I’m always on the lookout for new books to add to my Goodreads “To-Read” list, especially historical fiction. But it can be so hard to discover new books on BookTok and social media that aren’t the same 10 popular books that are always posted about.
These books are the best of the best that I’ve read in the past couple of years, and you need to add some of them to your “To-Read” list!
- All the Light We Cannot See
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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is my all-time favorite book. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2015, All the Light We Cannot See follows the lives of a blind French girl and an orphaned German boy during WWII, intertwining through unexpected twists and turns.
Even if you don’t usually read historical fiction, you have to give this book a chance. The writing itself is so beautiful, the characters are loveable yet realistic, and the plot allows for loving and tender moments despite it taking place during a war.
This book is so acclaimed that Netflix actually made it a miniseries that premiered last year, so check that out along with the book.
- Betty
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Betty by Tiffany McDaniel was one of my favorite reads of 2024. Betty is a coming-of-age story about a girl from Appalachia in the 1960s. It’s somehow one of the most heartbreaking yet hopeful books I’ve ever read.
Betty focuses on familial relationships. Some are beautiful in the book, while others are tragic or downright distressing.
While I can’t recommend this book enough (the writing is almost magical, and the emotions Betty feels are so easy to resonate with as a woman), you should look up the content warnings before you decide to read it, as there are some heavy topics featured.
- The Heaven and Earth grocery store
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The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride deserves all the hype it’s been getting online (BookTok, I’ll give you this one) because it’s just so good.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store starts off with the discovery of an old skeleton in a well in the 1970s, but this book is so much more than a mystery. In fact, it’s not even a mystery at all. This book follows the lives of multiple different characters in Pottstown, PA, which is a community divided (and later united) by their differing racial and religious backgrounds in the 1920s.
Through the usage of different points of view, McBride creates a story that is so rich and fulfilling, while also writing characters that you root for despite their numerous flaws and mistakes. The importance of community and unity is a central theme in this book, and McBride will have you rallying around this town and their actions, even if some of them aren’t totally legal!
- The marriage Portrait
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The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell is one of those books you can’t put down. The Marriage Portrait is centered around the life of Lucrezia, a daughter of a duke in 16th century Florence. While the book is fiction, it’s based on a real-life woman and an actual marriage portrait.
She’s married off to an older duke at 15, and the book follows her life to her untimely and mysterious death through a mixture of chapters from both the past and present.
The main character is so easy to connect with, and you feel all of her emotions with her as you read: all the paranoia, isolation, terror, and even the occasional bit of joy. This book has mystery, opulent writing, and complex relationships — basically everything you could want!
- Alias Grace
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Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood deserves way more hype than it gets. Atwood is an amazing writer, and people need to read more of her books than just The Handmaid’s Tale.
This book follows a young Irish woman named Grace, who was accused of murdering two people in 1840s Canada. When she is imprisoned, a doctor meets with her, and she recounts her entire life to him. We hear her version of events, but the evidence doesn’t fully line up.
So, who’s lying? The town that never accepted her or Grace herself? Well, you’ll have to read to find out!
Whether you’re looking for another book to read before 2024 ends so you can hit your reading goal, or you want to start curating your 2025 ‘To-Read’ list, I hope you’ve been inspired to read at least one of these books!
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