Hi, friends! I’m back with Part 2 of my favorite reads in 2024. If you missed my previous post, you can find my list of favorite fiction, favorite mystery/thrillers, and favorite historical fiction here.
Below you’ll find my favorite nonfiction, favorite religious books, and my Top 8 Books of 2024. If you’re looking for something to read over the holidays or you need a last minute gift for someone, I’m sure you can find something on one of these lists!
Favorite Nonfiction:
- Dirt: I love a good rags-to-riches story and this one is great! From a trailer in West Virginia to Yale Law School, Mary Marantz documents her life in a way that is personable, funny, and relatable.
- The New Menopause: Ok, this isn’t an exciting read but I think every woman in their late 30’s/early 40’s should grab a copy of this. Read it and then give it to your husband so he will also understand what is going on (or will be going on soon) in your body. This book answered so many of my questions about why my body is rebelling against me.
- Garlic and Sapphires: I loved this foodie memoir written by the New York Times Food Critic. If you have a foodie in your life, I think they’ll like this one too!
- Tired of Being Tired: Jess Connolly is one of my favorite teachers to listen to so I was very excited to read her latest book. Tired of Being Tired dives into the different types of exhaustion and how to cope with each. So good!
- It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping: Lisa Jo Baker is another writer I love. This book follows her journey reconciling with her home country of South Africa as well as with her father. It was a loving yet difficult memoir and I was glad to follow along with her story.
- Solito: This book is apparently quite controversial but I thought it was super interesting. It follows a 9-year old boy trying to get from El Salvador to the USA. His parents had arrived in America several years prior and now it was his turn to journey there. Yes, I understand he was an illegal immigrant but also, how much desperation must his family have felt to send him by himself?
Favorite Religious Books:
- Upon Waking: If you’re looking for a devotional for the new year, look no further. Jackie Hill Perry dives deep into God’s Word in this devotional. Her writing is so deep and thought-provoking that I found myself re-reading several passages in order to digest it fully.
- Practicing the Way: John Mark Comer is the leading teacher on practicing the ways of Jesus. If you find yourself struggling with spiritual disciplines, wondering how to become more like Jesus, grab a copy of this book.
- The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: This was a fascinating read about the politicization of Christianity. If you’re interested in politics or are concerned about the decline of Christianity in America, this book is for you.
TOP EIGHT BOOKS OF THE YEAR:
- Tom Lake* – Local Nashville author Ann Patchett weaves a beautiful tale of family set during COVID. Grown kids move back home to the family farm and pass the time by listening to old stories from their mom. It doesn’t sound very exciting – in fact, it’s a very quiet book. But I loved its simplicity, the beautiful way the author weaves sentences together, and the reminder that family is everything.
- Summer Romance* – I think this book by Annabel Monaghan is one of my favorite rom-coms ever. It’s clean and would make a great summer read, obviously. The main character is so relatable – she’s older than the average romantic lead and the book touches on subjects such as death and divorce. Also, it’s laugh-out-loud funny!
- Carrie Soto is Back* – Taylor Jenkins Reid truly never disappoints. Sometimes her books are a little too drug-culture-y for me but this one? The absolute best of hers! This is a novel following Carrie Soto and her tennis comeback, and it made me cry several times!
- The Paris Novel* – one of my favorite books of the year! This story follows a young woman who has inherited a large sum of money and takes a trip to Paris. Along the way, she meets an eclectic group of people, makes some unlikely friends, and forges a new life. I loved all the food references and the European touches, probably because I’d just returned from Portugal before reading it.
- Listen for the Lie* – This book starts off with a podcast, and you know I can’t resist a good podcast plot. A famous podcast host tries to find out exactly what happened when a local woman is murdered. The story is twisty and funny and relatable. I loved it!
- The Women* – So much buzz surrounded this book set during the Vietnam War era and following a group of Army nurses. There is gore – it’s a war after all – but the characters, plot, relationships – it’s an epic telling. And I particularly loved it because I didn’t really know anything about that period in history and it’s based on actual people and events.
- Iscariot* – this may seem like a strange choice for best book of the year, but it truly was. This is a retelling of the story of Judas from the Bible. I’ve always weirdly had a soft spot for Judas, and this book only made that spot larger. It makes you wonder exactly what was going on in his head and heart as he made plans to betray his Rabbi.
- Killing Christians* – I got to meet Tom and Ann Doyle and personally hear their stories of Muslim men and women who have been killed or persecuted for their faith in Jesus. We live such sheltered lives here in the United States and this book opened my eyes to what is going on around the world. It made me pray differently for believers in other countries.
That’s it for my 2024 books! I would love to hear what you’re reading these days. I’m always open to suggestions for new books to read!
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