Happy Tuesday, y’all! And Happy New Year! Am I the only one surprised that 2025 is almost here? As this is the first Top Ten Tuesday of the year, Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl is asking us to share our favorite books of 2024. This year, I’m doing something different and listing my favorite reads of each month. So, instead of my ten favorite reads, you’re getting my twelve favorite reads of 2024.
In my monthly wrap-ups, I listed my favorite read for that month, which simplified writing this post. I read close to 100 books, and many were really good.
All titles are linked to Goodreads.
Now, let’s look at my twelve favorite reads of 2024!
January Favorite Read: Holmes, Marple, & Poe by James Patterson & Brian Sitts
- Genre: Mystery, Suspense
- Release Date: January 2024
- My Rating: 4.5-Stars
- What It’s About: Three detectives solving a series of almost impossible crimes.
February Favorite Read: The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation by Rosemary Sullivan
- Genre: Nonfiction, History
- Release Date: January 2022
- My Rating: 5-Stars
- What It’s About: An in-depth look at what happened to the Frank family.
March Favorite Read: The Woman Then Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
- Genre: Nonfiction, History, Women’s Health
- Release Date: June 2021
- My Rating: 5-Stars
- What It’s About: A woman was imprisoned in a mental asylum because she did not share her husband’s beliefs.
April Favorite Read: The Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey
- Genre: Contemporary, Romance
- Release Date: September 2023
- My Rating: 4.5-Stars
- What It’s About: A lovely story of finding happiness when, where, and how you least expect it.
May Favorite Read: Rednecks by Taylor Brown
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Release Date: May 2024
- My Rating: 5-Stars
- What It’s About: Labor struggles in the 1920s centered around the West Virginia coal mines. Based on a true story.
June Favorite Read: Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens
- Genre: Contemporary, Romance
- Release Date: November 2023
- My Rating: 4-Stars
- What It’s About: It is a lovely tale about finding one’s path to love and the possible happily ever after one is looking for. It also reminds us not to follow other people’s stories, as they may not be what happened.
July Favorite Read: Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
- Genre: Mystery
- Release Date: September 2020
- My Rating: 4.5-Stars
- What It’s About: A group of seniors with a knack for solving murders.
August Favorite Read: Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson
- Genre: Mystery, Translated
- Release Date: September 2024 (in English)
- My Rating: 5-Stars
- What It’s About: A graduate student is researching a 1983 murder case; the case isn’t as straightforward as it was once thought. And what’s happening in the student’s home?
September Favorite Read: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Release Date: October 2024
- My Rating: 5-Stars
- What It’s About: Getting one’s heart broken as a teen doesn’t mean you can’t find love as an 80-year-old.
October Favorite Read: The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Release Date: July 2023
- My Rating: 4.5-Stars
- What It’s About: A lonely widow in London takes in a German teen. Slowly, they became what each other needed during WWII. This is a low-stakes historical fiction set in London during the war.
November Favorite Read: How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe
- Genre: Romance, Contemporary
- Release Date: December 2024
- My Rating: 4.5-Stars
- What It’s About: Haleigh seems stuck in a cycle of bad date after bad date. She challenges her friends and family to set her up on a good date before she takes a break from dating.
December Favorite Read: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
- Genre: Mystery
- Release Date: September 2022
- My Rating: 4.5-Stars
- What It’s About: Five women have worked for the Museum for forty years. Now, they are considered too old for the job and have been targeted by the Museum. But the women have other plans.
There you have it, my twelve favorite reads of 2024. Have you read any of these? What were some of your favorite reads of 2024?
Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my other bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.
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Good approach! 📚🙌
We wrote our post the same way today. From yours, I’ve only read your July pick but it was years ago. And didn’t work for me. Cozy books, tend to be not liked by me, unfortunately. Too low steaks, probably.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2024/12/31/top-ten-tuesday-2024-favourites/
A great selection Pam. I’ve only read a couple of these. All the best for 2025!
I loved killers of a certain age! Looks like a good reading year for you! Thanks for dropping by my post
I liked The Radium Girls soni might pick up The Woman They Could Not Silence for one of my 2025 challenge prompts.
Love how you split it by month! I’ve heard great things about Just Haven’t Met You Yet. Happy New Year!
I like the best read from each month concept. The November and December books look especially good. Happy New Year!
The Betrayal of Anne Frank was such a thought provoking read.
And, yeah, I thought 2024 sped by fast, too.
Thanks for stopping by earlier.
These are great reads! You should give some books awards like you’re favorite, the funniest, the lamest, etc. I would love to read it!
Haven’t read any of these yet, but looks like an interesting list!
I haven’t read anything by Sophie, but I have been seeing lots of good things about her books recently! I bought one a couple weeks ago too so hoping I enjoy it. 🙂 Thanks for visiting my list!
I haven’t read any of these! Killers of a Certain Age and The Thursday Murder Club are both on my TBR though.
Ash @ Essentially Ash
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Happy New Year from 2025 (it’s just past 1am now)! 🎉 I did the same thing for this week’s TTT. I followed my book bracket that I started at the beginning of the year which made it so much easier for me to pick faves this year. I loved the Thursday Murder Club and I hope to finally read Killers of a Certain Age this year as I’ve only heard good things about it. I hope you find even more amazing reads in 2025, Pam!
Great list! I loved The Air Raid Book Club. Happy New Year!
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern sounds beautiful and emotional
Loved The Thursday Murder Club and Killers of a Certain Age! Great list here and thanks for visiting my TTT!
A great looking list. I love Richard Osman. I am looking forward to starting his new series next year!
Have a great week and New Year!
I was surprised I was able to get my hands on the first book of his new series so quickly through my library. I read it last month and enjoyed reading it, almost as much as The Thursday Murder Club.
Pam
I’ve read three of these and enjoyed them all: THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE, and THE BETRAYAL OF ANNE FRANK. THE AIR RAID BOOK CLUB is on my TBR list.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
The Love Elixer of Augusta Stern sounds good.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
To me it felt like being wrapped up in a cozy blanket while drinking your favorite hot beverage.
Pam
You’ve got me super curious about Holmes, Marple & Poe! And The Thursday Murder Club is on my physical shelf, waiting patiently for me to get to it. Hopefully in 2025!
Holmes, Marple, & Poe is a such a fun read. There’s all sorts of mysteries woven throughout the book. Just don’t be intimidated if you see the chapter count (it’s around 100), because the book just flies by. I’m currently reading the second in the series and have to force myself to put it down do to other things. How dare life get in the way of reading! LOL!
Pam
Good list. I may read Rednecks. It reminds me (as another book on another blog did, too, today) of River of Earth https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2022/04/28/review-river-of-earth-by-james-still/
Rednecks is a short book (under 300 pages), but it was well researched and well written. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when you get the chance to read it.
Pam
I absolutely love The Thursday Murder Club!
I haven’t read any of these, but a couple are on my wish list. I hope you have a great 2025. Happy New Year!
Great list, Pam. I never do these lists because I can’t whittle it down. I have several of these books on my TBR shelf, so thanks for the reminder. I will move them up my TBR Mountain. Happy New Year, Pam.
I need to try The Thursday Murder Club asap.
Honestly, I picked it up because of the hype. Which is funny, because I tend to avoid hyped books. But this time it worked for me.
Pam
I was so tempted by Killers of a Certain Age, but I resisted for now. It’s good to know it came out as good as it sounded!
Kills of a Certain Age has quite the premise! I hope you 2025 is filled with lots of delightful books!
Great list! I haven’t read any of these yet, but several are in my TBR. Happy New Year! 🙂
THE WOMAN THEY COULDN’T SILENCE was so well done and well researched. It made me boiling mad, too. I like the author and enjoyed her other book about the radium dial painters. That got my blood boiling, too. Thanks for visiting Head Full of Books. Sorry about the long delay in response. I was on a short vacation without my computer and when I tried to respond from my phone I realized I didn’t remember my WordPress passcode. Happy New Year.
Radium Girls made me angry and cry. The Woman They Couldn’t Silence made me angry, and so greatful I don’t have to live through what she did, or I may have ended up much like her.
Pam
Wonderful variety here! I already have Richard Osman on my TBR list b
That’s a great way to narrow it down! I still would have struggled 😉
I was just thinking about The Thursday Murder Club. I haven’t read it yet but we watched the movie Thelma last night and the feisty 93-year-old main character made me think of it. I’ll have to read it soon. I hope you find even more books to love in 2025!
I love finding stories that feature fiesty characters, especially when they’re supposed to be quiet and docile.
Pam
This is really a wonderful post, Pam! I always find such cool recs on your lists, and had to add 3 this time. You also included one of my favorite authors – Lynda Cohen Loigman and her unique brand of magical realism. Thank you for the recs this week!
I’ve read two of Loigman’s books, and both have made it to my end of year favorites list. I have another of hers on my bookshelf begging to be read. Leah, I’m so happy that you added 3 books to your TBR. I’m sure next week’s post will add a couple more.
Pam
The Betrayal of Anne Frank is on my TBR. I’m glad you liked it!
That is a great list with lots of variety. I am going to try your approach next year, and see if it works for me.
Thanks for coming by my blog and checking out my Top Ten Favorites.
TracyK at Bitter Tea and Mystery