Best Books of 2024

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

It is an absolute treat when a year contains a Sally Rooney release, as the author has yet to disappoint with her work. In her newest release, Intermezzo, Rooney hits the mark yet again.

The story follows two wildly different brothers, Peter and Ivan, as they navigate grief in the wake of their father's death. Peter, a Dublin lawyer and the elder brother by 10 years, finds himself torn between his casual relationship with a college student and the pull of his first love. Ivan, a 22-year-old pursuing a career in chess, finds himself falling for a 36-year-old divorcée — a point of contention between the brothers that has them pushing further away when they need each other the most.

In her unique, quotation-free style, Rooney once again delivers a story that will captivate and entrance readers. — Ally Kutz

Farrar, Straus and Giroux // 454 pages // Literary Fiction

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

If you've ever struggled to understand the concept of generational trauma, Tommy Orange has written a master class on how to perfectly craft it into story. The follow-up to his 2018 novel There There, Orange tackles a similar concept but does so by casting a much larger historical net. One need not have read There There to connect with Wandering Stars — it easily stands on its own — but it couldn't hurt and I promise you won't regret it. Both books are stunning and immaculately told while being simultaneously soul-crushing and matter-of-fact.

Following, in a narrative way, the traumatic history of Indigenous Americans from the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School up through to the present and subtly connecting those events through a single family's experience — it is grand and sweeping without being intimidating. Tackling un-taught American history in all of its brutal honesty while examining the nature of addiction and its connection to lived and inherited trauma — this book is vital, and should be required reading. — Erin Phillips

Knopf // 336 pages // Historical Fiction

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Following the success of his Thursday Murder Club series, many were anxious to see Richard Osman's latest debut and the success, or lack thereof, it would hold. The worry is baseless, though, as We Solve Murders is on par with the author's previous works and has earned itself a place on this list.

Amy Wheeler is a private security officer currently tasked with guarding a world-famous author, while her father-in-law Steve Wheeler is a retired police officer. The two lead wildly different lives — hers filled with adrenaline and danger, his with routine and quiet — but the two find themselves in the midst of a mystery when someone is out to get Amy and the only person who she trusts to help is Steve.

Storyline has never been the most important part of Osman's novels, but instead the characters: "If I asked you the plot of the last 10 crime books you have read, you probably wouldn't remember them but you would remember how they made you feel … that's why writing characters is most important to me — they have a big impact." Luckily, his characters and plot both pack a big punch in We Solve Murders, delivering a suspenseful yet delightful story that is difficult to put down. — Ally Kutz

Pamela Dorman Books // 400 pages // Mystery, Crime

North Woods by Daniel Mason

"...The only way to understand the world as something other than a tale of loss is to see it as a tale of change."

North Woods is a book whose genre is difficult to pin down — in the best way. In essence, it traces the history of a single structure on a plot of land from the very beginning of Colonial America, through all of American history, and into the (subtly apocalyptic) future. It tells the story of two Puritan lovers who ran away to pursue their forbidden affair and found this plot of land, a British Revolutionary soldier turned farmer, obsessed with proliferating the perfect apple, a pair of spinster twins, an artist, a ubiquitous puma, and more — and their relationship and connection to the ever-changing land that has existed long before they arrived.

North Woods tells the tale of a constantly-changing America through its people and the dramatic natural effects of their simple existence. It has a spooky element that is not at all cheesy, but feels more like living and dying history. For someone like me who physically feels the oldness of a place by being in it, I felt a deep connection to this perfectly written book and I was so sad when it ended. I can't wait to see what Mason does next. — Erin Phillips

Random House // 384 pages // Historical Fiction

Funny Story by Emily Henry

When looking for the best in contemporary romance, look no further than Emily Henry. With an impressive number of hits under her belt (Beach Read, Happy Place, and Book Lovers, just to name a few), she continues to shine in her latest, Funny Story.

Daphne is completely stranded: after moving with her fiancé Peter to his hometown, he leaves her after realizing he's in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Now with no friends or family and only her dream job as a children's librarian, she proposes to be roommates with Petra's ex, Miles. The two mainly avoid each other until one night, they hatch a plan: posting deliberately misleading photos of summer adventures together in an attempt to make both of their exes jealous — but the adventures may lead to a new romance for the unlikely pair.

Henry is a leading voice in her genre and Funny Story is further proof of the author's skill and will leave readers ready to see where Daphne and Miles go. —Ally Kutz

Berkley // 400 pages // Contemporary Romance