2024 in books

this year i read 46 books, 7 more than last year.  13 of those books meet some sort of diversity standard (as in, the main character or author is not white).  and 36 (wow - all but 10!) of those books were from the library. 

my favorite books of 2024:

tom lake, by ann patchett 

the best minds: a story of friendship, madness, and the tragedy of good intentions, by jonathan rosen

rough sleepers, by tracy kidder 

shark heart, by emily habeck

the god of the woods, by liz moore

gather, by kenneth m. cadow

brooklyn and long island, by colm toibin

december: 44, 45 & 46

i finished up the year with:

help wanted, by adelle waldman (ultimately, i didn't love this book, the story of an overnight crew at a target-like store and social dynamics between them.  i found it not terribly uplifting and the drama between the characters wasn't fun, it was sort of like being at my own job and navigating group dynamics.  i'd pass on this one, though it does have a very fun cover.)

anita de monte laughs last, by xochitl gonzalez (i started this book of the month book in the spring and kept putting it down, but i'd think about it occasionally and when i picked it back up to finish it in december it was easy to continue right where i left off.  i ended up really liking this book, even though i got stuck halfway through.  it's the story of two famous artists who are married and one dies by falling out a window...and then it flashed forward 20 years to an art history major who is rediscovering the female artist.  i found the main character very relatable and well-crafted - she came alive on the page.  there was definitely enough here to keep me interested, and i'd recommend this one!)

long island, by colm toibin (i loved this, the second book in the series.  just as much tension as the first book, and the author strings you out over a believable story that is super intriguing and keeps you wanting to find out how it will play out.  i highly recommend this, but read brooklyn first!)