Monday, December 23, 2024

Top Ten Books Read in 2024

 Annual Top Ten Favorites


Since January 1, 2024, these books have been my favorite reads.  They span a wide range of reading genres, from non-fiction to fiction, from lengthy to short works, and from the Classics to modern literary fiction.

The list is in no particular order, but if I had to pick my favorite of the year it would be Doctor Faustus.


The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer


The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride 

 

Ice by Anna Kavan 


My Antonia by Willa Cather 


The Ethics by Baruch Spinoza 


Doctor Faustus
by  Thomas Mann 


The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross 


The House of Doors by TanTwan Eng 


The Advancement of Learning by Francis Bacon

 

 Blackouts by Justin Torres

4 comments:

Marian H said...

I read Ice this year as well! Oh it was brutal, but so memorable. I don't know if I'd read it again but it will stick with me forever.

I also picked up The Gift of Rain of Tan Twan Eng, but have not finished it. How do you find his writing?

Stephen said...

Have you read Klaus Mann's Mephisto? That and Faustus would make for an interesting comparison...

James said...

Although I thought his first book, The Garden of Evening Mists, was even better, I still thought his prose was lovely at times, especially at the book's conclusion.

James said...

I read Mephisto back in the late 90s before I started blogging. I'm planning to reread it later this year.