Megan’s 2024 Top Ten Reads

Greetings Readers! Another year, another Best Of list. I usually start these posts by lamenting how difficult it is to pick just ten titles and then going on to list 20 books I loved that year. Not this year, dear reader. This year I came nowhere near reaching my lofty reading goal and of the books I did manage to read, I only awarded five stars to 10 books. This could be the easiest Top Ten List of my life! Let’s go. Update: I picked 12 titles because the formatting was ugly with only 4 nonfiction titles. Update 2: There are 24 titles on my list…

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FICTION

  1. Lucky Red by Claudia Craven is a book I would never have selected on my own. I read it for RRPL’s LGBTQIA+ Book Discussion and now I can’t stop thinking about it! A rollicking western told from a female point of view. What an entertaining escape.
  2. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune is the much anticipated follow-up to The House in the Cerulean Sea, and it was just as heartfelt and charming as the first. I am a softie for found families!
  3. Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher is a queer YA adventures set in the world of Camelot. Witty banter, double entendres, and swoony romances abound in the royal court of the kingdom of Camelot. But there’s more to this than just a romping good time. Throw in political intrigue, espionage, and betrayal for extra excitement.
  4. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is a slim, but powerful speculative fiction story originally published in French in 1995. Now translated into English for the first time, the story left me with more questions than answers and I will likely revisit it for further mulling over.

NONFICTION *1-4 were five-stars for me.

  1. A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan is a book I chose for my True Crime Discussion Group. It’s an eye-opening and frighteningly timely read about the rise and fall of the KKK in Indiana.
  2. Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson is an analysis of our current political climate through a lens of history. This is an accessible introduction to the history of American democracy.
  3. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner was my very first book of 2024. I broke my no-cancer-books rule for it and am glad I did. This one packs a punch.
  4. Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones is a real treat. Looking back at my short review-it was what I NEEDED at the time that I listened to it. It’s brilliant.
  5. Gator Country by Rebecca Renner is another book we discussed in my True Crime Discussion Group. Sometimes we need a break from murders and explore different types of crime. This was a fascinating read about alligator poaching and the undercover operation that targeted poaching.
  6. All in the Family by Fred Trump is a memoir of the famous family from the point of view of Donald Trump’s nephew. It was an interesting glimpse into the relationships between the different branches of the family.

Well, that felt too easy, so here are few more titles I really enjoyed this year:

Now I am just showing off. Here are a few books I am looking forward to in 2025:

Happy reading!

~Megan

Melinda’s Top 10 of 2024

It’s that time again! All week, your favorite library staff will be sharing their Top Ten Books of 2024. From horror to memoir to fantasy to romance, we have a wide range of book to recommend. Be sure to keep checking back – there will be new Top Ten lists every day this week!

Click on the book cover to request a print copy of the book, or check out Libby or Hoopla for eBook and eAudiobook offerings.

In no particular order, here are my Top Ten!

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at a reformatory for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory. Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee

In a mysterious town hidden in our collective subconscious there’s a department store that sells dreams. Each floor specializes in a specific type of dream: childhood memories, food dreams, ice skating, dreams of stardom.

Full review here.

Youthjuice by E.K. Sathue

Joining HEBE, a luxury skincare/wellness company, 29-year-old Sophia Bannion is soon addicted to her HEBE lifestyle, especially youthjuice, the fatty, soothing moisturizer she’s been asked to test, but when she learns the gruesome secret ingredient, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to stay beautiful forever.

Full review here.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

The book begins with one woman’s personal, particular heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes. With the spirit of self-inquiry and empathy she’s known for, Smith interweaves snapshots of a life with meditations on secrets, anger, forgiveness, and narrative itself.

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

Nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley is a luxury retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, private fitness trainers, daily massages–and all of it for free. In fact, you’re paid big money to stay here–more than you’ve ever dreamed of. The catch? For nine months, you cannot leave the grounds; your movements are monitored, and you are cut off from your former life while you dedicate yourself to the task of producing the perfect baby.

A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter

The story of the unrivaled desire for healing and the power of familial bonds across five generations of Métis women and the land and bison that surround them.

The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels

At eighteen, Brian, like so many other promising young gay men, arrived in New York City without much more than a love for the freedom and release from his past that it promised. But within six short years, AIDS would claim his lover, his friends, and his future. With nothing left in New York but memories of death, Brian decides to write his mother a letter asking to come back to the place, and family, he was once so desperate to escape.

Outofshapeworthlessloser by Gracie Gold

When Gracie Gold stepped onto center stage (or ice, rather) as America’s sweetheart at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, she instantly became the face of America’s most beloved winter sport. Now Gold reveals the exclusive and harrowing story of her struggles in and out of the pressure-packed world of elite figure skating: the battles with her family, her coaches, the powers-that-be at her federation, and her deteriorating mental health.

Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert

As coma patients are trapped in a world full of evil mythical creatures of sleep, which is linked to an old train tunnel around town, one troubled man finally acts upon the voice in his head called Mr. Lullaby who wants him to kill all the coma patients he can find.

Full review here.

Dolls of Our Lives by Mary Mahoney & Allison Horrocks

Combining history, travelogue, and memoir, Dolls of Our Lives follows Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney on an unforgettable journey to the past as they delve into the origins of this iconic brand.

Happy reading!

-Melinda