Across all categories and genres, these 10 books are standout selections from an excellent reading year.
Across all categories and genres, these 10 books are standout selections from an excellent reading year.
2024 was chock-full of auspicious debuts and sparkling returns from nonfiction’s heavy hitters. Journalists unearthed unreported histories and dug deeper into stories we thought we knew, while scientists and memoirists challenged us to look more closely at ourselves and our environments. Here are the 15 nonfiction books that floored us.
2024 was chock-full of auspicious debuts and sparkling returns from nonfiction’s heavy hitters. Journalists unearthed unreported histories and dug deeper into stories we thought we knew, while scientists and memoirists challenged us to look more closely at ourselves and our environments. Here are the 15 nonfiction books that floored us.
The greatest novels of 2024 were notably unafraid to rewrite the past, lacing shimmering, enriching new narratives through personal and cultural histories. Even better: Many of them made us laugh along the way. Read on for the 15 novels and graphic novels that most impressed, charmed and inspired us this year.
The greatest novels of 2024 were notably unafraid to rewrite the past, lacing shimmering, enriching new narratives through personal and cultural histories. Even better: Many of them made us laugh along the way. Read on for the 15 novels and graphic novels that most impressed, charmed and inspired us this year.
Previous
Next

Discover your next great book!

BookPage is a discovery tool for readers, highlighting the best new books across all genres. BookPage is editorially independent; only books we highly recommend are featured.

Feature by

You Better Watch Out

In the checkout line of an upstate New York convenience store, opportunistic small-time thief Eddie Parker spots a purse overflowing with cash. As the elderly owner finishes her transaction, Eddie maneuvers himself into position to relieve her of her stash. It does not go according to plan; within arm’s reach of his prize, Eddie feels a sharp scratch on his neck and, moments later, his world goes black. He wakes up in a small deserted town that looks like a movie set: buildings with false fronts, shops filled with empty containers, no food or water in sight and Christmastime temperatures dropping below freezing. The title of this thriller by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth is almost prophetic: You Better Watch Out. Eddie soon discovers that a handful of other folks have met a similar fate. And although they don’t entirely trust one another, they know that their lives depend on getting out of this place, and the best means to that end is teamwork. But, in true Agatha Christie fashion, one by one they meet their untimely demise, and most graphically. Here is the funny part, though (to me, at least): Fairly early in the book, I thought I had figured out who the villain was. Turns out, I was right—but I had no inkling whatsoever of the diabolical twist that would reveal itself in the final pages. 

Havoc

In Christopher Bollen’s Havoc, octogenarian and self-confessed do-gooder Maggie Burkhardt narrates a tale of obsession, deceit and worse at a riverside hotel in Luxor, Egypt, during the height of COVID-19 restrictions. Following the death of her husband, Maggie is far afield from her Wisconsin homeland. Egypt was not her first choice for her retirement, but it is one of the few places welcoming tourists, and she has grown acclimated to the heat and the easy pace of life in the Royal Karnak, a hotel that exemplifies the term “faded glory.” Over time, she has become something of a fixture there, reveling in her role as “doyenne of all she surveys.” And then Otto shows up with his mother, and quickly establishes himself as Chief Nemesis to Maggie and all she holds dear. His childish pranks escalate to blackmail after he surprises Maggie doing something she clearly should not have been doing, and his demands seem to have no end in sight. That said, Maggie is rather duplicitous herself, both in her interactions with other characters and with the reader, as she tries to play the virtuous victim. The narrative is by turns creepy, snarky, humorous and every bit as atmospheric as you would expect from a story set somewhere like the Valley of the Kings. Oh, and there are a couple of murders: nothing too graphic, but quite definitely an affectionate nod to the sweeping, international mysteries of the 1940s.  

Robert B. Parker’s Hot Property

After a popular series writer passes away, they often leave legions of fans clamoring for more adventures of their fictional heroes. Ian Fleming’s James Bond and Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander jump to mind. Other writers often take up the challenge, albeit with decidedly mixed results. But when Mike Lupica took over Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series, it was a seamless transition. It’s as if he channels Parker from beyond the grave: setting, prose, dialogue—the works. In the latest installment, Robert B. Parker’s Hot Property, an attempted murder hits close to home. Ace criminal defense attorney Rita Fiore has been shot and is clinging to life but tenuously. She had been romantically involved with a young up-and-coming politician until his recent accidental (?) death, and now it appears that he may have been involved in some property shenanigans with mob overtones. For Spenser, Rita Fiore is family, as surely as if they had been related by blood, and he will leave no stone unturned in bringing her assailant to justice. Speaking of stones, another Parker protagonist, Police Chief Jesse Stone, makes a cameo appearance, and the two play off each other exceptionally well. Hot Property is a must for longtime Spenser fans and a terrific entry point for newcomers as well.

The Collaborators

If you are in the mood for a high-stakes global espionage novel, with secret agents jet-setting all over the world, you have come to the right place. Michael Idov’s The Collaborators doesn’t waste any time setting up locations or easing into the narrative. In the first sentence, a Russian MiG-29 fighter jet pulls up alongside an Antalya Airlines commercial flight from Istanbul to Riga, Latvia. They are in Belarusian airspace, and the MiG pilot clearly plans to force the Antalya 737 down or shoot it down. On board are a dissident blogger, a pair of fugitives in disguise and heaven only knows what other manner of dodgy characters. Meanwhile, in Riga, CIA agent Aria Falk waits anxiously for the blogger, initially unaware of the flight’s unplanned stop in Minsk. In other news, a financier who has been laundering Russian money for years has apparently killed himself by leaping off a yacht in the open sea, and the multibillion dollar fund he managed seems to have vanished along with him. The connection point for all these disparate events is Falk. Soon enough, he will become involved with Maya Chou, the daughter of the missing (and presumed dead) financier, and things will get very convoluted indeed. The Collaborators devotes little space to pyrotechnics, chase scenes and the like, but cleverness and subterfuge abound, followed by a believable, real-world sort of denouement. PS: Idov is a screenwriter in addition to being a novelist, and this book has silver screen written all over it.

Plus, a wicked holiday delight and a ripped-from-the-headlines espionage thriller in this month’s Whodunit column.
Feature by

Dwight Garner’s The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading is an irresistible blend of memoir, literary history and culinary journalism. Garner, a longtime New York Times Book Review critic who is married to chef Cree LeFavour, shares memories of meals from his Southern upbringing and food-related anecdotes from a host of famous figures, literary and otherwise, including Toni Morrison and David Sedaris. As he contemplates his favorite pursuits (yes, those would be reading and eating), he highlights the wonderful idiosyncrasies of personal taste. For Garner, the two pastimes nourish each other—with rich results.

In her moving memoir, Tastes Like War, Grace M. Cho looks back on her childhood in Washington state, where she lived with her Korean mother and American father after the family migrated from Korea. Grace was a teenager when her mother began to show signs of schizophrenia. As a doctoral student researching Korean history, Cho started cooking for her mother, drawing on recipes from the family’s past. Themes like colonialism and the unifying power of food will inspire spirited book club discussions.

Anya von Bremzen investigates the role that place plays in food culture in National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home. Over the course of the book, von Bremzen visits foodie dream destinations like Turkey, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Italy and France. Along the way, she talks with chefs and influencers, historians and scientists to find out why particular dishes—pizza, rice, ramen—end up representing a country’s culture. An acclaimed food and travel writer, von Bremzen whisks up a brisk, lively narrative that’s brimming with culinary history.

Kwame Onwuachi’s Notes From a Young Black Chef chronicles the author’s remarkable journey from the flavor-packed but dangerous streets of the Bronx to the heights of the culinary world. As a youngster, Onwuachi suffered at the hands of his violent father and flirted with gang life. But he learned about cooking from his caterer mother and went on to become a James Beard Award-winning chef, even as racism in the culinary industry threatened to derail his dreams. Written with Joshua David Stein, this invigorating memoir offers many talking points, including the value of failing and getting up again.

Gather ’round the table to dish about these mouthwatering memoirs.
Night Magic book jacket by Leigh Ann Henion

Night Magic

Leigh Ann Henion is the bestselling author of Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World (2015), a lyrical memoir of seeking a fulfilling life. Her second book, Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark, is just as personal and personable, this time focusing on the wisdom she has found in darkness. 

We are, unfortunately, obsessed with illuminating the night. Henion explains that 99% of people in the U.S. live under the influence of “skyglow—diffuse, artificial brightening of the night sky,” and she shares data about how light pollution causes health problems for humans and destroys ecosystems and the migratory patterns of birds. “Darkness is often presented as a void of doom rather than a force of nature that nourishes lives, including our own,” she writes.

Henion’s nocturnal investigation takes her to Appalachia for synchronous lightning bugs, Ohio for a moth festival and soggy, foggy Grandfather Mountain for glowworms. She hunts for migrating salamanders with a professor and his class, and she describes the harm that streetlights cause to owl habitats. She meets with specialists and scientists, and in her cheerful, thoughtful style, she shares all she learns about bats, bioluminescent mushrooms and more.

Readers who choose to follow Night Magic into the dark may find the courage to turn off that backyard floodlight, allow their eyes to adjust and see something spectacular.

—Cat Acree

Book jacket image for The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

★ The Backyard Bird Chronicles

It’s been over a decade since Amy Tan published her last novel, but there’s a good reason for that. In 2016, while hard at work on her next literary endeavor, Tan found her psyche and creative drive overwhelmed by the political turmoil consuming the country. When writing fiction failed to provide refuge, Tan sought it elsewhere: Making good on a long-held promise to learn to draw, she began taking nature journaling classes and found herself captivated by the birds she observed. Soon, the hobby turned into a full-on obsession, leading Tan to transform her backyard into an ideal sanctuary for local birds so she could document and sketch the fauna that visited her yard.

Written in her hallmark heartfelt and lively prose, The Backyard Bird Chronicles curates excerpts from Tan’s personal birding journals from 2017 to 2022, sharing anecdotes about her hunt for the perfect squirrel-proof seeds and feeders, the awe she felt sighting her first great horned owl, and the comedy of baby birds learning to feed. Each entry is complemented with Tan’s own drawings. 

Tan’s childlike wonder at the birds she observes is contagious, but the book goes beyond a compendium of avian observations: You’ll also find introspection and rumination on universal questions about mortality, empathy, racism and our connection (and responsibility) to nature. Because her journals were written without any intention of publication, there is something truly exhilarating about the candor of Tan’s thoughts; her unguarded presence on the page sparkles with cleverness and compassion. It is the rare reader who will be immune to her unbridled enthusiasm and her message that sometimes life’s sweetest pleasures are its simplest.

The Backyard Bird Chronicles showcases a master novelist in a new light. These pages will be a buoyant balm to the soul for inquisitive readers. 

—Stephenie Harrison

Read our interview with Amy Tan about The Backyard Bird Chronicles.

Book jacket of Atlas Obscura: Wild Life by Cara Giamo and Joshua Foer

Atlas Obscura: Wild Life

Atlas Obscura got its start as a community-driven website about the weirdest destinations around the globe, but it has expanded into a podcast and books such as the bestselling Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura. The latest book, Atlas Obscura: Wild Life: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Living Wonders by Cara Giaimo and Joshua Foer, is a monumental tour through the world’s most interesting organisms, with heaping piles of facts, stories, photographs and illustrations.

Divided into chapters based on habitat, the book begins with a section on humans that emphasizes the positive aspects of our relationship with Earth. “We are of course bound to [plants, animals and organisms] with every breath of air and every bite of food. But we also learn from the species around us, using our observations of them to build new understandings of how life on Earth has been, is, and could be,” the authors write. This sets a curious and optimistic tone for the book, which is true to the overall Atlas Obscura vibe.

Wild Life is for people who say things like “Nature is metal!” when a lion kills a gazelle and are thrilled about the fact that platypuses glow under black light. Did you know that slime molds were able to replicate the Tokyo railway system? Did you know that moss balls travel as a pack in the Eurasian tundra, and no one knows why?

Along with facts about more than 500 organisms, the book also includes Q&As with such people as a grass weaver, a walrus watcher and “a crow-human conflict mediator,” suggesting that our own lives can be almost as wild as those of these incredible creatures.

—Cat Acree

Book jacket of Leaf, Cloud, Crow by Margaret Renkl

Leaf, Cloud, Crow

In Margaret Renkl’s The Comfort of Crows (2023), the third book from the bestselling author, Tennessee naturalist and New York Times contributing writer, readers were invited into a weekly communion in her Nashville backyard, with 52 essays coinciding with brilliantly colorful collages by her brother, Billy Renkl. With her new guided journal, Leaf, Cloud, Crow: A Weekly Backyard Journal, Renkl extends her invitation further, drawing us into a yearlong commitment to seeing the world more clearly and, in doing so, knitting ourselves closer to it.

In her introduction to Leaf, Cloud, Crow, Renkl explains that her praxis of observation is one that she has cultivated for three decades, but even now, “It isn’t always easy to give myself over to the timeless beauty outside my window.” To help get you into the right mindset, she offers her essay “How to Pay Attention,” a clear and declarative list of things to do and be as a backyard naturalist. “Silence and stillness are your greatest tools,” she writes. “Take care not to frighten anybody. Sit quietly and let the world come to you.”

From there, Renkl puts your powers of observation and evaluation to work. Organized by seasons, the journal begins in winter, during the week of December 21-27, when the user is encouraged to go find something in the natural world—a dead leaf will do—and then make a metaphor from it. From there we learn about birding, the pain and glory of seasonal changes, the willingness to be completely perplexed by something we’ve seen, and so on, each prompt coinciding with an excerpt from The Comfort of Crows.

If you despair at the loss of ecosystems and the damage that we have done to the wild world, Renkl’s words and the lessons she imparts are a balm. For those who wish to do better, see better and (of course) write better, it’s an excellent gift.

—Cat Acree

Looking for a holiday gift for a birder, tree-hugger or civilian scientist? We’ve got just the thing.
Feature by

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Ally Carter does it again with the delightful The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. An anonymous invitation lures rival mystery writers Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt to a secluded and nearly snowbound English mansion for Christmas. Upon arrival, they encounter a series of surprises: the identity of their hostess, her almost immediate disappearance and the dynamic sleuthing duo they become. Alternating between Maggie’s and Ethan’s viewpoints, this romantic comedy packs in plot and smiles on every page as the two work to unravel the puzzles they encounter during their stay. The characters’ emotional backstories add authentic heft, and Ethan’s heartfelt and outspoken devotion for Maggie will warm the coldest winter night. Readers will be more than willing to put off any pending holiday tasks to indulge in this vastly entertaining read.

Kiss Me at Christmas

Describing Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss as “feel-good” would be a colossal understatement: The entire package is practically wrapped in a sparkly Christmas bow. Right before the holidays, 40-something main characters Harriet Smith and James Knight have a one-night stand . . . and then learn that they’ll be working on a production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol together. Single mom and private school counselor Harriet overcomes the awkwardness by focusing on her students: She agreed to manage the production to shield some of them from the consequences of breaking into the decrepit theater. The owner of the theater is one of serious lawyer James’ clients, and James isn’t happy about the play or how his night with Harriet ended. However, nothing’s more fun than let’s-put-on-a-show enthusiasm, which in this case brings together an entire English village as well as Harriet and James. Bayliss’ mature main characters are refreshing stars, even as they fall into the usual romantic insecurities and miscommunication that cause lovers of all ages to stumble. In the end, James loosens up with Harriet’s aid, and his regard helps her value herself more. Along the way, readers will revel in the cute and sometimes rebellious kids, the wise and charming oldsters, and the descriptions of scrumptious foods from all over the world.

The Duke’s Christmas Bride

Revenge leads to romance in Anna Bradley’s Regency-set The Duke’s Christmas Bride. Maxwell Burke, the Duke of Grantham, desperately wishes to recover Hammond Court, the family home his father lost long ago in a foolish wager with Ambrose St. Clair. When Ambrose dies, Max discovers the man left Hammond Court to him—but also to stubborn Rose St. Claire, Ambrose’s ward, who has no intention of moving out. What’s a ruthless duke to do to get her going on her way? Why, bribe an eligible London gentleman to romance and marry the chit, of course. A holiday house party is arranged, and the brooding Max finds himself ice-skating, sleigh-riding and arranging a Christmas ball . . . all while falling for the enchanting woman he’s scheming to hand over to someone else. Brooding won’t help him now, and Max must find a way to solve the very dilemma he created while his amused friends—main characters from other entries in Bradley’s Drop Dead Dukes series—look on. A closed-off aristocrat and a warmhearted heroine who bakes the best Christmas treats? That’s a recipe for love story satisfaction.

The Christmas You Found Me

Prepare for a few tears along with your hot chocolate while reading The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler, which follows two total strangers who enter into a “marriage of purpose” to provide for a 4-year-old with a life-threatening illness. Sienna Naples may be busy maintaining her family ranch in the Idaho wilderness, but she can’t look away from the dire dilemma of Guy Maple and his daughter, Emma, who has Stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Sienna’s generosity in taking in the small family provides a boon to her, too, as she’s lonely post-divorce and with her dad in acute elder care. Providing Emma with some needed fun is imperative despite her hovering illness, and Sienna steps up to make memories for them all. Cue small-town holiday events in between emergency medical visits, and two people who fall in love despite their vulnerability and grief. Told in Sienna’s first-person voice, this story provides a roller-coaster of emotions as well as an enthralling look at winter life on a remote ranch. Have a hankie at hand.

Christmas Is All Around

A curmudgeon unearths her holiday spirit in Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters. Charlotte Lane has been over the season since starring in the now-classic film Christmas, Truly as a child. When her refusal to join a reboot of the film goes viral, she escapes to her sister’s in London. There, she’s roped into holiday escapades, including a country house tour where she meets the owner, attractive Englishman Graham Calloway. Now an artist, Charlotte can’t resist his idea that she create a series of Christmas-themed illustrations around London . . . with Graham as her guide to several iconic locations. While there’s an initial spark, these two are slow to succumb to the burn of passion as they’re dealing with—or more accurately, not dealing with—family issues that hold them back. But love truly finds its way on this fun tour through a London holiday, which is peopled with amusing secondary characters and has a satisfying happy ending that ticks all the boxes.

The year’s most delightful Christmas love stories are full of mistletoe and merriment—with just a dash of potential murder to spice things up.

Believe         

Fans of beloved hit television series Ted Lasso will delightedly embrace Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, the Show That Kicked Its Way Into Our Hearts.

Part oral history, part cultural analysis, Believe is an entertaining and insightful behind-the-scenes tour in which New York Times television editor Jeremy Egner offers a wealth of interviews with key players as he reflects on Ted Lasso’s origins as a 2013 commercial; standout influences and episodes (e.g., the divisively trippy “Beard After Hours”); and its rocket-like ascension to national-treasure status.

Like Ted Lasso, Believe brims with enthusiasm, sports-talk and fun. As Egner writes, “It’s a story, appropriately enough, of teamwork, of hidden talent, of a group of friends looking around at the world’s increasingly nasty discourse and deciding that, as corny as it sounds, maybe simple decency and a few laughs still had the power to bring people together.” Believe is a winning read about a stellar show.   

Steven Spielberg     

Steven Spielberg: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work is an upbeat, photo-packed tribute to the famous filmmaker, written with wit and warmth by British film critic Ian Nathan.

Nathan believes Spielberg is “the medium’s defining artist. Indeed, the embodiment of the Hollywood ideal: the commercial potential of film married to its creative possibilities. Art and commerce.” He proves his point as he traces the filmmaker’s development as director, producer and writer over his 50-plus year career, from his earliest films (1971’s Duel, his first feature-length film) to his most personal work to date, 2022’s semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans

Analysis of the auteur’s favorite collaborators and common themes offers illuminating context, and reveals a bounty of nitty-gritty details about Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Hook, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Lincoln and more. Photos and movie posters amp up the fun, and even Nathan’s captions offer fresh insight. Steven Spielberg will absolutely intrigue and enchant fans of “the man with the universal touch.”

Box Office Poison       

There’s always high drama on movie sets, thanks to the studio politics, budget-busting sets and creative intensity that swirls around them. Sometimes a hit is born, but other times, as film critic Tim Robey writes in Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops, one must wonder, “What the hell were they thinking?”

Robey spotlights 26 cinematic “weirdos, outcasts, misfits, [and] freaks” via well-informed, gleefully snarky takes on what went wrong and what we might learn from flops. Intolerance (1916) exemplifies the “giant folly of trying to be a one-man film studio”; Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) was waterlogged; and Cats (2019) suffered from “the buttholes” and endless production problems.

Robey notes that many flops become cult classics or are eventually recognized as misunderstood, and due to streaming, it’s become difficult to quantify losses and thereby designate a new ultimate bomb. But on the upside, our cord-cutting world has also made it easier than ever for cinephiles riding high on the spirited Box Office Poison to experience the movies Robey deems “turkeys.” 

Hollywood Pride

In his wonderfully wide-ranging encyclopedia of 130 years of movie history, Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance in Film, film critic Alonso Duralde “hope[s] to pay tribute to artists whose contributions on both sides of the camera have been essential to cinema history while also spotlighting films that have told queer stories and/or had special resonance with queer audiences.” 

Mission accomplished: This chronological compendium examines filmic LGBTQ+ representation in key eras like the years after World War II, when “gay men were among the biggest stars in Hollywood, even if almost no one outside the industry knew it”; and the “opening of the floodgates” after 2005’s Brokeback Mountain. There are vivid photos and sidebars galore, and lists of notable films and artists, too. 

Hollywood Pride is a well-written, visually appealing cultural history: a book to learn from, gaze at and celebrate that “as long as there is a cinema . . . we will continue to exist and to thrive and to create.”

The Worlds of George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin fans—especially those who wish they lived in Westeros—will clamor for Tom Huddleston’s The Worlds of George R.R. Martin: The Inspirations Behind Game of Thrones, which illuminates the creative process of the much-loved author of the Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series.

Huddleston ponders “What sources—historical, literary and personal—did [Martin] draw upon in the writing, and what inspiration did they give him?” He notes that Martin’s writing has a “sprawling, breathtaking sense of scale” that draws readers in, and certainly echoes that scope and intensity here as he delves into the creation of the hugely popular series, considers how it was translated into TV shows Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, and assesses its place in pop culture.

Fans who want to spend even more time in Martin’s medieval-esque world will treasure The Worlds of George R.R. Martin: It’s a well-researched, engagingly written and visually immersive experience.

These books are just the thing for screen buffs who want to revel in their favorite stories and auteurs, with deeply knowledgeable experts as their enthusiastic guides.

Discover your next great book!

BookPage highlights the best new books across all genres, as chosen by our editors. Every book we cover is one that we are excited to recommend to readers. A star indicates a book of exceptional quality in its genre or category.

Reviews