A Quick Tour of the Fiction I Read in 2024

And which books you should read, too

Hi everyone! While 2024 had its challenges (Why are my hands so dry? How come I still can’t cook a soft boiled egg?) it was a stellar year in reading. I’m not going to share all the books I read, but will offer a few highlights, so you can decide whether they might be right for you.

Amazing, new-to-me authors that I need more of

I read Louise Erdrich for the first time in 2024, starting with The Sentence, then moving on to Love Medicine. Her prose is so rich, humorous and imaginative that I absolutely need to consume more. The Night Watchman is sitting on my shelf right now, waiting for me.

I also read Miriam Toews for the first time. A Complicated Kindness was amazing enough that I also grabbed and devoured a copy of Women Talking. Toews’ perspective is both humane and sharply insightful. I’ve got my eye on Fight Night for 2025.

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead was a December read that had me absolutely captivated by its unique protagonist and voice. I’ll be grabbing a stack of books by Olga Torkarczuk in the future, because I think she might be a new favorite writer.

Fantastical journeys to the stars

photo by writer of mural painted by Seattle street artist Henry

I love a thoughtful, meaty sci-fi novel and was fortunate enough to read a number of them in 2024.

• The Employees by Olga Ravn used its unique format to explore challenging questions in memorable ways

• Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki was stuffed with strange and good-hearted ideas, making it a creative and satisfying ride

• Klara and the Sun might not have been my favorite book by Kazuo Ishiguro, but it was 100% worth experiencing for its gentle, immersive qualities

• The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa defied my expectations and guided me on a thought-provoking and devastating journey

• Like much of Becky Chambers’ imaginative writing, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet offered an antidote to cynicism and depression

Old favorites that continue to be new favorites

I read Bunny by Mona Awad in 2023 and adored how completely bonkers it was, so decided to read more of her work in 2024.

• All’s Well is a great pick for anyone interested in theater, or who suffers from chronic pain.

• Rouge is a bit trickier to get into, as the middle is long and murky, but it brought everything home with an ending that blew me away.

I’m also a big fan of T. Kingfisher, as so many of her vibes overlap with my own interests and there’s a kindness infused in her writing, even when events get horrific and grim. Last year I read What Moves the Dead and A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, both highly recommended.

Spooky, scary nightmares with big ideas

Each year I seem to read more and more horror, because it’s a genre packed with bold writers who seem to enjoy subverting expectations.

• I discovered Catriona Ward by reading the excellent Sundial.

• Carissa Orlando flipped the haunted house genre upside down with The September House.

• If you got a kick out of watching Nosferatu this winter, I recommend checking out A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson.

• And, if you prefer your horror really, really damn weird, check out Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell.

Filling in the lit gaps

Despite all the classics I’ve read, one author I never got around to was Virginia Woolf. No one ever forced me to read her work for school and all the meandering prose kinda scared me off. Well, this year I finally made an effort and finished Mrs. Dalloway. Once I got through that first chapter, everything was awesome with Virginia and me.

I also completed the Neapolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante. I kept seeing people rave about Ferrante’s writing and wanted to discover what all the fuss was about. Getting so deeply into the tale of one, complex friendship was a pretty rewarding experience.

More exciting fiction

Man, this thing is getting long. It probably took me less time to actually read the books than to put this newsletter together. Is anyone still here? Hello? If so, here are some more books I read and enjoyed:

• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

• Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

• The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

• The Vegetarian by Han Kang

• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

• James by Percival Everett

• Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

• Pet by Katherine Chidgey

• Open Throat by Henry Hoke

• A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

• Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

They’re all definitely worth your time.

Let's call it here

I could keep going, but honestly, my wrists are tired and I’m running out of adjectives. In 2025, I might need to try and read less books. Keep the number under three digits, if possible. Do other stuff. Go outside? Nah…

In reality, I’d like to read more translated fiction, catch up on some classics, maybe reread a few favorites, and follow my curiosity wherever it leads. Life is richer when it’s filled with books.

(This post dedicated to the Seattle Public Library, for enabling me to read so many amazing books in 2024. Heaven knows I don’t have the budget to buy all this stuff, so I really appreciate the help. Support your local library.)

What were your favorite books from 2024? Have you read any of the above? If so, what did you think of them?

Thanks everyone and Happy New Year,

~Sarah

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Stuff I Wrote

I’ve got a story in a new collection this month and am super excited to receive my copy in the mail soon. If it sounds interesting, grab yours at the link below! It’s for a great cause.

Praying Backwards - Querencia Press

Not Ghosts, But Spirits V is an anthology containing art from 67 contributors from the women and lgbtqiap+ communities. It was edited by Emily Perkovich and all sales from the volume will be donated to Project Q. My included story is an experimental, time-skipping tale that is horror-adjacent, sort of.

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