Best books of 2024

Hello friends! I hope the holiday season is treating you well. Since the year is at its end, I figured it’s time for me to share my favorite books of the year. I read books based on interest, rather than what’s just come out or what is talked about a lot, so some of these might feel far-fetched, but I urge you to pick one that interests you and see for yourself why it’s on this list.

This year I read a decent bit of mysteries, some classic literature, and dug into Elizabeth Gaskell. I continued the Mitford series (but didn’t finish it), I decided to get to know Shakespeare’s body of work. All in all, I’ve read 69 books. I have one more to go before I hit the goal for this year of 70 books.

Best Books of 2024

Jayber Crow

There are moments when the heart is generous, and then it knows that for better or worse our lives are woven together here, one with one another and with the place and all the living things.

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry is my favorite read of the year—there is no question about it. I cried three times reading it. Berry manages to craft such a rich world in Port William. It’s one of those books that’s about everything and nothing—God and community and love and grief and everything in between. Jayber is a barber in Port William and the book details his whole life, a life of someone deeply rooted in community, who bears witness to both the good and bad of all life has to offer.

Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy 

Lucette herself was in God’s keeping; Lise was sure of that too. How? When? That did not matter. We are not meant to know. We can only try and live as if we knew.

This one’s for the Catholics. The Rosary plays an intimate role in the novel by Rumer Godden. I love Godden’s stories of Catholic nuns. She illustrates the internal struggle of leaving your past behind while carrying its wounds and memories with you. This is definitely a darker novel than the two of hers I read in the past, but it’s insightful, even as you’re tempted to look away from the darkness you witness.

Bonhoeffer

Describing Bonhoeffer’s demeanor on returning to danger in Germany rather than safety in America, with a strong and joyful firmness such as only arises out of realized freedom.

I know there’s a lot of press about Eric Metaxas’ view of Bonhoeffer, but as far as a biography goes, this one was intriguing to read. Bonhoeffer was a principled man, nurtured by parents who cared enough to shape his mind and morals, and that comes out in his character. It is much easier to throw in the towel and keep your head down when troubles come, but the measure of a man is one who feels fear and chooses instead to walk out his convictions. A 600 page biography but worth it if you’re interested in the life of a modern saint.

Gilead

Love is holy because it is like grace–the worthiness of its object is never really what matters.

I picked up Gilead by Marilynne Robinson on a whim. One thing about me is that I really do love any fiction with a priest or nun or preacher–the lives of the religious captivate me. It’s about memory, the ones that wound us and the ones that remain. It’s about trying to make sense of the past knowing that it’s a key part of the future. It’s about the heavy burden of secrets and how little we know about everything. Absolutely worth the read.

Wolf Hall

You can have a silence full of words. A lute retains, in its bowl, the notes it has played. The viol, in its strings, holds a concord. A shriveled petal can hold its scent, a prayer can rattle with curses; an empty house, when the owners have gone out, can still be loud with ghosts.

I feel like I’ve spent the whole year in the world of Wolf Hall, in the mind of Thomas Cromwell–a heretic they call him, but I feel I know him too well. I finished the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel and it’s electric. The richness of Henry VIII’s reign comes alive and we see the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell. Mantel is utterly enthralling, and her crafting of this series amazes me still. You feel harrowed and overwhelmed with awe and afraid for Cromwell and delighted. Thomas Cromwell is a compelling man to follow and I implore you to tag along on Mantel’s journey.

Please share with me your favorite books of this year!

Signing off,

Gigi