Welp, here we are again. Apparently I can only update this blog once a year with my favorite reads of the prior year. Raise your hand if you heard me say I was going to try to get back into blogging last year? Do we think I’ll be successful in 2025?

Well, I’m going to try. In the meantime, here are my top reads of 2024. I’ll first share my 4 and 4.5 star reads and leave you with my two 5 star reads of 2024. Yes, only two! Your girl was a picky bitch in 2024 apparently.

• Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb: After hearing Mara and Becca rave about the Realm of the Elderling saga for literal *years* I knew I had to hop on this hype train because FOMO is real. Especially book FOMO. And Robin Hobb did not disappoint. Ms. Robin can not only tell a story, but also write a story (and trust me, there is a difference). For the uninitiated, the Realm of the Elderling saga starts with the Farseer Trilogy where we first meed Fitzgerald Chivalry who grows up in his grandfather’s kingdom learning to be an assassin. And then the shenanigans go from there. And the cover!!! I’m obsessed.
• The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal: this was such a weird little book and when I read the author’s note saying she wanted to write a fairytale about syphilis I was like “ahhh it all makes sense now”. I read this as part of the ALA Read These Banned Books 52 week reading challenge (which I was not successful in completing but it’s FINE). I’m not surprised it ended up on the list (the occult, female reproductive rights, queer characters–and in an YA book no less?? [she says with sarcasm]). But if you like a fairytale vibe with an edge (ala T. Kingfisher), which I happen to adore, then definitely check this one out.
• The Guncle by Steven Rowley: this book was such a delight on audiobook. I did not anticipate enjoying a book about a gay uncle trying to help his niece and nephew as they navigate their grief but Gay Uncle Patrick made me realize that I really enjoy reading about grumpy men who are actually big cinnamon rolls.
• The Curse of Sins by Kate Dramis: I can’t say much because this is the second book in The Curse of Saints series by Kate Dramis, but who knew a fantasy could also feature a workplace enemies-to-lovers romance? And when I tell you that the angst is angsting and that it was *chef’s kiss*.
• Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan: this is a middle grade historical fiction about three children in the years leading up to and during World War II who are somehow connected by a magical harmonica. Very tug-on-your-heartstrings but not in an emotionally manipulative way. I definitely recommend the audiobook because there is harmonica music playing throughout.
• Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb: After finishing the Farseer trilogy (which all books got 4 stars but it didn’t seem fair to have them all featured on this list), I immediately had to pick up the first in the Liveship Traders trilogy. A sentient ship, a fiery protagonist and pirates? Count me in.
• Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas: turns out I was not immune to picking up the Maasverse and proceeded to consume all of her series. KoA is the final book in the Throne of Glass series so again, I can’t say much but I can say I wish to be financially compensated for the emotional damage I endured. And Manon Blackbeak is that girl.
• A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas: while not the last book in the A Court of Thorns & Roses series, this is the 5th book in the series so….all I will say is that Nesta Archeron was so relatable and maybe the most authentic character SJM has written.
• Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland: this is the first in a debut fantasy series, so I can say something! This follows a motley crew as they are summoned together and given the task of defeating a god-king. It suffers debut book syndrome of telling vs. showing, but the characters and action make it worth the read!
• How Not to Drown In a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz: one thing about me is that I am a character reader and so I love novels that essentially just follow characters around (as long as they’re interesting) as they live their lives and/or are reflecting on their lives. And How Not to Drown In a Glass of Water does both! This follows Cara, who has lost her job during the Great Recession, as she’s set up with a job counselor to try and secure another job. During their sessions together Cara shares stories from her life that give insight to the woman she has become. This is another one to listen on audiobook as the narrator does a great job and there’s other sounds that make you feel like you’re in the sessions with Cara.
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: on this blog we support gay love, and we support Madeline Miller. So when she writes about a romance between a Greek hero of myth and a minor prince, we will read it and we will enjoy it. Miller just has a way of lulling you into the story to where you feel like you’re just a ship riding the waves of her words across the seas of her pages. I don’t know if that make sense but I don’t know how else to describe it. Anyway, read this book!

• Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate by Anna Bogutskaya: ok to be honest, when I first picked this up, I did not realize it was about women in film–I thought it was about women in the broader pop culture sphere. But that’s on me because this was definitely a title buy! And I wasn’t mad about it. Bogutskaya does a good job of structuring the book by different female archetypes featured throughout film history and interweaving her experience with the points she’s trying to make. And the book has a list of the films that were mentioned that I definitely need to add to my watch list!
• Noisemakers: 25 Women Who Raised Their Voice & Changed the World: this is a middle grade nonfiction that features 25 profiles of famous women throughout history, with each profile being done by a different artist. One thing that I think sets this apart from the other middle grade nonfiction books of this type is that each profile features different traits the famous woman has and asks the reader what they might have in common with that person.
• The Women’s Hour: the Great Fight to Win the Vote by Ellen Weiss: I listened to this on audiobook, which I definitely recommend. I thought it was well written and well researched. I didn’t realize upon picking it up that it mainly was about Tennessee’s pivotal role in ratifying the 19th amendment but that’s just me not reading the synopsis lol. I appreciate that the author also acknowledged the intersectional politics and racial discrimination that came with the US suffrage movement. Definitely add this to your women’s history reading list.
• The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs: the epitome of “behind every great man is a great woman”. I think the author did a great job telling the story of Alberta King, Louise Little, and Berdis Baldwin. She didn’t have a lot to work with because unfortunately not a lot has been documented about these women but you could tell the author really cared about telling their stories with dignity and respect. I think this was a valiant effort to bring these women out of the footnotes of their famous sons’ histories.
• Our Lives, Their Battlefields: War Through the Lives of Women by Christina Lamb: It’s hard to say I “enjoyed” this book because the topic is disheartening and enraging, but I definitely appreciate it for the project that it was. R*pe is a constant war tactic yet is never prosecuted as a war crime–make that make sense. And many of the women are victimized twice–physically and socially. I definitely recommend this book if you’re interested in these kind of issues, but just beware of the heaviness of it.
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In the Age of Color Blindness by Michelle Alexander: this one expertly explores how even though Jim Crow laws have been erased, Black descendants of victims of Jim Crow laws are they themselves still living in their own Jim Crow era because of the way the legal and justice system oppresses the Black community in America. If you’re a D.A.R.E graduate like myself, you remember the “war on drugs“. This is what the author is talking about. If you like this I also recommend Caste: the Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.
• Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis: this is a collection of the activist’s speeches and writings on the state violence and oppression throughout history and the world. This one is even more relevant 10 years later, and the true epitome of “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere“. Listen to the audiobook so that you can hear her words in her own voice.
• American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures: I really enjoyed this collection of stories from BIPOC actors, comedians, athletes, writers, etc., gathered by actress America Ferrera. It is a really insightful and poignant collection of the authors’ lived experiences, and what the “American” identity means to them. I think the stories can resonate with any reader and give food for thought on what it means to be “American”.
• Midnight In Chernobyl: the Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham: If I could sum this up in one phrase, it would be “pride goeth before a fall”. Even though I did not understand much of the science being explained, the author does a great job connecting the reader to the human stories affected by this tragedy.

• What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon: this was a tough read for me because it made me confront my ingrained biases against the idea of being fat and how my body image is distorted by having an anti-fat bias. But I thought Aubrey did a great job with the writing and laying out her themes, ideas, and discussion. I definitely recommend this one for anyone who grew up as teen in the early oughts and had their body image affected by the rampant fatphobia of that era.
• We Were Once a Family: a Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian: I was already learning about the complexities of US adoption from TikTok (listening to the stories of adoptees and foster parents) when I picked this book up, but wow did this open my eyes to the injustices within the system. I won’t say too much because I want you to read this but just know that Asgarian does a great job with the writing and takes great care with the subject matter and the stories she’s trying to tell. This one has stuck with me the most and is the one I’ve been recommending the most since I’ve read it. I implore you to pick this one up if you want to know more about the adoption/foster care system in the US.

So those were my top reads of 2024! Have you read any of them? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? What were your favorite reads of 2024? Let me know!

Until next time,