My 2024 Favourites

I always begin the year by sharing with you my favourite reads from the previous year. Sometimes it is so hard to choose, but here are my favourite books from 2024 in alphabetical order (according to the author’s surname):

• Carol Atherton, Reading Lessons. This was simply the best book I’ve read all year! I loved it, as have all the friends I’ve encouraged to read it too (most have gone out and bought their own copies, as it’s a book one just has to own). Superb from beginning to end.
• Inger Sigrun Bredkjaer Brodey, Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness . It can be hard to find new things to say about Jane Austen, but this excellent critical book manages it, and makes you think again about the endings of the novels and the future happiness of the characters.
• Paula Byrne, Hardy Women: Mother, Sisters, Wives, Muses. A fabulous biography of Thomas Hardy through the lens of the women he loved.
• Stéphane Carlier, Clara Reads Proust. This short novel had such charm and such insight into Proust. I loved it!
• Judi Dench, Shakespeare: The Man who Pays the Rent . I thought at first that the interview format of this book would put me off, but I loved all the insights in acting different roles, anecdotes of theatrical mishaps, and the story of a remarkable life on stage.
• Percival Everett, James. I wrote about this fabulous new novel in my newsletter earlier in the year and since then it has been winning many literary prizes – deservedly!
• S.G. Maclean, The Seeker series. I’m cheating here by choosing 5 books, but I did love this series of historical detective novels.
• David Nicholls, You Are Here. This was quirky, moving and set in a glorious part of the world – a novel that stayed with me a long time after the last page.
• Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors. This lovely novel has W. Somerset Maugham as a major character and brings to life his time in Malaya. Beautifully written.
• Redmer Yska, Katherine Mansfield’s Europe: Station to Station. This book about the great New Zealand writer’s restless travels in Europe in search of better health was so fascinating. I felt like I was travelling with her.

I see that my choices this year are evenly split between fiction and non-fiction. Some have been fabulous unabridged audio books (audio books really are one of the greatest joys of my life!) and I deeply grieved the death of Timothy West in 2024 as he was my favourite audio book reader of all time, especially when he read Trollope. I’ve read some trashy fun (the latest Jilly Cooper novel being one example, but she does write such enjoyable trash), I’ve continued many excellent detective series, I’ve mourned C.J. Sansom who should NOT have died, and I’ve spent wonderful hours in libraries and book shops, browsing and finding more amazing books to read. The year was hugely enriched by books, and I hope it was the same for you.