It’s December, the year is coming to an end. You know what that means, time for people to start thinking about their New Year resolutions, and also time for “best of” lists for the year. Of the 40 books that I read this year, this list will be the 10 that I enjoyed the most. I figured this list would be helpful to those that want to read more in 2024 (lol that rhymes) and people that like to read in general. Two birds with one stone. This list also serves as another way for me to procrastinate working on my second novel, so I guess really that means it’s three birds with one stone. But anyway, let’s get into it.
10. The Toll by Neal Shusterman – This was the third book in the Scythe series. Overall it was well written, I really liked some of the characters, but I think the series suffered when it took some of the focus away from Rowan and Citra. Specifically Rowan. I just feel like the author left so much meat on the bone with Rowan, and I would’ve definitely had this book higher on the list if he had anything cool to do in this book.The world building throughout the series was really well done though.
9. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman – I’m a real sucker for stories that include a group of misfits coming together despite their differences, and this definitely fits into that category. I was impressed by how the author was able to create characters that felt real and fleshed out, it made their interactions even more interesting. This book has a lot of heart.
8. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi- This was a collection of short stories that all take place at the same coffee shop. So basically this is a magical coffee shop and if you sit in a specific seat and order a coffee you go back in time to a specific day where you were at the coffee shop in the past. For example if you went to the coffee shop on April 5, 2012, you can go back in time to that day. You can only go back once and while you were in the past, you had to finish the coffee before it gets cold and once you finish you get transported back to the present. The characters used this to speak to loved ones who they were unable to talk to in the present. I liked this book a lot. There were a few times where I almost cried, so that was cool.
7. Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan – When I found out a new Percy Jackson book dropped in the year 2023 I just knew I absolutely had to read it. The Percy Jackson series is probably my favorite series of all time, and Percy Jackson is one of my favorite fictional characters. I love a good underdog, but sometimes I just want a character that wins almost all of their fights and is just the best. This book felt like checking in on old friends that you haven’t seen in a while. It was cool seeing what Percy and Annabeth are up to now that they’re not burdened with the task of saving the world anymore. I hope we see more books with them in college.
6. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata – I thought this book was really great, I loved the concept behind it. In a world that pushes you to be ambitious and ashamed of staying at a minimum wage job for too long, the MC in this story felt the opposite. Being good at her job, even though it was mundane, gave her pride and a sense of purpose. Personally I think the MC may have been on the spectrum, but I thought she was cool. This story also highlights how damaging it can be to succumb to outside pressure from people who don’t understand what you value in life.
5. Monday’s not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson – This book had a really ominous tone throughout. You could tell something bad was going to happen, but you didn’t know what. I couldn’t put it down. So the book is about this little girl whose friend Monday goes missing and the book alternates between before and after her disappearance. It can be a bit discombobulating at times, but it keeps you on your toes and makes the story more dynamic. It’s a sad story made sadder by the fact that this has probably happened in real life, but it was a really good book.
4. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips – Not gonna lie, the reviews for this one aren’t the best, but personally I really liked it. I liked the romance between the main characters and I found them to be easy to root for. Ol’ boy literally walked through hell for his shorty, that’s so real. I was entertained by the gods in the story who had to find a way to fit in in the modern age.
3. Scythe by Neal Shusterman – This is the first book in the Scythe series. I was blown away by the concept. I really liked how this book harped a lot on the responsibility and sacrifice required to be a Scythe. They take their position seriously and carry out their duty with respect and consideration. At least as much respect and consideration as one can have when they’re tasked with killing people. This series worked best when it was focused on the scythes. Of course the story requires there to be corrupt Scythes to create conflict in the story and it made for an interesting dynamic. As I mentioned earlier I really like the main characters Rowan and Citra, but there’s a lot of interesting side characters too, like Faraday and Curie. I think the romance aspect could’ve been improved slightly. Personally I like when the romance isn’t heavily focused on in novels like this one where there’s so many other things to focus on, but it did kind of seem like it came out of nowhere, so it would’ve been nice to see the author give them more scenes together and more romantic tension. The ending was really sick and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
2. Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean – This book is like Princess Diaries had a baby with Crazy Rich Asians. I liked the main character and was able to empathize with her throughout the novel. The book was kind of predictable at times, but really what’s the point of having an unpredictable story? It’s not like it was meant to be a mystery novel. The romance aspect I liked, the main love interest seemed cool and I was rooting for them to be together.
1. On Love by Alain de Botton – This book chronicles a fictional relationship from the point of its inception, to the point of its demise with some philosophical elements blended into the narrative. I found this book to be relatable and profound at times. I took so many notes which is something I don’t normally do. Also, I really enjoyed the writing style, I desperately need to read more of his work. To be honest I’d like to write a book like this someday.
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