Favorite Reads of 2024

Well, the year is winding down. Christmas is around the corner, and New Year’s Day is less than four weeks away. Can you believe it?

I know that many “rabid readers” will continue to read over the course of these last 25 days of 2024. However, today I’m going to ask what your favorite reads of the year (so far) were.

When my first book was published back in 1984, a paperback book had approximately six to eight weeks on the shelf of a brick and mortar bookstore. After that, they were stripped of the cover, the books destroyed, and the covers sent back to the publisher by the bookseller for a refund. Unless you were Stephen King, Nora Roberts, or another major bestselling author, that six to eight week window was the one chance for a book to sell. After that, your fans could only find your book in a used bookstore, if then.

No matter how you feel about ebook readers (I happen to love my Kindle), the truth is they have been a wonderful way for authors to have their books stay in print, year after year after year. There is no longer just a six to eight week window. My novel that was first published in 1999 can be easily purchased 25 years later—and that makes me happy.

Add to the above the improvements in print-on-demand options that have kept paperbacks available and the digital downloading that has made audiobooks more affordable to the masses. (I remember when an audiobook with 12 disks cost about $65 or more! Now, I can download to my phone for less than $10.)

I share the above information because it all means that when I share what my favorite books are with you, even if the books aren’t a major bestseller, even if they were published ten or fifteen or twenty years ago, chances are you can still purchase them if you want. And that is great news for readers as well as authors.

As for me, I’ve read some wonderful books this year. At this writing, I’ve finished 82 books for the year. Most books I love get 4 from me. That rating means, “Loved it. Will recommend to others.” I’ve got lots and lots of 4 reads in my list this year, books I would definitely recommend that you read.

For a book to get a rare 5 from me, it has to be “Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.” I gave a 5 rating to seven books this year, four of them were fiction and three non-fiction.

Here they are, along with links to my reviews on Goodreads:

FICTION:

Edenbrooke by Julianne DonaldsonThe Wednesday Wars by Gary D. SchmidtThe Little Liar by Mitch AlbomA Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

NON-FICTION:

How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete GreigIt is Finished: A 40-Day Pilgrimage Back to the Cross by Charles MartinThe Grace and Truth Paradox: Responding with Christlike Balance by Randy Alcorn

Your turn. Please share your favorite reads of 2024 (so far).

~robin

PS If you like my reviews, feel free to follow or friend me on Goodreads. Just visit my profile and see the button under my picture (the friend option is next to the follow button by clicking the little down carrot).