Book Superlatives 2024
In this post, I share some of the 2024-published books that I have read that stand out to me in superlative ways in a range of microgenres.
I have read so many fantastic 2024-published books, thanks in part to the great recommendations I found in other readers’ best books of 2024 lists, that I feel like I need an additional post to complement my own best books of 2024 post.
All of the books that I recommend below are ones that I have not yet recommended in any previous posts. And even this belated wrap-up about additional 2024-published books (some of which I only recently read this first month of 2025) does not fully encapsulate all of the great 2024-published books that I want to recommend. I hope to recommend more in future posts of various sorts as well.
If you click on the links on book titles below, you will be taken to Goodreads pages for those books where you can find cover images, ratings, and reviews. And the link on the one webtoon title below will take you to the page for that story on the Webtoon website.
Short stories
Funniest solo short story (not published as part of a collection or anthology)
The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman. Lucas just wants to be left alone, play videos games, and eat Pad Thai; but his neighbors in his apartment building will not stop pestering him for one ridiculous reason or another. While some of the reasons are a bit too ridiculous for me, others I found to be lough out loud funny. This humorous short story by the author of A Man Called Ove is available via Amazon/Kindle Unlimited/Audible.
Most creative feminist read
The Theme Park of Women’s Bodies by Maggie Cooper. This is a memorably unique story collection. The 9 extremely short stories in this extremely short book (the ebook edition is only 54 pages long altogether) are all playfully strange and unapologetically feminist. In the titular story about a theme park of women’s bodies you can read about the park’s variety show that “includes an incredible woman contortionist who twists herself into literal knots to accommodate the demand of patriarchal culture.” I think my favorite story in the collection may be the one about a novel approach to resolving an energy crisis—by harnessing the power of female rage to keep the lights on. There are also stories about female pirates and lesbian spelunkers. You can find an interesting interview of this book’s author here. And you may be able to borrow the ebook edition of this work from your library via the hoopla app.
Literary and contemporary fiction
Most captivatingly complicated family relationships
Rental House by Weiki Wang. Although this thoughtfully written book does not have as much plot as I usually prefer, its complicated characters and their complicated relationships kept me very engaged. Keru and Nate, who started dating while they were undergraduates at Yale; are now married, intentionally childless, and having to deal with their own and each other’s families (families who are culturally different not only from each other but also from them).
Most entrancing narration by a neurodivergent fictional character
Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin. The layered, queer, deaf-in-one-ear, anxious, neurodivergent narrator of this story has a phobia of bald men and knows a lot of facts about space. It is never boring being inside of her head (via this skillfully written story) as she tries to navigate relationships with family, friends, and lovers.
Sweetest mother-daughter fictional relationship
- . A college student at a small liberal arts college in Vermont speaks to her mother, who is in Brazil, every night on Skype. This is a quiet, sweet story that is mostly concerned with the strong relationship and loving conversations between the two women whose lives are veering in different directions.
Most enjoyably angsty reality-TV-dating-show fiction
The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore. If you ever enjoy watching “reality” TV dating shows, you may also enjoy this book (which is narrated by a female contestant who is portrayed as the “villain” for a season of a Bachelor-like show and is also secretly dating one of the show’s producers). Despite the narrator and both of her potential love interests being hot messes, I found myself rooting for her to get her act together and wanting to binge this book the same way that I occasionally do a reality TV series.
Nonfiction
Most fiction-like, nonfiction storytelling about China
Private Revolutions: Four Women Face China’s New Social Order by Yuan Yang. If you would like to take an armchair travel trip to China and learn about the challenges that some Chinese women face, this is the book for you. Yuan Yang is a skilled storyteller, and she gained the trust of four women who risked experiencing their repressive government’s anger by sharing their remarkable life stories. Their tales often read like fiction.
Most riveting history of science book
Sisters in Science: How Four Women Scientists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History by
. This skillfully written and well-researched book tells the story of how difficult it was for women to become scientists in Germany before World War II and how much harder it was for the women who did manage to do so, to find asylum in other countries and escape after they were forbidden to teach science in Nazi-controlled universities because they were women (regardless of whether they were also Jewish). Male scientists like Albert Einstein had a much easier time finding refuge at universities in other parts of the world. The author focuses on the captivating stories of four female German physicists.
Most depressing book that I am glad that I read
The Holocaust: An Unfinished History by Dan Stone. The author of this book takes issue with how the Holocaust is remembered by many people merely by what took place in concentration camps. He presents a big picture, evidence-supported, academic argument that the mass murder of Jews during World War II was conducted through many different methods, in many different places, with the active participation, support, and aware profit taking of countless people across many parts of Europe. And there were ways that people in countries not under Nazi control could have helped more Jews escape, but they often chose not to. His case about the wide scope of the Holocaust is both persuasive and important. It is also a difficult, depressing topic about which to read. It is so sad that cruelty can be contagious and that many people can become willing to participate in, support, and knowingly profit from horribleness towards others. Hopefully, books like this one will help inoculate their readers from ever becoming infected when cruelty towards anyone, any place, spreads.
Most soothing celebrity autobiography audiobook
Life in the Key of G by Kenny G. Try listening to this audiobook when you need a respite from real or fictional accounts of people acting horribly, even if—like me—smooth jazz is not your cup of tea. I was very surprised by how greatly I enjoyed this audiobook autobiography, which is well narrated by Kenny G himself. It is a cozy, feel-good listen. It is hard to articulate how soothing listening to a good storyteller’s niceness, emotional healthiness, interest in self-actualizing, lack of traumatic stories, and corny jokes can be.
YA romance
Most interestingly conveyed fictional depiction of hearing impairment
The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram. The experience of being hearing impaired is conveyed vividly in this male-male high school romance, which is narrated by a hearing-impaired junior who stage manages his school’s plays. Many of the other characters’ words are not included in the story as the narrator can not hear them. The book is also written in a charming, epistolary-like style, with many lines
struck outlist-like. And as is common in stories about high school stage productions, this one is drama filled. Although I would have enjoyed this book even more if the characters communicated with each other more forthrightly than they did; it is still a skillfully written, standout YA romance.
Illustrated works for adults
Most pleasing illustrations in an on-going slice of life manga (Japanese graphic novel) series
Hirayasumi, Vol. 3 by Keigo Shinzō. Despite my general preference for plot-heavy stories; this slice of life manga series has been growing on me. The illustrations are remarkably pleasing, the image to text ratio is perfect, the main male character is very likable, and—although it has taken three volumes for me to get here—I am finally all in on the story. It helps that there now appears to be a potential love triangle (and thus—hopefully—at least a little more plot) on the horizon. The series is about a sweet, happy man who works at a dead-end job and shares his house with a younger, artistic, female cousin. And they have friends and acquaintances. Since I am enjoying this manga a lot despite it not having much plot, there is a good chance that you will love it if you are a fan of Japanese slice of life stories. It may especially appeal to visual art appreciators and to literary fiction readers who like character-driven works. You will want to start the series with the first volume.
Sweetest mother-son relationship in a slice of life manga series
I Think Our Son Is Gay, Volume 5 by Okura. In this series, a loving mother suspects that her teenaged son may be gay (and in the closet). She silently roots for him and subtly finds little ways to try to help him feel more supported. This slice of life manga series mostly consists of brief, sweet, mother-son anecdotes. Their foil for most of the series is the loving father/husband who has not yet realized that his son may be gay and repeatedly makes thoughtless, homophobic comments. Finally, in this fifth (and final) volume in the series, the mother forthrightly (and satisfyingly) communicates her feelings to both her husband and son, leading to a lovely conclusion. You will want to start the series with the first volume.
Most RIDICULOUSLY fun newish webtoon
The Mafia Nanny by Violet Matter on the Webtoon app. It is not surprising that this newish webtoon (English language episodes started being published at the end of 2023) repeatedly topped the most popular chart on the Webtoon app in 2024. In it; a beautiful, Mary-Poppins-like nanny (who has incredible fighting skills instead of magic) is protecting the adorable son of a handsome, single father mafioso from lots of bad guys. The episodes are addictively, campily fun. It helps—on the slow burn, angsty, romantic front—that there are hints that the single father may not be as bad as he seems and probably wants out of his family’s criminal enterprise. You can access episodes for no fee on the Webtoon app (which is free to download). There are ads at the bottom of each episode.
Most moving cat comic
Woe: A Housecat’s Story of Despair by Lucy Knisley. Knisley recorded both amusing and moving moments from her aging cat’s life (and passing) in this well-done collection of web comics.
Picture books
Most romantic picture book
Springtime Storks: A Migration Love Story by Carol Jane Munro, illustrated by Chelsea O’Byrne. In this picture book inspired by a true story, an injured stork was rescued and cared for but could no longer migrate long distances. Nevertheless, her mate returned to her every year, and they raised many chicks together. The illustrations are charming and show the love the crane’s rescuers felt for her in addition to the love between the cranes.
Most charming picture book about books
The Spell of a Story by Mariajo Ilustrajo. A girl is not happy that she was assigned to read a book during her vacation. She grudgingly visits a library with her mother. Then she grudgingly starts to read. And then, unexpectedly, she finds herself completely swept up in the story and having a marvelous, fantastical adventure. A book lover is born! And it is absolutely charming! The illustrations are delightful too.
Most inspiring biographical picture book for young potential conservationists
Wild at Heart: The Story of Olaus and Mardy Murie, Defenders of Nature by Evan Griffith, illustrated by Anna Bron. This very well-illustrated and well-told, inspiring picture book biography tells the story of a couple who successfully led efforts to create enormous wildlife refuges in the US, including the nine-thousand-square-mile-large Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Most inspiring autobiographical picture books about overcoming obstacles
Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater by Zahra Lari and Hadley Davis, illustrated by Sara Alfageeh. This is an inspiring, autobiographical, brief story about a ground-breaking figure skater and how she got started. Zahra Lari was determined to learn how to figure skate, even though there was only one rink in her entire country. Whenever she was told discouraging things like “figure skaters don’t look like you” she would simply respond “Not yet.” Sweetly, her father felt the same and supported her. Her determination led her to become a five-time Emirati National Champion and the first figure skater to compete internationally in a hijab.
The Girl Who Figured It Out: The Inspiring True Story of Wheelchair Athlete Minda Dentler Becoming an Ironman World Champion by Minda Dentler, illustrated by Stephanie Dehennin. This is the autobiographical story of a disabled orphan from India with paralyzed legs who was adopted by an American family. She shares her moving tale of how she overcame many obstacles, achieved a variety of successes, found love, and became the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. It is an inspiring story about someone with an incredible amount of gumption.
“Many said it was impossible. Many said I didn’t belong. Many said I should give up. But I didn’t listen.” — Minda Dentler in The Girl Who Figured It Out
Sweetest babysitter-child relationship in a picture book
No More Señora Mimí by Meg Medina, illustrated by Brittany Cicchese. A little girl briefly grieves after she realizes that her babysitter will no longer be needed since her grandmother is moving in. The illustrations and storytelling are lovely.
Most charming self-esteem building picture book
How to Pee Your Pants: The Right Way by
. This book is so charming! It is also imaginative, amusing, and kind. It is a book that you will want to share with young readers who feel stressed about wetting their pants as well as with anyone who appreciates charming and kind picture books.
Most clever battle of wits in a picture book
Mr. Fox’s Game of “No!” by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. This clever and fun book is essentially a battle of wits (which takes place on a meta level) between the anthropomorphic fox narrator and children who read the book.
Most joyful picture book
Mamá’s Magnificent Dancing Plantitas by Jesús Trejo, illustrated by
. Like the first book in this series (Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock), this book is a delight. A boy is given the task of taking care of his mother’s plants while she watches telenovelas, and he decides to throw them a dance party. There are so many fun, whimsical, imaginative, colorful details to discover on every page. Both the book’s story and illustrations are joyful!
Gracias for adding Jesús, and my book to your list! Always makes my heart so happy to hear others receiving JOY from it as that's the #1 goal with my art. 😊
What a wonderfully diverse list of books! I'm honored to have mine included. Thanks!