The Best Books I Read in 2024

In 2024, I read and listened to 258 books (this doesn't include those I started but didn't finish). It's a big number, but many of these books are light-hearted cozy mysteries that I flew through, as I've always been a fast reader. (As a tween, I read Sweet Valley High* books in an hour. And I was that annoying kid who always finished standardized tests quickly.)

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Most of the books I read, I borrowed from the library. In fact, the Los Angeles Public Library is an amazing free resource for residents. I haven't set foot in an actual library in years, yet I borrow hundreds of books, read newspaper articles and recipes, and watch movies thanks to my library card (I'm finally getting to watch Hallmark's Hailey Dean series in its entirety). Author Gretchen Rubin has expressed similar affection for her library, so if you're not an Angeleno, check out what your local library has to offer.

I'm not listing all 258 titles read in 2024 here. But here are the highlights, broken into categories:

MYSTERIES

• Kate Carlisle's Bibliophile* and Fixer Upper* series - Both series are well-written with likeable characters and settings.
  
  
• Mia P. Manansala's Tita Rosie's Kitchen* series - I love how imperfect the protagonist is, and there's so much food in these stories, including a lot of Filipino food that I'm not familiar with, so it's educational too.
  
  
• Victoria Thompson's Counterfeit Lady* and Gaslight* series - Both of these series feature strong women living within but also bucking social expectations circa the early twentieth century, and the stories are great.
  
  
• Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell* series - Another series set in another century, featuring a strong, nonconforming woman.
  
  
• Andrea Penrose's Wrexford and Sloane* series - I'm detecting a trend, because this is yet another entertaining series set in another century. And I've realized that a big reason I'm attracted to well-written stories set in the past is that they make me think a lot about how much things have changed for women, and that I don't want to take any of the progress we've made as a society for granted.
  
  
• Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop* series - This series, featuring another likeable yet imperfect protagonist, is contemporary so I'm not completely stuck in the past 😂
  
  
• Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax* series - This series is set when I was growing up, so the Cold War is still going on, and technology is not what it is today. Mrs. Pollifax is quite a bit older than the usual protagonist and so delightful that I wish she were my mentor.
  
  
• I'm not sure this qualifies as a mystery per se, but Bec McMaster's London Steampunk* and London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy* series were a fun read (also racy).
  
  I read the latest installments in these favorite series and am looking forward to the next books:
  
  
• Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy* and Sister Jane* series - I love the human characters in these books, but the best part might be the conversations the pets have with each other 😂
  
  
• Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop* and Sloan Krause* series - Both of these series feature a strong woman whom I identify with because she loves to cook 😂
  
  
• Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness* series - The characters are great, but I especially enjoy the backdrop, with a protagonist who's related to the British monarchy at a time just before World War II.

FAVORITE AUTHORS

My favorite authors remain Donna Andrews and Grace Burrowes. Donna's protagonist Meg Langslow* feels like an old friend, and I re-read the series regularly for comfort. Grace Burrowes's books always make me feel better - better about humanity, better about myself, better about life. Like the Meg Langslow series, her books are comforting, and I'm especially enjoying the Lord Julian* series.

NONFICTION

Ever since I was in college and read Madeleine L'Engle's thoughts about how theoretical physics is connected to religion, I have read/listened to books about science. Last year, I particularly enjoyed:

• Something Deeply Hidden* by Sean Carroll
  
  
• If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens ... Where is Everybody?* by Stephen Webb
  
  
• How to Make an Apple Pie From Scratch: In Search of the Recipe for Our Universe, from the Origins of Atoms to the Big Bang* by Harry Cliff
  
  
• A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?* - Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith

I made a lot of progress in my quest to reach some kind of détente, if not peace, with my body. Two books have been particularly helpful: More than a Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament* by Lexie Kite and Lindsay Kite, and Intuitive Eating* by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

These books are helping me be a better person, parent, friend, leader and counselor:

• The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups* by Daniel Coyle
  
  
• Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI* by Ethan Mollick
  
  
• Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations* by Mary C. Murphy

So that's what I read. What did you read in 2024 that I should read in 2025?