My Favourite Books of 2024
Another year has come and gone, another 19 books read and enjoyed. Even though I started book #20 in December, I finished it on January 4th. Would you say that still counts? Either way, 2024 was a good year for me as far as reading was concerned. As usual, the genres I read were all over the place — two incredible historical fiction novels (The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus), two very strange and introspective novels (Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys and Pure Colour by Sheila Heti), four poetry collections, two mysteries, and one play. I even stepped out of my comfort zone and tried science fiction (Exhalation by Ted Chiang) and was pleasantly surprised. But after narrowing down my top five books of the year, I realized my favourite genre in 2024 was fantasy. These were all five star reads!
5. The Iron Vow by Julie Kagawa
The tenth and final book of the Iron Fey series that I have loved since high school is the only book ever to make me ball my eyes out. Without revealing any spoilers, I lost my shit during the final battle. Returning to Meghan’s POV (who narrated the original trilogy) for the final book was full-circle satisfying.
4. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
After having watched his Masterclass on creative writing, I was determined to explore Gaiman’s bibliography. I had previously seen and enjoyed the film adaptations of Coraline and Stardust. I knew his quirky, creative style would be a fun ride. I chose The Ocean at the End of the Lane because of its title. Isn’t it a great title? The story was very weird and spooky and interesting. It was a different type of world-building than I was used to — with more questions than answers, but I liked that. It gives the reader the freedom to fill in the gaps themselves.
3. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
I love the symmetry of Sadie and Sam’s story. It helped to tie the nonlinear plot together. Like beads of a bracelet. I was not expecting to be brought to tears while reading a book about video games, but that’s not a complaint. There was more to this story than I initially thought and it was deeply captivating. Also, set during the 1990s and early 2000s, the nostalgia scratched me right where I itched.
2. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
This book was my first foray into the fantasy genre that wasn’t YA or middle grade. It was very long and took three whole months to finish, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I don’t know what I would cut to make it shorter. It all felt important and was never boring. It was profound, unexpectedly funny at times, and emotional, too. Sanderson is a master at world-building. I’m excited to dive deeper into this fantastic world with the second installment of the Stormlight Archives. I just needed to spread them out with shorter stories in between them.
1. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
This standalone fantasy novel had been on my radar for over a year thanks to its beautiful cover and intriguing title (you might notice I am a sucker for a good title!). Having read The Way of Kings a few months earlier, I was more than willing to give Sanderson’s other work a try. It was a different vibe than the Stormlight Archives, with comedic undertones equal to The Princess Bride that pokes fun at fairytale tropes. I was once again enthralled by Sanderson’s brilliant world-building. A very fun read that renewed my motivation to keep writing my own fantasy novel.
