My 2024 in Books
A look at the books I liked and disliked in 2024.
Now that 2024 is coming to a close - oof, how the hell did we get here so fast? - I want to take a look at some of the books I read in the past year in the hopes you might be interested in picking one up, or skipping one entirely. I don’t have refined tastes when it comes to fiction, so take this all with a grain of salt.
I’m a slow reader, so I only read 30 books this year (a good number for me, honestly). And, unlike other years, I started throwing comics and graphic novels into the mix so that 30 isn’t strictly novels. Comics are a medium I’m not super experienced in, but with the advent of subscription-based services for DC and Marvel, it has been a great option for someone like me who is open to reading anything offered there.
Couple rules for this list: I’m only considering books I read for the first time this year. Also, I’m only considering books I read in their entirety.
The Best Novel One - The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
It’s rare that I pick up a book that has lingered on my backlog and end up enjoying it as much as I enjoyed The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. This is one gory, terrifying, mindf*ck of a novel that kept me on edge and kept me reading. It’s the only book that has given me actual nightmares. But it’s also one of the first books I’ve almost immediately wanted to read a second time - something I rarely ever feel towards a book. If you like horror - whether it’s psychological, body, etc. - you owe it to yourself to read this book.
The Novel Runner-Up One - Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
The Sun Eater series has had a heck of a year, quickly rising the ranks of coverage by a large number of popular booktubers and other fantasy reading communities. It seems like this series is everywhere now. I was in the middle of reading Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio (started late last year) when it seemed this book started going out of stock due to the series’ increase in coverage - all of which is very well deserved because this is one heck of a book. Even if the story wasn’t good (which it is), this book makes up for it in the world-building (universe-building?) and some of the characterizations. Though it can drag or shift into directions that a reader might find to be a turn off, the depth of the universe this book builds and lives within is worth the read.
The Best Comic One - Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, and Matheus Lopes
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow has to be one of the most beautifully drawn and colored comics I’ve ever read. While I’m traditionally someone who loves the feel of a physical comic book in hand, I read this one on an 11” tablet which felt like a near-optimal way to experience the vibrant colors and figures this title contains. It’s a simply stunning work that weaves a great story, building to one of the best climactic battles I’ve experienced in entertainment - seriously, the last two issues of this thing are so damn good. While I recommend buying this to support the creators, the full run is available digitally on DC Universe Infinite (which also has a free 7-day trial for new users).
The Comic Runner-Up One - Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Where the Body Was is one of the first graphic novels I’ve picked up in a long time, and to be honest, my initial impression upon finishing it was that it was not what I wanted. But that didn’t mean it was bad, and the longer it sat in my mind, the more and more I enjoyed what it is. I went in expecting sort of a procedural or investigation-focused book about… well… the body. I mean, it’s right there on the cover. But Body is intentionally focused on the cast of characters who make up a small town full of dark secrets (Twin Peaks anyone?). It’s a winding tale of characterization and individual story. In fact, I’d say the body reveal at the end - even though it is playfully approached - comes and goes so fast that it can feel like a let down. That said, this is absolutely a great read if you’re into ‘small town secrets’ stories.
The Best Non-Fiction One - The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
It’s no joke to say John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story has fundamentally changed how I approach storytelling. This book is invaluable. A lot of writer’s promote Save the Cat Writes a Novel as a cornerstone book on writing, but I think Anatomy is a more complete package for approaching every aspect of a story or idea. That said, this book is one of the densest writing/story teaching books I’ve seen, and it can take a heck of a lot of focus to get into. But for any writer interested in story structure or improving their approach to story holistically, I think this book is a treasure trove.
The Non-Fiction Runner-Up One - Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry by Jason Schreier
For those who aren’t aware, outside of writing I am a professional video game developer in the games industry - currently one of the most volatile industries to have a career in. Before the massive increase in studio closings and layoffs, I read Jason Schreier’s Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry. Inside the games industry there are countless (often horror) stories told secondhand by co-workers about working at ‘Company Z’ or on ‘Project Y’. This book captures that perfectly by reporting on dumpster fire projects, mismanaged teams, successful projects leading to questionable layoffs, and more. It’s a book that shines a light on nightmare career scenarios for both historical documentation purposes, and to ask the reader ‘what needs to change?’ - a question that couldn’t be more important with the current state of the industry.
The Near-Stinker - December Park by Ronald Malfi
December Park is the first novel I’ve read by Ronald Malfi, but after his good - if not somewhat inconsistent - short story collection We Should Have Left Well Enough Alone (info on Goodreads), I had high expectations. The book drew me in with the promise of a coming-of-age tale of kids investigating the disappearance and murder of other children at the hands of a serial abductor. However, this book drags, focusing far more on the coming-of-age tale of the kids than the mystery, which makes the near 800 pages feel even longer. It almost feels mis-marketed. If Where the Body Was were 800 pages (or even 400) it would also suffer from this issue, but this is the core difference between Body and December Park. Imagine Stephen King’s It but with far less horror throughout and a contrived ending. I wouldn’t entirely steer readers away from this one, but go in knowing this is a long book with a different focus than the blurbs make it seem.
The Stinker - Seven Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly
Seven Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly promotes itself as ‘Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code’ (with another comparison including the Uncharted video game series). I was hungry for a thriller, willing to read something generic and fast, so the action-focused description caught my attention (not to mention the fact that this book is often sold for $0.99 for the Kindle version - a telling sign). However, unlike the action thrillers this book compares itself too, this story stumbles significantly with pacing and unrealistic action that feels contrived.
One pickier issue I had with this book are the maps - this book will often describe the heroes entering a mission space (often some sort of dilapidated ruins/crypt/booby-trapped temple-esque obstacle course) and follow up the paragraphs of description with an incredibly simple graphic (like MS-Paint-level simple) of what that space looks like, either as a top-down diagram, a side-view diagram, or another odd perspective. In one case, this is even done with a room that boils down to ‘a large room with three holes in the far wall’ - not something difficult to imagine. Maybe this could have worked if each diagram was introduced within the story, such as ‘[character] took out his map and gave it another look - [insert map]’, but even then, the descriptions of the spaces are good enough, why the heck do we need these useless doodles?!
Even if looking for a generic action thriller, I’d recommend staying away from this one. That said, I’ve found fans of the series posting positive reviews online, so who knows, every book has its fans, and maybe this one is for you if it sounds interesting enough. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
QUESTION: What was your favorite book in 2024? What was your biggest stinker? Let me know in the comments below.
So there you have it, the books that defined my reading in 2024. It was a big year - a year that not only expanded my horizons, but truly shaped me as a writer. Reading is neat like that, sometimes you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into until you start flipping pages. I’m looking forward to my books of 2025, maybe putting a little more time into the horror and fantasy genres (but I’ve got a heck of a backlog and it isn’t getting any smaller). I’ll see where the wind takes me, so long as it’s between the pages of a good book.
See you in the pages of the next one,
- Matt
Thanks for the shopping list help! Silence and Anatomy seem most interesting to me.
I agree with your top pick! It was a SGJ deep-dive year for me and I just can't get enough of him. Did you read the acknowledgments section? Those alone are worth reading and re-reading. Not only are they funny and so full of his personality, but he really gives writers a lot to think about in terms of how to write. I never realized it until I read back-to-back books of his.
Thanks for sharing your list! I'm thinking of doing a roundup post of mine, too. We shall see. Looking forward to reading more of you in 2025!