One of our favorite posts to do every year! Here is our reading wrap up of the Top 10 Books of 2024.
This post is a wrap up of the favorite books we read in 2024. The books included are not necessarily ones that were released in 2024, just that we read them in 2024.
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Best Books Wrap Up Schedule
As I put together my list of favorite books for 2024, I realized it’s a bit of a roller coaster. There’s crime drama, fantasy, thrillers, and even some haunting horror—but no love stories this year. Maybe next time!
Of the books on our list, some maybe at the level of a classic like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Even if not set on the Mississippi river, they do explore themes of American culture.
Slowestuff Book Division – Slowprose
Whether you’re searching for the perfect summer reading guide, must-read books for your teenage daughter, a huge sweeping epic, or a fast and fun thriller, we have an entire section of the blog dedicated to our love of reading!
You can find reading recommendations across lots of genres, and a lot of them go along with the seasonal focus of our blog as well.
For example, we have witchy reads perfect for spooky season. You can also find books set in Ireland to get you in the St. Patrick’s Day mood. For options to take to the beach, we have several posts listing the best non-romance beach reads, plus a list of authors who write summer books like Elin Hilderbrand.
Aside from our book category posts, we also do book reviews. These are posted as we read books throughout the year.
Reading Wrap Up for 2024
In 2024, we read a total of 33 books.
(Reading = physical books & audiobooks. We are not at all about that debate as to whether audiobooks are considered reading! We love them – especially thriller books. They are perfect for that book aesthetic.)
We started off the year strong, consistently having both an audio book or physical book going – or both. This tapered off throughout the year, with the end of 2024 leaving us woefully lacking in setting aside some good reading time.
Still debating on what we should set our goal to be in 2025.
Slowestuff Reads: Our Top 10 Books of 2024
Here is our list of the best books we read this year. We did try to list them in order!
1. SMALL MERCIES: A DETECTIVE MYSTERY – BY DENNIS LEHANE
In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart. One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances. The two events seem unconnected. But Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business.
Our top book of 2024 was Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane.
Picked up on a whim while I was waiting for another library book to come off hold, I certainly wasn’t expecting this book to wow me, but it sure did.
It is listed as a crime drama, but it is soooooo much more than that. Focused in the Boston neighborhood of Southie, Lehane did an amazing job of integrating the setting to be its own type of character in the book.
Small Mercies tackles racism and hatred, but it also struck a chord with the portrayal of a mother’s love for her child through the lead character named Mary Pat Fennessy. Wrapped up in a very harsh and prickly package, Mary Pat’s love for her child and the lengths she would go for her really resonated.
This knocked our socks off. It was a “slam the cover and hug it” kind of book (you can see our very professional book rating system here).
This audiobook is incredible and really does an amazing job bringing the Boston accent and attitude to life.
Check out our full review in this blog post.
2. PIRANESI – BY SUSANNA CLARKE
Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has. In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone. Messages begin to appear, scratched out in chalk on the pavements. There is someone new in the House. But who are they and what do they want? Are they a friend or do they bring destruction and madness as the Other claims? Lost texts must be found, secrets must be uncovered. The world that Piranesi thought he knew is becoming strange and dangerous. The beauty of the House is immeasurable; its kindness infinite.
What this book lacks in length, it makes up for with INCREDIBLE STORYTELLING!
I was completely spellbound by Piranesi as soon as I started reading it. Completely unique story that paints some of the most vivid visuals you will ever encounter. There is nothing out there quite like Piranesi.
My general thought is that Piranesi is the type of book that people either get, or they don’t. I am certainly in the camp that gets it, because I loved it immediately.
You can find my full review of Piranesi here.
3. LOOK CLOSER – BY DAVID ELLIS
Simon and Vicky couldn’t seem more normal: a wealthy Chicago couple, he a respected law professor, she an advocate for domestic violence victims. A stable, if unexciting marriage. But one thing’s for sure … absolutely nothing is what it seems. The pair are far from normal, and one of them just may be a killer. When the body of a beautiful socialite is found hanging in a mansion in a nearby suburb, Simon and Vicky’s secrets begin to unravel. A secret whirlwind affair. A twenty-million-dollar trust fund about to come due. A decades-long grudge and obsession with revenge. These are just a few of the lies that make up the complex web...and they will have devastating consequences. And while both Vicky and Simon are liars, just who exactly is conning who?
I love a thriller that starts off like a rocket, and then settles into the story while keeping my interest the whole time.
I also love a thriller where I find the characters thoughts and behaviors believable. Often times I am rolling my eyes at the lame stuff characters do in thrillers. Not the case in Look Closer.
This one had me totally intrigued the entire time, and there was no way I was even close to guessing what the twist was.
Favorite thriller of the year! You can find my full review here.
4. SLEWFOOT – BY BROM
Connecticut, 1666: An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector. The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil. To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help. Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake.
I had heard a lot of hype about Slewfoot, and how good it was. It is always such an awesome feeling when a book lives up to the hype!
Slewfoot gives you plenty of witchy vibes, along with Puritan anger, monsters, and some incredible vengance thrown in.
Atmospheric and intense, Slewfoot is exactly the type of book I want to read when spooky season rolls around.
You can find my full review of Slewfoot here.
5. THESE SILENT WOODS: A Novel – BY KIMI CUNNINGHAM GRANT
No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world. For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. And that's exactly the way Cooper wants it, because he's got a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin’s shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she’s starting to push back against the sheltered life Cooper has created for her―and he’s still haunted by the painful truth of what it took to get them there. The only people who know they exist are a mysterious local hermit named Scotland, and Cooper's old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them food and supplies. But this year, Jake doesn't show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is. Suddenly, the boundaries of their safe haven have blurred―and when a stranger wanders into their woods, Finch’s growing obsession with her could put them all in danger. After a shocking disappearance threatens to upend the only life Finch has ever known, Cooper is forced to decide whether to keep hiding―or finally face the sins of his past.
These Silent Woods is a thriller in a different way than most.
It is not heart pounding, can’t catch your breath kind of storytelling. It is more a quiet examination of the human condition, peeled away layer by layer as you learn more about the main characters, their story, and the people they meet along the way.
It remains one of the best ending to a book I have ever read. Completely took my breath away.
You can find my full review here.
6. THE DEAD ZONE – BY STEPHEN KING
After four and a half years in a coma, Johnny Smith awakens with a knowledge of the death zone and an ability to see the future, a horrible power that he does not want and cannot escape.
Certainly not a new release, but I like to read at least one Stephen King book a year and this was an amazing one. Great story and super satisfying ending.
I am a long time Constant Reader, but that doesn’t mean I love every one of his books. But this one holds up even though it was written years ago.
7. THE QUIET TENANT: A Novel – BY CLEMENCE MICHALLON
Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life. When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret.
I devoured this book. It is an abduction drama and I couldn’t put it down.,
It legitimately sent chills down my spine because it felt real. It felt like a real time drama, and is so scary because I can see it happening.
I have seen a lot of differing opinions as to the ending, but I thought it was well done and wrapped up the story in a great way.
See my full review of The Quiet Tenant here.
8. THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE – CARISSA ORLANDO
When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. Margaret is not most people. Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.
September House is definitely a horror book, but I also found it interwoven with humor so when I think of it now, my memory is that it is a funny horror.
What is funny about it is the nonchalant and normal way the main protagonist, Margaret, talks about her house, the people in her house, and the things that happen. It was hilarious to me.
But on the flip side, there are some seriously messed up scenes in this book. One in particular in the basement had me have to put the book aside for a bit.
Full review pending for The September House.
9. CONFESSIONS – BY KANAE MINATO
After calling off her engagement in the wake of a tragic revelation, Yuko Moriguchi had nothing to live for except her only child, four-year-old child, Manami. Now, following an accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation. But first she has one last lecture to deliver. She tells a story that upends everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers, and sets in motion a diabolical plot for revenge.
Confessions is another book that is unlike any I have read before. This is a thriller that focuses on one specific event, and each section of the book covers it from a different person’s perspective.
This is a methodical, insidious and calculating thriller. It is not fast paced, nor is it one I consider heart pounding. But it is clever and evil, with reveals that will make you pause.
My full review of Confessions can be found here.
10. THE HOUSEMAID – BY FREIDA McFADDEN
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor. I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband. I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late. But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am. They don’t know what I’m capable of…
I had an absolute BLAST reading The Housemaid.
Fast paced, juicy, twisty and easy to read, this is exactly the type of thriller book I want to take with me to the beach or for some summertime reading.
So fun!
Critic Favorites
If you are looking for some critically acclaimed books from this past year, the National Book Award nominees brought us inventive novels and personal stories that push boundaries.
While I didn’t include graphic novels or book-length poems on my list, I know they’ve been stealing the spotlight. Authors like Kelly Link, Kaveh Akbar, and Pemi Aguda are weaving tales that redefine what literary fiction can be.
There are some other newly released addictive thriller books that leave you turning pages well past bedtime! From Paradise Bronx to small-town mysteries that dig into the natural world, these books are shaping up to be some of the best new books of the year.
Of course, no bookish recap would be complete without nodding to the heavy-hitters like Joan Didion, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Ian Frazier, whose works continue to inspire readers worldwide. Whether it’s a haunting book from South Africa or a deep dive into American culture by a New Yorker staff writer, these stories remind us of the real problems and personal stories that connect human beings.
If you’re craving a wide, wide sea of genres and themes, check out the Pulitzer Prize and Booker Prize lists for good material.
Slowestuff Reads: Our Top 10 Books of 2024
We hope you enjoyed this wrap up of our top 10 books of 2024! We hope you found some books that interested you and you added a few to your TBR. If you have read any of these, let us know what you thought of them!
If you are looking for more book recommendations, check out our book section of the blog.
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Please also let us know what your top books are so far this year. We love to get book recommendations from our fellow bibliophiles!
Happy Reading!
Slowprose, book division of Slowestuff
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