Monday, December 30, 2024

Books I Read in 2024

 

Welcome to Year 17 of my year-end wrap up of books! I feel like this is such a great time to be a reader - there are so many incredible books out there, people are sharing their reading habits in such fun ways, and I'm never without something new to look at. I just did a review of some of my favorites from previous years and went back to see if any of those authors had new books that I had missed. I'm always sad when the answer is no! I'm a big fan of the whole BookTok and Bookstagram, but I try not to get too caught up in the hype. I had a few DNFs (did not finish) books from those that I tried so hard to like. 

This year saw the end of one of my favorite series, the Maisie Dobbs mysteries. I'll be sad next year when there isn't a new one! Hopefully it's not the end for Gabriel Allon, and of course I loved the newest book in his saga too. I like to alternate between literary fiction and romance novels, and I love it when kids come running up to me with their recommendations. I usually try to drop whatever I'm reading and get those done right away so I can chat about it with the kids! 

So here's the 2024 list:

  1. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

  2. Can we Talk About Israel? By Daniel Sokatch

  3. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

  4. The Society of Shame by Jane Roper

  5. Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino

  6. Kunstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Scheine

  7. The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre

  8. The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

  9. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

  10. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult

  11. You Have a Match by Emma Lord

  12. Have You Seen Luis Velez? By Catherin Ryan Hyde

  13. Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory

  14. Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood

  15. The Maid by Nita Prose

  16. Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

  17. The Women by Kristin Hannah

  18. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

  19. The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

  20. The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn

  21. Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein

  22. The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel

  23. The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

  24. The Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

  25. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

  26. The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

  27. Bride by Ali Hazelwood

  28. The Amen Effect by Sharon Brous

  29. Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford

  30. Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

  31. Family Family by Laurie Frankel

  32. Once We Were Home by Jennifer Rosner

  33. Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel

  34. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

  35. Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman

  36. Rivals by Katharin McGee

  37. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto

  38. The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad

  39. The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

  40. In the Shadow of the Greenbriar by Emily Matchar

  41. Stockholm by Noa Yedlin

  42. Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss

  43. This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune

  44. Reign by Katharine McGee

  45. The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr

  46. A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva

  47. The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

  48. Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren

  49. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

  50. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

  51. Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

  52. The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

  53. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

  54. Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray

  55. Behind Every Good Man by Sara Goodman Confino

  56. When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

  57. The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

  58. The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

  59. Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center

  60. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho

  61. Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer

  62. The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove by Karen Hawkins

  63. Past, Present, and Future by Rachel Lynn Solomons

  64. The Book of Silver Linings by Nan Fishcer

  65. Sandwich by Catherine Newman

  66. The Frindle Files by Andrew Clements

  67. The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

  68. Flunked by Jen Calonita

  69. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

  70. The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

  71. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

  72. The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum

  73. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

  74. Operation Bethlehem by Yariv Inbar

  75. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

  76. You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

  77. Love You A Latke by Amanda Elliot

  78. Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari

  79. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

  80. Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter

  81. Hanukkah Hook-Up by Jessica Topper

  82. Late Night Love by Chayla Wolfberg

  83. Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim

  84. The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

And here are all my mini-reviews:  


It's hard for me to choose favorites but here is a list of the ones I liked best:
Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
Have You Seen Luis Velez? By Catherin Ryan Hyde
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Family Family by Laurie Frankel
Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman
Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari

I track my books on GoodReads and StoryGraph and as always, I'll share monthly updates here and on the socials so stay tuned.

What do you think I should read in 2025? What are you reading? What were your favorites of 2024?

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December 2024 Books #MyLifeInBooks

Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman - Loved this one. It's historical, a little magical realism, a love story, Jewish...checked so many happy boxes for me. I wanted it to keep going....one of my favorites of the year!

Operation Bethlehem by Yariv Inbar - This was a book group selection for me, and as a group we liked it. I thought the story was interesting, although I got a little lost at one point, and I thought the theme of what it means to feel "at home" was very relevant.

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books - Could NOT put this one down! Loved it - the cast of characters was wonderful, it was clever and compelling, and of course, timely. I know it was meant as a satire, and I thought it really worked.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian - It was a little too long but overall a sweet story of grief and love - it took me a while to realize that it was set in 1960 (I'm sure I just missed that moment), which obviously explained the terrible fear of discovery of the gay characters. 

Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot - How could I not read htis one!? A quick and fun Chanukah romance novel with the added benfit of a real commentary on how it feels to be the token Jew, especially at Christmastime. Will this be the next Hallmark Chanukah movie???

Songs for the Broken Hearted by Ayelet Tsabari - So good! A look backwards and forwards at the Yemeni Jewish community as they came to Israel in 1950 and their generations in the 1990s. Such a compelling story as Zohara tries to figure out her mother's hidden past and her own Yemeni-Israel-Jewish identity.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - Okay, Oprah, I would never have picked this one up without you. A very short and powerful novel highlighting what it means to do right in the world, even when things are stacked against you. 

Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter - I am pretty sure that I got this book from the New York Times Book Review. While I was reading it, however, I kept thinking, "who the heck recommended this book to me and why am I still friends with them?" This book is weird. (See: The Husbands) I can see how it is a meditation on grief and love, physical and emotaional space, family and relationships. But I didn't really like it. 

The Hanukkah Hook-Up by Jessica Topper - a silly, fun Chanukah romance

Late Night Love by Chayla Woflberg - A sweet romance by a former student! Loved the shoutout to our synagogue :-)

Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim - A lovely story about magic and matchmaking, and it reminded me a little bit of the Matchmaker's Gift too. This author's earlier book was one of my favorites of last year, and I liked this one a lot too!

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong - It was odd that the last two books I read this year were both about seeing the future! This one was a really cozy magical fantasy about found family, and I really enjoyed it!

November Books
October Books
September Books
August Books
July Books
June Books
May Books
April Books
March Books
February Books
January Books

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