The best books of 2024

This list is part of the best books of 2024.

Join 1,581 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2024

Book cover of R&R: A Feast of Words

J. Shep ❤️ loved this book because...

I really could not put it down, in part because of its length, in part because of the thought-provoking nature of the interaction, and certainly in part because of the characters' relationship. I was honored to have been asked to write a review for it. It is an amazing book sure to evoke reflection.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Writing 🥈 Thoughts
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Maria Giuseppa,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked R&R as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Life flows in ways of its own choosing, not always relinquishing control to each individual. Often, we cannot change the course of events that determine health, death, and so many other emotional and physical trials. Each of them could certainly defeat us if we had to face them alone. But what if we had one person, just one, that we could always count on? One person to whom being young or beautiful, rich or even right, mattered not at all?


One person that could endure distance and time, sorrow and joy, secrets and revelations, silence or a feast of words.…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2024

Book cover of The Shadow of His Wings: The True Story of Fr. Gereon Goldmann, OFM

J. Shep ❤️ loved this book because...

it elucidated the devastating effects of war, more so than where wartime books typically go with this topic. It did this while immersing me in the world of the character and the war and simultaneously reiterating the power of prayer, especially when one puts trust in God.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Teach 🥈 Immersion
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Gereon Goldmann, Benedict Leutenegger (translator), Mary Cherubina Madl (translator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Shadow of His Wings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

We had to do it. We had to reprint this book. Rarely has a book had such an impact on so many of us here at Ignatius Press. It is one of the most powerful and moving books we have come across. If you can only buy one book this season, this must be the one.

Here is the astonishing true story of the harrowing experiences of a young German seminarian drafted into Hitler's dreaded SS at the onset of World War II. Without betraying his Christian ideals, against all odds, and in the face of Evil, Gereon Goldmann was…


My 3rd favorite read in 2024

Book cover of The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

J. Shep 👍 liked this book because...

it showcases quite well the ability to forge through challenges, from awful events of the past that seem to hold us from moving forward through life joyfully to daunting tasks in our day-to-day lives that build character as we tackle them. Following Joe from his youth to the Olympics was a smart approach, rooting the book not only in plot but also in characterization and theme.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Thoughts
  • Writing style

    👍 Liked it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By Daniel James Brown,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked The Boys in the Boat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times-bestselling story about the American Olympic rowing triumph in Nazi Germany-from the author of Facing the Mountain.

Soon to be a major motion picture directed by George Clooney

For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times-the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.

It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The December Issue

By J. Shep,

Book cover of The December Issue

What is my book about?

The joys of retirement feel imminent to columnist Paul Scrivensby, but when his penultimate column stirs controversy, the writer soon finds easing into carefree days of leisure a luxury growing elusive. Embroiled in the unexpected pursuits presented before him while on the verge of retirement, Paul discovers what he and others are capable of and searches for understanding of what is truly expected of him at this pivotal point in his life.

Book cover of R&R: A Feast of Words
Book cover of The Shadow of His Wings: The True Story of Fr. Gereon Goldmann, OFM
Book cover of The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

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