Top Reads of 2024’s First Half
WOAH, what a reading journey this year has brought so far. There have been books that I know will be annual rereads, and there have been some major flops. We’re going to focus on the incredible texts that I would hands down name drop to anyone asking for a recommendation.
Top Read Overall
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries
by Heather Fawcett
This novel was an absolute treat! Emily Wilde is a prickly Cambridge professor who specializes in the study of the Fair Folk. Her latest work, an encyclopedia of fairies, brings her to the remote winter lands of Hrafnsvik where the mythical Hidden Ones reside. When her rival professor, Wendell Bambleby, makes an impromptu arrival, the pursuit of Emily’s academic endeavors turn to mayhem.
I adored this book. Told in an epistolary style, the characters leapt off the page to capture my heart. We have the epitome of a grumpy-sunshine duo in Emily and Wendell. They irk one another to no end, but also deeply understand the drives of passions of the other. Full of dry wit, begrudging friendships, a fascinating world of faery lore, beloved secondary characters, wild antics, and a blossoming romance, this book has it all. I curled up beneath the blankets with my coffee and fell into a world that I never wanted to step out of.
Goodreads blurb here
Top Series
The Scholomance Trilogy
by Naomi Novik
Dark academia at its finest, this trilogy follows El, a volcano-summoning dark sorceress prophesized to destroy the Enclaves that house the magical elite of the world. Not that her supposed evilness matters when she’s focused on surviving a school full of student-eating monsters. The more El fights to live through graduation, the more she uncovers about the magical society that scorns her.
If you loved The Atlas Six and Ninth House, prepare to toss them aside and put The Scholomance trilogy on a highlight spot on your bookshelf. Not only did these books make me cackle at the no-nonsense, dry wit of our FMC, there were moments when I was hiccup-crying because I felt the injustice of the world alongside her, just as much as I felt her hope for a better future for all of magical society. The plot-bombs are phenomenal, the philosophy raised is captivating, the characters are raw, and the ending left my heart full to bursting. I can’t recommend these enough!
Goodreads blurb here
Top Book Per Genre
Adult Fantasy
Someone You Can Build a Nest In
YA Fantasy
Belladonna
Historical
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Horror
Mexican Gothic
Literary
Yellowface
Mystery
How to Solve Your Own Murder
Mythology
Where the Dark Stands Still
Nonfiction
Poverty, By America
Romance
Book Lovers
Romantasy
The Wren in the Holly Library
Sci-Fi
In the Lives of Puppets
Wildcard
A Temptation of Magic
2024 is off to a strong start! Whether you’re interested in branching into other genres, caught sight of a book on your ever-growing TBR, or spotted something wholly new, I hope there’s a book here that peaked your interest.
*For the purpose of the genre list, I chose books that were either standalone reads, or the first book in a series. However, I HIGHLY recommend the Letters of Enchantment duology by Rebecca Ross, which I read in the first half of 2024.
