Top 10 Books of 2024
The Crimson’s Arts Board presents its favorite books of 2024, from “The Mighty Red” to “Funny Story.”
10. ‘Funny Story’ by Emily Henry
Rom-com royalty Emily Henry’s latest book, “Funny Story,” follows Daphne and Miles, the blindsided exes of couple Peter and Petra — who, on the eve of Daphne and Peter’s weddings, decided they would rather be with each other instead. It’s a suitably funny story to kick off the meeting of an unlikely couple. In the quirky setting of small-town Michigan, Henry crafts a cozy romance between two people who couldn’t be more different, surrounded by a cast of lovable side characters and propelled by the strength of the novel’s central relationship. “Funny Story” is Henry’s most standard rom-com yet, balancing tropey goodness and witty banter with a nuanced exploration of Daphne’s inner life, while also featuring multiple kinds of relationships — platonic, familial, and, of course, romantic. “Funny Story” is a classic romantic comedy that still manages to draw laughs, delight, and introspection from its readers in new and fresh ways. —Samantha H. Chung
We reviewed “Funny Story” and gave it 4.5 stars.
9. ‘Real Americans’ by Rachel Khong
Following the major success of her first novel, “Goodbye, Vitamin,” Rachel Khong’s second novel is a fresh take on destiny, self-determination, and family, following three generations of a Chinese American family through an unlikely romance, a son’s search for his biological father, and a scientist’s escape from Mao Zedong’s China. Her nuanced writing style examines the subtleties behind race and what it means to be American, simultaneously exploring a tense, engaging plot driven by family drama, pharmaceutical empires, and larger themes of genetic predestination and identity. Khong’s prose remains exciting and her themes timely, earning “Real Americans” an easy spot on this list. —Aiden J. Bowers
8. ‘Somewhere Beyond the Sea’ by TJ Klune
The follow-up to TJ Klune’s 2020 LGBTQ+ fantasy “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” “Somewhere Beyond the Sea,” carries all the earnest sweetness of its predecessor while exploring new questions about embracing the label of “monster” — as does the yeti David, the newest addition to the found family of the Marsyas Island orphanage — and advocating for equality in the face of legal opposition that feels a little more real than before. “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” picks up on Arthur Parnassus and Linus Baker’s mission to care for — and fight for — a handful of magical children who are misunderstood and strictly overseen by the government. While the book is undoubtedly about standing up for the vulnerable, each of the main characters and their interactions are quirky and absolutely delightful, making for a feel-good read overall. In “Somewhere Beyond the Sea,” Klune serves up another dose of lovely fantasy for adults that offers a much-needed escape from the drudgery of real life. —Isabelle A. Lu
7. ‘The Warm Hands of Ghosts’ by Katherine Arden
“The Warm Hands of Ghosts” masterfully weaves together historical fiction with magical realism, creating a haunting story that distinguishes Arden’s latest novel from the myriad of 20th-century war fiction out there. Set during the Great War, “The Warm Hands of Ghosts” follows Laura Iven, a combat nurse searching for her brother after his disappearance in the trenches. Eerie signs of a mysterious power permeate the novel, balancing the brutal wartime setting and gruesome medical details with lyrical and otherworldly elements. Arden is known for her fairytale-esque storytelling style in “The Bear and the Nightingale,” which manifests itself in “The Warm Hands of Ghosts” to wonderful effect. Arden utilizes popular motifs from folklore that the reader only becomes aware of later in the narrative, allowing this text to capture the best of both genres it belongs to. Ultimately, “The Warm Hands of Ghosts” celebrates the strength of sibling relationships while showing how the horrors of war damage the psyches of men and women alike. —Laura B. Martens
6. ‘Wind and Truth’ by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is a fantasy writing powerhouse. “Wind and Truth” — which just gifted Sanderson his 16th visit to New York Times Bestseller List — is part of his largest project yet, a 10-book-long series called “The Stormlight Archive.” This 1,300-page novel is the fifth book in the series, completing the first “arc” while managing to stay away from any signs of sequel syndrome. The story follows an expansive cast of characters in their quest to stop a dangerous threat from conquering the Cosmere. “Wind and Truth” is expansive, emotional, and exciting, but beyond anything else, it is an impressive testament to Brandon Sanderson’s vision and influence on the fantasy world. His novels are character-forward; although “Wind and Truth” occasionally struggles with the sheer amount of plot it provides, in the end, it will probably hit you in your feels in just the way you need. It stands out among the fantasy novels of this year due to its immense hype, bold ending, and the feeling of Sanderson magic it will impart to its readers. —Hannah E. Gadway
We reviewed “Wind and Truth” and gave it 3.5 stars.
5. ‘Ward Toward’ by Cindy Juyoung Ok
Cindy Juyoung Ok’s debut collection “Ward Toward” breathes new life into the poetry scene and highlights the presence of an exciting voice. Winner of the 2023 Yale Younger Poets Prize, the longest-running annual literary award in the United States given only to the first work of a promising American poet, “Ward Toward” is vulnerable, as it invites the reader to discuss issues of mental health, relationships, and personal self-discovery. At the same time, the collection places distance between itself and the audience, as its experimental nature, with some poems written in prose and one in the shape of a map of North and South Korea among others, makes its reader search for hidden meanings and spend time reading the same lines over and over for the message to bloom. Still, “Ward Toward” is never boring or tedious, as its dynamic imagery — from hospital wards to cities with labyrinthine streets — creates a gripping selection of poems. From explorations of family accounts of immigration to shared trauma and greater social issues such as the ongoing conflict in Palestine, Ok’s collection is a journey, both for the writer and its readers, that hints at future ones as well. —Erlisa Demneri
We reviewed “Ward Toward” and gave it 4.5 stars.
4. ‘The Ministry of Time’ by Kaliane Bradley
A true genre-bending novel, Khailane Bradley’s “Ministry of Time” takes place in a futuristic Great Britain, where a government ministry is launching a pilot program to determine if time travel is feasible. The book follows an unnamed British-Cambodian civil servant, a character who essentially serves as the rehabilitator to Commander Graham Gore, a 19th-century Royal Navy officer who is fished out from the streams of time. Bradley took inspiration from the real-life Graham Gore, who perished during the Franklin expedition in the 1840s, and the historical details make the story all the more intriguing. Part science fiction, part historical fantasy, with an enchanting romance to boot, “The Ministry of Time” romps through its inventive premise with thrilling plot twists and surprising bits of humor, even as it tackles questions of colonization and identity. —Angelina X. Ng
3. ‘Intermezzo’ by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney’s fourth novel, “Intermezzo,” dives deep into the complexities of grief, love, and family. The novel follows brothers Peter and Ivan in the wake of their father’s death as they make sense of their lives and the people in them. The novel finds Rooney at a new point in her stylistic evolution, as she blends the youthful naiveté of her first two novels with the hefty maturity of her third in Ivan, a 22-year-old chess prodigy in love with an older woman, and Peter, a 32-year-old lawyer caught between his ex-girlfriend and a college student nine years his junior. Rooney’s characters are flawed and at times frustrating, making poor decisions and exercising bad judgment. However, this is what makes Rooney’s characters seem so real. Her prose skillfully captures the nuances of sibling, romantic, and even friendship dynamics, especially when they’re complicated by mental health struggles, class dynamics, evolving sexuality, or even just the changes that come with growing up. Rooney’s exploration of love, sex, and romance shares in this commitment to reality, with Rooney portraying the importance of physical contact in relationships without overshadowing the emotional aspects of romantic connection as well. “Intermezzo” is not a quick read, demanding time to sit with the heaviness contained in its pages, but it’s a satisfying one. Rooney has written another exquisite novel full of dimension and heart, not shying away from the harshness of our world but embracing it. Here’s hoping it’s not her last. —Anna Moiseieva
2. ‘The Third Gilmore Girl’ by Kelly Bishop
Dancer, actor, and singer Kelly Bishop has had a storied career. Her celebrity extends from the stage to the screen, including Broadway fame for performances in shows like “A Chorus Line” to TV stardom in “Gilmore Girls” and beyond. In “The Third Gilmore Girl,” the octogenarian’s raw artistic talent extends to the written word. Bishop has true literary skill, deftly describing her life and career from her youth to the modern day. Witty, relatable prose guides the reader through explorations of her artistic endeavors, relationships with her family, and a love story with her late husband, Lee Leonard. The memoir is a true delight for Bishop fans and unfamiliars alike, serving both as an exciting behind-the-scenes look at an incredible career and a standalone narrative of marriage, ambition, and “making it” in show business. —Aiden J. Bowers
We reviewed “The Third Gilmore Girl” and gave it 4.5 stars.
1. ‘The Mighty Red’ by Louise Erdrich
“The Mighty Red” is the best work that the publishing world will see for a very, very long time. Partly a psychological study that enables the reader to truly fall into the minds of its characters, sometimes a rom-com with a plot worthy of a Shakespearean play, and always a lament for the destruction of the natural world, “The Mighty Red” manages to be both sweeping in scope and luxuriously, painfully intimate. A sense of place ties the novel together, even as time flows and skips along. Erdrich interjects the plot of “The Mighty Red” with reflections on the characters’ ancestors and a history of the land itself, in a nostalgic and sometimes harrowing reflection on the American story. The reader will come away with a heightened sense of empathy for people who have failed in some way — failed in their relationships, their career aspirations, and their vision of who they wanted to be when they were young. A quiet humor suffuses “The Mighty Red,” gently laughing at the follies and idiosyncrasies of its characters as they move through a burning world. The novel seems to whisper: We can heal our earth so that characters like these will still have a home. —Laura B. Martens