Most years I put out a list of books I greatly enjoyed from the first half of the year some time in June. This year, I decided to do it early because, besides needing a blog for this week, I have read a lot of good books lately, so I’m thinking of making this something I do more than twice a year (and often forget to do in December). The books listed below are not in any order of favoritism, but I will provide reasons for why you should pick up my ten favorite reads of 2024 thus far.

(All of the links below are affiliate links, so if you purchase something, I get a little money back, just as an FYI)

Here is part 2 of this endeavor! Check out part 1 here.

1. You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian- Cat Sebastian’s books are always like a warm hug, but I particularly enjoyed Eddie and Mark’s dynamic. Eddie is a young baseball player who got traded and immediately fell into a batting slump (and had a tantrum on tv, oops). Mark is asked to write articles about him in the paper to help restore his image, but Eddie quickly realizes Mark is going through a rough time of his own. It’s a book about grief, loss, new beginnings, and of course, baseball. There’s also a cute, wayward dog and a grouchy old man as side characters- two of my favorite things.
2. The House of the Red Balconies by AJ Demas- In a fictionalized ancient world, we have Hylas, an engineer, who has just arrived in Tykanos to work on the local aqueduct only to realize there is far too much politic-ing going on than he can deal with. While the governor drags him around from tea house to tea house every night, he finds respite in his new neighbor, Zo. Zo is a dancer at the tea house who is dealing with chronic illness while trying to find a steady patron to give him some semblance of stability. Hylas and Zo compliment each other so well, and the way Hylas cares for Zo is lovely.
3. A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall- This book is very different from anything I’ve read, and I loved it. It’s an epistolary novel written in letters between the siblings of two people who have gone missing along with those people’s diary entries. The story takes place in an undersea world with a historical/steampunk-ish flare. This story is an introduction to a lush, fantasy world, and I cannot wait to see what Cathrall comes up with in book 2.
4. When Among Crows by Veronica Roth- This story is under 200 pages, but it is packed with story. We have a magical Chicago, complete with all sorts of creatures (banshees/llorona, zmora, strzygi, Baba Jaga, human warriors, and more). I was pleasantly surprised to realize the MC was queer, and if you like Felipe from my books, the MC in this one will appeal to you. At its heart, it’s a story about atonement, forgiveness, and new beginnings. You know a novella is good when you wish it was longer.
5. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark- This book is also barely above 200 pages, but as with all of PDC’s books, it is phenomenal. We have an undead assassin sent to kill someone only to find out the target is seemingly a younger version of herself. Of course, she dips but not before grabbing the young woman. They go on a night long quest to figure out who set her up, what magic yoinked her younger self to the present, and why someone was trying to make her kill herself. The whole story is set against a festival, which just heightens the world-building intricacies and decorates the world in the best way. It’s also funny as hell.
6. Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher- This is my first T. Kingfisher book, and let me tell you, I get it now. This book was equal parts funny, sweet, and intriguing. We have a stoic knight whose god is dead and thinks of himself a bomb that could blow at any time falling for an anxious perfume maker with a weasel cat. There’s political intrigue, a murderer who decapitates people, gruff paladins, and so much interesting world-building. I am officially hooked.
7. The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger- We have our first nonfiction book for this round of books. If you are a writer or do literary analysis, I highly recommend taking a look at this one. I had never really heard of the Heroine’s Journey during literature classes, only the Hero’s Journey, so this provided A LOT of much needed insight. Carriger is a writer but also an academic, so she provides a ton of insight, examples, and breakdowns that are not only great for new or experienced writers but academics too.
8. The Pairing by Casey McQuiston- This is a VERY queer second chance romance between two people who were friends to lovers to not on speaking terms to friends to lovers again. It’s a romance between two people others might deem pretentious but I, as a low key pretentious person, loved. Really, they’re two people very passionate about art and food who don’t make others feel bad while still steeping in their passions. I adored the way McQuiston played on the 1800s European tour debauchery in a very modern setting.
9. Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall- WftF has recently been rereleased, and I listened to it as an audiobook, which means it came with Chasing the Light as well. The two stories together are a wonderful juxtaposition. WftF is about Edwin, who is still grappling with his partner dumping him after ten years together, having his world shaken up by a flood that leads him to Adam. CtL is the story of his ex, Marius, finding love, and along the way, we get more about why he broke it off with Edwin. The stories (and the side short stories) intertwine beautifully, and I loved seeing them grow while still loving each other after all that time. It is book 2 in the Spires series, but it can be read on its own.
10. Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton- This is a nonfiction book that discusses the intersectionality of race and gender in regards to transgender identity. The book is horrific in its content, but it is a must read if you are trans or like to read academic texts on gender. As someone who is into medical history as well, the first chapter is eye-opening and reframes a lot of what I already sort of knew about medical history in the US. I highly, highly recommend this one.