Wow. I’ve read so many great books this year. It was hard willowing my top five list down, but here they are. I’ve reprinted my original reviews here. In no particular order, I present my top five favorite reads for 2024:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
literary fiction, friendship fiction
Most of us have experienced unrequited attraction. Sam and Sadie meet in a hospital as kids. Their friendship is on and off over the years until they meet in at Harvard. Their love of video games and creating them becomes a sort of synergy and they try to take over the gaming industry. But Sam’s love for Sadie is hard to define. And Sadie makes some bad choices to get what she wants. Is she or is she not taking advantage of Sam?
Zevin explores how friendship can be both platonic and loving. But is that what is best for Sam and Sadie? I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this story, one of whom I really hated (but this character deserves it). This was one of those books that, when I finished it, I was sad. I’ll miss Sam and Sadie.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Fantasy
This is one of those cases of coming across the same book over and over in “best fantasy” booklists. I’m so glad I picked this one up. It’s a fantastic retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but it’s way better than it sounds because doesn’t he even appear in the book.
Instead, the story follows the life of Miryem. This village finds out she has an amazing ability, and the king of the Staryk, a mysterious and frightening people made of ice, wants her ability for his own agenda. Despite living in a time when women have little control over their own lives, Miryem uses her wits and saavy to try and save herself and her people. But the odds are against her. In addition to Miryem, Spinning Silver is told by several point-of-view characters. The story really takes off after a few chapters and it ended up being one of my favorite reads in the last few years. I highly recommend it if you enjoy well-written fantasy.
The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
Dark fantasy; #1 The Blade Itself; #2 Before They Are Hanged; #3 The Last Argument of Kings
Barbaric warrior Logen Ninefingers seeks redemption for his shady past. Along the way, he finds himself recruited by the mysterious wizard Bayaz who adds Ninefingers to a team on a quest to save the world from a looming catastrophe. A powerful artifact is the goal, but what exactly does this enigmatic object do? Bayaz isn’t telling. Meanwhile, Glokta, is a bitter, crippled torturer who works for the government of the country known as the Union. He works behind the scenes to prevent a war, but the task seems impossible as alliances with the Union fall around him. Several more characters narrate their side of the story in all three books.
I’ve had this series on my to read list for years and I’m kicking myself for not reading it earlier. I recommend the audio version; the narrator Stephen Pacey, is fantastic. If you like Brandon Sanderson, you’ll like Joe Ambercrombie. Great story arc, excellent characters, and a satisfying conclusion.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Historical fiction; Coming-of-age
A modern retelling of David Copperfield set in the Appalachian Mountains, this novel follows the life of Demon, a boy born into poverty, facing the challenges of foster care, addiction, and exploitation. Raised in a rural community ravaged by the opioid crisis, Demon struggles to find his identity and place in the world.
Living in Kentucky, I’ve met a few ‘Demon Copperheads’ over the years. They face poverty, addiction and failure of those who are suppose to stand up for them. One thing occurred to me as I read this book: I’ve rarely felt this connected to a fictional character. Demon Copperhead narrates his own story and I almost want to believe he’s a real person.
Kingsolver does a great job of showing the negatives of the foster care system. I cheered him on and also chastised him for the decisions he made. One thing is certain: This was one of those books in which I will miss the protagonist now that I’m done reading read.
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Fantasy
Get this: Mattias the warrior is a mouse. And he’s searching for a sword to help him fight off this group of rats led by the nasty Cluny. The rats plan to take over Redwall, a sanctuary for woodland creatures: moles, badgers, and more mice. But Mattias is determined to fight them off. Yes, all the characters in Redwall are anthropomorphic woodland creatures, but they’re believable as characters in this first installment of the Redwall series.
I’ve had this as an audiobook for a few years and finally got around to listening to it. I wish I’d done it sooner. This looks like a kid’s book—and kids can definitely enjoy it—but it’s great for any age. This first book in the series is a self-contained story. Has the flavor of The Chronicles of Narnia with more modern storytelling techniques. I recommend it as a family read, but it has more violence than I expected. Still, a great read.
Photo by Dũng Phạm: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cozy-library-with-hanging-light-bulbs-29765221/
Andrew M. Friday 
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