Top five books I read in 2024
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Today is Small Business Saturday.
One of the best small businesses to support are independent book stores.
If you are not lucky enough to have a book store in your city, you can buy books through Bookshop.org. A portion of the proceeds goes toward the book store of your choice. (All linked titles below go to my Bookshop affiliate page.)
With that, here are my top five reads of 2024.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (horror)
Is this book horror, or historical fiction? Are the most frightening scenes also the most realistic parts of the story?
Due deftly crosses genres, using the structure of horror fiction to elevate the atrocities of what happened within the lifetimes of many Americans living today. She tells a great and terrible story, both redemptive and causing reflection of what happened under our country’s watch. Not exactly the ideal read for the holiday season, but nonetheless an important book.
Circe by Madeline Miller (fantasy)
The writing is exquisite and the story is empowering. You get a sense that the author examined every sentence for clarity, for poetry, for moving the story along.
A new take on (but not a retelling of) The Odyssey, Circe tells a story of courage, resilience, and agency. This book doesn't follow your typical narrative arc; it represents the complexity and unpredictableness of life. I was reminded of why the quality of the writing itself is so important to keeping the reader engaged to the end.
A perfect book for the teenage girl (or anyone) in your life.
The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer
I listened to the audiobook version (an excellent performance by the narrator). A heartbreaking yet redeeming memoir that captures a sense of place as well as any book I have read.
The author’s love for the Long Island bar Dickens/Publicans where he was raised, along with the regulars in it, is what both saves him and almost subsumes him.
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
A raw and honest telling of the author's childhood and how it impacts his development of who he is today. Laymon's narrative moves back and forth, balancing trauma with humor, despair and delight. The author draws a clear line between systemic racism and the influence it had on his childhood growing up in Mississippi.
For anyone considering writing memoir, this feels like necessary reading. Strive for honesty, for yourself as well as for others. Find the red thread that holds the story together. Seek the truth within the pain, supported by those around you and who love you, flaws and all.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (fiction)
An epic yet relatable story about love, work, and how the unexpected events of life shape who we become. Through circumstances that reveal themselves later, Sadie Green and Sam Masur connect through a mutual appreciation for video games. Their lives unfold as they partner on the creation of their own games, dealing with the challenges that success and fame bring.
As others have noted about this novel, you don’t have to appreciate video games to enjoy this story.
Related…
Additionally, I enjoyed and recommend Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock by Jenny Odell (nonfiction), Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (history), The Maid by Nita Prose (mystery), and True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart (self help) by Tara Brach.
I asked my wife, Jodi, what her top five books were for 2024. She loved The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, The Women by Kristin Hannah, and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.
While I prefer Bookshop.org, Amazon has the Kindle version of my latest book, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H., on sale for only $16.50.