The best books of 2024

This list is part of the best books of 2024.

Join 1,224 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2024

Book cover of The Fetishist

Lucy Ribchester ❤️ loved this book because...

Min's knotty tale is almost thriller-like in its plot, but she unpicks the threads of the overlapping relationships between her characters with such patience, insight and poetry. It's a heartbreaking book that explores the uncomfortable tension between extreme pain and extreme beauty, as well as bringing sharp insights into the way in which Asian women are profiled and fetishised in the classical music world.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Originality 🥈 Writing
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By Katherine Min,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'Incandescent, astonishing, a miracle' R. O. KWON

'With The Fetishist, Min has left the world something original and highly potent' INDEPENDENT

'Savage, horrible and very funny' i-D MAGAZINE

In this hilariously savage, poignant novel by acclaimed author Katherine Min, a grieving daughter's revenge on the man who caused her mother's death sets off a series of unexpected reckonings.
On a cold, gloomy night, twenty-three-year-old Kyoko stands in the rain with a knife in her hoodie's pocket. Her target is Daniel, who seduced Kyoko's mother then callously dropped her, leading to her death. But tonight, there will be repercussions. Following the…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2024

Book cover of Straight Acting: The Hidden Queer Lives of William Shakespeare

Lucy Ribchester ❤️ loved this book because...

Will Tosh's exploration of the queer themes in Shakespeare's and his contemporaries' work brought me back to the world of Shakspeare, (whom I love), with fresh eyes. I loved every word of this book. It combines rich biographical detail with creative conjuring of Elizabethan London, and brilliant analysis into the words and themes of Shakespeare. I particularly loved learning about the life and work of Richard Barnfield.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Teach 🥈 Thoughts
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Will Tosh,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Straight Acting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Fluent and witty . . . confident . . . highly readable'
Kathryn Hughes, GUARDIAN

'Lively and accomplished'
Sophie Duncan, LITERARY REVIEW

'Engaging, enthusiastic and informative'
Philip Hensher, SPECTATOR

'Brilliant - so vivid and so sharp, fantastically clever and consistently fascinating'
KATHERINE RUNDELL, author of Super-Infinite

Was Shakespeare gay? The answer is both simpler and more complex than you might think . . .

Shakespeare's work was profoundly influenced by the queer culture of his time - much of it totally integrated into mainstream society. From a relentless schooling in Latin and Greek homoeroticism, to a less formal education on…


My 3rd favorite read in 2024

Book cover of Mrs. S

Lucy Ribchester ❤️ loved this book because...

This slow, smouldering erotic novel captured me in its dreamlike world. Patrick's writing is sensual and poetic but also takes you by surprise at moments with its bluntness and wit. I've underlined loads in this book and know I'll read it again.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Writing 🥈 Immersion
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By K. Patrick,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mrs. S as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An Observer Best Debut of the Year

A Granta Best Young British Novelist

'I loved this book' JULIA ARMFIELD

'Exhilarating' MONICA HEISEY

'Astonishing' ANDREA LAWLOR

'Should be on everyone's summer reading list' iNEWS

'Scorching ... One of our favourite reads' TIME OUT

A Guardian Essential Summer Read

A sensual debut novel of the forbidden love between a young woman and a headmaster's wife, unfolding across a single a heatwave summer.

In an elite English boarding school where the girls kiss the marble statue of the famous dead author who used to walk the halls, a young Australian woman arrives to…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Murder Ballad

By Lucy Ribchester,

Book cover of Murder Ballad

What is my book about?

EDINBURGH, 1791.

Isobel Duguid and her friend, the famous castrato Clessidro, are stars of the Edinburgh Musical Society. Despite her cavalier attitude towards holding a tune, Clessidro’s friendship and her own shocking murder ballads keep Isobel on stage and enjoying an opulent lifestyle in Auld Reekie.

Yet one night a note arrives from the mysterious Mrs Abercorn, regarding Isobel’s most notorious song, The Fiddler’s Wrath. It’s the tale of a prima donna who died of heartbreak after her husband committed murder and was sent to the gallows. Isobel is intrigued.

But Mrs Abercorn’s curiosity is far more than a fickle interest and the truth is more complicated than anyone could have imagined. As Isobel recounts rising through the social classes, her role in this ill-fated tune is brought to light, awakening the chilling retribution of a once buried secret.

Book cover of The Fetishist
Book cover of Straight Acting: The Hidden Queer Lives of William Shakespeare
Book cover of Mrs. S

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