It's the 13th annual list of my favorite books — the 2024 edition! This year I leaned quite heavily into my three favorite genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Romance. I also seemed to zero in on joyful books. But don’t worry — there are still some dark fantasy/horror books as well as a smattering of historical fiction and mystery.
As this was also a year of comfort reading, two of my favorite authors appear twice — T. Kingfisher and Alexandra Rowland. At some point I’ll have to make a Dena’s Favorites Hall of Fame that lists the authors who keep popping up year after year. It’s so wonderful to have authors that you know you’re going to love every time you pick up a book! This was also a year that I committed wholeheartedly to audiobook reading and I have been having fun discovering how much a good narrator can enhance a book. I am working my way through the new Penguin audio recordings of the Terry Pratchett Discworld books (you can find them on Libby) and the actors they have narrating the books are spectacular.
All of these titles are available in our catalog in print, and almost all are available digitally via Overdrive/Libby in e-book and audiobook versions as well. Enjoy!
1. Tadek and the Princess by Alexandra Rowland
A sequel/spinoff from A Taste of Gold and Iron about loyalty, love, and grief. My favorite book of the year!
2. Sipsworth by Simon Van Booey
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Over the course of two weeks in a small English town, a reclusive widow discovers an unexpected reason to live.
3. Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A near-perfect collection of short stories from fairytale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction.
4. The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A demon who loves her city, and an angel who destroyed it, bound together in a fascination with each other and the city that consumes them.
5. Ocean's Godori by Elaine U. Cho
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Becky Chambers meets Firefly in this big-hearted Korean space opera debut about a disgraced space pilot struggling to find her place while fighting to protect the people she loves.
6. Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Witty banter and non-stop action abound in this sexy space heist novella. It's super fun and the first in a trilogy that will be complete in the first half of 2025!
7. You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine queer romance set in the 50s between a baseball player in a slump and the reporter assigned to cover him.
8. Not Here To Make Friends by Jodi McAlister
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A perfectly planned dating reality show can't withstand the force of Lily Fireball — the ultimate reality show villain!
9. Death in the Spires by K.J. Charles
Ten years after a shocking murder shattered an intense group of friends at Oxford, one of them has decided to find out what actually happened.
10. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Young women face the seismic changes brought on by war and new possibilities for their future.
11. Swordcrossed by Freya Marske
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Sabotage, intrigue, and swordplay abound in this low-ish stakes cozy fantasy.
12. Girls With Bad Reputations by Xio Axelrod
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Rock band The Lillys are poised to make it big but the drummer has everything to lose in this music industry romance.
13. At First Spite by Olivia Dade
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Moving into the spite house she got her ex-fiancee as a wedding gift, Athena finds herself living next to his brother. A surprisingly deep story about depression AND a hilarious rom-com!
14. What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Retired soldier Alex Easton returns to their home only to find a creature out of folklore terrorizing the estate. It is a gothic standalone sequel novella to What Moves the Dead.
15. Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire
This is a middle book in the InCryptid series, following the life and afterlife of Mary Dunlavy — crossroads ghost and eternal babysitter to the Price family. Not a good book to pick up cold, but the series is delightful.
16. The Good, The Bad, and The Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Meddy Chen, her new husband Nathan, and her meddling aunties find themselves embroiled in Jakarta business shenanigans. This is a satisfying conclusion to a chaotic, farcical, and crime-fighting trilogy that's a ton of fun.
17. Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Two people who seem to always be "the one just before their ex finds a soulmate" decide to team up to break each other's curse.
18. Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A queer enemies-to-loves rom-com following once-childhood best friends forced together to drive their dying former teacher across the country.
19. The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Lauren discovers one day that she has an infinite supply of husbands in her attic. If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you've taken the right path?
20. A Short Walk Through A Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Follow the life of one woman as she journeys the globe trying to outrun a mysterious curse that will destroy her if she stops moving. For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
21. Funny Story by Emily Henry
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Two exes (of the same couple) end up roommates in this opposites attract romance.
22. Second Night Stand by Fay and Karelia Stetz-Waters
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A burlesque dancer and a ballerina have to survive a reality show and their own feelings.
23. Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Two exes reunite and bet that they can predict the fate of five couples — including themselves.
24. Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A queer pirate fantasy adventure that is absolutely bonkers from beginning to end.
25. Moonbound by Robin Sloan
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
11,000 years in the future, an ancient AI entity is our narrator as a young boy adventures through a world very different but startlingly similar to our own.
26. Rakesfell by Vajra Chandrasekera
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
Rakesfall traces two souls through endless lifetimes in a dark science fiction epic. This one is fantastic in audio!
27. The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A cozy fantasy with a friends-to-lovers romance, and dragons!
28. Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
The story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.
29. A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's The Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic. T. Kingfisher is a master of the craft.
30. A Jingle Bell Mingle: A Novel by Julie Murphy
E-Book Version | Audiobook Version
A part-time film adult actress and the world's saddest former boy band star end up as reluctant roommates. A fantastic Christmas romance!
Check out previous years' lists of favorites and enjoy!
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