Top Ten Reads of 2024

I know it's not quite the end of the year yet, but I'm gonna go ahead and call it anyway - my top 10 best reads of the year. New reads only, and since I have reread a LOT this year, it did mean that there weren't as many books to chose from as there sometimes are.

In no particular order... because that would just be pushing it!

The Last Murder at the End of the World - Stuart Turton VERY different from his two other works, but I still greatly enjoyed it. It had me guessing until the very last page. At the end of the day, I found the mystery more interesting than the solution, but the route getting there was absolutely captivating.


The Spellshop - Sarah Beth Dust My most recent read and a complete surprise. I'd expected to enjoy it, I hadn't expected to fall this much in love with it! I want to live on Calfrey! ... or at least go there for a visit anyways. This is cozy fantasy at its best!


The Book Club Hotel - Sarah Morgan Also published as "The Christmas Book Club". Awesome comfort reading. I fell in love with the atmosphere within the first few chapters, and fortunately the rest delivered.


The Summer Seekers - Sarah Morgan Sarah Morgan's been a bit hit-and-miss for me, but this year she's provided hit after hit! This was a lovely sweet and surprisingly poignant and touching read. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for more by her.


Mind Games - Nora Roberts Yes, Nora Roberts writes formulaeric books. No, I don't mind when they're as crazily readable as this one! I love that - with a few notable exceptions - people are just generally good, and will go out of their way to help one another.


Friends, Lovers and the Great Terrible Thing - Matthew Perry Funny, thought-provoking and heartbreaking. I'm glad to have read it, and even gladder that I read an audiobook version narrated by Matthew Perry himself. He lead a hard life, and I actually think FRIENDS saved him in more ways than one ... well ... temporarily, anyways.


The Devil and the Dark Water - Stuart Turton While "The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" is still my favourite Turton book, this comes a close second. It's a masterful detective novel, and had me hooked from the very beginning. It has a large cast of characters, and small details mentioned in one chapter will turn out to be relevant 7 chapters further on, so it's not an easy book to read - but so worth it!


Wavewalker - Suzanne Heywood I've always found travelogues fascinating, and this was no exception. Spending several years on a boat is not something I would want to do myself, but reading about it is a different matter altogether! Unfortunately, Suzanne's parents did come across as borderline abusive from time to time - especially near the end - so I'm glad she got out of there when she did.


The Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth - Chris Hadfield Accounts of space fascinate me to no end, and this was every bit as readable as Andy Weir's "The Martian" and "Project Hail Mary" and had the added bonus of actually being true! So while Chris Hadfield's writing did come across as slightly pretentious at times, I figure he's earned it.


Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe - Debbie Johnson I love chick-lit that doesn't shy away from heavier subjects. This was sweet and sad and poignant and funny and a really cozy comfort read.