Writers tend to be readers. We are readers. Here are 19 of our favorite books we read in 2024. A mix of graphic novels, autobiography, sports reporting, buzzy novels and, surprisingly, two books centered around minor league baseball, you should be able to find something to pique interest in your local library. 

Tales of the Dervishes by Idries Shah (1967)

These hypnotic, sometimes playfully dark, ever-delightful teaching tales are the one thing that helps me sleep without a prescription. -Emerson Dameron

Among the Thugs by Bill Buford (1990)

Learning to love the beautiful game at its most brutal. -Brandon Wetherbee

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (2000)

Kinda nuts that I never read Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential until this year, but it’s the truth! I worked in kitchens throughout my 20s, around the time the book initially came out, and in-line with the picture of a line cook that the book paints, I absolutely was in no place to be doing any reading. It’s definitely dated in a lot of regards; since it was published that industry has gone even more mainstream and evolved accordingly, which is kind of the fun of it. This book sparked a change in the cultural perception of chefs, from something largely ignored, to now a glamorized corner of media that creates its own celebrities. It’s still a great read in that historical context, but underneath the details, it’s about what pioneers of any field will put up with if they’re passionate and/or out of their minds. -Joe McAdam

Is This Guy For Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman by Box Brown (2018)

I’ve been a big Box Brown fan since I first read Andre the Giant: Life and Legend. I’ve been an Andy Kaufman fan since I was 12. They’re a fantastic pairing. A must-read for any comedy or pro wrestling fan. -Brandon Wetherbee

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (2020)

This was a refreshing and eye-opening take on an important topic. I had the chance to read it with a team at work and at home with my son, which made the experience even more impactful. The book does an excellent job of unpacking what it means to be “othered”—a concept that also resonates deeply with themes explored in Star Trek. -Haywood Turnipseed Jr.

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun (2021)

A great, short novel of multiperspectivity. Pick it up if you’re not sure what you want to read. It’s over before you want it to end. -Brandon Wetherbee

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis (2021)

A sweeping, unapologetic, utterly captivating meta-masterpiece. -Emerson Dameron

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders (2021)

Packaged as a fiction-writing primer, it is that, but it’s more of a practical, poignant, philosophical examination of how humans manufacture meaning. -Emerson Dameron

Ducks by Kate Beaton (2022)

The most mundane and powerful graphic novel I read in 2024. I’ve been thinking about it since I read it at the start of the year. -Brandon Wetherbee

I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel (2022)

I do not understand fan culture but I think I want to understand fan culture. I did very much enjoy this novel. It’s fiction that doesn’t feel like fiction. -Brandon Wetherbee

The Pussy Detective by DuVay Knox (2022)

Inside a note-perfect parody of both Iceberg Slim and every poorly edited dirty paperback from the ‘70s lurks a heavily symbolic occult fable I never fully stop thinking about. -Emerson Dameron

Above Ground by Clint Smith (2023)

I hit the age where I’m attempting to understand poetry and finding I like some modern poetry. -Brandon Wetherbee

Enlightened Transsexual Comix by Sam Szabo (2023)

Perfectly zany, tonally and literally colorful, and effortlessly hysterical. As the title implies, this book is full of wisdom, like “time is just another boring construct, like gender, or tax fraud!” Such illuminating zingers combined with Szabo’s charmingly frenetic illustration style highlight the author’s distinct yet relatable voice and incredibly fresh perspective on gender. -Afriti Bankwalla 

Mister Magic by Kiersten White (2023)

I’m not typically a horror novel reader but this was pitch perfect for a trip. Spooky books are better in sunny situations. -Brandon Wetherbee

Tales from the Dugout by Tim Hagerty (2023)

I am very much a baseball book lover and this book of minor league tidbits is incredibly fun and very good if you want small doses of America’s pastime. -Brandon Wetherbee

The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War by Jeff Sharlet (2023)

We have arrived at the inevitable. -Brandon Wetherbee

Incidents Around The House by Josh Malerman (2024)

If you’d like to be the most terrified you’ve ever been while reading a book, I highly recommend checking out the latest release by Josh Malerman, who previously penned the novel Bird Box. This novel, however, isn’t about a terrifying post-apocalyptic landscape. Instead, Malerman crafts a very unique type of haunted house story, all told from the perspective of a little girl who is stalked by an entity she calls “Other Mommy”. Malerman’s prose here could easily become grating as we see the world from the perspective of a child. Instead, seeing the world through her eyes makes “Other Mommy” even more terrifying as Malerman describes the haunting figure with details so vivid that I found myself hesitating to turn off the lights before falling asleep at night. Parents, proceed with caution on this one as it deals with some pretty sensitive topics around parenting and child harm. -Mary Beth McAndrews

The Most by Jessica Anthony (2024)

This has all the markings of a future major motion picture made explicitly for Oscar season. Get in on the depressing ground floor. -Brandon Wetherbee

The Prospects: A Novel by KT Hoffman (2024)

I read 75 books this year, as many as I can ever remember reading. Some were new releases, others an effort to catch up with my sister’s fav reads the last few years. But my favorite was KT Hoffman’s The Prospects, which made me care about two things I had no interest in: minor league baseball, and the feelings of minor league baseball players. Great trans representation and damn, the longing. -Jenny Cavallero

Photo by Peyman Shojaei on Unsplash

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