It’s time for one of my favorite videos to film every year: a look at The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2024. Let’s look at what made it and what got left out. Expand for more information. 👇
Links 💻
The Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/03/books/best-books-2024.html
Further Viewing 🎥
Last Year’s List: https://youtu.be/mwdULZWQuU0
The Washington Post’s 10 Best of 2024: https://youtu.be/wek_7Mb57RU
The NY Times 100 Notable Books of 2024: https://youtu.be/fV6yMKTj8Iw
My National Book Award Reaction Video: https://youtu.be/tPVZz8zYC0w
Titles Mentioned 📚
All Fours, Miranda July: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593190265
Good Material, Dolly Alderton (hardcover): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593801307
Good Material, Dolly Alderton (paperback pre-order): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593686959
James, Percival Everett: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780385550369
Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar (hardcover): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593537619
Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar (paperback pre-order): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593685778
You Dreamed of Empires, Álvaro Enrigue (translated by Natasha Wimmer) (hardcover): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593544792
You Dreamed of Empires, Álvaro Enrigue (translated by Natasha Wimmer) (paperback pre-order): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593544808
Cold Crematorium: Reporting From the Land of Auschwitz, by József Debreczeni (translated by Paul Olchváry): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9781250290533
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis, Jonathan Blitzer (hardcover): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9781984880802
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis, Jonathan Blitzer (paperback pre-order): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9781984880826
I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition, Lucy Sante (hardcover): https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593493762
I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition, Lucy Sante (paperback pre-order):
Reagan, Max Boot: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593493786
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, Hampton Sides: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780385544764
Other Titles Mentioned 📕
Headshot, Rita Bullwinkel: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593654101
Knife, Salman Rushdie: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593730249
Colored Television, Danzy Senna: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780593544372
My Friends, Hisham Mitar: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9780812994841
Playground, Richard Powers: https://bookshop.org/a/99775/9781324086031
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Great video! As someone who also despises Ronald Reagan, I really enjoyed Boot's biography. He's extremely critical and puts a big spotlight on Reagan's racism, conspiracism, and homophobia.
Treeonce. Love it! LOL
Oprah named her new book club selection:
Small Things like These
Aside from “James” and “Martyr!” there isn’t anything here that excites me. I’d much rather see a “Supposedly Fun’s 10 Best Books of 2024.”
I’m like a quarter of a way into All Fours and I’m enjoying the zany and absurd quality to it… I’ve seen comparisons to Death Valley by Melissa Broder that make me a little nervous about my enjoyment of it!
Was looking forward to this as well! I read Good Material (liked it) and read Martyr (loved it)!
One book that completely blew me away but has seemingly flown under the radar was Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. I'm seriously amazed that book was a debut release. Keep an eye out for Lennon!
There should be romance writers like S.J. Tilly, C.R. Jane, Catherine Cowles and Liz Tomforde on the list.
I'm with you on "All Fours"…I just don't have any interest in it…although for different reasons… I enjoyed "Good Material' but I didn't think it was SO GREAT that it should have made the list but I absolutely reccommend it. I also loved James and own "Martyr" and hoping to read soon but I may read Christmas romances for the rest of December! Never heard of the last fiction book until today.
Ronald Reagan was a blight on America. On an Essay Kick recently and almost finished with The Witches are Coming by Lindy West. Her collection of essays Shrill was one of my favorites and Witches does not disappoint. She is funny and brutal and so smart, about society and all the shit people have to deal with. Both came out before 2020 but are still so timely and wonderful. And if you're in the middle of something else, you can listen to 1 essay at a time and then listen/read when you have time for another one. They don't need to be read consecutively.
All Fours was a conversation piece for sure. But one of the best books of the year? No. It's one of the "It-Books" of the year. Let's hope the Pulitzer steers clear of it. I loved Martyr! but I'm kind of concerned for the author, since there seems to be a lot of autobiographical elements to the novel, and I hope he's ok. Excited to see You Dreamed of Empires on the list. It's been on my tbr for most of the year, but I had half forgotten about it. Now I want to try to get to it before the year is up.
Greyfriar’s Bobby! Awwwww! 💜
So, I am at the point where I never expect much from the NYT, and Miranda July right out of the box reaffirmed that for me. My friend at my local indie loved it and said it was very funny. She said she’s at the right age to appreciate it. I’m just guessing, but I would say that’s 45-50 for her. I originally thought this was a millennial book, which would have been a fairly immediate no for me, but even hearing that it’s about an age group closer to mine doesn’t pull me in.
I’m so tired of being uninspired by these book prize and best of lists. So, I’ll just close with I’ve read James and hope to read Martyr! by the end of the year too. I think I’m going to bring the audiobooks of My Friends, Martyr, Glorious Exploits, and a couple others on the plane with me this weekend. Those should keep me busy.
I've said it before, but, yeah, I really didn't like "All Fours," and that's coming form a Miranda July fan. It just felt like a story of such privilege, kind of the way I feel whenever I pick up an Updike book. Definitely not for me.
James was a no brainer to be on this list but I was very glad to see Martyr! on there too! They were two of my favorites this year!😊
I got a copy of Cold Crematorium last month and it is high on my reading list.
Thanks for doing this / enjoy your introducing the books, I’ve read James and heard good things about Martyr, so interested in what else is there-
Treeyoncé, love that! 😃🎄
How interesting to look at reads for the year — it was April before I logged a book published in 2024!
Of the 2024s…
Having no prior experience with a Miranda July book, I think I want to read it at some point. The Wide Sea book is also on my "tbr."
Good Material was 4⭐s for me, as were James, The Wren The Wren, The Empusium, Anita de Monte Laughs Last, and All You Need Is Love (nonfiction). I just heard of a book titled The Material by Camille Bordas that is now on my tbr because it sounds like it leans much more into the comic material aspect that I missed in Alderton's book.
Two 5⭐ genre reads were The Bright Sword and Bury Your Gays. You Are Here and The Wedding People were also 5⭐s, as was The Editor (nonfiction).
Somewhere between 4-4.5 ⭐s were Butter, Restless Dolly Maunder, The Extinction of Irena Rey, Playground, I Hope This Finds You Well, and Ask Not (nonfiction).
I won't list my below-4⭐ reads other than Martyr!, which was between 2-2.5 ⭐s for me. It was a group read, and everyone had well-thought-out issues with it.
first off… treancye is THE BEST THING EVER
I listened to Everyone through my library earlier this year. It is serious. However, there was a lot if affirming moments on the person to person level if that helps at all .
The more I hear about Reagan the more I go: WHAT? Okay, yeah, different party and Carter made a bunch of really bad mistakes but a lot of them were of heart. where as Reagan is concerned I'm like: Wait THIS is the dude they praise? martyr is a book that I didn't adore as much as I hoped (Iranian issues are on my ear perk list) but I appreciate it. I do read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy but my best reads in those genres weren't published this year. 🙁
I was very surprised to see Good Material there too. But latter day Nora Ephron, that's huge!
Treeyoncé, inspired genius!!
I am listening to Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here on audio and I am getting a lot out of it. It has made me dislike Ronald Reagan even more, just to jump on that theme. I think it is deserving of its place on this list and am happy more people will be aware of it. It gave a great overview of Central America and the political situation there over the last decades.
I’ve read all fours it’s NOT Pulitzer Prize material you can skip.
Again I don’t understand they hype of good material you can skip
Love Treeyoncé!!
I recently read a book you had enjoyed and recommended in an earlier video, and the way the book ended reminded me very much of the way Martyr! ended. I don’t want to say which book because I’m scared I might spoil Martyr! for you should you choose to read it, but I think the way Martyr! ended is what people have either loved or hated, and knowing you loved the book I just finished makes me think you will enjoy Martyr!
Why is everyone loving James? Sounds like such a ridiculous concept and the ending just sounds like a bad message to give people.
I could not get through "You Dreamed of Empires" so I DNF it. I lived through the Reagan years. I have not interest whatsoever. I despise the man. Will never read the book and will not watch the new movie about him.
I also hadn’t been going to read All Fours but I just put it on hold this morning after it appeared on this list. I also have a few others on hold, including the Sante, but I’m not ready to read about Reagan yet, if ever. I was a young adult in the 80s.
Thanks Greg! I really appreciate your excitement over the Top books lists of the year! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the NYT list. I read James and loved it – that book really does stay with you and expand as time goes on. I am not so interested in the rest of the fiction list. Several NF books sound great to me, esp the Wide Wide Sea and Cold Crematorium. Love your tree 🎄📚❤️
One book that I absolutely loved that has been absent from any of these lists is "Suggested in the Stars" by Yoko Tawada. It's largely been excluded because the book is the second in a trilogy she has been working on. The first "Scattered All Over the Earth" was absolutely amazing and I had been looking forward to the sequels release all year long. Yoko Tawada is probably my favorite author at the moment and this is the first time she has written in a series format. Check it out if it interests you 🙌🏻
I might have left a similar comment on another video, but I’m in the minority on Everett. I love all of his ideas, but hate the execution. His writing style is just not for me. I hated the main reveal of James. Good Material is definitely a subversion of genre, which is why I assume it made the list. I liked it. From the rest I’m really interested in Martyr.
I really enjoyed You Dreamed of Empires.
The authors portrayal of two alien cultures meeting was fascinating to read. I enjoyed the dry comedy, meta-, and psychedelic elements infused into the book. It can be a little hard to keep track of the characters at first (all of which are real historical figures except one), but there is a list at the front which is helpful.
I do think it is a "cilantro book" and would be somewhat divisive for its weirder elements, but I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in history.
It actually inspired me to read a history of the Aztecs called Under the Fifth Sun, which was a five star read for me.
Everything Who is Gone is Here Now was fascinating, eye opening and one of the best nonfiction books I read this year. When you get to the part where the Title of the book is made known I cried. One will also find yet another reason to dislike Reagan and his administration. I do not know why I am shocked but I was shocked. I have gone heavy on the non fiction this year. Not sure why. I just want to be educated about our history and our part in why the world has been impacted by our policies. I really admire your ability to protect yourself by how you decide what to read and when. I do not often take that into account when choosing books and kind find myself to deep into the darker side of life which does really impact my mood. Need to find my "Abby" books still packed away. Best to you, Joel, and Teddy as always.
Wait until the Pulitzer is chosen.
I loved All Fours. Try the audiobook, might be a little easier to get on board
I DNF’d All Fours and have not looked back. I refuse to read books I don’t enjoy when there are so many other options. James and Martyr were wonderful. I don’t plan to read Good Material, but I do want to read You Dreamed of Empires. I am a nonfiction fan and I thought there were so many good books that did not make the list. I do want to read Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here and I Heard Her Call My Name.
I’m actually not surprised Knife or Headshot didn’t make the list. They were both okay. I actually came out disliking Rushdie more after Knife.
“Knife” made the New Yorker’s Essential Reads 2024 list. There are some interesting picks on their longlist as well. Thanks for helping to take the post-election edge off. You are greatly appreciated.❤
I loved Martyr, liked James, and disliked All Fours. Couldn’t agree with you more about Reagan.
Greg, the shortlist for the 2025 Tournament of Books was just released this morning. Maybe something you could use as a title resource?