The end of 2024 is right around the corner, and you know what that means: A seemingly endless parade of end-of-year lists.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the best-of things you haven’t gotten around to, but we offer something close to our hearts at WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times: an unpretentious list that comes from our staff of book lovers.
Whether you speed-read 100 books a year or take your time with a special few, here are 18 of our favorite reads of 2024, with the recommendation — verbatim — from the staffer-reader.
Fiction
“Heartless Hunter” by Kristen Ciccarelli
(Wednesday Books, published Feb. 20)
“’Heartless Hunter’ is a romantasy cat-and-mouse chase between a witch and a witch hunter, with a unique magic system, detailed worldbuilding, poignant meditations on grief and persecution, and LOTS of twists and turns. I read it in TWO book clubs and literally couldn’t put it down. When I couldn’t sit and read it, I would listen to the audiobook because I needed to know what happened next!” — Daryn Robinson, membership associate, WBEZ
“Great Expectations” by Vinson Cunningham
(Hogarth, published March 12)
“Much like the classic Charles Dickens novel of the same name, this debut novel from New Yorker staff writer Vinson Cunningham focuses on an education of sorts. Protagonist David Hammond, an early-twenties college dropout with a young daughter, is working as a tutor when he lands an opportunity to work for an illustrious young politician from Illinois running for president. He is simply referred to as ‘the Senator’ (who could it be!). David learns what it means to contend with race, Christianity and relationships in the context of moving up in the ranks of a political campaign.” — Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis, arts & culture digital producer, WBEZ
“James” by Percival Everett
(Doubleday, published March 19)
“How can an author have horror and humor at the same time in a book about slavery? This book is a reimagining of ‘Huckleberry Finn’ as told through the eyes of the enslaved Jim, or James. The satirical nature of this book continues to amaze me. I’ve never read anything like this. It has risen to my top 10 novels of all time.” — Natalie Moore, contributing columnist, Chicago Sun-Times
“All Fours” by Miranda July
(Riverhead Books, published May 14)
“’Miranda July’ is a wildly creative, thought-provoking artist, so anything by her will bring elements of surprise, delight and introspection. But it’s the topic of the book that felt so revolutionary — and no, I don’t mean the strange, varied sexual exploits through the book, of which there are many. It was a book about perimenopause, through and through. A stark, hard look at being a middle-aged woman, with half her life behind her and wrestling with her past — and uncertain about her future. I haven’t felt that character handled with such care since Mrs. Dalloway.” — Melissa Bell, CEO, Chicago Public Media
“Sandwich” by Catherine Newman
(Harper, published June 18)
“This short and sweet book described midlife as both a mother and child in a super compelling manner. While I am not fully at this stage, it resonated with me to read from the perspective of a woman who has made challenging decisions, loves those around her fiercely, got things wrong and is still so lovable and funny.” — Stephanie Bassill, HR manager, Chicago Public Media
“God of the Woods” by Liz Moore
(Riverhead Books, published July 2)
“I couldn’t put this book down! It has the suspense of a whodunit mystery with the rich character development you might expect to find in a fiction novel. Alternating point-of-view chapters highlight the complicated experiences and feelings of so many, from a friend of the missing teenage girl to a serial killer on the run to a camp counselor caught in a toxic relationship. The setting, an Adirondack summer camp, is a character all of its own. Interwoven is an exploration of class, gender dynamics and a whole lot more.” — Sarah Darby, director of audience insights, WBEZ
“State of Paradise” by Laura van den Berg
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, published July 9)
“I’d heard of Laura van den Berg as a writer of ‘weird art books.’ This one is not that, although there is a strong sense of the surreal and uncanny throughout. The author convincingly plays with the ideas of fiction and reality blending into the landscape of a personified Florida — and man, Florida is angry! Facing a catastrophic future, humanity may not survive.” — Chase Browning, promotions producer, WBEZ
“The Bright Sword” by Lev Grossman
(Viking, published July 16)
“This book is a different take on the legend of King Arthur. A young knight makes his way to compete for a spot at the fabled Round Table of legend, only to find out that he’s too late. What he finds is a king who was killed in battle two weeks before, and only a handful of oddball knights remain. The young knight leads a ragtag group on an adventure to find Excalibur and rebuild the storied court of Camelot — and Britain itself — and to discover why King Arthur fell in battle. If you like medieval sword and sorcery books, this is definitely one to check out.” — Zach Kalmus, preprocess manager, Chicago Sun-Times
“Not Till We Are Lost” by Dennis E. Taylor
(Audible, published Sept. 5)
“I’m a big science fiction nerd. This is the fifth book in the ‘Bobiverse’ series, and I feel like I’ve been waiting for it for ages. Dennis Taylor does a great job of crafting an easy read that explores interesting theoretical science without getting too in the weeds. This one touches on wormholes, the ‘great filter’ theory and much more. The audiobooks are also fantastically read by Ray Porter. I’ve since looked for other books specifically read by him, because there’s something so comforting and nostalgic about his delivery.” — Ethan Schwabe, master control engineer, WBEZ
“The Hunter” by Tana French
(Penguin Books, published March 5)
“I’m a sucker for a Tana French book. She has this beautiful way of slow-burning a story and then smacking you in the face repeatedly as you get to the end. All of her books are so character-driven, you can almost touch them. This is the second book of a continued series following Cal Hooper, a retired CPD officer who moved to a country town in Ireland hoping for some relaxation. Of course, these things don’t always go as you plan. I loved the nuance in the relationships. The spiciness of a small town in ways that you don’t really know unless you’ve experienced that yourself (everyone knowin’ your business, especially if you’ve been there all your life). The woman spins a fine yarn.” — Ariel Van Cleave, managing editor of audio news, WBEZ
“You Dreamed of Empires” by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer
(Riverhead Books, published Jan. 9)
“This is an imaginative retelling of the conquistadors’ invasion of the Aztec Empire. Funny, strange, vivid and unlike anything I’ve ever read. The fabulous descriptions of the long-gone city of Tenochtitlan were mesmerizing, and I loved how the story imagined a different ending for Hernán Cortés and his bumbling cronies.” — Jared Natzke, member services lead, WBEZ
Nonfiction
“There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension” by Hanif Abdurraqib
(Random House, published March 26)
“The way in which Abdurraqib uses the sport as a lens to view the places and people that make us is really quite remarkable. The book is structured like a basketball game, with four ‘quarter’ sections. It’s about basketball, but so much more — as an Ohioan, Abdurraqib writes about the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James and who gets to be great, how our hometowns shape us and the hope that we will always hold for the people and places that make us, even after we leave them. As a poet, Abdurraqib’s writing is lush and moving, and he does a fabulous job narrating the audiobook, which is how I read this!” — Abby Miller, development reporter, Chicago Sun-Times
“The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth” by Zoë Schlanger
(Harper, published May 7)
“Lately, I’ve been trying to grow my understanding of the natural world. Learning about the most recent research into how plants engage with the world has helped me see how interconnected life is, and the importance of respecting all forms of life.” — David MacKay, on-air fundraising manager, WBEZ
“War & Peace & War: Twenty Years in Afghanistan” by Andrew North
(Ithaka, published Aug. 1)
“This book taught me a lot about the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan through the lens of multiple Afghan citizens, shining a light on personal stories and the feelings on the ground during that time. It made me reflect on how I remembered news about Afghanistan as a child, and it gave me a point of view I had never thought about before. Author and journalist Andrew North details what it was like covering the instability of the region at the time and his experience being kidnapped by the Taliban.” — Araceli Gomez-Aldaña, reporter, WBEZ
“Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System—and Pocketed $40 Million” by Tanya Smith
(Little, Brown and Company, published Aug. 13)
“Tanya Smith’s book has all the elements I like in a book — rich storytelling, details that make the characters come alive, escapades different from daily life and the kind of suspense that has you rooting for the author, even when you know she’s made a career out of being a criminal. The fact that she is an identical twin and used this to her advantage during the police investigation demonstrated how smart she was able to stay off of law enforcement’s radar for so long.” — Kate Verrant, assistant general counsel, labor & employment, Chicago Public Media
“How to Build a Fashion Icon” by Law Roach
(Abrams, published Oct. 1)
“For those not familiar with Law, he’s a celebrity stylist and image architect — a term he coined — from Chicago. He’s styled celebrities like Zendaya, Celine Dion, Ariana Grande, Mary J. Blige, and the list goes on and on. The book is part memoir, part fashion tips; he’s really trying to help other people discover themselves and their style through confidence-building.” — Morgan Ciocca, digital producer at Vocalo
“Carson the Magnificent” by Bill Zehme with Mike Thomas
(Simon & Schuster, published Nov. 5)
“Largely just because it managed to actually exist, after being eagerly awaited for many years but delayed by Zehme’s health issues, anxieties and, ultimately, his death. But it’s also a satisfying read probing Johnny Carson’s appeal, aloof personality and dark side.” — Darel Jevens, entertainment editor, Chicago Sun-Times
Graphic Novel
“Tender” by Beth Hetland
(Fantagraphics, published March 12)
“This is a wild, funny, horrifying, Chicago-set graphic novel. It riffs a lot on social media addiction, toxic positivity and trying to find human connection in an increasingly impersonal society. It follows this young millennial woman who’s sort of striving for the Instagram-perfect life of finding a husband and kids, and when things don’t go her way, she starts falling down a dark path. The book takes a few pretty wild turns that are worth sticking around for.” — Mitch Armentrout, politics and government reporter, Chicago Sun-Times