all of my 2024 book recommendations

by Alison Green on December 12, 2024

All year long, I’ve made a weekly book recommendation when kicking off the weekend open thread. These aren’t work-related books; they’re just books I like, mostly fiction. Sometimes they’re books that I’m in the middle of reading, and other times they’re just long-standing favorites.

Here’s the complete list of what I’ve recommended this year (maybe in time for holiday gift-shopping!). I’ve bolded my favorites of the favorites.

Master Slave Husband Wife, by Ilyon Woo. The true story of an enslaved husband and wife who escaped slavery in the American south by posing as a white man (her) and “his” slave (him). This is utterly engrossing and will keep you up all night telling yourself you’ll just read one more chapter.

The Dinner Party, by Brenda Janowitz. Taking place over the build-up to a Passover seder and its aftermath, a family’s matriarch is extremely excited about hosting the rich family of her daughter’s new boyfriend but things go differently than planned.

Wallflower at the Orgy. Hilarious essays by the brilliant Nora Ephron on everything from warring restaurant reviewers to Cosmo editor Helen Gurley Brown.

The Golem of Brooklyn, by Adam Mansbach. A golem learns English by binge-watching Curb Your Enthusiasm and taking LSD and then heads out to defend the Jews. This was amazing.

Woman, Eating, by Claire Kohda. A lonely young artist, who’s also a vampire, desperately wants to find her place among humans as she struggles to come to terms with her relationship with her mother.

We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America, by Roxanna Asgarian. An infuriating, heartbreaking look at how six kids ended up removed from their families and adopted by a couple who abused and killed them. Much of the press coverage of this case focused on the adoptive couple; this book instead focuses on the kids’ original families and how the child welfare system failed them horribly.

Come and Get It, by Kiley Reid. The lives of a college RA, three dorm roommates, and a visiting writer intertwine in surprising ways. It’s about race, money, bad choices … and it’s so, so good.

Good Material, by Dolly Alderton. Reeling from a breakup with his girlfriend, a struggling stand-up comic tries to figure out why she left and how to move forward. Like everything she writes, it’s funny, relatable, and a good time.

Swanna in Love, by Jennifer Belle. A teenage girl, dragged with her little brother by their mother to an artist colony where kids aren’t welcome, becomes involved with a much older man. The subject matter is disturbing, but the writing is so good and perfectly captures the weird/heady/terrifying mix of naivete and bravado that is adolescence.

The Wife App, by Carolyn Mackler. Three friends create an app to monetize the mental load women typically carry for men.

You Only Call When You’re in Trouble, by Stephen McCauley. A man going through a break-up and his niece, who’s in a professional crisis, navigate their relationships with their high-maintenance sister/mother. It’s quietly funny.

A Beautiful Rival, by Gill Paul. This is a fictionalized account of the professional rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, and I was strangely riveted.

Annie Bot, by Sierra Greer. A robot designed to be her owner’s perfect girlfriend develops her own consciousness and starts to question what she wants, and deserves, from the world.

The Husbands, by Holly Gramazio. A woman discovers that the ladder to her attic produces a seemingly endless supply of husbands. I didn’t know where this was going at first, but it ended up being surprisingly engrossing.

Victim, by Andrew Boryga. A man from a disadvantaged background finds success by embellishing his life story. Things don’t go entirely accordingly to plan.

Like Happiness, by Ursula Villarreal-Moura. When a reporter calls, a woman reexamines the relationship she had with an older writer as a young woman. Excellent.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, by Tia Williams. A florist trying to break free from her socialite family finds a strange connection with a musician. It’s romance, but it’s also about chosen family, magic, and the Harlem Renaissance, and Tia Williams writes so beautifully.

Funny Story, by Emily Henry. When a librarian’s fiancé leaves her for his long-time best friend, she moves in with the ex’s new fiancée’s ex-boyfriend.

The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley. As part of a study of time travel, a government employee is assigned to be the minder of a military commander from 1847. A culture clash ensues, as does a romance and a thrilling mystery.

Very Bad Company, by Emma Rosenblum. An executive disappears at a dysfunctional start-up’s annual retreat. If you like company gossip, even if not your own, this is very fun.

I Hope This Finds You Well, by Natalie Sue. A not-well-liked office worker who sticks to herself accidentally gains access to all her coworkers’ emails. It’s a surprising combination of darkly funny and sweet.

Within Arm’s Reach, by Ann Napolitano. Told from alternating perspectives, it’s the story of three generations of a large Irish-Catholic family that is forever changed when the matriarch becomes ill and one granddaughter unexpectedly gets pregnant.

The Paris Novel, by Ruth Reichl. When her difficult mother dies, a woman is left a plane ticket and instructions to go to France, where she finds the unexpected.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles, by Rufi Thorpe. A 20-year-old with a new baby turns to her pro wrestler father and a demented OnlyFans account to help support them. I did not expect to love this as deeply as I did.

Same As It Ever Was, by Claire Lombardo. A woman with a rocky history with her mom tries to navigate a life very different from her own upbringing. It’s about family, friendship, self-sabotage, and overcoming the way you grew up. It’s long — at times, I thought too long — but ultimately satisfying.

The Mythmakers, by Keziah Weir. A young writer recognizes herself in a short story by an author who she met years ago and tries to find out why.

Jackpot Summer, by Elyssa Friedland. In the wake of their mother’s death, three of four siblings win Powerball, but it turns out becoming millionaires overnight isn’t what they’d expected.

Hope, by Andrew Ridker. The ground shifts under each member of a family after one of them is caught falsifying data at work. Publishers Weekly called it a “pitch-perfect portrayal of Jewish American life.”

Sandwich, by Catherine Newman. This is the story of a family during their summer beach vacation, as the mom struggles with menopause, her kids getting older, and her aging parents. There are some very vivid descriptions of sandwiches, as well as the push and pull of family.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman. A bored widow in her 60s walks into the CIA and walks out with a job as a secret agent.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend, by MJ Wassmer. A couple is trapped at an expensive resort after the sun explodes.

Fleishman Is in Trouble, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. A man looks back at the break-up of his marriage as he fields dating, raising two kids, and the disappearance of his ex-wife.

A Likely Story, by Leigh McMullan Abramson. The daughter of a celebrated author struggles to succeed as a writer herself. Ethical missteps and family secrets abound.

Then She Found Me, by Elinor Lipman. A quiet teacher find her life changed when her birth mother — a flamboyant and somewhat narcissistic talk show host — finds her.

Really Good, Actually, by Monica Heisey. Reeling from the break-up of her marriage, a 20something woman tries to figure out dating after divorce, her ex, and how much you can really ask of a group chat. The main character isn’t very likable, but the writing is extremely funny.

Colored Television, by Danzy Senna. An author struggling to finish her book gets sidetracked by Hollywood. It’s a satirical take on race, marriage, career, writing, friendship, and betrayal.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea, by TJ Klune. The long-awaited sequel to the House in the Cerulean Sea, in which the two men running an orphanage for magical children must fight against danger from the outside world. Nothing will match the magic of the first book for me, but I was very happy to visit this world and these characters again.

A comfort re-read: Barbara Pym’s Crampton Hodnet, in which gossip and romance disrupt the sedate pace of life for an elderly woman and her paid companion.

Another comfort re-read: The Inn at Lake Devine, by Elinor Lipman, in which a Jewish teenager gets entangled in surprising ways with a family that runs a “gentiles-only” inn.

Blood Test, by Charles Baxter. A mild-mannered father is thrown after a blood test predicts he will turn to a life of crime.

Amp’d, by Ken Pisani. After an accident leaves him short one arm, a man moves back home with his father and tries to rebuild his life. Far funnier than you expect it to be.

Trust and Safety, by Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman. Sick of NYC and searching for a more meaningful life, a couple buy a dilapidated house upstate but find rural living isn’t what Instagram had promised. Meanwhile, their attractive and deeply cool tenants seem to have landed in exactly the life they’d wanted for themselves.

All Fours, by Miranda July. What to say about this book! It’s about marriage and parenthood and sex and perimenopause and obsession and trauma and aging and understanding yourself and being female. It’s intense and uncomfortable and I couldn’t put it down. And I know that tells you nothing, but saying that it’s about an artist who sets out to drive across country when life takes a detour wouldn’t come close to touching what it really is.

And if you’re looking for more, here are my lists of book recommendations from 2023 … from 2022 … from 2021 … from 2020 … from 2019 … from 2018 … from 2017 … from 2016 … and from 2015.

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{ 67 comments }

{ 67 comments… read them below }

  2. Hermione Danger*

    My mother introduced me to the Mrs. Pollifax series when I was a child. She discovered that if she read aloud to us on long car trips, the kids didn’t fight, and the Mrs. Pollifax books were a family favorite. I still love those stories so much.

    1. truculent nutria*

      My grandmother introduced them to me when I was a kid, and I was hooked. I can just picture weird little 10-year old me glued to a book series about a 60+ year old woman, lol

    2. Data Nerd*

      I’m a cozy mystery reader and fell into the Mrs. Pollifax series when I was out in a very rural area in my first real job 3000 miles away from home. I wish I still had her spirit of adventure, if I ever did.

      1. anotherfan*

        I read Mrs. Pollifax when they were new and eagerly waited as each new novel dropped. I still re-read them on a regular basis. So happy to see them still getting picked up by new readers!

    3. Festively Dressed Earl*

      I discovered Mrs. Pollifax via Alison. I raided bookstores expecting a relatively new release, and was thrilled and dismayed to find it was a classic series. Thrilled because theoretically, used copies abound at used bookstores. Dismayed, because finding them is a crapshoot!

      1. LunaLena*

        Online used bookstores are a godsend for this kind of thing! I recently decided to finally read the entire Famous Five series, and was able to secure the entire series (plus three extra books; one seller was doing a buy 2 get 1 free) from a couple of sellers on eBay for the price of a brand new set.

    4. ACC*

      I love them too, started reading them as a teen! Multi-generational appeal for some reason? Will instill wanderlust!

    5. I edit everything*

      The audiobooks of the Mrs. Pollifax books are wonderful, if you’re an audiobook lover. Truly delightful!

    6. I edit everything*

      Dorothy Gilman’s other books are worth seeking out, too. They are all quirky and fun, but in different ways from Mrs. Pollifax.
      She wrote one of my favorite books from when I was a kid, “The Maze in the Heart of the Castle,” which is sadly out of print and unavailable except at exorbitant cost. I didn’t realize they were by the same author until recently.

    7. Colleen Whitley*

      yes! my mom introduced Mrs. Pollifax to me when I was in grade 4 I believe. They are a well-loved comfort read. Also the couple books with the psychic (Clairvoyant Countess).

  3. AY*

    Another plug from me for We Were Once a Family. The author really does the work to put the emphasis where it belongs: on the victims. Excellent nonfiction that’s very sad but never lurid or gratuitous.

  4. The Original K.*

    Seconding Colored Television, and if you like Danzy Senna I recommend her first novel Caucasia.

    Fleishman is in Trouble was made into a limited series on Hulu, which I actually liked better than the book.

  6. InsufficentlySubordinate*

    I was scrolling through and saw what I thought was a Flashman book, but it was Fleischman. Ha, it’s been years since I thought of Flashman.

    1. Reluctant Mezzo*

      I have a friend who writes fanfiction about Flashman in the heart of Westeros (the British Empire has trade posts *everywhere*). Look for Technomad on FFN.

  7. HonorBox*

    “Master Slave Husband Wife” is an amazing book. Thank you for recommending it. I’ve had the chance to speak to Dr. Woo a couple of times and she is brilliant and incredibly kind. For those who like audio books, the audio version is one I listened to nearly nonstop over the course of a couple of days.

    1. HonorBox*

      Would love to read that. I’m extremely interested in their story and the story of those around them. What’s the professor’s name? Is the play published?

      1. my cat is prettier than me*

        I’m actually not sure if it’s published. We did a reading of it back in 2018. The playwright is Robin Roberts, but I don’t remember the name of the play.

      2. MsSolo (UK)*

        The husband actually wrote his own book – “Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom: Or, the escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery” by William Craft. You can get it as an ebook pretty cheaply these days, though you have to make sure you don’t end up with one of those AI ‘reading guide’ nonsense things instead.

  9. WT*

    Hi Alison! Have you looked into joining Bookshop.org’s affiliate program? They support independent bookstores as part of their business model, could possibly be a good alternative to making Jeff Bezos richer.

    1. Festively Dressed Earl*

      Seconded. I love to support AAM, but I don’t do Amazon. There’s at least 2 dozen books I would buy from Alison’s lists if there was a non-Amazon alternative, and that’s not counting gift books.

    2. Wounded, Erratic Stink Bugs*

      I second this comment! I use Bookshop.org’s affiliate program as an affiliate myself, and I have been happy with it, although I haven’t done a direct comparison with Amazon in terms of profit. Their selection is just a little less encyclopedic, and some but not all of the prices are a bit higher, but I’ve been able to use it without problems.

    3. Ask a Manager* Post author

      I would love to. Last time I looked into it, the revenue didn’t come close enough, but it’s on my list to look at again this month to see if that’s changed.

    4. Forested*

      Was fixing to comment the same thing, as someone who works in the book industry. Bookshop is a fantastic alternative. Libro.FM is also a great option for folks looking to get away from Audible.

  10. Khatul Madame*

    I haven’t read The Ministry of Time, but highly recommend the Spanish series of the same title (El Ministerio del Tiempo).

    1. Festively Dressed Earl*

      Thank you for the update! I’ve been anxiously scanning bookstore shelves and library new releases.

  13. littlehope*

    I’ve been meaning to say thanks for the recommendation of The Inn At Lake Devine. I read it based off your recommending it a little while back, loved it, and have been enjoying Elinor Lipman ever since (although Lake Devine is still my favourite). I’m excited about The Golem of Brooklyn now, I love a golem reimagining. Thanks!

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      I love Elinor Lipman! Try The View From Penthouse B next.

      Also, if you like golem reimaginings, there’s a book that just came out this week called I Made It Out of Clay which is about a woman who creates a golem. I tried it and couldn’t get into it, but you might!

        2. MsSolo (UK)*

          How do you all think it would work for someone who’s never seen Curb Your Enthusiasm? I have no idea what the show is about, so I’m worried I’d miss the context in how the Golem interacts with other characters.

    3. Happily Retired*

      I just added The Golem from Brooklyn to my library reserve list, because why not?

      The idea of learning English from Larry David via Curb Your Enthusiasm has put me into a fit of giggles that will not stop.

  14. ACC*

    Come and Get It is very enjoyable, as are the Mrs Pollifax books (in a very different way). Sandwich is really something else – cannot recommend highly enough, and if you are a mom of teenagers/young adults, or living in that sandwich generation space, OMG get ready to feel seen and experience catharsis. American Treasure Catherine Newman for president!

  15. I edit everything*

    I just finished “The Ministry of Time,” and while it was interesting, I was less wowed than I expected to be. I found it a little slow and draggy, though the character profiles were wonderful.

  17. I edit everything*

    Alison, have you read “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith? I feel like it’s one you would enjoy. It’s a coming-of-age story, a delightful family portrait, historical fiction, with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure. It’s also very much about becoming a writer. And it has the best first line ever.

  18. Ms. Whatsit*

    I have spied Ministry of Time in the airport a couple times, and it intrigues me, but something’s kept me from going with it. (Cost? A too big pile of books already? Having bought books recently? Wanting to reread a favorite? All of the above probably) But the description here for some reason made me think of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, which I found really fun (if not as strong in the lattermost books, but still enjoyable) – lots of wordplay, unique alternate universe, and tangential time travel. Would highly recommend!

    My best new read this year was Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. Absolute stunner – hadn’t heard of it before seeing an ad for the AppleTV+ show, and grabbed the book on that basis… took me a couple years to get to it but wow. So well written and moving, with characters that felt like real, complex, interesting people.

    1. Annie*

      I am a huge Jasper Fforde fan, and Ministry of Time is quite different in tone and humor but I think other Fforde readers would be likely to enjoy it! I’ve recently read Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes (yes, the Piña Colada song guy) and Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor, and they really scratched the Jasper Fforde itch.

      1. Bumblebee*

        Jodi Taylor’s books related to time travel are awesome. She has some others which I haven’t tried, but the Time Police and the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series are great.

        1. Reluctant Mezzo*

          I need to write the fanfiction where Hermione Granger guest-lectures at the University of Thirsk…

    2. Hlao-roo*

      I also read Pachinko for the first time this year! If you’re ever in the mood for a similar book, I recommend Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu. It’s also a multi-generational family saga with well-developed characters. It starts in China in the 1930s and spans into the 2000s (if I remember correctly).

  19. Dr Sarah*

    I read ‘Annie Bot’ and the first ‘Cerulean Sea’ book, and they’re just brilliant!

    Does anyone have any recommendations for cheerful and fun books for a 17-year-old? She went through a personal tragedy earlier this year and so I’m trying to avoid anything with parental death or illness or general depressingness. I’m going to get her another Terry Pratchett, but I’d also like to mix things up a bit.

    1. HannahS*

      It might be below her reading level, but Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede is lovely, comforting fun with no parental death. The third book in the series does feature the imprisonment of a parent who is rescued in the fourth book, FYI.

      1. HannahS*

        Also, as I was wracking my brain, I realized that I don’t have many suggestions, but if I were in your shoes I’d think about asking my local childrens’ librarian for recommendations–just in case it hadn’t occurred to you as an option!

    3. Trans-lator*

      The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers (I’d recommend starting with A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but you can theoretically read the books in any order) could do the trick. It’s cozy slice-of-life sci-fi, and the books are short so they’re pretty accessible. I will warn you that Record of a Spaceborn Few does explore death as a major theme (one of the POV characters is an aging mortician of sorts, and the common thread throughout the book is a murder that’s not directly described), but it’s largely abstract and sort of sadly beautiful.

  21. glt on wry*

    Thanks, Alison! I recently moved to two minutes away from a library and this list will be coming in handy:)

  22. Sc@rlettNZ*

    I tried to like Trust and Safety but thought that the main character was a whiny baby and she annoyed me no end. But I really enjoyed the Inn at Lake Devine and shall check out some of Alison’s other recommendations.

  23. Rob Moss Mob Boss*

    i have used your lists from all the years to put books on hold at the library. i wish i could afford all of them lol. thank you so much for taking the time every year – it’s so helpful!!

  24. noenthusiast*

    Librarian here! This is a wonderful list. I second Woman, Eating – it was one of my favorite books of 2022. I usually describe it as a vampire having an existential crisis lol.

    Since you liked that one, I can’t help but recommend Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth. And Bunny by Mona Awad.

    Happy reading to all!

  25. The yellow dog of workplace happiness*

    Well, that’s several days worth of new audiobooks that have been added to the already many days long queue of audiobooks.

    Appreciate the recommendations.

  26. Dog momma*

    Thank you . I added several of these to my wish list& will review later today. all look very interesting

  27. On the couch, with the cat*

    I read Master Slave Husband Wife recently–it took months to get my hands on it as there was a long waitlist at the library–and it was, indeed, extraordinary. one of the best books I read this year.

  28. Co in KC*

    Cannot wait to read all fours. Miranda July is a the most challenging authors that has come along. I added so many of these to my library holds!

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