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The best books we read in 2024
It was a year of great books—lots that just came out, and many that we'd been meaning to get to and were so glad we did. Hit play and dive into our year in reading.
Scroll down for the follow-on episode with even more can't-miss recommendations.
The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I
Sarah studied the history of military technology in university and found the evolution of medicine alongside the evolution of warfare fascinating, which made Facemaker a must-read. Sarah describes this as approachable nonfiction about the start and evolution of plastic surgery, due to, and during, WWI.
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The Secret to Superhuman Strength
After taking an unusual 11 months to finish a book (which he declined to identify), Ben was on the hunt for something fun, autobiographical, visual, and colourful to enjoy on his new colour device. Enter: Alison Bechdel. The Secret to Superhuman Strength is an autobiographical exploration of the author’s body and she explores different forms of exercise. Ben recommends this to anyone interested in narrative-based autobiographies, physical activity, bodies, aging, and looking for something entertaining and relatable.
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James
Deandra read many great books in 2024, and while it was difficult to choose, James came out on top. An adventurous and action-packed retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the titular James of Everett’s story, this book blew Deandra away and she could not put it down.
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The Book of the New Sun
Sam thinks this stands among the greats of other science fiction epics, and to him, is the best book ever written. Do you really need any more of a recommendation than that? The Book of the New Sun is a science fiction/fantasy series that takes place in an unrecognizable earth near the end of its days. This sets the stage for the story of a young man and his journey from an innocent young boy to the saviour of humankind.
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All Fours
All Fours, the “first great peri-menopause novel,” is Courtney’s pick as best book of the year. While she cautions it may not be for everyone, she has found it to be quietly revolutionary amongst people she knows. All Fours follow a protagonist who wants to go on a cross-country road trip, but ends up staying around the corner from her home in a motel room, where she finds sexual and creative freedom.
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How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States
Tara found this recommendation from a Real Housewife of New York, which is not something we hear every day! How to Hide an Empire questions the concept of empire through the ideologically anti-colonial United States, chronicling the history of the country and the smaller island nations America has absorbed over the years. Tara found it downright gripping and recommends it to anyone interested in the broader history of how the geopolitical world came to be as we know it.
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By Any Other Name
For Jenna, a huge Jodi Picoult fan, By Any Other Name feels different from any of her other books—but “still very Jodi.” Written in a dual timeline, the novel follows present-day playwright Melina Green alongside 16th century playwright Emilia Bassano, who cannot get published because of her gender. Jenna thinks this book is amazing and that there’s something in it for everyone.
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Fourth Wing
On top of being a Dev Ops Engineer here at Kobo, Xhovana read 102 books this year, and Fourth Wing was the best of the lot. Ordinarily a murder mystery and romance reader, Xhovana picked this up after a BookTok recommendation and it pulled her out of a reading rut. She says it’s the perfect combination of fantasy and romance, hooked her right away—and nothing’s come close since.
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Writers & Lovers
For Kristain, it was Lily King’s writing that made her fall in love with Writers & Lovers. The engaging prose had her thinking about the book when she wasn’t reading it, waiting for the next moment she could pick it up again. The novel follows a struggling writer in her 30s as she tries to figure it all out, determined to hone her craft and live a creative life. Kristain recommends this to fans of Sally Rooney’s writing style and flawed characters.
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The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Lifelong bookseller and occasional KiC podcast host Nathan reads *a lot* of books and knows a thing or two about writing. You’ll have to listen to the episode for his full thoughts on Caro’s work, there isn’t really room to list them all here, but let’s just say he was very impressed—particularly by Caro’s ability balance the deepest archival research with a lively literary style. The Power Broker chronicles the life of city planner and masterful bureaucrat Robert Moses as he accumulates power over the building of twentieth-century New York.
View eBook View AudiobookMore of the best books we read in 2024
We couldn't fit everybody into one episode, so here are even more books from our year in reading. Plus find out what Kobo in Conversation host and Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn's favourite reads of 2024 were.
Blue Sisters
Alanna fell in love with Coco Mellors writing after reading Cleopatra and Frankenstein and waited with bated breath for her sophomore release. Thankfully, Mellors dropped Blue Sisters this year, Alanna purchased it the *moment* it dropped, and she was not disappointed. A family saga following three sisters as they mourn the loss of their fourth sister as the one-year anniversary approaches, she recommends Blue Sisters to fans of character-driven literary fiction.
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North Woods
North Woods is the “rich and amazing” story of a small piece of land in Massachusetts from the 18th century to the 21st century, detailing the humans and animals that have inhabited the land over time. Susan describes it as beautiful chaos that has history, unconventional form, nature, art, and fairytale-like elements.
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Madonna: A Rebel Life
René read Madonna: A Rebel Life back in January and it has remained his favourite read throughout the year. As Kobo’s resident Madonna superfan, René has read a few books on the pop icon, and in his opinion, this is one of a kind. Gabriel’s biography is a deep dive on how Madonna became who she is in relation to the people she surrounded herself with in early eighties New York City.
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Evenings and Weekends
Not only is this Richard’s favourite book of 2024, it’s quickly becoming one of his favourites of all time. Evenings and Weekends is a quintessential millennial novel, taking place over one very hot summer weekend in London as two long-time, thirty-something friends grapple with decision to return to small-town life.
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The Ministry of Time
Jacques calls this a perfect mash-up of science fiction, romance, history, and workplace drama with a plot twist so shocking he almost threw the book across the room. Set in a near-future London, The Ministry of Time follows a nameless civil servant working with expatriates from history that have been plucked out of their own time to see how they will handle time travel.
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Small Things Like These
Stefano calls this a quiet, enchanting but powerful and somewhat savage story. Set in a small Irish village in the eighties, Small Things Like These follows coal merchant Bill Furlong as he makes his final deliveries in the days leading up to Christmas. When visiting the local convent, Bill makes a difficult discovery that forces him to confront his past and the flaws of his small town.
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You Are Here
Natasha is our bookseller extraordinaire and managed to recommend more than five (!) books during her interview. You’ll have to listen to the episode for the full list, but we’ve included a few here. A lover of Stephen King, Natasha recommends both Billy Summers and ‘Salem’s Lot. She says Billy Summers is an underdog story crime/mystery novel, a-typical of King’s usual style, and very underrated. ‘Salem’s Lot, on the other hand, is the cult-classic horror we’ve come to expect from the author. Lastly, Natasha recommends David Nicholl’s You Are Here as her book of the year. She describes it as a love story and a love letter to the English countryside.
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Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence
After hearing Sara Imari Walker interviewed on Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast, Nimod knew he wanted more and sought out Life As No One Knows It. He describes this book in two parts: the first part explores why having a mathematical definition for life is an important problem to solve, because we typically only work with philosophical definitions of this concepts. The second part explores Assembly Theory, which is a mathematical framework that tries to define these concepts of life and consciousness.
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A Natural History of Empty Lots
Our CEO Michael brought us two fabulous picks this year. His first pick, A Natural History of Empty Lots by Christopher Brown, he describes as literary nonfiction, but also ecology, memoir, and natural history all rolled together. The book explores what happens to empty spaces that are damaged and impacted by humans and how nature returns to those spaces. What Michael loves about this book is that most nature writing is about the preciousness of nature, but this is nature at its most indestructible. Michael’s second pick sits close to home, was a very big deal inside his household, and outside it as well. Let’s Talk About Aging Parents by Laura Tamblyn Watts is an approachable and funny book about all of the issues we will all face as our parents get older and how to talk to them about those issues.
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