One of my favourite things about turning the calendar page over to a new year is having a look back at favourites from the previous year – both books and travel!
To select my favourite books read in 2024, I started by reviewing all the books that I had originally rated either 4.5 or 5 stars on Goodreads (19 out of a total of 175 books read). I then narrowed it down a few more based on how memorable the read actually was in retrospect and came up with this list of 15 books that I couldn’t put down (listed in no particular order).
As it happens, all of my favourite books were new releases published in 2024 which made me realize that I need to try not to focus quite so much on front list books – after all, books don’t have an expiry date! One of my goals, therefore, is to read more backlist in 2025 – I have a large TBR shelf at home that I’m not making much of a dent in as I’m drawn to the shiny, new books!
Another reading goal for this year is to read/re-read all of Jane Austen’s books as 2025 is the 250th anniversary of her birth and I’m hoping to travel to England at some time during the year-long celebration to mark it. I have previously read all of them at least once with the exception of Northanger Abbey.
What were your favourite books of 2024? Do you have any reading goals for 2025?
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1. James by Percival Everett
Setting: Missouri and along the Mississippi River
This re-imagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been on all of the year-end best book lists and won both the National Book Award for Fiction 2024 and the Kirkus Prize for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
Told from the point of view of the enslaved Jim, Percival Everett takes a well-known character from American fiction and gives him his own voice using the change of perspective to transform the narrative into a story about a man racing to find a way to save himself and his family. I had a general idea of what happened in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but this novel can be enjoyed without having read or knowing anything about Twain’s novel.
James is the first novel that I have read by Percival Everett and I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style. This is an author who clearly loves to play with language and it makes for a pleasurable read. Fast-paced and hard to put down, thought-provoking, and beautifully crafted – a memorable read that’s deserving of all the accolades it has received!
2. Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench
I don’t read much non-fiction but I loved this delightful series of interview chats between actor/director Brendan O’Hea and Dame Judi Dench covering all of the Shakespearean roles that she has played over the course of her seven decade career.
Dench’s wit and mischievous sense of humour shines through as she provides thoughtful and honest observations and commentary about each Shakespearean play. I read a print copy of this but I’m sure it would be fabulous on audio!
This is a beautiful tribute to the works of Shakespeare and the man himself and also to Dench’s illustrious career – a wonderful read for those who enjoy Shakespearean plays, theatre in general and for those who just adore adore Dame Judi!
3. Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst
Setting: England
A beautifully-written novel by a previous Booker Prize winner, Our Evenings is a moving story that reads like the memoir of a man in late middle age sharing significant memories from his life. The narrative tone is quite gentle yet there are serious issues of class, race and sexuality woven through Dave’s story which spans six decades of English history.
I found this to be an insightful, touching and, at times, heartbreaking reflection on how quickly a lifetime passes. Dave Win is a character who will stay with me for a long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
4. The Secret Keeper by Genevieve Graham
Setting: Canada, Europe
Another fantastic Canadian historical fiction novel from Genevieve Graham who has become an auto-buy author for me! The Secret Keeper is the story of inseparable twin sisters, Dorothy and Margaret, from Oshawa, Ontario (better known as Dot and Dash) who join the war effort during World War II – one as a mechanic and the other working at the top-secret Canadian location connected to Bletchley Park known as Camp X.
I have read and enjoyed several of Graham’s historical novels which are inspired by real-life stories and appreciate that they are well-researched and based in historical fact, well-written, tell a compelling story about unforgettable characters and highlight aspects of Canadian history that we didn’t learn in school.
Be sure to read the excellent Author’s Note at the end of the book to learn more about the courageous women who served in the Second World War. An engaging, informative read – this is my favourite of Graham’s so far!
5. The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall
Setting: Berlin and Alnwick in Northern England
This book was published in Canada in 2024 and will be available in the U.S. on February 25, 2025.
From the bestselling author of Looking for Jane, The Secret History of Audrey James is a gripping dual timeline historical novel about a young British/German pianist living in Berlin on the cusp of World War II who risks everything to help a friend.
This well-written and thoroughly researched story was inspired by real life events and people including a Canadian woman who worked with the resistance during World War II and was imprisoned and sentenced to death by the Nazis. I love how this author is committed to sharing the untold stories of women throughout history.
I wasn’t sure that it was possible to cover any untouched ground in World War II historical fiction, however, in this novel, the main character becomes involved with a cell of the Anti-Nazi resistance group in Germany known as the Red Orchestra. Among the plethora of books that I have read set during World War II, I can only remember one other that explored the resistance movement that existed in Germany. This is historical fiction at its best and I couldn’t put it down!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster Canada for sending an ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
6. Long Island by Colm Tóibín
Setting: Long Island, New York and Enniscorthy, Ireland
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024 and I wasn’t disappointed! It had been a long time since I first read Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn so I read it again to refresh my memory before starting this sequel that takes place some 20 years later.
After learning that her husband, Tony, has fathered a child with another woman, Eilis, now in her ’40s and living in Long Island, decides to return to her hometown for the first time in over 20 years to attend her mother’s 80th birthday party. While there she re-connects with both her best friend, Nancy, and Jim Farrell while trying to sort out her conflicted feelings about Tony.
This is an exquisitely written, moving novel about ordinary people and complex human emotions. A heartbreaking story of home and loss and secrets. Slow moving but with a tension throughout as it heads toward a conclusion that can’t possibly include a happy ending for all three characters. The novel doesn’t have a clear ending but leaves the reader to wonder what will happen next for Eilis, Nancy and Jim and with a lingering hope that Colm Tóibín will decide to revisit the lives of these characters one more time.
7. Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
Setting: Suburb of Chicago
Same As It Ever Was is a family drama exploring love, friendship, marriage, and motherhood from the point-of-view of Julia, a 57 year-old married mother of two living in suburban Chicago.
The story moves back and forth between timelines from present day when Julia seems settled and content until an unexpected meeting prompts her to revisit a period of time in her past when she was struggling with loneliness and isolation as a stay-at-home mom and also to her childhood and strained relationship with her own mother.
A thoughtful, finely-crafted and engaging work of literary fiction, this is a long (500 pages) and slow-paced novel but it’s well-written, enjoyable and easy to read. I loved getting lost in this story and will definitely now read the author’s previous book The Most Fun We Ever Had!
8. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
Setting: Primarily in Tehran
I was very excited to read this book because I loved the author’s previous novel, The Stationery Shop, which I read a few years ago.
The Lion Women of Tehran (nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Readers’ Favourite Historical Fiction) follows two women, Ellie and Homa, over the course of more than 30 years after they first meet in Tehran at the age of 7 in 1950. This is a beautifully written, moving and thought-provoking story of friendship, betrayal and redemption set against the backdrop of political upheaval in Iran over that time period.
I was captivated both by the resiliency and courage of these two women and also the history and culture of Iran during this turbulent part of their history – a memorable read!
9. Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Setting: Cape Cod
Sandwich takes place over the course of a week at the beach house that 54 year-old Rachel (known as Rocky) and her family have been renting on Cape Cod each summer for the past 20 years.
A quick read of just over 200 pages, Sandwich perfectly captures this stage in a woman’s life and the feeling of being caught in the middle worrying about both kids and aging parents. Women who are in Rocky’s age range will find the emotions particularly relatable.
This is a moving story about motherhood, family, love, loss and change set within the context of a vacation on beautiful Cape Cod. The writing is exquisite – witty, laugh-out-loud funny and also touching with many poignant moments. I laughed, I cried and I savoured the beautiful lines including this favourite: “And this may be the only reason we were put on this earth. To say to each other, I know how you feel. To say, Same.“
10. The Coast Road by Alan Murrin
Setting: Ireland
Set in a small fictional town in County Donegal near the border of Northern Ireland, The Coast Road is a beautifully written book that follows three women who each have troubled marriages in the mid-’90s just prior to the referendum where the people of Ireland narrowly voted to end the ban on divorce.
This is a compassionate and thoughtful debut with well-drawn characters, compelling storytelling and a strong sense of both time and place. It’s slow-paced and character-driven yet also an emotional page turner about small town scandals, consequences and the limitations placed on women in Ireland just 30 years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading whatever the author writes next!
11. The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
Setting: Washington, DC
Another nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award for Readers’ Favourite Historical Fiction (2024), The Briar Club is the latest historical novel from Kate Quinn who is also an auto-buy author for me. I became a bit obsessed with Cold War historical fiction this past year so this novel about female friendship wrapped up in a murder mystery and set against the backdrop of the Red Scare paranoia in the US in the 1950s was perfect for me.
Kate Quinn is a masterful storyteller and I loved The Briar Club even though it’s a bit different from her past novels. This is more slow burn, character-driven historical fiction yet she still delivers a suspenseful mystery plot that builds to a very satisfying (and twisty) conclusion. The novel is clearly well-researched and she does a brilliant job of capturing the McCarthy political era to create intriguing historical fiction.
At its heart, this is a story of female friendship with richly-drawn characters but Quinn also illustrates the changing roles of women in post-war America by connecting the stories of each of the Briarwood House women to important highlights of the historical time period. Another captivating read from one of my favourite authors!
12. And So I Roar by Abi Daré
Setting: Nigeria
This heartbreaking yet hopeful sequel to The Girl With the Louding Voice is an unforgettable story that illustrates the importance of education and empowerment of girls. The stories told by a group of village girls also highlight some of the additional serious issues faced by young girls and women in Nigeria including child marriage, rape and female genital mutilation.
I suppose it’s possible to read And So I Roar as a standalone but I wouldn’t recommend it. Read The Girl With the Louding Voice first to fully understand Adunni’s dreams, the events that drove her to run away from her village in the first place and her experience working as a housemaid in Lagos. This is a character that you won’t be able to stop thinking about!
13. By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Setting: England and New York City
I have only read one other book by Jodi Picoult and I didn’t love it but I decided to give her books another chance and I’m glad I did because I loved this book. I love theatre and all things Shakespeare so it was a perfect fit!
By Any Other Name is a dual timeline story about two women writers living centuries apart who find themselves hiding behind another name. In modern day New York City, young playwright Melina Green has written a new play inspired by her ancestor Emilia Bassano who was England’s first female published poet. In the 16th century timeline, Emilia uses her sharp wit and gift of storytelling to write plays and makes an arrangement with Will Shakespeare to pass off her work as his own.
I loved all of the references to Shakespeare’s plays sprinkled throughout the story and enjoyed Picoult’s persuasive argument for why Emilia Bassano could have written some of his plays. I found the story riveting, well-written, imaginative and the research Picoult has done is thorough. A great story about two women who were determined to do whatever necessary to see their stories on stage!
14. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Setting: Ireland
One of my daughters has been recommending Sally Rooney to me for a couple of years but Intermezzo is the first book of hers that I’ve picked up. I’m older than Rooney’s typical reader and, given all the hype, I half expected to be disappointed but this was very good.
Family relationships, love and grief are at the heart of this story about two brothers who have little in common. Their father has recently died after being ill with cancer for several years and the novel takes place during the first few months after his death when both men are struggling to come to terms with life without him.
This is a beautifully-written, insightful novel about loneliness, despair, grief and love – of the romantic sort as well as familial. Neither of the brothers in Intermezzo are themselves because of their grief and the struggle to work through hurt feelings, sibling rivalry and long-held grudges while coming to terms with their loss is quite moving. Rooney’s characters may be young adults but anyone who has lost someone close to them will relate to how difficult the interlude can be before life starts to feel liveable again.
15. The End and the Beginning by K.J. Holdom
Setting: Germany
Inspired by the true story of a young boy’s escape from the Nazi youth militia during the final horrifying weeks of World War II, The End and the Beginning is an unforgettable historical novel.
This is a compelling debut novel that weaves together the late-war experiences of a mother and her young teenage son to provide an interesting perspective that I have not read before in World War II fiction. Through Max and Marguerite, we witness the horrors and the violence inflicted on German civilians by SS officers, the impact the war had on children in Germany, the indoctrination of children with propaganda by the regime and how it destroyed families, and the hardship the citizenry faced as the Allies rolled through Germany at the tail end of the war.
The End and the Beginning depicts the ordeal of one shattered family living through a time of unspeakable evil in a moving story of friendship, lost innocence, courage and survival. A heartbreaking and unforgettable read.
This title is currently only available on Kindle from Amazon in the U.S.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for sending an ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
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