Before we get too far into 2025, I’d like to take one final look back at the year that was and the books I most enjoyed reading. Below were my favorite reads of 2024 as well as a list of honorable mentions.

Have you read any of the following books? What were your favorite reads from 2024?

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (magic realism). Imagine leaving behind the world you know  and making your home in the isolated wilderness of Alaska in the 1920s to explore new opportunities and make a fresh start. Jack and Mabel don’t know what awaits them when they make the move across country. Childless, they struggle as homesteaders. After making a snow child from freshly fallen snow, they awake the following morning to find the snowman gone, but a young girl running around their property. Faina is the child they wish they had, except when the winter snows end and it gets warm, she disappears into the woods. I thought I would be bored by the lengthy descriptions of snow and ice in the Alaskan wilderness, but Ivey does a great job keeping reader interest as the story unfolds and we’re brought into Jack and Mabel’s life.

The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen (YA romance). I think I found a new favorite author in Sarah Dessen. While this book is written for young adults, I didn’t find it juvenile in any way. Written in first person POV, I was immediately drawn into Macy’s world and the way she experiences the changes in her life. Macy’s internal dialogue is especially poignant at times, revealing a maturity far behind her teenage years. All the characters were drawn with depth and thoughtfulness. They were fun and interesting, especially when they interacted with each other as a group. I’m looking forward to reading more of Dessen’s books.

The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar (historical fiction). This story is about a group of women pilots who became involved in the war effort during World War II. Known as the Flight Girls, their role was to support the U.S. military by delivering supplies and personnel across the U.S. One of the most intense scenes was the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked as our primary character gets caught in the middle of a mid-air battle with the Japanese fighter plane. It’s a fascinating look at a little known conclave of brave women who risked their lives with very little reward and recognition.

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (historical fiction). While Quinn is better known for her earlier work The Alice Network, I thought The Diamond Eye was a more compelling story based on the real life of Mila Pavlichenko, a bookish history student from Kyiv turned deadly sniper in World War II. It’s well-written and well researched, providing a fascinating character study into the life, love and military career of a single mother who became Lady Death. The extensive author’s note provides some additional backstory that gives an added layer to the story.

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult (women’s fiction). I can always count on Picoult to write a story that challenges my heart and soul. This one is no different about a mother who goes to great lengths to protect her youngest daughter who is diagnosed with a rare condition called osteogenesis imperfecta, sometimes known as brittle bone disease, in which the girl’s bones break easily. I always appreciate how Picoult looks at the conflict from multiple perspectives so readers see the complexity of the story.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (upmarket fiction). I wasn’t a huge fan of Malibu Rising, an earlier work of Reid’s. But as a tennis fan, I was intrigued by this story. In an interview with Reid, she admitted that she knew nothing about tennis when she wrote this book about a self-absorbed fast-rising tennis star. But as a former amateur player, I think she did a fine job capturing the details of the game. Carrie Soto isn’t an easy character to like, but underneath her harsh, brittle exterior was a vulnerable human being who didn’t understand how to connect with others. That’s what makes this story so appealing to me. It’s a great character study.

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison-Allen (magic realism/YA)
I read Addison-Allen’s debut Garden Spells several years ago, and I was immediately captivated by her imagination and storytelling. The Sugar Queen is a charming tale about 27-year-old Josey who still lives at home with her mother and feels she’s destined to live a life of disappointment and limitation in her mother’s household. Josey compensates by hiding out in her closet to eat sweets and read paperback romances. Until she meets tough-talking Della Lee who takes over the closet and the secret stash of sweets. Della Lee acts as both nemesis and fairy godmother to guide Josey out of the closet and into the real world.

Almost Home by Joan Bauer (young adult). Like The Truth about Forever, this young adult story reveals an emotional depth far beyond the young protagonist’s years. In this story, after her grandfather dies and her gambling father takes off again, 12-year-old Sugar and her mother must abandon their home in Missouri. They make their way to Chicago to make a new life and make new friends. As she learns to navigate her new world, she still harbors hope that she and her mother will return to their home in Missouri.

The Secret Lives of Dresses, Erin McKean (literary fiction). This surprising read is a coming-of-age story about Dora who has a job she hates but sticks around because she’s in love with a man who barely notices her. When her grandmother has a stroke, Dora returns to the small town where she grew up and helps out in the family’s vintage clothing shop. There, she discovers notes written by her grandmother describing the legacy and history of some of the dresses. A fun and entertaining read with interesting characters.

Honorable Mentions:
Every Note Played, Lisa Genova
One Italian Summer, Rebecca Serle
Open House, Elizabeth Berg
The Library of Lost and Found, Phaedra Patrick 
Stealing Home, Sherryl Woods
The Beach at Painter’s Cove, Shelley Noble