I read a lot in 2024; it was truly a great year for reading. There wasn’t a book I disliked, so in my eyes, that was a win. Therefore, I figured it would only be fair to compile a list of my top five books from the year 2024!
No Exit by Taylor Adams (Mystery & Thriller)Â
The book follows Darby Thorne, a college student stranded at a highway rest stop in the middle of nowhere. She begrudgingly comes to terms with the fact that she will have to spend the night with four strangers when she stumbles upon a little girl locked in the back of one of the strangers’ vans. With no cell reception, no phone, and no way home because of the snow, Darby needs to decide what to do. This book is so amazing and had me at the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it, I highly recommend it for all mystery lovers.Â
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky (Contemporary Fiction)
Charlie’s letters are an intimate view into the life of a high school wallflower. All we know is the world he chooses to share with us. Trying to balance between living his life or running away from it, Charlie puts him on an interesting course through the world of sex, drugs, and love. This book is amazing. Stephen Chobsky creates a deep, personal coming-of-age story that will get your emotions turning and pull you back into those wild, roller-coaster days of growing up.Â
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (Horror & Fantasy)
Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives an old and reclusive family of book eaters, a secret line of people who survive on consuming books. The story follows Devon and her son who is born with a rare, darker kind of hunger. There’s so much depth and detail put into these characters and the world they live in. I couldn’t put this book down no matter how hard I tried.Â
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (Dystopian Fiction)Â
Deep underground, thirty-nine women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, they have no recollection of how they got there, no notion of time, and vague memories of who they were before. This book is an incredibly unique, feminist speculative work of fiction that reads like a melancholic dream. I highly recommend it.Â
Babel by R.F. Kuang (Historical Fiction)Â
The story takes place in 1830s England, following Robin Swift. This young Chinese boy is orphaned and taken to London to train in languages and enroll in Oxford’s Royal Institute of Translation called Babel. Robin discovers the dark side of Babel and must decide whether to pursue academic life or join forces with an underground organization that opposes the empire. R.F. Kuang has truly outdone herself again with this masterpiece in every way. I definitely recommend it.
Reading is one of the best ways to clear your mind and relax. Curl up on the couch, grab a blanket, and check out my top five books from this year.