As my first full year of retirement from librarian work comes to a close, I read more books this year than any other, topping off at 85 books! I don’t review every book, so if you wish to see all the books I read, feel free to friend me over at GoodReads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2024/25097865). As for the ongoing debate featured in a WSJ article about whether audiobooks count for reading, (https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/best-books-audiobooks-reading-literature-a58f5d00) I believe they do count, but I choose the book carefully. Murder mysteries and suspenseful action books are good audio choices for me, since I typically listen on long walks or driving around for errands. I may read a nonfiction book, like a memoir, as an audiobook, to hear the author share their story in their own voice, as I did this year with Barbra Streisand and Matthew Perry. Sometimes I even do both: I listened to Nuclear War: A Scenario, then went back to the physical book and read sections more closely. What is your opinion on the debate?

With so many books to assess, I created a table this year, ranking the most impactful books in three tiers:

Note that not all of these books were published in 2024, merely that I read them in 2024. My criteria? I am considering how well written, well developed ideas, some thematic depth, emotionally impactful, and staying power, or how long I keep thinking about the book. Finally, would I read it again? Let’s consider Fiction first.

I think many readers agree with me that Table for Two had great staying power and was an easy choice, as it was my most viewed review of the year by a long shot. Amor Towles is a true craftsman (be sure to read A Gentleman in Moscow, then watch the Amazon Prime mini-series.) James was a successful creative experiment. As a mystery fan, The God of the Woods was doubtless the best of genre this year. I am a huge Elizabeth Strout fan, so Tell Me Everything had to make the cut, with the reappearance of one of my favorite characters in literature, Olive Kitteridge (who also made the Best of 2019 list.) Finally, while I was disappointed with A Woman Underground, I feel the entire Cameron Winter series by Andrew Klavan is important and worthwhile reading in many ways. I hope he recovers from this slight stumble, and continues the series strong. Finally North Woods by Daniel Mason is clever, smart, funny, inventive— not to be missed.

Under Fiction: So Close, these also rans include some great reading experiences. I’m getting to the point where I’ll read Richard Osman’s grocery lists— write faster, sir, please. Tana French’s series of The Searcher, and this year’s The Hunter is captivating. Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop was endearing and thoughtful, beautifully reflective. While many loved The Women, and many didn’t care for it, I felt it covered a necessary piece of history, a woman’s experience of the Vietnam War, and Kristin Hannah was the right author for the material. The Berry Pickers touched me on a deeply emotional level, such that I find it hard to rationally explain—the magic of literature. Erasure was a smart book, which should be followed by viewing the movie American Fiction.

My Worth A Mention novels were each rewarding in its own way, although suffered from some flaw or other that kept it from the top two tiers. I still believe you will miss something special if you don’t read them, so do pick them up. To your TBR list of 18 fiction novels, let’s turn to the Best of Nonfiction this year.

I must first mention some nonfiction I just didn’t have time to read this year, but will certainly appear in my 2025 reviews: Grief Is for People, by Sloan Crosley, Slow Productivity, by Cal Newport, Bad Therapy, by Abigail Shrier, Patriot, by Alexei Navalny, When the Sea Came Alive, by Garrett M Graff, Blind Spots, by Marty Makary, and On the Edge, by Nate Silver. I cannot personally attest to the quality of these books, but I strongly suspect they are very worthwhile. I am sure some of these may have bumped out my Best of selections.

The Anxious Generation and Irreversible Damage are both important books if you care about the children growing up today. For all the children in your life, you owe it to them to be well informed. These are must-reads. Rudolf Diesel and The Wide Wide Sea were excellent historical stories—I love learning more about these niche subjects. If you grew up near a coastline (as I did), or live near Rhode Island (as I do now), the impact of hurricanes cannot be underestimated. I challenge some author to write the story of Super Storm Sandy as well as R.A. Scotti did the Hurricane of 1938 in Sudden Sea.

Turning to Nonfiction: So Close, we have a wide range of topics, covered in fascinating ways. The Art Thief and Sociopath are more psychological studies of outliers in society— I have a weakness for examinations of aberrant behavior. Hillbilly Elegy is important for understanding where our influential VP-to-be comes from. Nuclear War: a Scenario, while frightening, is important for all of us to be aware of and understand. Swedish Death Cleaning was important to me this year, and will continue to be a practice for me. Hilary Mantel’s memoir is a pleasure, especially if you enjoyed her Thomas Cromwell fiction series— she was a fantastic author, whom we lost in 2022. Finally, I snuck in Sebastian Junger’s latest book. His books are more like lengthy essays, can almost be read in one sitting, and always document interesting experiences with worthwhile, singular reflections.

This year I included a classic book review, and I was surprised at the great number of views! Kristin Lavransdatter was the fifth most viewed review on my blog this year, a delightful surprise (https://www.margueritereads.com/home/kristin-lavransdatter-by-sigrid-undset?rq=kristin%20lavransdatter ). Here’s a sneak preview: I plan to re-read and review The Great Gatsby in 2025, for its 100th anniversary of publication. I have other classics I plan to revisit, or read for the first time, so keep coming back!

What a strong year for publishing! Be sure to save your money and use your public library. Some of my favorite books came from joining a book discussion group at my local library, something I recommend to everyone. Please leave me comments and suggestions! I try to respond to everyone. Hope you are enjoying this wonderful season, and wishing you the happiest New Year, as we read together.