Book I Published This Year

Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book by Liz Morrow and yours truly

Okay, I know this is cheating. But seriously. I’m really proud of Hungry Authors! As I’ve spent even more time with it this year—looking up quotes, teaching from it, talking to authors, and speaking on podcasts—I’ve really felt that it contains all of my best work. It’s almost sad knowing that your best work (so far) is out there in the world now. But I know there’s more to come. 🙂 And I’m so incredibly grateful to everyone who has left reviews and supported us!

What were your favorite books this year? Will you read any of these?