TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2024

here are 10 of my favorite books i read in 2024 in no particular order, along with a little explanation of why i loved them. i read 18 books in 2024 and almost every book i read this year ruled! consider everything on this list to be a recommendation and check out my reading round up if you want a more in-depth look at everything i read this year!

Ghost Summer: Stories by Tananarive Due

"In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by Otherness. Featuring an award-winning novella and fifteen stories-one of which has never been published before-GHOST SUMMER: STORIES, is sure to both haunt and delight."

this was the last book i read of 2024 and also one of the best i've read in a long time. i was enchanted by Due's prose and reading her work made me want to write because i felt so inspired. the afterword of the book is written by her husband and writing partner and he goes into detail about how Due's work has a poetry about it that is unmatched and we seek that poetry and i couldn't agree more. there's no author i can think of more worthy of the description of "evocative". and beyond just her impressive sentences, the structures of the stories, as well as the themes that connected them felt masterfully built. i adored this book.

A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper

"Three years after running away from home, Olivia is stuck with a dead-end job in nowhere town Chapel Hill, Pennsylvania. At least she has her best friend, Sunflower. Olivia figures she'll die in Chapel Hill, if not from boredom, then the summer night storm which crashes into town with a mind-bending monster in tow. If Olivia's going to escape Chapel Hill and someday reconcile with her parents, she'll need to dodge residents enslaved by the storm's otherworldly powers and find Sunflower. But as the night strains friendships and reality itself, Olivia suspects the storm, and its monster, may have its eyes on Sunflower and everything she loves. Including Olivia."

i'll admit when i started this book i was skeptical of the direction it was going in and felt like it was introducing too many sporadic concepts to be a strong horror novel HOWEVER the last third of this book made me eat my fucking words. not only did Piper tie everything together, but she managed to do it with such a strong emotional core that made me want to wash my mouth out to take back all my early complaints. i was also impressed by Piper's imagery and the thing that stood out the most throughout this book was how transported it made me feel. olivia and i were one and the same and everything she experienced was described in a way that cut deep into my brain.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

"When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she'd be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck--enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother--meant she'd get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane. Instead, she got Em."

it took me literally 3 years to finish this damn book because i'm very claustrophobic and it scared me so bad but damn was it worth it! not only did Starling manage to keep me up at night (both because i was too entranced to close the audiobook and because i was caught up in the visceral horror she was describing), but she also managed to give me something i will always crave: women with interesting and complex morality and a toxic dedication to each other. a win for lesbians craving multi-faceted characters as opposed to the usual one-note supporting lesbian. this book also gets the title of book i read this year with the most book per book. every chapter made me go "HOW IS THERE MORE OF THIS BOOK LEFT!!!" yet somehow the pacing still felt perfect throughout. so much book per book in this one, folks!

Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi

"When Otto and Xavier Shin declare their love, an aunt gifts them a trip on a sleeper train to mark their new commitment--and to get them out of her house. Setting off with their pet mongoose, Otto and Xavier arrive at their sleepy local train station, but quickly deduce that The Lucky Day is no ordinary locomotive. Their trip on this former tea-smuggling train has been curated beyond their wildest imaginations, complete with mysterious and welcoming touches, like ingredients for their favorite breakfast. They seem to be the only people on board, until Otto discovers a secretive woman who issues a surprising message. As further clues and questions pile up, and the trip upends everything they thought they knew, Otto and Xavier begin to see connections to their own pasts, connections that now bind them together."

last year i fell in love with Mr. Fox by Oyeyemi and was a little worried that her newer work would engage me less but i was so wrong to worry. this book didn't go where i thought it was going and it's a much better book for it. i adore Oyeyemi's prose and the cleverness of her words that, despite their more-than-occassional snide lilt, still hold such a sincerity to them. her witticisms aren't detached from emotion, but stronger because of the messy feelings of her characters. and everything that happens is a fantastic ride from start to finish!

Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert

"Molly Bauer's first year of college is not the picture-perfect piece of art she'd always envisioned. On day one at PICA, Molly discovers that--through some horrible twist of fate--her full-ride scholarship has vanished! But the ancient texts (PICA's dusty financial aid documents) reveal a loophole. If Molly and 9 other art students win a single game of softball, they'll receive a massive athletic scholarship. Can Molly's crew of ragtag artists succeed in softball without dropping the ball?"

Ngozi Ukazu is one of my favorite voices in comics right now and when i learned she was co-creating a graphic novel about art school student loan debt and gentrification i RAN to pre-order a signed copy! not only are the themes of this book strong, but Rupert's art is charming and engaging and Ukazu is in her usual hilarious form. i laughed, i cried, it was better than Cats (a saying my partner's family likes to use)

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

"The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act...different. She's moody. She's irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she's nearby. Abby's investigation leads her to some startling discoveries--and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?"

i read horrorstor many many years ago and was fascinated by how Hendrix constructs horrifying comedies so when i heard about this book on a podcast i like, i knew it had to be my next go at his catalogue. the narrative voice of this book is so strong and definitely one of the best parts of the book. Hendrix continues to be the only man i trust to write women in horror and his understanding of 80s girlhood left me laughing and crying and was, again, better than Cats! i also thought the way Abby's perspective glossed over typical white suburban racism and bigotry but those were so clearly a part of the narrative was very well done. my only issue with this book was the heavy christianity throughout (reminding me of everything i disliked about the film The Exorcist) but ah well, what are ya gonna do?

The False Sister by Briar Ripley Page

"It’s 1994, and Jesse Greer’s troubled older sister, Crys, has run away from home. Shy, socially awkward Jesse assumes that she has returned to her old haunts in the big city — until he discovers Crys’ remains in the woods behind his family’s house. Traumatised, Jesse runs to his parents for help, only to find that Crys has returned home, alive."

speaking of narrative voice being strong, Jesse's 12-year-old-boy-in-the-90s perspective on Crys's transition and supernatural mysteries was such a cool perspective to tell this story from. Page is undoubtedly one of my favorite authors of all time and the way they depict an outsider's POV on transness was heartwarming and reminded me of my own family. also such fantastic horror and a great exploration of a body snatcher-esque narrative condemning suburbia white supremacy and the cisheteropatriarchy

Authority by Jeff Vandermeer

"John Rodriguez (aka "Control") is the Southern Reach's newly appointed head. Working with a distrustful but desperate team, a series of frustrating interrogations, a cache of hidden notes, and hours of profoundly troubling video footage, Control begins to penetrate the secrets of Area X. But with each discovery he must confront disturbing truths about himself and the agency he's pledged to serve."

control is so el muchacho de los ojos tristes to me. he was born at age six without a face and he has every disease. Vandermeer is such a master of the unreliable narrator and nothing delights me more than the way the southern reach trilogy playes with the concept of "a character insisting nothing is wrong when the audience knows everything is wrong". a writer i really like rated this book quite badly and said it was their least favorite of the trilogy because it was "boring" but i was absolutely entranced by the twisted bureaucracy and mind games of the Southern Reach and the agents within. Vandermeer makes a storage closet into one of the most interesting set pieces in the book, i'd read his description of someone coming out of a paper bag and probably be just as engaged.

Mort by Terry Pratchett

"Death comes to everyone eventually on Discworld. And now he's come to Mort with an offer the young man can't refuse. (No, literally, can't refuse since being dead isn't exactly compulsory.) Actually, it's a pretty good deal. As Death's apprentice, Mort will have free board and lodging. He'll get use of the company horse. And he won't have to take any time off for family funerals. But despite the obvious perks, young Mort is about to discover that there is a serious downside to working for the Reaper Man . . . because this perfect job can be a killer on one's love life."

not the best Pratchett i've read but an absolute hoot from start to finish. discworld's death continues to be one of the most fun characters ever conceived and Pratchett is in perfect form with his humor and clever writing in this book. i knew i would have a good time with it but i didn't expect it to make me uproariously laugh quite as much as it did!

Content Warning: Everything by Akwaeke Emezi

"In their bold debut poetry collection, Akwaeke Emezi-award-winning author of Freshwater, PET, The Death of Vivek Oji, and Dear Senthuran-imagines a new depth of belonging. Crafted of both divine and earthly materials, these poems travel from home to homesickness, tracing desire to surrender and abuse to survival, while mapping out a chosen family that includes the son of god, mary auntie, and magdalene with the chestnut eyes. Written from a spiritfirst perspective and celebrating the essence of self that is impossible to drown, kill, or reduce, Content Warning: Everything distills the radiant power and epic grief of a mischievous and wanting young deity, embodied."

saying this as a huge fan of Emezi's work, but it took me a bit to actually read this because i was put off by the name. it felt a bit silly and made me worried about the state of Emezi's poetry compared to their prose, but i did not need to be worried. i think Emezi has such a mastery of metaphor and that mastery shines through in this collection. as someone who tends to roll my eyes at christian religion-based imagery, Emezi's fresh take on these concepts and the interweaving of their own experiences of godhood and divinity had me hooked in a way that i rarely am. not sure i'd be able to pick a favorite poem but every mention of mary and her relationship to Emezi took my breath away.