Bookworm’s Best of 2024

Once the holidays are over, you may look around you at a floor full of spent wrapping paper and sad ribbons and wonder, “What’s next?”

A whole new year, that’s what, and a dozen great books worthy of reaching back to find. Here they are, in no certain order, the Bookworm’s Best of 2024…

FICTION

If you’re a fan of best-selling novels, you won’t be surprised to see “Extinction” by Douglas Preston ($29.99, Forge) on this list. It’s the tale of a high-level vacation spot run by a big-money corporation and scientists determined to bring back certain kinds of long-extinct animals. Problem is, someone – or something – is hunting the lodge’s guests…

For the mystery lover who likes a bit of mysticism and some true-life in their novels,“Spirit Crossing” by William Kent Krueger ($28.99, Atria) is a great pick. When the body of a Native American teen girl is discovered, Cork O’Connor’s son-in-law hopes the body solves a missing-persons case. Or cases, plural. This book is part of a series but it can be read alone; just know that you’ll want them all, once you’ve finished this.

Terror, tech, and trouble. What could go wrong, right? In “William” by Mason Coile ($27.00, Putnam), a geeky scientist builds a robot who goes out of control and takes over. The scientist’s pregnant wife seems distant and cold, especially when she’s near his laboratory. Could the robot be at fault? Mix horror, robotics, and a twisty ending and you’ll be happy.

Inheritances always come with certain feelings, don’t they? In “Fallen Fruit” by Shawntelle Madison ($28.00, Amistad), one woman receives property that the locals tell her is a place of no good. Along with it, she inherits a no-good trait that befalls the offspring of one of her ancestors, an inheritance that she can prepare for, but that she cannot escape. And that makes a very good tale.

Based on a true-ish story, “The Bullet Swallower” by Elizabeth Gonzalez James ($26.99, Simon & Schuster) is a tale of a book, a heritage, and a curse. It’s a western, so you can expect horses, gunslingers, bad guys, dusty trails, and to sit in one spot for an entire afternoon until you’ve finished it.

NONFICTION
Over the holidays, you learned a thing or two about your relatives and their politics. “Good Reasonable People” by Keith Payne ($29, Viking) is a book to reach for now. Here, Payne makes sense of the divide that plagues America, in a way that helps you understand both sides. Read it soon, before Family Barbecue season hits.

“Pets in the City” by Dr. Amy Attas ($25, Putnam) is a memoir, but one that animal lovers will devour. Attas is a veterinarian in New York City, tending to the beloved pets of the Rich and Famous, but she also writes about the other half: dogs, cats, and critters that she knew, loved, were owned by everyday New Yorkers, and that Attas cared for. If you have a pet, this is your book.

Now that the holidays are over, if you need a way to pay for all those gifts, you’ll be happy to read “Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans” by Jane Marie ($29, Atria). It’s a deep, thorough, but personal look at mid-level marketing (MLM) schemes, the people who fall for them, the chances of success (slim!), and how to avoid getting involved in them in the first place. The price of this book may save you thousands…

“When Women Ran Fifth Avenue” by Julie Satow ($32.50, Doubleday) is one of those books that’ll satisfy a range of readers: history lovers will enjoy the narrative about the department stores of years past. Business-minded readers will like the stories of retail gone by. Women’s history fans will like the individual tales of women executives in the last century. All in all, this book’s a winner.

If you’re a collector, you know how much you like talking about your accumulations and meeting like-minded people. In “The Witch’s Door” by Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina M. Rossi ($30, Chronicle Prism), you’ll read about one couple’s odd collections: skulls, shrunken heads, stuff that might creep you out just a little bit. But wait: this book is also part memoir, part romance, and fun. Anyone with a curious mind, a collection of oddities, or membership to a museum will love this.

KIDS

Readers ages 8 to 12 will enjoy “Telephone of the Tree” by Alison McGhee ($17.99, Rocky Pond / Penguin), a story of loss and hope that affects an entire neighborhood – but especially one young girl who misses her best friend. This is a beautiful book, somewhat of a tear-jerker, but for the right reader, it glows.

For the teen who wants something absorbing, a little flippant, and funny, “How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi” by Dr. Chris Balakrishnan & Matt Wasowski, illustrations by Kristen Orr ($30.00, St. Martin’s Press) is a great way to spend that bookstore gift certificate. It’s a little bit trivia, a whole lot of fun science, and a good dose of smart-aleck. Perfect.

If you’re looking for these books or something like them, or if you’re starting your own Best Of list, check with your librarian or bookseller for help. They’ll help you decide what’s next.