My Top 10 Reads in 2024

 

Here’s my top 10 favorite reads for the year. 

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

The Waiting by Michael Connelly 

The Last King of California by Jordan Harper

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman

#1- 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 by Chris Whitaker - a literary thriller with masterful storytelling and unforgettable characters 

QOTD: do we have any top 10 books in common? What was for favorite reads this year? 

#2024readingwrapup #toptenbooks #2024books #allthecolorsofthedark #happynewyear #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks

We Are Watching

 

Author: Alison Gaylin

Publisher: William Morrow Books

Publication date: January 28, 2025

Thank you William Morrow Books and NetGalley for the digital e-arc. 

This book has something for just about everyone- rock & roll, family drama, a decades old fantasy book, and a cult. What more could a reader ask for? 

Meg and Justin are driving their daughter Lily to college to start her freshman year. Lily notices the passengers in the car next to them are recorder her with their phones. Their driving gets more aggressive and Meg’s car crashes, killing Justin.  Weeks later, after recovering from the accident, Meg returns to work at the bookstore she and Justin owned. The store was founded by  Meg’s father, a former singer and guitarist who never really made the big time. Soon Meg and Lily discover that their family is at the center of an online cult’s obsession. And that obsession is turning deadly.

This one just pulled me right in from the jump. Author Alison Gaylin kept me on the edge in my seat trying to figure out what was going to happen next. She is an excellent storyteller and keeps ratcheting up the tension as the story unfolds. I found story is also very thought provoking too. It shows how far a conspiracy theory can spread and take over eventually ruining people’s lives. 

We Are Watching comes out Jan. 28. Preorder it now or add it to your tbr list. You’re going to want to read this one! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What’s the scariest part of cult stories for you—manipulation, isolation, or something else?

I think it’s how easily people are manipulated. I think it’s even easier today with the internet because we’re online 24/7. It’s too easy to go down a rabbit hole online and get sucked in.

#wearewatching #alisongaylin #williammorrowbooks #thrillerfiction #mysteryfiction #crimefiction #cult #cultfiction #publishingsoon #bookstagram 

What I Ate in One Year

 

Author: Stanley Tucci

Narrator: Stanley Tucci

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2024

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook! 

Actor and foodie Stanley Tucci takes readers on a delicious journey of what he ate almost every day in 2023. Mr. Tucci narrates his audiobook and it’s wonderful. I loved his dry wit. I also loved the descriptions of the food he ate in restaurants around the world and what cooked at home for his family and friends. If I ever win the lottery I’m going to Italy to eat at all the restaurants he discusses in this book. His love of cooking comes from his parents and he even provides several recipes throughout the book. He also provides a peek at his busy life as an actor, philanthropist, and husband and father. The chapters are short diary entries and his narration is extremely entertaining. Even if you don’t like cooking, the way he describes fresh ingredients and excellent, but simple meals will have your mouth watering. Mangiare!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what’s your favorite dish? 

I love pizza and pasta and meatballs.

#whatiateinayear #stanlettucci #simonaudio #audiobook #audiobookreview #food #foodie #nonfiction #audiobookstagram #audiobooksofinstagram

Memorials

 

Author: Richard Chizmar

Narrators: Michael Crouch and Jonathan Todd Ross

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2024

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook. I appreciate your generosity! 

Three college friends sent off on a road trip to make a documentary about roadside memorials for a class. As their journey progresses, weird and creepy things begin to happen. Their sense of dread and paranoia increases and their trip ends in terror. 

Richard Chizmar’s latest book is a slow burning atmospheric creepy thriller. I really liked the three main characters Billy, Melody, and Troy. All three have experienced losing loved ones, so their project is very personal. I also enjoyed the 80s vibes. I was a college kid in that era so I could relate. I also enjoyed the narration by Michael Crouch and Jonathan Todd Ross. They did a wonderful job. My only nitpick is that the story is a bit too long. The listen time for the audiobook is 15.25 hours. There were a few times I felt my concentration wandering while listening and I just wanted the story to move along a little quicker. I loved Chizmar’s book Chasing the Boogeyman. I thought that was a fantastic mix of atmospheric setting and creepiness. Memorials missed that high bar for me. But overall, I enjoyed the book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what song, artist, or genre is on your roadtrip playlist? I’ve got Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, and the Hamilton soundtrack on mine.

#memorials #richardchizmar #horrorfiction #speculativefiction #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #roadtrippin #creepyfiction

The Queen

 

Title: The Queen

Author: Nick Cutter

Narrators: Ariel Blake, Zac Aleman, Corey Brill, Pete Simonelli

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook. I appreciate it! 

Margaret’s best friend Charity has been missing for over a month and everyone thinks she’s dead. Then Margaret finds a new phone on her doorstep that has a text from Charity. This sends Margaret on a desperate search for Charity. But Charity has an unimaginable secret. It’s a secret that’s the brainchild of a massively wealthy tech tycoon. It’s a secret that pushes the boundaries of science. It’s a secret that ends in bloodshed. 

I thought this was a straight up thriller, but it’s not. What it is, is totally bonkers. And I mean that in the best way. Think Kafka’s The Metamorphosis but on steroids and mixed with The Island of Dr. Moreau. If you want some sci fi mixed with a smidge of horror and a generous amount of ick, this is for you. The less you know going into this one, the better. 

Author Nick Cutter keeps the pace moving and his prose is vivid and detailed. I swear one particular chapter (a flashback early on in the book) will live rent free in my head for a very long time. Ariel Blake and Corey Brill do an excellent job with the narration. This is a really an engrossing mix of thriller, sic fi and horror that kept me on the edge of my seat. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you're interested in this book, you might enjoy The Dorians.

About the Author

Nick Cutter is the author of the critically acclaimed national bestseller The Troop (which is currently being developed for film with producer James Wan), The Deep, Little Heaven, The Queen, and The Handyman Method, cowritten with Andrew F. Sullivan. Nick Cutter is the pseudonym for Craig Davidson, whose much-lauded literary fiction includes Rust and Bone, The Saturday Night Ghost Club, and, most recently, the short story collection Cascade. His story “Medium Tough” was selected by author Jennifer Egan for The Best American Short Stories 2014. He lives in Toronto, Canada. For more news information about the author and his books, visit his website.

The Reluctant Sheriff

 

Author: Chris Offutt 

Publisher: Grove Atlantic Press 

Release date: March 25, 2025

Thank you Grove Atlantic and NetGalkey for the e-arc. Much appreciated! 

Former Army CID investigator Mick Hardin’s retirement plan was to head to a small village in Corsica to find some peace and quiet. Instead he’s stuck in Kentucky. His sister Linda, the local sheriff, was wounded in the line of duty. Now Mick is holding down the fort as interim sheriff. He’s got his hands full investigating the murder of a bar owner. Mick’s investigation takes a personal turn when his ex-wife’s new husband becomes a suspect. Then two more bodies turn up. 

Author Chris Offut delivers another atmospheric and riveting police procedural. Mick is a great and complex character. He’d love nothing more to live in a cabin in the woods in his native Kentucky, but he has a restless spirit. He’s lonely after the his divorce, but he doesn’t really know how to connect with people. The only thing he knows, and what he’s good at is solving murders. 

The Reluctant Sheriff, out March 25th, is the fourth book of the series and I’ve loved them all. This book can be read as a stand alone. There’s enough information about Mick’s previous exploits to get you up to speed. If you’re looking for interesting characters, sharp writing, and a mystery with as many twists and turns a country road, then dive into the world of Mick Hardin. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What’s trope in police procedurals that you love? Or one that you think is overused?

I think a massively overused trope is the seemly super intelligent, all knowing, always one step ahead of the police serial killer. Sometimes these villains are just too over the top for me. 

#thereluctantsheriff #chrisoffutt #mickhsrdinseries #groveatlantic #netgalley #policeprocedural #thrillerfiction #crimefiction #mysteryfiction #kentuckyfiction #bookstagram

Whiteout

 

Author: R S. Burnett

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release date: February 11, 2025

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the e-arc. Appreciate it! 

When Rachael’s mentor asks her to join an urgent research trip to Antarctica, she jumps at the chance. Rachael is a glaciologist who put her career and research on hold when she and her husband started their family. Rachael is stationed alone at a remote outpost during the dark and unforgiving Antarctic winter. Her research may be the only thing to prevent oil companies from drilling in Antarctica and save the earth from climate change destruction. As the brutal polar winter rages on and her supplies run low, Rachel begins to think all is lost. The only communication she’s had has been a radio transmission saying a nuclear war has broken out. As Rachel worries about her husband and young daughter, she realizes she could be the last person left alive. Rachael soon discovers the most hostile environment in the world isn’t the only thing trying to kill her. 

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I loved the location. I liked that Rachael is a scientist committed to her field of study. Her struggle with being a stay home mom really added some dynamic her character. If you’re looking for a survival thriller featuring a strong female main character, this one is a good choice. The pace moves along quickly, and I loved the descriptions of the harsh yet beautiful landscape of Antarctica. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whiteout by R.S. Burnett comes out February 11th. 

QOTD: Would you rather face a blizzard in the middle of nowhere or a freezing night alone in a dark, icy cave? Why?

I’d rather spend a night in a cave. At least in the cave, I have a little bit of shelter and I’m sort of out of the elements. 

#whiteout #rsburnett #crookedlanebooks #netgalley #bookreview #publishingsoon #antarctica #thrillerfiction #survivalfiction #bookstagram #debutnovel #debutnovelist