Miranda's favorite books of 2024
and why they are all 4 or 5 stars!
People often comment on how most of the books I read are 4 or 5 star reads.
I should be so lucky!
Or maybe I have a gift for picking them out? What is my secret?
I'm not lucky, I've just made a decision.
Before that decision, I would read books because they were bestsellers, someone gave or recommended them to me or because I thought I ‘had to’ read that one.
Before that decision, I would read a lot self help books to improve my knowledge and find solutions to better myself and my life.
Before that decision, I would finish a book I started, even if I didn't enjoy it.
In 2023, my word of the year was Pleasure. And one of the first insights that word brought me was that I only wanted to read for pleasure. I only wanted to read good stories, no more self help books. And as soon as I did not enjoy a book beyond page 100, I'd declare it a ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF)..
It's been a game changer for books but that Pleasure year was a revelation on many other levels in my life as well. Because really: how we do one thing is how we do everything.
So today I'm sharing my best reads of 2024 with you for your reading pleasure.
There is absolutely no guarantee at all that you'll like them, because you are you and you like what you like, which might be completely different from my preferences.
I love historical fiction (especially with a dual time line).
I can disappear in a well plotted crime novel that twists and turns and where you did not see the ending coming.
I thoroughly enjoy books that manage to lay bare the intricacies of family life, difficult topics and life’s challenges, especially narrated through the lens of different characters.
I still love a good self help book, especially when combined with stories or the author's journey.
My favorite authors in the above genres (in no particular order) are :
Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult, Amy Harmon, Cara Hunter, Claire Lombardo, John Irving, Agnes Ledig, Valerie Perrin, Liane Moriarty, Lucinda Riley, Fredrick Backman, Curtis Sittenfeld, Elizabeth Gilbert, Paullina Simons, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Sue Monk Kidd, Ann Patchett, Beth Kempton, Laurie Frankel
So without further ado, here’s the list of my favorites.
Please note that I read books in their original language if I can. So you might find reviews written in French or German as well depending on the origin of the author.
((all links are to amazon.de and are no affiliate links))
I fell in love with all the characters in this book about love, marriage and family.
Laura's three grown daughters have returned to the family farm and while picking cherries the story of her mother's love for a famous actor unfolds.
It is filled with the kind of love you only feel when you're young, desperate, searching, naive.
It is filled with the memories that you wonder whether they were as bright as you think.
It is filled with the stories we tell ourselves and others.
It is filled with the wisdom one ca only have looking back.
It is filled with the secrets we keep from others.
It is filled with the hustle and bustle of the life we want, as well as the peace and quiet and safe we realize we all crave.
As usual, Ann Patchett is a master in setting scenes, in crafting personalities and in telling an entire story in one sentence.
I felt transported to my own youth filled with big love and adventures you stumbled into and each character had something that spoke to me.
A gem of a book to finish the year with leaving me to wonder what can fill its shoes now.
I’ve read a few of Kristin Hannah books and none have disappointed. I was looking forward to reading this story of the women who served in the Vietnam War.
There are so many stories and movies about the men, but 'there were no women in Vietnam'.
Well, there were, and the author has told a beautiful and powerful story about one nursing student who was brought up sheltered by conservative parents and learned how to do the right thing. As the world changes and her brother ships out to Vietnam she decides to join the Army Nurse Corps to help others.
This is the story of war in Vietnam, seen and lived by the female nurses.
It is also the story of coming home and being shamed by an America that has changed.
The book made me shed a few tears at the end, which doesn't happen often.
Yes, it is an emotional ride, but that's what books should do: make you feel and remember!
A GIRL CALLED SAMSON by Amy Harmon
I have read a few of Amy Harmon’s books and can confirm that she never disappoints. Her historical fiction is always a treat. So is this one.
The story of Deborah Samson is a true one. At a young age, her father leaves, obliging her mother to send her children away as indentured servants. Deborah lives and works on a farm with boys and dreams about the freedom and adventures they have.
When the American Revolutionary war starts and the boys are leaving to fight, Deborah wishes nothing more than to join them.
She is tall, strong, fast and willing to work hard and accept just about anything to live a different life.
She disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental Army.
I always love stories of strong women who fight for what they believe in. Amy managed to capture me from page one and Deborah and all the characters became alive again. I read it in just a few days.
I can highly recommend if you love historical fiction based on true events and lives and a strong woman!
LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
I've had this book on my To Be Read (TBR) shelf for a while.
We've read it at book club (obviously I didn't).
So I finally started it before a mini trip to Maastricht.
And I was hooked from the very beginning.
What can I say, a certain chemistry happened 🤩
Elizabeth, the main character, is nerdy, intelligent and marked by life, hence cautious.
Calvin, the other main character, is equally nerdy, equally marked by life and holding a grudge.
They were not meant to like each other, yet they do.
The struggles of women during the 50ies/60ies, the judgement if you didn't fit in, the men who stood out.
The story is adeptly woven together, molecule by molecule, into an amazing concoction that I drank with pleasure in (almost) one gulp.
It pressed on my tear ducts, it made me cringe with female recognition, it made me gasp at the twists, it made me sigh and laugh and admire the craft of writing.
I really wanted to read the before binging the Netflix series.
I love a good thriller with plot twists that has uou guessing until the end.
This one did not disappoint. The Heiress, Ruby McTavish, dies at the beginning of the book which sets a series of events in motion. As the book is written from several points of views, including Ruby's, she remain with you throughout the book.
Ashby House, the eerie eatate in the Blue Ridge Mountains plays a role of its own.
Camden, Ruby's adopted son, has never wanted anything to do with the house or for tire but as his uncle dies, he is pulled back to sort out some affairs.
The book is fast paced and had me hooked from you beginning. Each time I thought I had a grasp on where the tory was going, the author was ended the chapter with a twist having me go 'wait, what?'.
It's a thriller about family, money, truth and lies and which ones we tell our loved ones.
So if you're looking for an entertaining thriller that has you on the edge of your seat until the end, this is your book!
THE ATLAS OF LOVE - by Laurie Frankel
This is not my first book by Laurie Frankel.
I have loved and devoured 'This is how it always is' and 'One two three', so I knew I was in for a treat.
When Jill gets pregnant, she and her two best friends move in together to tri-parent the little boy they name Atlas. Of course a lot goes wrong, as each of the young women have their own Rollercoaster lives to deal with.
It's a beautiful story about life, love, friendship, relationships, values and how to deal with lofe's unexpected chaos.
I enjoyed the book very much although I was lacking a little of the extra tension her other books had that kept me on the edge of my reading seat. It nevertheless gets 4 stars because it manages to spin lives together with literature and the way stories are told.
The hero is baby Atlas, who manages to keep everyone on their toes around him as they question their presence and dream about their future.
A really good read!
ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld
After I read and loved Sisterland by this author, I decided I wanted to read more from her.
Romantic comedy has been sitting on my shelf for quite while and I finally read it.
Sally is a script writer for a legendary late night tv comedy show. And the reason I’m giving this 4 stars is because it took me a while to read through the (in my opinion a little too) detailed life of what that job looks like.
When her average looking colleague Danny starts dating a glamorous actress she turns it into a running sketch of the ‘social rule’ saying that this would never happen the other way around.
Then she meets pop idol Noah who has a reputation of dating models, something which Sally is not.
Would someone like him ever date her?
I loved the story once I got past the initial screenwriting job bit, even though at time I found Sally a little overdoing in her insecurities. But it is in line with script writing where everything in life gets turned into and can become a comedy.
But this is real life and life is messy and doesn’t follow social rules. This story feels like real life and I enjoyed it very much.
IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover
I am not a hype follower. So I had never read any of Colleen Hoover's books. Recently I saw the trailer to the movie (with the amazing Blake Lively) based on It ends with us and it made me want to read the book first.
I really liked the story of Lily and Atlas' teenage love and complications and then e adult love story when Ryle comes in. I finished the book in no time and the only reason I deduct a star is that some parts annoyed me and made me want to put the book aside as a DNF. But I kept reading and was happy I did.
There are lots of emotions in this books, so many red flags and triggers. It's so in line with one of my recent essays 'You don't know what you'll do until you get there'. We can live on the outside of something and judge it by saying: if this happened to me I would leave. But we don't know. Until we're in it. It ends with us is that kind of story. you have to be in it to be able to know for sure what you'd do.
Oh and yes, I've bought the sequel...😂 🤷♀️ It only got three stars from me so I am not adding it to the list.
THE WINNERS by Fredrik Backman
(Please note: this is book 3 of the Beartown trilogy by the author:
Book 1: Beartown, Book 2: Us Against You )
WOW WOW WOW
This book is bigger (670 pages) and better than the first two. Maybe I loved it so much more because the town and its people have grown on me, become so familiar that their feelings are so close to mine in each sentence I read.
The story meanders back and forth in time and between people and events so adeptly that I found myself jealous of being able to write like this.
This book is again about surviving: difficult childhoods, trauma, shame and being different or born on the wrong side of town.
It is about living as well: despite the bad things happening, learning from mistakes and accepting that we are who we are and making the best of it.
Hockey continues to bring people together and tear them apart.
People continue to show their best and worst sides.
And hate and love, revenge and forgiveness continue to walk that thin line.
In the end, people die, babies get born, paths get changed and come together in unexpected yet fitting ways.
I am already suffering withdrawal symptoms from this story.
If you haven’t read the trilogy yet, do so now!
THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL by Robert Dugoni
I love a good coming of age story full of struggles, love, lessons, perseverance and characters that mark you on the way.
Sam Hell was born either ocular albinism, ie he has red pupils. His Mom keeps telling him it’s God’s will but the kids in school just call him Devil Boy. But then he meets Ernie, the only African American kid at school and Mickie, a tornado of a girl.
40 years later Sam is a small town eye doctor when he decides to embark on a journey that takes him halfway around the world seeing for the first time what changed and defined him, how fear shaped his life and what truly matters.
I felt transported into Sam’s world similarly to a John Irving novel. Great past/present timeline, addictive characters that stay with you long after, life lessons we know we can only learn by walking our path.
Read it! Love it!
SAME AS IT EVER WAS by Claire Lombardo
I got completely immersed into this novel about marriage, parenthood, friendship and self.
Julia is 57 and has a happy life: husband, two kids and a quiet existence in the suburbs.
Slowly however, things seem to start to unravel. Her son starts behaving strangely, her daughter is about to leave for college and Julia bumps into a friend she hasn't seen in 20 years but who was her lifeline and almost her downfall back then.
The chapters jump between timelines and we slowly get to know the family, the difficulties and joys, the search for self and meaning, the doubts and decisions that change a life in a moment.
I absolutely loved the setup of the book, the writing style and the characters grew on me because they were just so real and believable. So many sentences were absolute gems and full of life's life and wisdom!
I didn't want the book to end.
Luckily the author has written another book which I ordered of course! ❤️
THE CLOCKMAKER’S WIFE by Daisy Woods
I love a dual timeline historical fiction. This one is set in WW2 London where the terror of the Blitz forces Nell to flee to the countryside, leaving her husband, who keeps Big Ben chiming, behind - as well as present day New York where Ellie tries to piece together the fragments of her grandmother’s life.
Both women are led to places and revelations they could not have imagined and I really enjoyed the storyline and connections.
This was a 4 star read and the only reason I’m reducing a star is that the book didn’t linger once finished.
THE LOVE OF MY LIFE by Rosie Walsh
Don't let the title fool you! This is not a romance novel. It is a love story but wrapped in a mystery.
Emma loves her husband Leo and their daughter Ruby and would do anything for them. But most of what she’s told them is a lie and she has gotten away with it for many years until now, when things start to slowly unravel as her husband, an obituary writer starts to dig into her past in view of 'preparing' what for might come as Emma (somewhat of a public figure) is very ill. He slowly starts to discover that the women he is married to doesn't exist.
The twists and turns of this book both on the mystery level as on the relationships level had me at the edge of my seat. Every time I thought I had it figured out, things took another turn.
It's a story the decisions we make and where they lead, a story of love, loss and forgiveness.
I thoroughly enjoyed it!
THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD by Claire Lombardo
After reading the author's other book Same As It Ever Was, I fell in love with her family stories and writing style. So of course I ordered this book. And it did not disappoint. It's a beautifully crafted multi-generational family saga that tells the story of Marilyn and David who fall in love in the 70ies and subsequently life takes its course and they have radically different 4 daughters.
Now, a long buried secret threatens to threaten each of they carefully crafted lives. We follow each of the characters and their messy lives and over time, as their stories and pasts become clear, we get to see how all of it is connected and how what we think we're mistakes can show us the beauty in life.
Love, grief, decisions, infidelity, resentment, secrets, perfectionism, and the fact that things never really are what they seem.
❤️
BETWEEN TWO KINGDOMS by Suleika Jaouad
I have been following Suleika Jaouad for a while on Facebook and am subscribed to her Substack. I love her writing and reflection and prompts that have helped me a lot in my own writing and journaling. So it was about time I read her memoir of illness and recovery and what better time than during my own illness!
When she is 22 Suleika is diagnosed with leukemia and a 35% chance of survival.
What was supposed to be the start of her young adventurous life turned into 4 years of fighting a health battle together with her parents, friends and mew love Will.
She starts chronicling from her hospital bed and her missives get published and people start writing her because she speaks to their own journey.
When she is declared cured, life should get momentum but Suleika finds the opposite is true and struggles to live again.
She decides to go on a 100 day, 15000 miles road trip across the country to connect with some of the people that wrote to her, to reconnect with herself and find a way to begin again.
I read this book in one day and found so many parallels to my own illness journey. Suleika has a talent to explain how trauma reshapes the way we look at the world. When your life is reduced to a liminal space, only the essential matters and taking care of your mental health as well as your body becomes crucial.
It’s a hard but necessary read whether you have experienced illness, grief, death, trauma or not. It’s a necessary read if you want to know what it means to go through something harrowing and trying to maintain a sense of self.
If you think this book is too much, I can recommend the Netflix documentary American Symphony about @jonbatiste journey of trying to compose a symphony while your wife goes through cancer treatment and how life, creativity and illness are part of the process.
❤️
LA LISTE DE MES ENVIES par Gregoire Delacourt
C’est un petit livre (189 pages) mais plein de vie! Jocelyne (Jo) rêvait d’être styliste a Paris, elle est devenue mercière à Arras. Elle rêvait du grand amour et c’est Jocelyn (Jo) qui est venu combler cette place. Sa mère lui manque et la memoire de son pere, malade, se remet à zéro toutes les 6 minutes.
Deux grands enfants qui vivent leur vie et un ange qui a déréglé leur vie. Jo est patiente, la vie continue, elle papote acec ses copines en terrasse et se dit qu’elle n’est pas si mal cette vie.
Et puis elle gagne 18 millions au loto.
Que pourrait-elle bien faire avec tout cet argent? Elle ne s’est jamais posée de questions sur ses envies. En dressant la liste elle se rends compte qu’il y a autant à perdre qu’à gagner.
Ce livre est une belle analyse d’une vie anodine. Combien de choses choisit-on? Et est-ce que ça change vraiment tout? Et est-ce mieux? Gagner ou perdre, tout est là dans les 189 pages. Je l’ai dévoré!
I love the idea of not finishing a book if it gets to page 100 and you’re not feeling it. I saw It Ends With us at the cinema but haven’t read it yet. Lessons in Chemistry us on my list. Thanks for sharing ❤️🙏🏻
I love this list! I have read one ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ and loved it too, the Netflix series was good but not a patch on the book. Have you watched it?
Two of the others are already on my tbr pile and I will be adding most of the others!! 🙏🏻