If You Only Read Five (fiction) Books in 2024...
An annual list of recommended books based on what I read last year - Part 1
Reading time: About 15 minutes
Once again, I bring you a list of recommended books based off my reading list from the last year. In last year’s post I wrote that the only book a person should read is the one they want to. I feel like I solidified that for myself in 2023. If I wasn’t enjoying a book within the first chapter, not even the first 100 pages, I let it go and moved on.
The result?
Despite only aiming for 80 books this year, I ended up reading 114, and I could easily recommend at least half of them. But my aim with this list is not to overwhelm anyone. I want to make it easy to choose a book (or five) you will really enjoy, knowing you may only have the capacity to read a handful in a year. That being said, I dislike knowing I may leave off a book I really enjoyed just so this list comes across as manageable. In fact, last year I left a book off the list that I really wish I hadn’t and it has bugged me ever since.1
Thankfully, fellow creative human, Anna Brones, gave me an idea with one of the posts she shared in December. She wrote about the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð, or “book flood.” It occurred to me, while reading her post, that my annual book blog is absolutely something I put out as a gift. We read for a lot of reasons and there are no definitive books everyone must read because, despite the myth of the Universal Story, not everything is for us. How we find what is for us can be difficult, and my intention is to make it less so.
So I am embracing the book flood this year by recommending all the books I want but breaking this into two posts: Fiction and Non-fiction. This first post is the fiction one, and it includes YA fiction, a graphic novel, and two amazing new author discoveries I made in 2023.
The next post, non-fiction, will includes general non-fiction but also memoir. I hope you are able to find five great reads between these two posts and the various genres they encompass.
Please also leave comments with books you read in 2023 and enjoyed, as almost anything I read comes from recommendations!
New Amazing Author Discoveries
Sara Nović
I put True Biz on hold about four months before it finally came in at the library. That’s how in-demand this book was. The second I read the back cover, I decided I may as well return it and buy a copy, so compelling was the synopsis. When my copy finally arrived (purchased from a local bookstore! Shop local! Shop indie!) I began to read it almost immediately, and I could barely put it down. The characters, pacing, and hijinx of this book! The wonderful way Nović shares Deaf culture through the character’s experiences. The accurate rebellious teenage-energy!
As soon as I finished True Biz I put Nović’s first book on hold and lo—I discovered she is an author I very much want to read more of. Girl At War is nothing like True Biz but just as well written and compelling. This book is as impactful as Night by Elie Weisel. It was brutal in parts, all the more so knowing it is about a genocide that happened when I was near the same age as the protagonist.
I very much look forward to more from Nović and recommend her as an author to folks who want to learn more about Deaf culture or learn about the Bosnian-Croat war through a fiction narrative.
Richard Van Camp
I picked up Moccasin Square Gardens because I hadn’t brought enough books with me while on holiday. I needed something to read and the title and cover stood out on the book-swap shelf at the cabins where we were staying. I haven’t read a short story collection so good since How Long ’til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin—short-stories can be dissatisfying and it’s a real skill that not a lot of authors have developed. Every story in this collection is a masterpiece. Van Camp is an incredible storyteller, and the kind of writer whose writing inspires me to write. I wrote three short stories the first week back from that trip! And I immediately put his first book on hold and ended up buying two graphic novels by him too!
I recommend him as an author for folks looking to read more by Indigenous authors and for Indigenous and Métis writers looking for examples of storytelling that isn’t formulaic or based on colonial ideas of how story should work.
General Fiction
All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Matthews
Matthews has written a delightful queer elder-millennial coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the fallout of the 2008 market crash. The protagonist is a perfectly captured 22 year old—arrogant, unaware of her internalised misogyny, and emotionally immature whilst simultaneously believing herself to be very adult.2 The journey of growth Thankam Matthews writes for the protagonist is realistic, beautiful, and ultimately a relief.
This is a great read if you enjoy chosen family narratives and if you are an elder millennial or adjacent generation.
The Strangers by Katherena Vermette
I enjoyed Vermette’s first book, The Break and thought it was an incredible way to explore intergenerational trauma. With her second book she has only gotten better. The Strangers is a captivating story, cleverly weaving three generations of narratives. It was particularly resonant as someone who had a grandparent deny their Métis ancestry and claim whiteness at great cost to herself and my family. I also appreciate the humanizing portrayal of Phoenix that gives reason to her actions while never dismissing or excusing them.
This is a great read for Métis folks, anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction about healing from generational trauma, and anyone looking to read more by Indigenous authors.
Fayne by Ann Marie McDonald
The hardest thing about writing a review of Fayne is that I can’t tell you why I loved it so much without risking spoilers. McDonald is also a verbose writer, which makes her books hard to recommend in general because they are looooong—but I can say that this is an excellent choice if you are into historical fiction that acknowledges that queer people have always existed…and also if you like a bit of magical realism in your historical fiction.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Erdrich continues to be one of my favourite writers of all time and her most recent book does not disappoint. The Sentence is a contemporary fiction novel, but also not-quite fiction, as Erdrich and her bookstore feature in the telling. I found this super delightful.
Rarely am I moved to tears by a book, but The Sentence touched me on a deeply personal level. I do not think I can articulate how visceral the narrative felt at times. I adored the protagonist and genuinely enjoyed that it was set during Covid lock-down, which I didn’t expect. I have noticed many authors are shying away from including the reality of 2020 and 2021 in their work, opting to write an alternative history where the pandemic doesn’t exist. That’s fine, but if you are a writer who would like to capture that reality, this book is a masterclass on how to do so. This book also made me want to to write, and so I did, a lot.
I recommend this book for mixed Indigenous folks, writers, and anyone who wants to read more by Indigenous authors.
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
Yellowface is an unreliable narrator villain story about a very racist white woman who is racist in that “I’m not racist, I have an Asian friend!” way.3 Kuang uses not-quite satire as a way to offer an in-depth critique of the publishing industry, from white supremacy to manufactured ‘best sellers’ and a look at tokenism in printing.
This a book about how the system of publishing can inadvertently reward the most despicable person with it’s juggernaut push to pump out best-sellers rather than support creativity and a diversity of authors. It’s also about the many ways white people will frame themself as the victim or the hero, never the villain. I read this book SO FAST because it was just too good and compelling to put down. I loved it.
This is a great read if you are a writer, if you are white, if you are suspicious about the publishing industry and want some validation for those suspicions, or if you are trying to read more by Asian writers.
The Actual Star by Monica Byrne
As stated in the intro, 2023 was a year of exceptional reads, but if you forced me to pick a favourite from fiction, it would be The Actual Star.
Byrne takes three timelines a thousand years apart and weaves them together in a magical telling of rebirth and belief and the human capacity to connect with something much bigger than ourselves. She also straight up asks the question of whether utopia is a state of mind or a physical place or a secret third thing, and as a dharma nerd I was SCREAMING.
I love all three timelines but the far flung future is my favourite. Byrne created a nomadic socialist-anarchist culture where everyone is Intersex and my goodness is that a future I would love to live in.
If you think you would enjoy speculative fiction, god-punk, Astrology, historical fiction, queer content and philosophical ideas about human capacity all wrapped up in a fast paced story with gorgeous, rich, multi-dimensional characters, this is the book for you!
Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens
Murder mystery is not a genre I usually enjoy—I may have even abandoned a few books in 2023 because they were so gruesome and voyeuristic about it—but Esken’s writing captivated me. Likely, it was the blend of coming-of-age-narrative (a favourite for me) with a murder mystery rooted in the reality of white supremacist terrorism in the United States. Esken answers the question of how white authors can write about race: Write about white people reckoning with racism and white supremacy. Nothing more dangerous than white supremacist terrorism!
I recommend this book to mystery fans looking for something a bit different, white people with an anti-racist practice, and white writers who want to know how to write about race really well.
YA Fiction
As per usual, I don’t believe that YA is only for the youths! YA can and should be enjoyed by humans of all ages, so I make these recommendations not as something to suggest to teenagers but for absolutely everyone. A perk of YA is that it can often be an easier thing to focus the brain on if you are struggling to read much. The language is often clearer than adult fiction and the pacing tends to meander less. So if you are an adult who misses reading and are having a hard time focusing enough to do so, consider a book from this list!
Accidents of Nature by Harriet McBryde Johnson
Harriet McBryde Johnson’s first book, Too Late to Die Young, is one of my favourite memoirs of all time. I was giddy to discover she had written a YA novel, but disappointed to discover it wasn’t at my local library. I put in a request for it and hussah! They approved it!4
While slightly dated, this is a wonderful coming-of-age narrative set in the 70s during a summer camp for disabled teenagers. The protagonists wrestles with internalised ableism as she encounters community and cross-disability solidarity for the first time. Having read Mcbryde Johnson’s memoir, it was easy to tell which character was her self-insert. I wish she had been able to write more in her life, but am immensely grateful to this disabled ancestor for the books she did leave us.
If you are disabled or if you are cultivating a disability justice practice, this is a fabulous choice. It is also a pretty quick read, so if you’re low-on-spoons or struggling with reading, this could be an accessible option. This is a great choice too, if you are trying to read more by disabled authors.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
A friend suggested this book to me after I had a not great experience reading another book about a depressed teenager that really didn’t age well.5 I am so glad they did suggest The Rest of Us Just Live Here, as it made all right with the world.
This is the second book I’ve read by Ness and oh my gawd, does he ever remember what it felt like to be a teenager. Teenagers can be broody and angsty unnecessarily, yes, but they can and do have legitimate concerns and fears when encountering injustice and seemingly impossibly big World problems. I love how Ness has written a book to validate teenagers that is also a very considered and thoughtful approach to mental illness and anxiety disorders.
This is a great book for folks living with mental illness. It’s probably also a good read for anyone with a depressed or anxious kiddo in your life who you are wanting to support and relate to better.
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
Lo has written the best queer awakening narrative I have ever read.
No notes.
But seriously, despite the specifics of the protagonist’s self-realization, I think any queer person will find this story relatable. I saw so much of myself and my early-twenties friend group in A Scatter of Light, despite personally coming out at a much younger age than the protagonist. The variety of queer women and how Lo captures what is sexy about women to women was also so great. She also gets something about the relationship between gender and sexuality and attraction that I can’t articulate, but I think any queer person will relate to.6
Basically, if you are queer, this is some *Sparkling Queer Content* you ought to get your hands on ASAP.
Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa
Villa has written a heart-achingly wonderful queer romance combined with a coming-of-age narrative. I enjoyed how they balanced out the relationship-side of the story with the protagonist’s growth as they individuate from their family and expand their art. It’s also so great to have a casually non-binary character where their being non-binary is not the central narrative and everyone around them respects and accepts them for who they are.
If you loved the show Gentified you will enjoy Ander & Santi Were Here.7 This is also great if you are looking for some adorable queer romance.
A Graphic Novel!
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
Wonderfully illustrated with magnificent world building, Mohamed tells three satisfying tales using magical realism as a means to examine class, race, religion, and mental health. All three stories in this graphic novel are excellent but the portrayal of depression and the ultimate wish in Nour’s storyline? *chef’s kiss* I will say no more so as not to invoke spoilers.
A great read for anyone who enjoys graphic novels or has never tried a graphic novel before and is looking for a place to start. This is a great example of the best a graphic novel can be.
You can see my full 2023 reading list on GoodReads.
Let me know in the comments what books you enjoyed in 2023!
It has bugged me ALL YEAR that I didn’t include Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid on last year’s list. I did see this book on a lot of other people’s lists, but I still wish I had put it on mine. It was a phenomenal read! It’s a very good portrayal of white people being so fixated on being Nice White People that they objectify Black people. Also, the toddler is SO WELL WRITTEN. It’s an amazing book. Ya’ll should read it!
It was uncomfortable relatable at times.
I read this book alongside Roxane Gay’s book club blog posts about it, and one of the funniest things was a white woman in the comments upset because a book about racism in publishing implied that the protagonist was a racist even though, “she never said she was racist.”
Hot tip: if you can’t afford to pre-order a book by an author, you can put in a request for that book at your local library. Pre-orders mean a lot to authors, and putting in book requests helps librarians decide which books to carry. Also, support your libraries! Conservatives hate free knowledge and community spaces that don’t serve Capitalism. They are trying to close them down, and unfortunately succeeding.
I DO NOT recommend. It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. Early 2000’s transphobia was wild. Wild, wild, wild.
The Internet calls this being “Queer Sexy”, when someone recognises they are Totally Hot but in a very Queer Way that Straights won’t understand.
If you never watched Gentified, I am so sad about that. I don’t think you can access it anymore and that is terrible as it is one of the best series for writing and character development that I have ever seen.