Best of 2024--Nyawira Edition

This year has been a transitional one for me--I graduated college and started working full time!--and in the reading realm this has meant a shift toward audiobooks. Except for my second pick, which was a digital ARC, all of the thirty-something books I read this year were through Libro.fm or Libby. I, similarly to fellow Bookin' writer Gaelan, am a big proponent of audiobooks and would like to give a huge shoutout to desk jobs for sponsoring this list!

Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Okay. So I have entered the Cosmere and immediately I cannot talk or think about anything else, which surprised me because I am really not a huge fantasy reader outside of cozy romantasies (which while not being lower in my eyes are definitely different). I am Sanderson-pilled and Stormlight-maxxing 24/7. Obviously run, don't walk to read these, and if you want to recommend a correct reading order or just do a general lore-dive please come talk to me at Page 158 Books. (As of writing this, I am halfway through Oathbringer, so do not approach in a spoiler forward manner.)

Funny Story by Emily Henry

My first read of the year, my new favorite Emily Henry, the most adaptable read of the year--this book represents a lot of 2024 highlights for me. A true rom-com with hijinks, friendship, and vulnerability all presented with so much warmth. No one asked me, but Ayo Edebiri and Avan Jogia are my Daphne and Miles fancast, and while that is not a review of the book it is insight into how much of my thoughts are still consumed by this book. All eyes on her next book, Great Big Beautiful Life, which is out in April!

Convenience Store Woman by Sakaya Murata

This book represents my first year of attending book club meetings since high school--shoutout to 'Lost in Translation' book club for that--and I really enjoyed reading books that weren't humorous essays or cozy romances for the first time in a while. Convenience Store Woman was phenomenal, and had all my favorite things: strange and off-putting women, counter-cultural themes,  a low page count, and an ending that you know feels right but still comes too soon.

Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna-Marie Tendler

This is my top non-fiction pick of the year and the memoir that spawned a whole host of takes, tweets, Toks, and all kinds of opinions. Anna-Marie Tendler gives us a look at anxiety disorders, suicidal ideation, the inside of a psychiatric facility, and how even in the midst of all this the ever faithful forces of the patriarchy make it all worse. The 4DX Ultimate Deluxe experience comes from existing in a world where instead of talking about her book or previous work, people find her ex-husband the most interesting thing about her.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

This is the book I have probably recommended the most, and was such a fun experience to read an extremely well-narrated audiobook. A taut, yet heartwarming mystery novel that completely sucks you into the winding streets of Chinatown and explores the lives of five strangers brought together through murder. Not forcefully "cozy", this book achieves that feeling by virtue of its excellent writing and lovable characters--this would be such a great holiday read!