The Best Things I Read in 2024 (And Want You to Read Soon)

Plus some stats on my year in reading

I thought the best way to introduce myself would be to share my favorite books that I read in 2024. A proper introduction post may come a bit later. For now, you should know I love short stories, both genre and non-genre fiction, essay collections, and what is often grouped under “sociology” or “history” (Black Studies, Feminist Studies, etc). I linked to Bookshop so I wouldn’t have to summarize the books in their entirety, I encourage you to click and check Storygraph for trigger warnings as needed.

Onto the books!

Best Books Published In 2024:
Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen. As I said in my blurb for the Chicago Review of Books, “It’s [a contemporary romance] about a fat Black woman, Aaliyah, searching for love to put an end to her family’s meddling in her dating life. Be warned: there are some fatphobic comments expressed by Aaliyah’s family, but the focus of the book is on her dating misadventures, wisecracking group of friends, and her body positivity.” And there is so much banter. The banter between love interests, between friends, between frenemies. TOP NOTCH.

Skin & Bones by Renee Watson. At this point, we should all recognize that poets write some of the best novels and Watson continues that tradition. She compellingly and lyrically depicts main character Lena’s midlife crisis while also highlighting the history of Black Portlanders (Oregon). This book has some of the best descriptions of romantic, friend, and familial love that I’ve ever read. It veers sentimental but how often do we get those kinds of stories starring 40-something plus-sized Black women? If I were a crier I would have cried, loved it.

Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato. Again quoting myself (heh), “I love complex [and difficult] mother-daughter relationships, but this novel made me realize how much I craved reading about a loving, tight-knit [but still complex!] one. The story follows Daughter leaving Brazil for college in Vermont, with her main connection to her mother through weekly Skype calls. At under 200 pages, it’s a novel to savor, filled with elegant prose and a beautiful exploration of family, loneliness, and the evolving sense of home. A gentle, sometimes sly campus-adjacent immigrant coming-of-age story.”

Neighbors & Other Stories by Diane Oliver.¹ This is a mournful 1960s short story collection since the author, Diane Oliver, died at 22 in a tragic accident in 1966. You can read an excerpt of Tayari Jones’ (one of my favorite authors and the reason I knew I needed to read this) introduction here (although there are spoilers). She makes the case far better than I ever could, “Neighbors evokes the feeling of sorting through a time capsule sealed and buried in the yard of a Southern African Methodist Episcopal church in the early sixties.” Not every story is perfect, but they all have natural dialogue and feel unapologetically Black and Southern. Several of the stories are avant-garde which is noteworthy when you consider the time during which Oliver was writing. You can see how she may have influenced current short story writers today whether or not they knew of her work. The titular story, “Banago Kalt” and “Mint Juleps Not Served Here” live in my head rent free so please DM me if we haven’t already discussed them.

We Refuse by Kellie Carter Jackson. I often draw strength from the stories of revolutionary ancestors, and in that vein this is a must-read to fortify ourselves for the turbulent times ahead. As I said in Chicago Review’s best books of the year post, “It’s a sweeping accessible look at the history of Black resistance with a particular emphasis on Black women’s leadership in combating white supremacy. Kellie Jackson Carter also includes autobiographical anecdotes to further emphasize the personal is political.” I finished this book and was reminded that we can’t solely rely on rest or white people’s sympathy to achieve liberation.

Village Weavers by Myriam Ja Chancy. This book reminded me why historical fiction, when done well, is my favorite genre. The story begins in 1940s Haiti with Sisi and Gertie, childhood best friends torn apart by secrets, imperialism, and classism. We follow the girls from Papa Doc (Duvalier’s) brutal regime in Haiti to exile in Paris and eventually the United States. Over six decades Chancy writes movingly about the importance of friendship, community and the constantly reverberating impacts of colonialism. I appreciated the elegant and evocative writing while also being swept away in incredibly vivid historical moments.

The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas. Similar to Blue Light Hours this is a novel for those who like books with no plot but lots of vibes. And by vibes I mean laidback meandering observations about the intricacies and awkwardness of daily life for a married couple living in a new (unnamed) city. It’s also a novel for those who may have wanted, just once, to read about a marriage that isn’t imploding. The only critique I have is that Savas should have named and fleshed out the city because I love a strong sense of place.

Best Backlist (Books I Read Not Published in 2024):
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. This was my second Erdrich and I’ve come to realize she is a pro at writing books about tough topics with humor and warmth in addition to multifaceted characters. She seems to like her characters, for better or worse although this doesn’t mean they have an easy time of things. It does explain how they come to be so sharply rendered. Here she is asking questions about community, forgiveness, justice, and love set against the cozy but chaotic backdrop of an independent bookstore in 2020. It also extolls the value of literature, and I am a sucker for the “books about books” genre especially when not by white men.

If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga. This book is for those who like a bold unhinged novel with unreliable narrators. It’s best not to know too much about the story but it’s divided into three sections and alternates between the perspectives of a poor Egyptian photographer and an Egyptian American who recently moved to Cairo and is teaching English. It asks a lot of questions, the ones that stuck with me the most are what happens to a country’s people after a revolution, the second-generation immigrant experience, and the need to question dominant narratives. Abuse and trauma are also present and each character’s class background influences their story and relationship to these topics. I will be thinking about this book for a long time and can’t wait to see what Naga writes next.

Betty Boo by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Miranda France. I read this over the summer and it was the ideal mystery beach read. This book is complicated to summarize but it’s a perplexing mystery involving five wealthy murder victims whose case catches the attention of an eccentric cast of characters consisting primarily of a crime fiction novelist and two journalists. I love mysteries with social commentary and this has plenty about the state of Argentinean politics, middle-aged dating, classism, and the declining media landscape. The characters are memorable, the ending is meta, and the pacing is leisurely, unraveling gradually. It has one of the best endings I’ve ever read and I will now read anything Piñeiro writes.

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette. A story that is brutally told and left me with some lingering questions². I was most struck by how Shibli described the trauma and aftermath of war and occupation through *minor details*. It’s divided into two distinctive sections one told by an Israeli soldier in 1949 and one by a Palestinian woman several years after the Nakba. The writing is brusque and unflinching. It’s not an enjoyable book and the end is devastating. I am glad I read it and engaged in many insightful conversations with friends that further shaped my political views.

NB: I recognize that I may already be ruining my credibility by not sticking to a top 10 list but it’s a risk I’m willing to take this year!

Honorable Mentions, a mix of 2024 and backlist:
Ghostroots by Pemi Aguda
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Tidal Waters by Velia Vidal, translated by Annie McDermott
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue
You Can’t Stay Here Forever by Katherine Lin
The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture by Courtney Thorsson
But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
Redwood Court by Délana R. a. Dameron
Fancy Meeting You Here by Julie Tieu
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
Long Distance Life by Marita Golden
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
We’re Alone by Edwidge Danticat. Read my review.
Things I Should Have Told My Daughter by Pearl Cleage. A re-read.

2024 Books I Can’t Make Up My Mind on So Please Talk to Me About Them:
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall
Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham
Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura
There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib³

2024 Books I Did Not Read But Suspect I Will Love/Really Enjoy⁴:
My Friends
Forest of Noise
Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space
You Dreamed of Empires
Habitations
Greta & Valdin
The Magnificent Ruins
Obligations to the Wounded
The Black Utopians⁵
América del Norte
There is a Rio Grande in Heaven
Quarterlife
Martyr!

Ready to fight me in the comments? Hold on let’s look at some numbers.

Some stats from my reading year:
Total books read: 110 (this number is ridiculous and likely high because I travel a lot for work and spend my nights at the hotel or local restaurant reading.)
Books Read by Independent Publishers (i.e., not the Big Five): 26
White (not Latine) Authors Read: 9⁶ (Ellery Adams, Ally Carter, Evan Friss, EmHen, Laura Helton, Liz Moore, Laura Renken, Courtney Thorsson, Monica Wood).
Most Read Author: Louise Erdrich (2) and Claudia Piñeiro (2.5 because I am starting Time of the Flies tomorrow)
Books Read in Translation: 8
Biggest Surprise: Crusade for Justice, Ida B Wells’ memoir. I knew she was a badass but I did not know she was the QUEEN OF PETTY and a total flirt. I devoured this even though a friend thought her British letters were boring (be warned there are lots of letters). I enjoyed this memoir so much it led me to start Ida: A Sword Among Lions, the definitive biography which I am taking my time with and should finish in early 2025.

Questions? Anything noteworthy I left out? Other superlatives you want to see fleshed out?

1. To read more about Diane Oliver’s life read this piece. And a moment for THE COVER??

2. How did one of the blurb writers know the MC is autistic? Seemed like an assumption to me…

3. I loved this book when I first read it but I didn’t take my time with it and seven months later I barely remember it. TATY probably should be on every best of book list so I think this is an issue of me not being in the right place for the book and not a reflection on the book’s quality.

4. If you had asked me anytime this year before October James would have been on this list. I had been saving it for a time when I could sink into it since I was sure I would adore it as much as everyone else. However, when I started reading I kept losing focus so I set it down last month. Since then I have read two fascinating critiques ( from people I trust) which made me more eager to read it AND confirmed my suspicions that while I won’t love it I will like it and have lots to say.

5. I am currently reading this

6. I am SHOCKED by this number; I haven’t been in the double digits since at least 2018