Top Five Books of 2024

List of the Month
December 2024 (see all)
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Top Five Books of 2024
Description
The year is coming to an end, and our December List of the Month is dedicated to LibraryThing members' Top Five Books of 2024. Please note that books don't need to have been published in 2024, just read this year. You can see the LT Staff picks on the blog: https://blog.librarything.com/2024/12/top-five-books-of-2024/
2
3,191 members
157 reviews
4.2
12 Members
RebaRelishesReading, terran, mdexter, lizzy50usa, sallylou61, perennialreader, wilanasmidt, jhfrank08, tcfox, CTijhaar, BamaCollins, krfran
Explanations
perennialreader: Best book I read in 2024. 5 stars.
tcfox: A phenomenal story combining historical context with women's friendship and growth.
3
690 members
52 reviews
4.2
11 Members
lauralkeet, raidergirl3, RebaRelishesReading, Copperskye, CarltonC, Milda-TX, mdoris, dianeham, tamikami, halehoang, tcfox
Explanations
CarltonC: Quietly, but brilliantly, Strout tells us stories of love, compassion, hurt, with characters that she has developed and the reader, sort of, knows.
4
1,591 members
64 reviews
4
5
1,125 members
62 reviews
3.8
6
2,794 members
165 reviews
4.2
7
1,278 members
76 reviews
½ 4.3
8
7 Members
mcnabbp, paradoxosalpha, norabelle414, Catlin848, melsconverse, BavariaStampAlbum, agbrown042
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: Although published in 2022, the story gained in topicality with the international activation of students in protest of the Israeli genocide of Palestinians starting in late 2023.
9
7,011 members
312 reviews
4.2
7 Members
timspalding, richardderus, ReshiBec, renee.bedard, tamikami, elahrairah, ZephCraven
Explanations
timspalding: Piranesi is no Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. But it’s weird and wonderful in its smaller way.
richardderus: Gorgeous prose telling a chilling story.
elahrairah: a wonderful clash of the fantastic and mundane. sometimes i would have to put the book down, have a think about what i was told, re-read a chunk, have a think again, read on. great stuff.
10
1,445 members
78 reviews
4.1
11
696 members
29 reviews
3.8
12
1,312 members
52 reviews
3.9
13
2,013 members
110 reviews
½ 4.3
14
3,867 members
221 reviews
4.2
5 Members
Bookmarque, karenmarie, bjshoemaker, LaNS, treegardner
Explanations
karenmarie: How could I resist a book with Giant Pacific Octopus as a character?
15
4,847 members
187 reviews
½ 4.4
16
1,237 members
62 reviews
4.2
17
814 members
49 reviews
½ 4.4
18
7,084 members
348 reviews
4.1
19
2,212 members
103 reviews
½ 4.4
20
227 members
20 reviews
4
21
556 members
21 reviews
4.1
5 Members
kellyslist, alphaorder, karenmarie, birder4106, hey_judy
Explanations
karenmarie: Rushdie was a combination of clinical regarding his injuries and how he recovered and lyrical regarding his life and family.
hey_judy: Rushdie has a definite way with words and I was curious as to how he would view his attack. He did not disappoint.
22
666 members
23 reviews
½ 4.3
23
179 members
12 reviews
½ 4.5
4 Members
Donna828, Ciruelo, CarltonC, Alexandragrabbe
Explanations
CarltonC: The fulsome telling of the story, the lilt of the language and the depiction of character (I don’t think caricature, although some might), these are what makes this a really good read.
24
771 members
36 reviews
4.1
25
174 members
12 reviews
4.1
4 Members
richardderus, foggidawn, sturlington, hollythepenguin
Explanations
richardderus: Natasha Pulley writes my thoughts, only better and more articulate.
sturlington: Wonderful world-building. A book I didn't want to end.
26
530 members
26 reviews
4
27
405 members
20 reviews
4.1
28
789 members
19 reviews
4.1
29
450 members
50 reviews
4
30
6,749 members
312 reviews
3.9
31
1,165 members
42 reviews
3.9
32
1,106 members
47 reviews
4
33
995 members
59 reviews
4.1
3 Members
fphilipp, kjuliff, Charon07
Explanations
Charon07: I also read James this year, which would also have been on my list but for the limit of 5. This was every bit as good as James.
34
1,561 members
107 reviews
4
35
19,931 members
414 reviews
4.1
36
637 members
35 reviews
3.8
37
246 members
15 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
richardderus, Ciruelo, SandDune
Explanations
richardderus: Creative use of Dublin vernacular to tell the tragic tale of Athens' version of Ireland: Sicily. My 2024 6* of five read.
38
62 members
3 reviews
½ 3.7
3 Members
timspalding, richardderus, LibraryCin
Explanations
timspalding: Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI has exploded across technology and culture. But not books. Or at least not good ones. (Amazon and Audible bristle with “Make money with ChatGPT” titles.) Olson’s is the first major account—and it’s a good one.
richardderus: THE important tech issue of 2024 explicated urgently.
39
434 members
22 reviews
4
40
1,783 members
53 reviews
4.1
41
1,532 members
78 reviews
4.1
42
608 members
34 reviews
½ 3.6
43
62,092 members
944 reviews
4.2
44
833 members
46 reviews
4.2
45
210 members
23 reviews
½ 4.3
46
358 members
18 reviews
½ 4.4
3 Members
perennialreader, sarahhepworth, halehoang
Explanations
perennialreader: I love nature writing and this author was close to my town. 4 stars
47
10,686 members
215 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
perennialreader, melsconverse, agbrown042
Explanations
perennialreader: Not usually my kind of book. 4 stars
48
520 members
17 reviews
3.9
49
797 members
29 reviews
4
50
209 members
10 reviews
4.1
2 Members
JohnChic, Boand
51
30,230 members
539 reviews
4.2
52
21,897 members
637 reviews
4.2
2 Members
sweezel, hey_judy
Explanations
sweezel: It took me 30 years to finally read this and glad I finally did it.
hey_judy: Unexpected. It didn’t sound like it would be interesting at all so I had never read it. It wasn’t what I thought.
53
9,162 members
377 reviews
4.2
2 Members
ReshiBec, elahrairah
Explanations
elahrairah: a weird and chilling and heartbreaking novel.
54
3,980 members
188 reviews
4.1
55
215 members
10 reviews
½ 4.4
56
9,072 members
263 reviews
½ 4.6
57
953 members
26 reviews
3.9
58
11,436 members
279 reviews
4.1
2 Members
paradoxosalpha, ZephCraven
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: A terrific work that should endure. I have no excuse for taking so long to getting around to read it.
59
9,801 members
660 reviews
3.9
2 Members
sweezel, konallis
60
3,109 members
131 reviews
4
61
605 members
37 reviews
3.9
62
454 members
24 reviews
½ 4.5
2 Members
Euryale, LibraryCin
Explanations
LibraryCin: This is a combination of the wildfires in Fort McMurray in 2016, the oil and gas industry (prominent in Fort McMurray), and the environment.
63
369 members
24 reviews
4.2
2 Members
bjshoemaker, navelos
Explanations
navelos: The grand finale to a fabulous series
64
283 members
12 reviews
3.9
66
6,665 members
171 reviews
3.9
67
1,293 members
45 reviews
4
2 Members
onyx95, navelos
68
544 members
35 reviews
½ 3.7
69
355 members
20 reviews
½ 3.7
70
10,228 members
459 reviews
3.8
71
1,144 members
49 reviews
½ 3.4
2 Members
Parker51, noveltea
72
686 members
33 reviews
4.1
73
494 members
31 reviews
4
2 Members
onyx95, lizzy50usa
74
278 members
13 reviews
4.1
75
119 members
10 reviews
½ 4.3
76
11,057 members
545 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
dhm, treegardner
77
268 members
20 reviews
4.1
2 Members
kidzdoc, edparks
78
236 members
14 reviews
3.8
79
188 members
9 reviews
4
2 Members
thorold, shaunie
80
5,042 members
178 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
msf59, atozgrl
81
2,628 members
73 reviews
4
2 Members
jeanned, elorin
82
1,566 members
101 reviews
½ 4.3
83
1,503 members
62 reviews
½ 3.7
84
1,223 members
46 reviews
3.9
2 Members
mcnabbp, paradoxosalpha
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: A comedy throughout, rising gradually from the introspective to the eschatological.
85
296 members
8 reviews
3.8
2 Members
noveltea, pnwkatie
86
294 members
13 reviews
½ 4.3
87
269 members
17 reviews
3.9
2 Members
alphaorder, msjudy
88
36,065 members
1,435 reviews
4.1
89
10,252 members
555 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
Boand, wilanasmidt
90
87 members
2 reviews
4.1
2 Members
richardderus, corcra
Explanations
richardderus: Anything that can cause me such outrage and nausea while compelling me to keep reading needs to be acknowledged for it.
91
4,732 members
294 reviews
3.8
2 Members
dhm, lottpoet
92
1,294 members
82 reviews
4.1
93
1,141 members
33 reviews
4.2
2 Members
Ennas, krys_reads
Explanations
Ennas: Cozy and cute with the best sidekick ever.
94
209 members
19 reviews
4.2
95
4,697 members
169 reviews
4.1
2 Members
elorin, erinrob
Explanations
elorin: Lighthearted, fun, and well written.
96
639 members
32 reviews
4
2 Members
SandDune, cazz67
97
28,936 members
1,595 reviews
4.2
2 Members
Charon07, dacejav
98
1,245 members
52 reviews
4
99
579 members
5 reviews
4.2
100
6,603 members
208 reviews
3.9
2 Members
amanda4242, sturlington
Explanations
amanda4242: So much better than any of the adaptations.
sturlington: I don't usually include rereads on my top 5 list, but I didn't read enough good new books, and this is an all-time fave. Third or fourth read.