My 4 Favorite Books of 2024

Reading Instruction

As a young student, I had a list of favorite books a mile long. I can remember earning an award in third grade for reading more books than anyone else in my class. In high school, I was interviewed for the yearbook because I always had a book with me.

However, as an undergraduate, I really struggled to find books that I could read for pleasure. Sure, there was plenty of assigned reading, but the YA (and fanfiction) I’d loved for so long suddenly seemed empty.

I didn’t really get back into reading for joy until ten years after graduation. I think those years of living in a reading desert make me extra glad that I’ve rediscovered my love of reading. For that reason, I always look forward to writing this post and sharing my favorite books of the year!

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My 4 Favorite Books This Year

2024 was a year of varied reading. I read nonfiction, comedies, dramas, mysteries, and everything in between. Some of it was moving, insightful, and excellent. Some of it was not. However, when I tried to boil the year down to my favorites, I landed on these 4 favorite books.

Among the Bros by Max Marshall is an unusual choice, but it was the wildest book I read this year. I keep finding ways to bring this book up during casual conversations. While I don’t think this is necessarily a classroom recommendation, it is an absolute must read. Marshall tells the story of illegal drug sells on a southern college campus. The antics and the amount of illicit money are staggering!

Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes is a perfect summer read! At first glance, this doesn’t look like the kind of book that you put on a year-end list. It’s light, frothy, and more flash than substance. It’s not a cliffhanger at all, but I’m dying for a sequel. The main character Ian is so charming that he deserves his own series!

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson is a book that kept being recommended, but the cover put me off. I’m not sure what made me finally pick this one up, but it is rich in characters, surprises, and details. Since my family is so small and Midwestern, I love a book with a sprawling family, especially when it takes place on the coast.

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales speaks to the number of mysteries I read this year. Seales does a send up of Pride and Prejudice that keeps readers laughing, puzzling, and turning the page. The sequel A Terribly Nasty Business comes out next year!

Honorable Mentions

Narrowing my favorite books of 2024 down to 4 titles was hard! So I wanted to add these three honorable mentions.

A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian is an ensemble supernatural mystery with a touch of romance and nostalgia. Kurian’s debut novel Never Saw Me Coming was good, but A Step Past Darkness is so textured and well paced that I couldn’t write this post without mentioning it.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is another snapshot of the mysteries I read this year. Perrin’s novel also speaks to the number of class conscious stories I read this year. Every title on this list so far contains a little bit of class commentary, perhaps none more plainly than this one. The sequel How to Seal Your Own Fate comes out next year!

But Can I Start a Sentence with “But”? by The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff was one of the first books I read this year. It is also the absolute nerdiest book I read. As an ELA teacher, I spend most of my time working with the MLA stylebook. However, I loved this deep dive!

3 Books I’m Anticipating in 2025

As an avid reader, I am always looking forward to the next title on my TBR. Right now, these three titles are at the top of my list.

Dear Writer by Maggie Smith is on my list because I just finished her memoir You Could Make this Place Beautiful. I’ve read a lot of memoirs lately, but none as poetic and cohesive as Smith’s.

A Dragon of Black Glass by James Rollins is the third book in The Moonfall Series. Before I started my recent tour of nonfiction, I was a dedicated fantasy reader. I’m sure my reading habits will continue to evolve, but right now, Rollins’ series is really the only fantasy on my radar. If you like an archetypal quest, this is the one for you!

Disney Adults by AJ Wolfe sounds like just the kind of nonfiction I’m enjoying right now. I know just a little bit about what it means to be a Disney Adult. Some of my friends definitely fall into this category, so I am really curious about this one!