Unputdownable: the best books we loved in 2024 • Episode #167

The Book Club Review

Wrap up your year with the Book Club Review podcast! Celebrate the joy of reading with us as we highlight the standout books we read in 2024, from page-turners to genre reads, to literary fiction and best book club books. We'll finish with our 'if we could only choose one' favourites for our overall book(s) of the year. This episode also features recommendations from our podcast book clubbers, fantastic readers all, who bring their choices into the mix. This is a bonus length episode as there was so much to go through, so take that dog for an extra long walk, get the children prepared for a long swing at the park or just curl up in a cozy spot with notepad in hand to jot down some of these books we think you shouldn't miss. Or, of course, use the handy list below.

Books mentioned

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

What You Are Looking For is In The Library by Michiko Ayoyama

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Most enjoyable read

Loot by Tania James

Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Best page-turner

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Going Infinite by Michael Lewis

Best Non-fiction

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

Grief is for People by Sloane Crossley

The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing

The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire by Bart van Loo

Maurice and Marilyn by Sophie Elmhurst

The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke

Best Book Club Book

Enter Ghost by Isabelle Hamid

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

Cuddy by Benjamin Myers

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

August Blue by Deborah Levy

Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai (Polly Barton trans.)

Wifedom by Anna Funder

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (The Inspector Gamache series)

Best Genre Novel or Comfort Read

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

The Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka

Overall best book read in 2024

James by Percival Everett

Kate: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Laura: Real Estate by Deborah Levy (vol. 3 in her 'living autobiography' series

Join the Book Club Review club

Head to Patreon.com/thebookclubreview to explore what's on offer with regular extra episodes packed with reading recommendations and at the higher tier membership of the pod bookclub: upcoming reads for January are Marty by Kaveh Akbar, February: All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley and March: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro.

Serious Readers

For seriously good reading lamps with a Book Club Review special discount head to seriousreaders.co.uk/BCR and use the code BCR at checkout for £100 off any HD light. Shipping within the UK is free, and you get a 30-day trial period so you can see for yourself what a difference they make.

Stay connected

Find Kate on Instagram and Threads @bookclubreviewpodcast, or drop us a comment anytime at the episode page on our website. What were your favourite reads from 2024? We'd love to hear about them.