When one reads more than 400 books in a single year – who even am I? – one would think that i would have enough books to have separate lists for different categories. While I could technically, I do not have enough actual 5 star reads to make more than one list. I, personally, cannot say that a book is the best of the year for me if I did not rate it 5 stars. Of the 420+ books that I read this year (final count is to be determined), I gave only 31 5 stars. The ones that did get 5 stars from me, though, were the best of the best. (One quick disclaimer before I get to the top 10. I wrote this entry with a little under 2 weeks left in December. I do not imagine that anything I have left of my TBR will reach 5 stars but if something sneaks in and surprises me. I will come back and add an “epilogue.”
Let’s start with the 5 stars that did not reach runner up or top 10 position. I had 5 middle grade: A Duet for Home, Frizzy, Ink Girls, The Bluest Sky, and The Spirit Glass.
I had only 3 YA stars (in total – none made the top 10) which included: ain’t burned all the bright (another SCASL nominee), Promise Boys, and The Space Between Here and Now.
The majority of my 5 stars were adult books. Of the non-runners up and top 10 I had one manga, One Piece Vol 1, one mystery thriller, Wrong Place, Wrong Time, one historical fiction, The Seventh Veil of Salome, one magical realism, The Water Dancer, two non-fiction, His Name is George Floyd and Black AF History, two literary fiction, A Burning and Anxious People and three fantasy (two in the same series), Bitter Twins, The Poison Song, and Foundryside.
This shows that even though I still read an overwhelming amount of fantasy, I am branching out in my reading and finding some favorites.
Now to the runners up.
Technically, the book I placed as numbers #9 and 10 in my top 10 had the same exact cawpile score as three other books so I had to mention those other three which are How It All Ends, an incredible middle grade graphic novel, The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, the most recent five star, and The Sky on Fire, a standalone from the author of my all time favorite series.
So…what did make that #10 spot?
I had to give it to Spy x Family Vol 1. This volume opened the door to manga for me and I have not looked back. Only my ginormous owned TBR has kept me from diving in head first.
#9 had to go to Blood Over Bright Haven. M. L. Wang was robbed of a Goodreads nomination for sure. This book epitomizes the way you should do fantasy dark academia. This book has a complex world and nuanced characters which combine to make a significant impact.
#8 This was the best graphic novel that I read this year. It had a beautiful story and fantastic art.
# 7 This book is the best middle grade book that I read this year, a historical fiction with accurate representation fo deaf culture and the heartbreaking reality of the way that others view the differently-abled. This story was beautiful and I cannot wait to read the other books in the series.
#6 Wow. I have no words that would adequately describe the impact that this book had on me. I have never found another author whose skill with words exceeds that of Backman’s. This amazing story will stick with me for years, probably the rest of my life.
#5 This book was not even on my radar until I saw it in a bookstore on a trip to Chattanooga that I took because of Hurricane Helene. This book beautifully blends Muskogee history with the chronicling of the recent court case that brought this history to light. I wish it could have gone further in the Goodreads Choice Awards.
#4 I could not look away from this book. T. Kingfisher crafted such strong, unique female characters as well as complex and complicated relationships treating domestic abuse with care and nuance through the format of a fairy tale retelling. This one definitely should have gone farther in the otherwise lackluster Goodreads Choice Awards.
#3 This book took me out of my literary comfort zone after being put on my radar after how the Palestinian author was treated at an awards ceremony in Germany back in October of 2023. This tiny book packs such a profound impact and will leave you thinking for quite a while after you turn the final page. This was obviously my top literary fiction read, a genre I read a lot more of this year.
#2 I knew from the moment I read this book that it would mkae my top 10 for the year. Not only did my prediction prove correct but this book also stayed at the top of the list from the start. How often does that first book you read in a year end up at nearly the top of the list all year, especially in a year where I read over 400 books. This book is far away from an easy read. It shines a massive spotlight on the ugly reality of the United States’ terrible history in
regards to the multiple genocides that have been perpetrated in the 20th century, especially in light of the still ongoing genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Best Book I Read This Year
I have yet to not be blown away by an N. K. Jemisin book. On paper, Jemisin’s concepts would not work for me but after The City We Became and The World We Make utterly captivated me and would not let me go, I have decided to try everything that Jemisin has written. Before reading this book, I was a little wary of the second person perspective but after reading, I loved it and saw how Jemisin used this unique technique with such skill. This world and those characters. Incredible. It’s not surprising that the only genre fantasy to make the New York Times best 100 books of the 21st century was this one.
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