Best Books of 2024

It's that time of year to wrap up my reading journey for 2024. I read 288 books this past year, and these were my books that received 5 stars! I then break it down to my top 5.

This is pretty close to my usual percentage of 5% of my reads are 5 stars (yes, I'm very stingy 🙂

Here are the top 5 out of the 16 above. The first four were easy to pick, the last one was a toss up between The Maiden and the one I chose ( in other words that one could have been number five on any given day).

#5 The Borrowed Live of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

I ultimately decided on this one because it is very uplifting and I think we're going to need that in the next few years. Plus it has an old man, and as you'll see going forward, I have certain subjects that I gravitate to often.

#4 The Family Experiment by John Marrs

This author made my 5 star reads in 2023 with The One, and I continue to be impressed with his speculative fiction (which is different than sci fi, which doesn't always hit for me). The subject in this one that grabbed me was reality tv and AI children.

#3 After Annie by Anna Quindlen

A character study of a family and close friend to a woman who dies unexpectedly. Don't expect much plot, and it's not as sad as it sounds, but it's a beautiful exploration of family bonds and found family.

#2 The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

My historical fiction pick, this was so captivating! About a midwife back in the late 1700's (midwife would be the favorite subject here), who has to defend a woman who was abused. Not such an easy task back in that time. This book had one of the best husbands I've ever encountered!

And the #1 pick goes to............

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

I love me some snarkiness and revenge in a book, and this one did not disappoint. After Lula gets books banned from the local library, the daughter of the librarian replaces the insides of all the books in Lula's little free library with banned books. What happens when the townspeople get more than what the cover title says, and how people's perceptions and preconceived notions can sometimes change. This book didn't get enough love in the book community, but I absolutely loved it! I know lots of my book club friends read my blog, we have to put this one on the list for next year. I think it will make for a good discussion.

And there you have it, another year in the books (pun intended). Did any of these catch your eye, or have you read them?

On to 2025, lots of great released coming out starting next week!