Top Ten Reads for 2024

[brlesh]

Read 54 books total in 2024, with 3 DNFs.

These are my favorite reads for the year, not including any rereads.

1. Gone South by Robert McCammon

2. A Child Alone With Strangers by Philip Fracassi

3. Burning Girls by CJ Tudor

4. You Like It Darker by Stephen King (collection)

5. A Bright and Beautiful Eternal World by James Chambers (collection)

6. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

7. Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

8. Limelight by Lyndsey Croal (collection)

9. Apocalypse Scenarios: These are the Ways the World Ends by Mira Grant (collection)

10. If You See Her by Ania Ahlborn

Rereads:

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Store by Bentley Little

B

[Sock Monkey]

I only read 13 books in 2024, so doing a Top 10 doesn't make a lot of sense for me. I'll be doing a Top 5 instead.

And in no particular order...

1. Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby: This book only came onto my radar due to forum members posting about and giving it some high praise. I don't delve too deeply into the crime genre, but this really scratched the itch. I love heist movies with double-crosses and backstabbing and the good stuff and Cosby delivers. I will definitely be picking up more of his work.

2. Carrion Harvest by Morgan Sylvia: I'm still trying to wrap my head around if this book worked really well for me or not, but I can't deny that I had no idea where it was heading and how much I enjoyed reading it. A solid apocalyptic creature feature with some heart. I just realized that Weird House has put out a collection of her stories, so I'm seriously debating pulling the trigger on that one.

3. What We Fed the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri: This collection of short stories all told through the perspective of an animal narrator is one of the more surprising reads of the year for how much I truly enjoyed it. Kolluri dips the toes of her stories into genre--some magical realism, a dash of horror, mythology, and fable--but keeps it grounded to provide insight into the world around us. A more literary read, but this one hit the spot for me and doesn't pull the punches emotionally. I can see this not being someone's cup of tea, but for me it worked through and through.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: I liked this quite a bit more than I thought I would have and Fitzgerald is a very gifted writer (like this needs to be stated), but while it's a great book, it just didn't click with me that took it to the next level of making it a favorite. I can see myself revisiting it in the future and liking it more on a second readthrough.

5. No-No Boy by John Okada: I really, really liked this book, but I also struggled with Okada's stream of consciousness rambling of his protagonist Ichiro. Why this book was overlooked when originally published and why Okada didn't get the praise during his lifetime that he deserved, I just don't understand. A very compelling read.