The Five Best Books I Read in 2024
I didn’t read as much as I wanted, but I did read some bangers.
So. 2024 was a year, huh?
For a number of reasons, I didn’t read as many books as I wanted. Thanks largely to the annual holiday break that comes with working in higher education, I managed to read 21 books this year. I get that, on average, those 21 books make me a far more prolific reader than most, but I went into 2024 wanting to read far more.
(Also, how depressing is it to know I read 21 more books than most Americans?)
I was originally going to include just three books in this year’s list for that very reason. But as I looked back on the books I did read in 2024, I had a hard time paring down the list. So, this list will be five, as it always has been.
Disclaimer: these are the best books I read in 2024, not the best books that came out in 2024.
5. Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
Equal parts engrossing and disturbing, Doppelganger is an insightful look in how conspiracy theories have taken root in our society, how they infect everything from our health to our body politic, and how social media feeds into the seemingly never-ending death of truth.
Klein cuts to the heart of the matter, and I appreciate how she lets those of us not conspiracy-inclined to peek behind the curtain without insulting those who have fallen prey. Because ultimately, many of those peddling the bullshit of the day are victims before anything else.
As Klein puts it, people often get their feelings right but their facts wrong. They’re rightly pissed off about the ways of the world, but they’re often mad at the wrong people for the wrong reasons. And too many in power benefit from that.
Given the ubiquity of the Internet, the consequences of that are increasingly dire. This book will enlighten and infuriate you, but don’t expect it to hold your hand or offer a rosy, “we can do it!” future.
4. All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
A bold departure from her An Ember in the Ashes series, Tahir branches into young adult with All My Rage—a stirring, intimate depiction of teenage angst and the generational trauma that feeds it.
Set in a small California, this book also adds on a heaping of good ol’ American racism and xenophobia, creating a toxic stew of justifiable anger. I defy anyone to read this book and not relate to anyone within its pages. Even if your teenage years were decades ago, we all have that stage in life where we’re angry at everyone and we don’t see a way out.
Of course, some people make it out. Many don’t. All My Rage underscores that reality, and the personal desperation it feeds.
Desperation that can lead to bad, life-altering decisions.
A tight, emotional read, All My Rage is Tahir at her best. This book is also the perfect example of how genre shouldn’t dictate a book’s quality or its ability to speak to audiences across generations and demographics.
3. Down With the System: A Memoir by Serj Tankian
System of a Down is one of my all-time favorite bands, and if I were to list my creative idols, lead singer Serj Tankian would be on that list—even though I don’t have a musical bone in my body.
Highlights include Tankian talking about his upbringing, and how that has informed his lifetime of activism (particularly as it relates to Armenia and the genocide), as well as his deep, personal belief that art and activism have to go hand in hand.
(Spoiler alert: I agree with that. But anyone who’s read my work knows that already).
Still, some of the tidbits about Tankian’s years with SOAD, while juicy, are the weakest link of this book. Which is shocking, considering this band has gone almost two decades without recording new material, despite fans wanting it. Tankian’s memoir is deeply personal, as these things should be, but if you’re looking for him to spill all the tea, you might be disappointed.
Still, I devoured this one far quicker than I usually finish a book. It was that good.
2. Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
A post on Threads recently went viral, in which someone said horror was the genre where creativity goes to die. It was likely a rage-bait post, designed specifically to get everyone riled up, but I found that accusation interesting, considering I read a horror novel this year that was literally about apples.
Freaking. Apples.
If you follow Wendig online, or you’ve read any of his previous work, you know he can be a bit out there. But he leans into that, and the result is often a book that ends up being far more than you thought when you started reading it. Black River Orchard is no different, and I can’t help but marvel at the fact that he managed to craft a legitimately creepy and unsettling story about apples.
I mean, it’s no tornadoes full of sharks, but still!
This book is quintessential Wendig: his mannerisms, his twists of phrase, his unique way of putting things—and in the process, getting you to give a damn about perfectly imperfect people who often deal with the “WTF” of it all, while simultaneously screaming, “WTF?!”
Up next for Wendig in 2025? Ruining staircases for all of us.
1. Singularity by S.E. Anderson
You know a series was great when you wish it wouldn’t end.
That’s not to say Singularity isn’t a fitting finale to Anderson’s flagship Starstruck series. Because it is. It is everything her writing has come to represent, and it’s every bit the fun, light-hearted science fiction the entire saga has been since its inception.
This book isn’t as laugh-out-loud as others, but the whimsy, the wonder, and the characters are the focus as they’ve always been. Even though all the worlds and timelines, Anderson has never lost sight of the characters at the heart of her adventures. There’s a heart here that is missing from others in the genre, and sci-fi as a whole is better for it.
I wish there were more adventures to be had with Sally, Zander, and Blayde, but Anderson gives us a satisfying conclusion that feels true to everything she laid as foundation in the first nine books. Writing a long-running series is no easy feat (I should know), so to stick the landing the way she did is an impressive feat.
I just wish there was more runway.
Honorable Mention: The Vicious Way by Madeline Dyer; HBCU: The Power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities by Marybeth Gasman and LeVon T. Esters; Dread Nation by Justina Ireland; Unleash the Writer Within: Tips, Guidance, and Encouragement for Writing Fiction by Kelly Blanchard; The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead; Mailed It! A Guide to Crafting Emails That Build Relationships and Get Results by Ashley Budd and Dayana Kibilds; Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy by Brian Tyler Cohen