ShortBookandScribes Favourite Books of 2024

I haven’t done a favourite books of the year post for the last few years, perhaps mainly because it feels unfair to all the books I’ve enjoyed but didn’t make it into my top reads. I felt like doing one this year though, so I have!

I’ve read a nice round 100 books this year which is what I set my Goodreads challenge to so that’s quite pleasing. It’s not the most I’ve read in a year but reading isn’t a competitive sport, right? I’m very generous with my ratings and gave many of them 5 stars because in considering star ratings for sites such as Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing and Waterstones, many books I’ve read deserved 5 stars. The books in this post are those I marked with an asterisk as being ones that particularly stood out from my 5 star reads (6 stars, if you like).

Here are a few stats from Goodreads:

 

(My edition of Homecoming had 640 pages!)

 

Before I go on, I want to acknowledge three very sad losses from the book world in 2024.

Elaine Everest, the author of the Woolworths and Teashop Girls books

For me, Elaine was one of the leading saga writers and I loved her books, particularly her Woolworths series. I can’t believe I won’t read another book about Sarah, Freda and Maisie. There is one last book due out next year which takes us back to WWII though, and I’m really looking forward to reading it.

 

Belinda Jones aka Molly James

I remember reading Belinda’s first book, Divas las Vegas, when it first came out in 2001. I then went on and read her next few as they came out (I have very fond memories of I Love Capri) and then, as often happens, my tastes changed and I didn’t read her books for a while. I returned to her in 2014 with The Travelling Tea Shop and then she self-published The Hotel Where We Met in 2019. More recently came Skip to the End and One Day to Fall in Love under the penname of Molly James. Her Belinda books were travel fiction which took me all around the world, whereas her Molly books had a touch of magical realism to them. She was a fabulous writer and her passing came as a huge shock. The Hotel Where We Met will be republished in 2025 by Quercus as Time After Time.

 

Barbara Taylor Bradford

Sometimes there’s an author whose books form a large part of your memories and for me that has to be Barbara Taylor Bradford. I was really too young for A Woman of Substance when I first picked it up but I was captivated by it and by the next two books to feature Emma Harte and her family. There’s nothing like a sweeping intergenerational saga and this has to be one of the best. BTB went on to write more Emma Harte books and I’ve got a hankering to read my way through them all.

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Now, my top reads of 2024:

Contemporary/Literary Fiction

The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson

A beautiful and brilliant book about a long and ordinary life and what happens when Mabel has to step out of her comfort zone.

 

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

A relatable, fascinating, and a little bit horrifying story of hunger and greed.

 

The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher

A poetically beautiful, profound and reflective story of a character looking back over her long life (this is definitely a trope I love).

 

Goodbye Birdie Greenwing by Ericka Waller

A story of three women with themes of loss, friendship, homesickness, guilt, poor health, new starts. It made me cry…a lot.

 

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr

A quirky and joyous story of puzzles, especially the one that Clayton must solve to find out who he really is.

 

You Are Here by David Nicholls

Michael and Marnie’s trek across the country is both laugh out loud funny and poignant.

 

The Last Time I Saw You by Jo Leevers

An exquisitely drawn portrayal of human emotions, the intricate highs and lows of family life, coercive control, motherhood, and grief for somebody who is not truly lost.

 

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

A story of two girls, one Nigerian and one British, with a large country house, toxic relatives, a delightful heroine in need of rescue, faded grandeur and greed all playing their part in the tale.

 

The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson

A beautifully told, emotional tale of a woman’s life. It encompasses difficult issues, particularly domestic abuse, but the story ultimately felt positive and uplifting. Paced well, it made me smile and it gave me a massive lump in my throat.

 

One Day to Fall in Love by Molly James

Rena has to relive the same day over and over until she finds her soulmate. It’s absolutely joyful and I laughed all the way through. The plotting is superb too. I applauded at the end because it’s an absolute masterpiece.

 

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers

This is a lovely book about books and one of those little free libraries, with complicated and flawed characters. Emotive and authentic, and although it’s a romance it covers many serious issues too.

 

Historical Fiction

A Death in Diamonds by S.J. Bennett

I’ve enjoyed all the books in the HM the Queen Investigates series but this is my favourite so far, possibly because it’s the first one with a historical story (it’s set in 1957).

 

The Story Collector by Iris Costello

This book has everything I want. It has the multiple threads (1915, 1918 and the present day), family secrets, sweet treats, tarot cards and visions, and a stunning love story.

 

An Orphan’s Wish by Lizzie Page

This is book five in the Shilling Grange series and it’s also the final instalment. I love everything this author writes but chose this one as a favourite as I loved the way it rounded up all the stories, both of Clara, the housemother, and all the children who passed through the children’s home.

 

The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal

This book is mesmerising. It combines the seedy underbelly of Victorian London and two people living by their wits, with a country house. A gothic thriller which is rich with detail.

 

The Mischief Makers by Elisabeth Gifford

A fictionalised account of Daphne du Maurier’s life which is researched and depicted perfectly. It has a focus on Daphne’s family’s links with J.M. Barrie, and is so well written.

 

The Secret Photographs by Jacquie Bloese

I knew I would love this one within the first two pages. This heady and intoxicating book transported me to late Victorian England, and to a photographer and his sister, with a darker side to their business.

 

The Silence in Between by Josie Ferguson

A beautifully written story set both in 1961 as the Berlin wall is erected, cutting off a baby from his family, and during WWII. This book is an incredible story of human resilience, survival and love.

 

Crime/Thriller/Psychological Fiction

The Escape Room by L.D. Smithson

Brilliant and exhilarating. Easily the best locked room thriller I’ve read.

 

Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan

The second book featuring DCS Kat Frank and AI detective, AIDE Lock. I just love this investigating duo and this is an incredibly fast-paced and immersive thriller.

 

Gallows Wood by Louisa Scarr

The start of a new series about police dog handler, PC Lucy Halliday. It’s a rollicking good police procedural.

 

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

A remote Scottish island, a country house and a complex and twisty plot made this a fantastic read. Lots of simmering menace and tension and a bohemian feel.

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Phew, compiling all this reminded me why I stopped doing books of the year posts. However, it’s also reminded me how much I loved all of these books. Have you read any of them? What’s your favourite read of 2024? I’d love to know in the comments.