My 5 favourite books of the year so far

The stories I can’t stop thinking about.

It’s hard to believe the first half of 2024 has already come and gone… June is one of my favourite months of the year, so while I’m a little sad to see it’s gone by so quickly, I’m also excited and hopeful about all the summer fun that still lies ahead.

Now that we’re also officially in the summer, it feels like the perfect time to check in with my reading life. You know how much I love seasonal shifts, and the energy of summertime is especially inspiring for mapping out the next few months. Some questions I like to ask myself this time of year are:

• What authors and genres have I gravitated towards so far this year?

• What has my experience with highly anticipated reads been like?

• How have I been managing the bookish “noise” around buzzy new titles?

• Have I had any reading slumps? If so, what strategies helped me overcome them?

• What word(s) best describes my reading life so far?

Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress — This book had admittedly been sitting on my TBR for much longer than I care to admit, but I finally committed to reading it earlier this year and it easily sticks out as a favourite of the year so far. Part of the reason I enjoy my mid-year reading check-in so much is because it allows me the space to reflect on the staying power of certain books, and to think about ones I immediately enjoyed and soon forgot about and ones I continue to mull over. As an art history PhD candidate, I was intrigued by the premise of this one: NYC setting, elite art college, complicated relationships. Sometimes these types of narratives can be trite and overdone, but Angress’ angle was fresh and unique. Through each of the characters’ personalities—and their intertwined relationships with one another—she provided a nuanced take on the campus novel trope I won’t soon forget.

Piglet by Lottie Hazel — Depending on your location, you’ve undoubtedly seen the iconic cheeseburger or donut covers of Hazel’s deliciously satisfying debut circulating around the online book world. This one generated a lot of hype around its release in January, and six months later I still think about this story. It is not unique in its thematic exploration of female desire, gendered societal expectations, and ideas about ambition and marriage, but the particular narrative structure, format, and conceptual lens are; the main character, Piglet, narrates the experience leading up to her wedding day as she navigates an unexpected secret (that remains untold to the reader) her fiancé tells her in the midst of making plans. Her voice in this story is what made it so compelling and propulsive to me—it read a little bit like an inner monologue or stream of consciousness which had an epistolary quality I especially enjoyed. Although we never know what the secret is, we learn that finding out isn’t even the point, as it’s Piglet’s perspective that ultimately anchors the main questions this novel seeks to unpack. Highly recommend for fans of accessible literary fiction that won’t leave you scratching your head (too much!).

Real Americans by Rachel Khong — Another one of my most anticipated books of 2024 that did not disappoint. I was drawn to this one because of its characterization as a complicated family drama. Told over the course of three generations, it explores the interwoven histories of a Chinese-American family in the US with the kind of layered sociocultural commentary that is poetic rather than pedantic. It fundamentally asks what it means to love, to be a family, to be an American—right down to the cellular level of human genetics. From the Y2K NYC setting to the complex network of characters, I was immediately swept up in this story and the subsequent, and somewhat uncomfortable, questions it left in its wake.

Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo — After absolutely loving Lombardo’s debut, The Most Fun We Ever Had, this was probably my most anticipated 2024 release. I’m so grateful to Jess at Doubleday Books for sending me an advanced copy, which allowed me to really take my time with this book, something I didn’t realize until after I finished was a key part of my reading experience. I read it over April and May, and finished at the beginning of June; it wasn’t just the length of the book but also the depth of the themes this multigenerational family saga explores that demanded (of me) a slow, steady pace. I learned to embrace a new kind of reading experience as I basked in the absolute genius that is Lombardo’s writing. At first, I wasn’t sure this book worked for me; there were just so many unlikeable things about Julia as a main character in a way that really got under my skin. But, that last chapter! I cried, I reread it, and cried again, and let myself sink deeply into my emotional reaction. I sat with it for about a week, thinking about Julia’s full-circle moment, appreciating just how finely tuned Lombardo is to the intricacies of our flawed-ness as humans fully solidified this as another all-time favourite and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore — If I had to choose, I think I’d have to pick this as my favorite book of the year so far. It’s been described everywhere as *the* book of the summer (which it undoubtedly is), but don’t let this turn you off from picking it up any other time of year, too. Part mystery, part psychological thriller, part historical fiction, part literary fiction, this kind of book—set over the course of the 1950s and 70s in the Adirondacks—defies standard genre categorization. It is also a powerful coming-of-age story at the heart of a multigenerational saga with two very powerful interconnected families. The short chapters will have you quickly turning the pages while fully immersing you in the lyrical, atmospheric prose. Thank you Riverhead Books for my advanced copy.

Stay tuned next week for my honourable mentions, and share your favourite 2024 reads so far in the comments!

Happy Monday,