My absolute favorite books of 2024

Plus, all the books I read in 2024

I love to read. When I was a child, I would check out the maximum number allowed (I think that number was around 34). I do not read quite as much now as I did then, but I absolutely must read, even if it is only a few pages, before going to sleep at night, no matter how tired I am or how late the hour.

I set a goal to read 100 books this year. Most years I average around 85 or 90, and I am not sure that I will quite hit the 100 mark this year, but maybe I’ll have enough downtime after Christmas to make it happen. This was not one of my favorite reading years; many of the books I read were forgettable (although to be fair, that may have to do with the titles I picked up!). I have some academic titles on here that were assigned for classes, and many of them were good but niche reads.

I reflected on the books that made the greatest impression on me this year, and below is what made the cut. Following that, you will see almost everything I read this year so far. I will say that I define a great book as a book that I continue to think about long after I finish it. Quite a few books are enjoyable, fun, and just as I expect them to be, but they do not stay with me. Those sorts of books will not make my favorites list.

I track books I have read on Goodreads, and you can see star ratings there. I will not list all of my ratings here, but I will place an asterisk by titles I particularly enjoyed, even if they did not make my favorites list.

My favorite books of 2024

1. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

   I read this book when it was first published but revisited it this year for one of my classes. Cain’s points have been repeated by others, but I credit her with exploring introversion. I think it is a relevant read to introverts and extroverts because everyone either is an introvert or knows an introvert. She offers great food for thought about the different forms leadership takes.

2. The Practice of Adaptive Leadership by Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky, Alexander Grashow

   Another class read. I had read portions of this book before. This book is well-researched but incredibly digestible. If you are part of any large system, it is worth your time when thinking about how to create change in well-established cultures. A few takeaways: leaders are typically rewarded for maintaining the status quo, we tend not to spend long enough diagnosing problems before jumping to solutions, and we often (incorrectly) look for technical solutions to solve adaptive challenges.

3. Untangled by Lisa Damour

   I love how grounded Damour’s parenting advice is. She works primarily with teens and their parents, and she has teens and young adults of her own, so is she is slightly ahead of me. I would recommend her work to anyone raising teenagers, especially teenaged girls. She also has a podcast.

4. Opening Israel’s Scriptures by Ellen Davis

   I took a class with Ellen Davis this fall and had already read some of her work. This title is probably my favorite to recommend because it provides a short, accessible summary of each of the books in the Hebrew Bible (think: 10-20 pages). She is a practicing Episcopalian with enormous respect for the Old Testament and always makes me return to the scriptures with a newfound appreciation.

5. The Women by Kristin Hannah

   Many people put this novel on their list of favorites for the year, and I can see why. I don’t typically love historical fiction, but I love the way Hannah develops characters. It can be frustrating to watch the characters make self-destructive decisions over and over again, and the books can feel a bit formulaic, but I always learn something and appreciate the emotional journey.

6. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

   Maybe I have a soft spot for this book because Haidt used to teach at my alma matter, but I am grateful for his writing on this issue. He has received criticism, but I appreciate that he is shining a spotlight on the downsides of technology. His points about under-supervising kids in the digital world and over-supervising kids in the real world.

7. The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

   “Chick lit” with some depth to it. This book explores memory loss, caregiving, guilt, and forgiveness through narrative.

8. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan*

   I always enjoy Picoult’s books. They are long, but they tackle hard topics, and I always think it is easier to explore the different angles of hard topics through fiction. This was not my all-time favorite of hers but I still thought it was well done. This was written by two authors, who each took one person’s point of view in the story.

(Almost) All the books I read in 2024

(with short descriptions generated by ChatGPT and lightly edited by me):