At the end of the year, I enjoy looking back at the list of books I read in the previous twelve months. I often remember specific times and places when a particular book held my attention, and browsing the titles takes me back to moments sitting on the back deck in the heat of summer or curled up under a blanket in the living room in cooler months.
Goodreads makes it easy and provides a handy summary at the end of each year.
Some years I read mostly fiction, and in others I lean toward non-fiction books. Most years it’s a mix of both, and 2024 was like that though it leaned heavily toward the thriller genre—something new for me.
I present the list of my favourites with no personal commentary, preferring, instead, that you check them out and consider whether any of them might capture and hold your interest. These are the ones I got lost in and that remained with me even after the last page was read.
I’m especially happy when I can present books by Canadian writers to readers outside my home and native land and I’ve indicated those books with a maple leaf. Clicking on the cover of any of the books will take you to the Amazon.ca page. Descriptions excerpts from Amazon.
Here, in no particular order, is the list of my 2024 favourites.
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A four-year-old girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a tragic mystery that remains unsolved for nearly fifty years
A stunning debut novel, The Berry Pickers is a riveting story about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.
Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an astonishing debut, and an enthralling novel of female resilience.
They rarely speak to each other, but they take notice—watching from the safety of their cabins, peering into the half-lit drizzle of a Scottish summer day, making judgments from what little they know of their temporary neighbors. On the longest day of the year, the hours pass nearly imperceptibly as twelve people go from being strangers to bystanders to allies, their attention forced into action as tragedy sneaks into their lives.
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In the early morning dark, Emer McConnell rises for a day of teaching music in the schools of rural Saskatchewan. While she travels the snowy roads in the gathering light, she begins another journey, one of recollection and introspection, and one that, through the course of Jane Urquhart’s brilliant new novel, will leave the reader forever changed.
A masterful novel that is as page-turning as it is unsettling, The Blue Hour recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith, and cements Hawkins’s place among the very best of our most nuanced and stylish storytellers.
Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.
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From the author of The Dutch Wife comes a riveting novel set during World War II about two sisters, one of whom secretly adopts a Jewish baby and the other who is married to a Nazi sympathizer
As the war unfolds, secrets continue to grow between the sisters, severing their once-unbreakable bond. Eventually, both women are forced to make a choice that will alter their lives forever: the choice between family and freedom
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
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Part medical mystery, part love story, The Leap Year Gene is an unforgettable tour de force that traces the past century’s burgeoning understanding of genetics, eugenics and what constitutes “normal” while exploring the tensions, losses, love and sense of duty that can bind families together or split them apart.
A couple inherits an apartment with a spine-tingling past in this binge-worthy thriller.
So, there you have it. I don’t know about you, but I’ve already started loading up my TBR (to be read) list for 2025. Kindle samples abound!
I also read The Women and The Berry Pickers this past summer! LOVED both of them. I’ll be doing a recap sometime this weekend on the books I’ve completed. I mostly read fiction but this past year I’ve read some really good non fiction too, one of the best being Joyce Meyer’s How to Love People who are Hard to Love. HIGHLY recommend!
Thanks for the recommendation! I look forward to reading your list too.
The Women is at my top 10 of all time best historical novels. I also liked Hello Beautiful but not The Blue Hour.
I have Louise Penny’s new book in my TBR pile.
I agree with you about The Women. It was outstanding and I learned a lot from reading it too.
Hello Beautiful and The Women held my attention too.
So many of us read The Women this year! It was outstanding.
You have some great books on your list. Thank you for the reviews and recommendations. I read 75 books this year. I want to read some of your favorites next year. I am going to try to follow you on Goodreads.
Seventy-five books! Good for you. I’ll watch for you on Goodreads. 😊