The best books of 2024

This list is part of the best books of 2024.

Join 1,118 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2024

Book cover of Spook Street

Sallie Tisdale ❤️ loved this book because...

I'm deeply into the Slough House book series. This is an excellent addition, but new readers should start at the beginning. Herron is really writing a huge epic of post-war espionage. And lucky for us, the television series is nearly as good - and you should start at the beginning.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Immersion 🥈 Writing
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Mick Herron,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

*Soon to be a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*

'A terrific spy novel' Ian Rankin

Twenty years retired from the Intelligence Service, David Cartwright still knows where the skeletons are hidden. But when he forgets that secrets are supposed to stay buried, there's suddenly a target on his back.

His grandson, River, is a 'slow horse', a demoted spy pushing paper at Slough House with other no-hopers. With his grandfather under threat, River ditches desk duty and goes rogue to investigate.

Jackson Lamb, the boss at Slough House, worked with David Cartwright back in the day. He knows better…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2024

Book cover of In Ascension

Sallie Tisdale ❤️ loved this book because...

I admire books with a grand sweep, unafraid to plunge into depths of space and time. This book does that: fearless in its scope, detailed in its explication.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Immersion 🥈 Story/Plot
  • Writing style

    👍 Liked it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By Martin MacInnes,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZE

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

An astonishing novel about a young microbiologist investigating an unfathomable deep vent in the ocean floor, leading her on a journey that will encompass the full trajectory of the cosmos and the passage of a single human life

Leigh grew up in Rotterdam, drawn to the waterfront as an escape from her unhappy home life and volatile father. Enchanted by the undersea world of her childhood, she excels in marine biology, traveling the globe to study ancient organisms. When a trench is discovered in the Atlantic…


My 3rd favorite read in 2024

Book cover of The Woman Who Married a Bear

Sallie Tisdale ❤️ loved this book because...

I've been slowly reading through Straley's Alaskan mysteries for years. This is the first one, but they are all terrific. It is a vision of Alaska as a last best hope, a retreat, a disaster, a sanctuary, a black hole. The main character is unsympathetic guy who nevertheless creates deep sympathy in the reader.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Writing
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By John Straley,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Woman Who Married a Bear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The First Cecil Younger investigation set in Sitka, Alaska

Cecil Younger, local Alaskan investigator, is neither good at his job nor great at staying sober. When an old Tlingit woman, unimpressed by the police’s investigation, hires him to discover why her son, a big game guide, was murdered, he takes the case without much conviction that he’ll discover anything new. But after a failed assassination attempt and the discovery of previously missed evidence, Younger finds himself traveling across Alaska to discover the truth in a midst of conspiracies, politics, and Tlingit mythology. High drama meets local color as Cecil Younger…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Lie about the Truck: Survivor, Reality TV, and the Endless Gaze

By Sallie Tisdale,

Book cover of The Lie about the Truck: Survivor, Reality TV, and the Endless Gaze

What is my book about?

In a world of fake news and rampant conspiracy theories, the nature of truth has increasingly blurry borders. In this clever and timely cultural commentary, award-winning author Sallie Tisdale tackles this issue by framing it in a familiar way—reality TV, particularly the long-running CBS show Survivor. With her insightful and compelling writing, Tisdale illuminates the ins and outs of fandom: from the fan forum where statistical analysis is used to predict outcomes of the show to the show’s underreported history of racism and sexual assault. With humor and in-depth superfan analysis, Tisdale explores the distinction between suspended disbelief and true authenticity both in how we watch shows like Survivor, and in how we perceive the world around us.