The Book Club Review Unputdownable: the best books we loved in 2024 • Episode #167
Wrap up your year with the Book Club Review podcast! Celebrate the joy of reading with us as we highlight the standout books we read in 2024, from page-turners to genre reads, to literary fiction and best book club books. We'll finish with our 'if we could only choose one' favourites for our overall book(s) of the year. This episode also features recommendations from our podcast book clubbers, fantastic readers all, who bring their choices into the mix. This is a bonus length episode as there was so much to go through, so take that dog for an extra long walk, get the children prepared for a long swing at the park or just curl up in a cozy spot with notepad in hand to jot down some of these books we think you shouldn't miss. Or, of course, use the handy list below.
Books mentioned
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
What You Are Looking For is In The Library by Michiko Ayoyama
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Most enjoyable read
Loot by Tania James
Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Best page-turner
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Going Infinite by Michael Lewis
Best Non-fiction
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Grief is for People by Sloane Crossley
The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing
The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire by Bart van Loo
Maurice and Marilyn by Sophie Elmhurst
The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke
Best Book Club Book
Enter Ghost by Isabelle Hamid
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
August Blue by Deborah Levy
Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai (Polly Barton trans.)
Wifedom by Anna Funder
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (The Inspector Gamache series)
Best Genre Novel or Comfort Read
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
The Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka
Overall best book read in 2024
James by Percival Everett
Kate: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Laura: Real Estate by Deborah Levy (vol. 3 in her 'living autobiography' series
Join the Book Club Review club
Head to Patreon.com/thebookclubreview to explore what's on offer with regular extra episodes packed with reading recommendations and at the higher tier membership of the pod bookclub: upcoming reads for January are Marty by Kaveh Akbar, February: All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley and March: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro.
Serious Readers
For seriously good reading lamps with a Book Club Review special discount head to seriousreaders.co.uk/BCR and use the code BCR at checkout for £100 off any HD light. Shipping within the UK is free, and you get a 30-day trial period so you can see for yourself what a difference they make.
Stay connected
Find Kate on Instagram and Threads @bookclubreviewpodcast, or drop us a comment anytime at the episode page on our website. What were your favourite reads from 2024? We'd love to hear about them.