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Our Favourite Books of 2024 - Dynamic Rankings
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
My adjusted weightings method:
Pos, Book, Average, Penalty Points, Adjusted, Count, First Places
1, The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor, 2.75, 0.0, 7.43, 8, 2
2, The Box by Mandy-Suzanne Wong, 2.25, 6.6, 13.53, 4, 1
3, Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking by Han Smith, 6.00, 0.0, 20.14, 8, 3
4, Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright, 7.18, 0.0, 20.22, 11, 2
5, The Repeat Room by Jesse Ball, 12.83, 0.0, 25.23, 6, 1
6, There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, 8.71, 0.0, 25.40, 7, 0
7, The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste del Amo, 7.57, 0.0, 26.17, 7, 0
8, The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke, 8.67, 13.2, 26.70, 3, 0
9, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, 10.17, 0.0, 26.82, 12, 2
10, Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili, 9.08, 0.0, 26.99, 13, 1
11, The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas, 15.60, 0.0, 27.07, 5, 2
12, Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky, 11.89, 0.0, 27.20, 9, 0
13, James by Percival Everett, 7.36, 0.0, 27.27, 25, 1
14, The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Patrícia Melo, 4.00, 19.8, 27.30, 2, 0
15, Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan, 10.00, 0.0, 27.39, 14, 0
16, Gliff by Ali Smith, 8.00, 6.6, 27.56, 4, 0
17, Small Rain by Garth Greenwell, 11.33, 0.0, 27.91, 9, 0
18, Fire Exit by Morgan Talty, 11.00, 0.0, 27.94, 7, 0
19, Question 7 by Richard Flanagan, 8.71, 0.0, 27.97, 7, 0
20, Clear by Carys Davies, 9.44, 0.0, 28.95, 16, 1
21, Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel by Yōko Tawada, 6.67, 13.2, 28.97, 3, 1
22, Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood, 9.00, 0.0, 29.07, 17, 1
23, My Friends by Hisham Matar, 9.32, 0.0, 29.18, 19, 1
24, Season of the Swamp by Yuri Herrera, 11.90, 0.0, 29.26, 10, 0
25, Spent Light by Lara Pawson, 11.13, 0.0, 30.04, 8, 0
26, Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 8.67, 13.2, 32.11, 3, 0
27, Playground by Richard Powers, 10.76, 0.0, 32.21, 17, 0
28, The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk, 11.20, 0.0, 32.39, 15, 1
29, The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry, 13.63, 0.0, 32.41, 8, 1
30, Held by Anne Michaels, 11.20, 0.0, 33.24, 20, 1
31, And the Stones Cry Out by Clara Dupont-Monod, 7.67, 13.2, 33.34, 3, 0
32, Toward Eternity by Anton Hur, 13.00, 6.6, 33.74, 4, 1
33, I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson, 10.50, 6.6, 34.34, 4, 0
34, The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma, 14.50, 0.0, 34.54, 6, 0
35, Enlightenment by Sarah Perry, 12.76, 0.0, 34.55, 17, 1
36, Gretel and the Great War by Adam Ehrlich Sachs, 12.33, 0.0, 34.95, 6, 0
37, You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue, 14.10, 0.0, 35.57, 10, 1
38, What I Know About You by Éric Chacour, 15.25, 0.0, 35.92, 8, 0
39, Wrong Norma by Anne Carson, 9.67, 13.2, 36.62, 3, 0
40, In Winter I Get Up at Night by Jane Urquhart, 10.00, 19.8, 36.75, 2, 0
41, Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor, 12.00, 0.0, 37.55, 12, 0
42, Early Sobrieties by Michael Deagler, 11.50, 6.6, 37.78, 4, 0
43, Time of the Flies by Claudia Piñeiro, 13.50, 0.0, 39.01, 6, 0
44, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, 14.13, 0.0, 39.86, 16, 0
45, The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers' Guild by Mathias Énard, 12.50, 0.0, 39.92, 8, 0
46, Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero, 11.67, 13.2, 40.04, 3, 0
47, Fury by Clyo Mendoza, 18.17, 0.0, 40.51, 6, 1
48, The Use of Photography by Annie Ernaux, 5.50, 19.8, 41.33, 2, 0
49, Mother Naked by Glen James Brown, 12.50, 6.6, 41.89, 4, 0
50, State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg, 7.67, 13.2, 43.29, 3, 0
51, Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange, 14.53, 0.0, 46.14, 15, 0
52, The Silence in Between by Josie Ferguson, 6.00, 26.4, 47.25, 1, 0
53, The Safekeep by Yael van der Worden, 15.91, 0.0, 48.49, 22, 1
54, White Nights by Urszula Honek, 10.00, 13.2, 49.11, 3, 0
55, Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru, 16.55, 0.0, 49.86, 11, 0
56, Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González, 18.00, 13.2, 50.64, 3, 1
57, The In-Between by Christos Tsiolkas, 5.00, 26.4, 52.90, 1, 0
58, Death of a Foreign Gentleman by Steven Carroll, 3.00, 26.4, 53.40, 1, 0
59, Monstrum by Lottie Mills, 5.00, 26.4, 55.60, 1, 0
60, May our Joy Endure by Kevin Lambert, 18.50, 19.8, 57.46, 2, 0
61, The Modern Fairies by Clare Pollard, 16.67, 13.2, 59.95, 3, 0
62, Mysterious Setting by Kazushige Abe, 20.50, 19.8, 69.08, 2, 0
63, Takaoka's Travels by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, 22.00, 26.4, 87.60, 1, 0
Paul-style aggregate of comparisons
Pos, Book, Average, Relative ranking, Count, First Places
1, The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor, 2.75, 140, 8, 2
2, James by Percival Everett, 7.36, 112, 25, 1
3, Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright, 7.18, 100, 11, 2
4, The Box by Mandy-Suzanne Wong, 2.25, 61, 4, 1
4, Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking by Han Smith, 6.00, 61, 8, 3
6, There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, 8.71, 55, 7, 0
7, Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili, 9.08, 50, 13, 1
8, The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Patrícia Melo, 4.00, 48, 2, 0
9, Question 7 by Richard Flanagan, 8.71, 41, 7, 0
10, The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke, 8.67, 40, 3, 0
11, Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan, 10.00, 39, 14, 0
11, My Friends by Hisham Matar, 9.32, 39, 19, 1
13, Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood, 9.00, 34, 17, 1
14, Gliff by Ali Smith, 8.00, 30, 4, 0
15, Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel by Yōko Tawada, 6.67, 26, 3, 1
15, The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste del Amo, 7.57, 26, 7, 0
17, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, 10.17, 22, 12, 2
18, Early Sobrieties by Michael Deagler, 11.50, 21, 4, 0
19, In Winter I Get Up at Night by Jane Urquhart, 10.00, 20, 2, 0
19, And the Stones Cry Out by Clara Dupont-Monod, 7.67, 20, 3, 0
21, Wrong Norma by Anne Carson, 9.67, 19, 3, 0
21, Clear by Carys Davies, 9.44, 19, 16, 1
23, Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky, 11.89, 17, 9, 0
24, State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg, 7.67, 16, 3, 0
25, Playground by Richard Powers, 10.76, 14, 17, 0
26, I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson, 10.50, 12, 4, 0
27, Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero, 11.67, 11, 3, 0
27, Fire Exit by Morgan Talty, 11.00, 11, 7, 0
29, Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 8.67, 9, 3, 0
29, Spent Light by Lara Pawson, 11.13, 9, 8, 0
29, Small Rain by Garth Greenwell, 11.33, 9, 9, 0
32, The Use of Photography by Annie Ernaux, 5.50, 7, 2, 0
33, The Silence in Between by Josie Ferguson, 6.00, 6, 1, 0
34, The In-Between by Christos Tsiolkas, 5.00, 2, 1, 0
35, Monstrum by Lottie Mills, 5.00, 1, 1, 0
35, Death of a Foreign Gentleman by Steven Carroll, 3.00, 1, 1, 0
37, The Repeat Room by Jesse Ball, 12.83, 0, 6, 1
38, Toward Eternity by Anton Hur, 13.00, -1, 4, 1
39, White Nights by Urszula Honek, 10.00, -2, 3, 0
40, Season of the Swamp by Yuri Herrera, 11.90, -4, 10, 0
41, The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma, 14.50, -5, 6, 0
42, Gretel and the Great War by Adam Ehrlich Sachs, 12.33, -12, 6, 0
43, Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González, 18.00, -15, 3, 1
44, Mother Naked by Glen James Brown, 12.50, -16, 4, 0
45, The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk, 11.20, -18, 15, 1
45, Held by Anne Michaels, 11.20, -18, 20, 1
47, Takaoka's Travels by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, 22.00, -20, 1, 0
47, May our Joy Endure by Kevin Lambert, 18.50, -20, 2, 0
49, The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry, 13.63, -22, 8, 1
50, Time of the Flies by Claudia Piñeiro, 13.50, -23, 6, 0
51, The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers' Guild by Mathias Énard, 12.50, -30, 8, 0
52, Mysterious Setting by Kazushige Abe, 20.50, -34, 2, 0
53, The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas, 15.60, -37, 5, 2
54, Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor, 12.00, -38, 12, 0
55, The Modern Fairies by Clare Pollard, 16.67, -42, 3, 0
55, What I Know About You by Éric Chacour, 15.25, -42, 8, 0
57, You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue, 14.10, -45, 10, 1
58, Enlightenment by Sarah Perry, 12.76, -52, 17, 1
59, Fury by Clyo Mendoza, 18.17, -57, 6, 1
60, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, 14.13, -89, 16, 0
61, Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange, 14.53, -117, 15, 0
62, Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru, 16.55, -136, 11, 0
63, The Safekeep by Yael van der Worden, 15.91, -253, 22, 1
No rankings yet:
How to Contact the Living by Bryan Farrell
Proximity Factor by S.S. Jung
Wolves at the Gate by Bart Stark
Mod
Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking
Gliff
Held
Enlightenment
Brotherless Night
Praiseworthy
Spent Light
The Empusium
My Friends
Wandering Stars
Playground
Stone Yard Devotional
The Son of Man
Fire Exit
James
Question 7 (still reading)
The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers' Guild
The Safekeep
Here’s a first cut:Praiseworthy
Fury
The Box
Gretel and the Great War
Season of the Swamp
The Son of Man
Spent Light
The Empusium
Portraits at the Palace
White Nights
Poor Deer
Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel
Wrong Norma
You Dreamed of Empires
My Friends
The Annual Banquet
James
The Road to the Country
Brotherless Night
Held
Enlightenment
The Safekeep
Fire Exit
Martyr
Playground
(Edited 12/26 to add The Son of Man.)
5 stars:1) State of Paradise
2) The Simple Art of Killing a Woman
3) The Night Alphabet
4) Poor Deer
5) Fire Exit
6) The Repeat Room
7) Hard by a Great Forest
8) Brotherless Night
9) What I Know About You
10) Small Rain
11) James
4 stars:
12) The Son of Man
13) Whale Fall
14) Clear
15) Early Sobrieties
16) Bad Habit
17) Time of the Flies
18) And the Stones Cry Out
19) Spent Light
20) The Heart in Winter
21) Season of the Swamp
22) Toward Eternity
23) Held
24) You Dreamed of Empires
25) The Empusium
3 stars:
26) Wandering Stars
27) Martyr!
28) Rejection
2 stars:
29) Playground
FurySeason of the Swamp
The Son of Man
The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers' Guild
May Our Joy Endure
You Dreamed of Empires
What I Know About You
The Empusium
Held
James
Poor Deer
Clear
Martyr!
Whale Fall
The Safekeep
Wandering Stars-DNF
The Empusium by Olga TokarczukEnlightenment by Sarah Perry
My Friends by Hisham Matar
Clear by Carys Davies
Small Rain by Garth Greenwell
Playground by Richard Powers
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
Held by Anne Michaels
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
James by Percival Everett
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange (DNF)
Early Sobrieties by Michael Deagler (DNF)
1) Toward Eternity by Anton Hur - 5 stars2) Held by Anne Michaels - 4.5 stars
3) Playground by Richard Powers - 4.5 stars
4) The Repeat Room by Jesse Ball - 4 stars
5) James by Percival - 4 stars
6) Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange - 4 stars
7) Clear by Carys Davies - 4 stars
8) Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood - 4 stars
9) The Use of Photography by Annie Ernaux - 4 stars
10) The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden - 4 stars
11) Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking by Han Smith - 4 stars
12) Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor - 4 stars
13) My Friends by Hisham Matar - 4 stars
14) Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru Blue Ruin - 3 stars
15) The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk - 3 stars
16) Enlightenment by Sarah Perry - 3 stars
I liked them all, to varying degrees, except The Safekeep, which I kind of hated.Clear
Held
Enlightenment
Fire Exit
There are Rivers in the Sky
The Heart in Winter
James
The Road to the Country
In Winter I Get Up at Night
The Annual Banquet of the Gravedigger's Guild
Season of the Swamp
What I Know About You
Stone Yard Devotional
Playground
Praiseworthy
My Friends
Whale Fall
Bad Habit
Martyr!
Fury
Glorious Exploits
Takaoka's Travels
The Safekeep (Only one I did not like)
The Repeat RoomAnd the Stones Cry Out
The Box
Season of the Swamp
Monstrum
Mysterious Setting
Small Rain
Gretel and the Great War
James
Blue Ruin
I didn't care for Blue Ruin at all, I loved the rest almost equally for different reasons and would rate them all tied at #1 if that was a thing,
1. My Friends - 5*2. Playground - 5*
3. The Road to the Country - 5*
4. There are Rivers in the Sky - 5*
5. Glorious Exploits - 5*
6. Early Sobrieties - 5*
7. James - 4.5*
8. Question 7 - 4.5*
9. Stone Yard Devotional - 4*
10. Praiseworthy - 4*
11. Gliff - 4*
12. In Winter I Get Up at Night - 4*
13. Whale Fall - 4*
14. Hard by a Great Forest - 4*
15. The Story of a Heart - 4*
16. Wandering Stars - 4*
17. Brotherless Night - 4*
18. Service Model - 4*
19. You Dreamed of Empires - 4*
20. The Heart in Winter - 4*
21. The Empusium - 4*
22. Fire Exit - 4*
23. Toward Eternity - 4*
24. Held - 3.5*
25. Martyr! - 3.5*
26. Enlightenment - 3.5*
27. Poor Deer - 3.5*
28. The Repeat Room - 3.5*
29. The Anthropologists - 3.5*
30. What I Know About You - 3.5*
31. State of Paradise - 3.5*
32. The Box - 3.5*
33. Anita de Monte Laughs Last - 3.5*
34. Season of the Swamp - 3*
35. Blue Ruin - 3*
36. Clear - 3*
37. Small Rain - 3*
38. Bad Habit - 3*
39. The Modern Fairies - 3*
40. The Safekeep - 2*
I liked or loved all of these except the last one.
James by Percival EverettService Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Death of a Foreign Gentleman by Steven Carroll
Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
The Modern Fairies by Clare Pollard
1. Praiseworthy: 5* and 1%ile2. The Box: 5* and 2%ile
3. Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking: 5* and 4%ile
4. The Night Alphabet: 5* and 5%ile
5. The Son of Man: 5* and 6%ile
6. Poor Deer: 5* and 7%ile
7. Gretel and the Great War: 5* and 8%ile
8. Hard by a Great Forest: 4* and 9%ile
9. Spent Light: 4* and 11%ile
10. I Will Crash: 4* and 12%ile
11. Gliff: 4* and 13%ile
12. Question 7: 4* and 14%ile
13. White Nights: 4* and 23%ile
14. The Empusium: 4* and 24%ile
15. Season of the Swamp 4* (2025 read)
16. Mother Naked: 4* and 32%ile
17. Toward Eternity 4* (2025 read)
18. The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers' Guild: 3* and 58%ile
19. What I Know About You 3* (2025 read)
20. The Heart in Winter: 3* and 68%ile
21. Time of the Flies: 3* and 79%ile
22. You Dreamed of Empires: 3* and 79%ile
I've read fewer than in other years we've done this - booker boycott part the reason.
The percentile for 2024 reads is where I have this book ranked where 1%ile is my best book of the year and 100%ile by least favourite, of those I've read.
I expect to add at least 2 more titles before the cut off date (which is?) And I make edits by returning to this message and editing it, yes?Heart in Winter
Clear
You Dreamed of Empires
Mother Naked
Fire Exit
Brotherless Night
Glorious Exploits
James
Modern Fairies
Toward Eternity
Blue Ruin
Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers Club
I think the first time for several years that there have not been any books I disliked 1 Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2 Hard by A Great Forest – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3 Night Alphabet – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4 I Will Crash – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5 Question 7 – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
6 Playground – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
7 Gliff – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
8 Glorious Exploits – 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
9 Held - 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
10 James 5 *
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
11 Spent Light – 4.5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
12 My Friends – 4.5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
13 Praiseworthy – 4.5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
14 Enlightenment – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
15 Clear – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
16 Whale Fall – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
17 Road To The Country – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
18 Stone Yard Devotional – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
19 Small Rain – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
20 The Anthropologists – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
21 Blue Ruin – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
22 The Heart in Winter – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
23 Brotherless Night – 3.5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
24 The Safe Keep – 3.5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
25 Wandering Star – 3.5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
26 Martyr! – 3*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Well, I've only read 9 of those books so far (a small chance I might get to one more before the end of the year), but I did really like every single one of them (all 4+ stars) so hard to rank! (I did start one more and DNF it so not counting that!)
Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel
My Friends
The Empusium
Fire Exit
The Time of the Flies
Small Rain
You Dreamed of Empires
James
Season of the Swamp
Glorious ExploitsJames
The Night Alphabet
What I Know About You
Brotherless Night
My Friends
The Safekeep
Wandering Stars
Stone Yard Devotional
Martyr!
Clear
Playground
Enlightenment
Held
Glorious ExploitsJames
Hard by a Great Forest
The Night Alphabet
Clear
The Silence in Between
My Friends
There are Rivers in the Sky
Playground
Brotherless Night
Martyr!
The Safekeep
Wandering Stars
Stone Yard Devotional
The Empusium
Whale Fall
Held
Enlightenment
The SafekeepStone Yard Devotional
Whale Fall
Spent Light
Clear
Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking
Hard By a Great Forest
James
1. Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking 2. Son of Man
3. Glorious Exploits
4. Hard by a Great Forest
5. James
6. Gretel and the Great War
7. White Nights
8. Held
9. My Friends
10. Clear
I moved Son of Man up after finishing it. It took my breath away.
1. The Anthropologists2. The Use of Photography
3. Glorious Exploits
4.=Stone Yard Devotional
4.=The In-Between
6. The Heart in Winter
7. Hard by a Great Forest
8. Whale Fall
9. Blue Ruin
10. Playground
11. The Safekeep
Just starting Praiseworthy, finally, so may update
The BoxPraiseworthy
The Night Alphabet
Season of the Swamp
Wrong Norma
I Will Crash
Held
Spent Light
James
Playground
The Safekeep
Stone Yard Devotional
The Empusium
Clear
Headshot
The Repeat Room
Enlightenment
Whale Fall
My Friends
Wandering Stars
Martyr
Somehow I just found this thread now so could not add books (for the record, I would have added Time of the Child, Tell Me Everything and You Are Here), but happy to rank the ones I have read:Enlightenment
James
My Friends
Stone Yard Devotional
Clear
Question 7
Small Rain
Whale Fall
Held
The Story of a Heart
Playground
Martyr!
Early Sobrieties
The Safekeep
Hard by a Great Forest
Time of the Flies
Brotherless Nights
Glorious Exploits
The Heart in Winter
The Road to the Country
There Are Rivers in the Sky
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
Blue Ruin
Poor Deer
Wandering Stars
1. You Dreamed of Empires2. Bad Habit
3. James
4. My Friends
5. Small Rain
6. Empusium
7. Mother Naked
8. Poor Deer
9. Annual Banquet
10. Blue Ruin
11. Season of the Swamp
12. Son of Man
13. There are Rivers in the Sky
14. Clear
15. Held
16. The Safekeep
17. Glorious Exploits
18. What I Know About You
19. State of Paradise
(up until number 15 I loved these books...the last four were disappointments)
1. Hard by a Great Forest2. Enlightenment
3. Clear
4. James
5. Brotherless Night
6. My Friends
7. Stone Yard Devotional
8. The Safekeep
9. Held
10. Martyr
11. There are Rivers in the Sky
12. Praiseworthy
13. Wandering Stars
The anthropologists
State of Paradise
The Empusium
The Safekeep
State of Paradise
The Empusium
The Safekeep
Here is my ranking of those I have read --1. Stone Yard Devotional
2. Poor Deer
3. The Box
4. The Night Alphabet
5. James
6. Enlightenment
7. Martyr
8. Service Model
9. And The Stones Cry Out
10. Brotherless Night
11. Time of the Flies
12. The Son of Man
13. Playground
14. Wandering Stars
15. Held
16. Death of a Foreign Gentleman
17. My Friends
18. Hard by a Great Forest
19. The Safekeep
Now it is the last day of March 2025 and I've added another! In reviewing my list, I am surprised by those I remember well and those the title does not result in any recall. I always like this list as this group reads wonderful books and I find ones on this list I would not otherwise have encountered. Collectively, these lists provide a resource when a new read is needed!
1.Anita de Monte Laughs Last Xóchitl González2. The Story of a Heart: Two Families, One Heart, and the Medical Miracle That Saved a Child’s Life
3. Stone Yard Devotional Charlotte Wood
4. Praiseworthy Alexis Wright
5. There Are Rivers in the Sky Elif Shafak
6. Brotherless Night V.V. Ganeshananthan
7. Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel Yōko Tawada
8. Small Rain Garth Greenwell
9. Martyr! Kaveh Akbar
10.Playground Richard Powers
11.Parade Rachel Cusk
12.Wrong Norma Anne Carson
13. James by Percival Everett
14. Held by Anne Michaels
15. The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk
16. The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers' Guild
17. Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
18. Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili
19. Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor
20. Gretel and the Great War by Adam Ehrlich Sachs
21. Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
22. The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma
23. Season of the Swamp by Yuri Herrera
24. The Repeat Room by Jesse Ball
25. Mother Naked by Glen James Brown
26. You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue
27. What I Know About You by Éric Chacour
28. Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru
29. The Safekeep by Yael van der Worden
30. Fury by Clyo Mendoza
A note about ratings: In looking at how I rated these, I realized how unfair these ratings reflect my reading year. For example, Anita De Monte Laughs Last is my favorite novel of the year for multiple reasons, but mainly for managing to pull off a great novel on a difficult subject with a very dicey premise and I remember the sense of euphoria building in me as she kept managing to maintain the highest quality as the novel progressed through the last chapters. The selection I ranked last was Fury and I know that was a good novel because Rachel ranked it number one. My reason for ranking it 30 was that I had no memory of the novel and had to refresh my mind on what it was about. Sounds more like I wasn't paying enough attention rather than it was a bad read. So take these ratings with a grain of salt. I had a successful year of reading, finishing more books than I ever read in my life and although there were some duds and some question marks, it was a wonderful year of reading.
1. The Night Alphabet2. There are Rivers in the Sky
3. Martyr
4. James
5. The Simple Act of Killing a Woman
6. Brotherless Nights
7. My Friends
8. Wandering Stars
9. Question 7
10. Praiseworthy
11. Glorious Exploits
12. Gliff
13. Enlightenment
14. Playground
15. Time of the Flies
16. Portrait of the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking
17. The Safe Keep
18. The Empulsium
19. Hard by a Great Forest
20. Held
21. Blue Ruin
22. I Will Crash
23. Stone Yard Devotional
24. Fury
25. You Dreamed of Emoires
26. Spent Light
When does this finish? Still reading The Night Alphabet and Brotherless Night.....
Mod
Happy to keep it going for a few more weeks, maybe until the end of January
Hugh wrote: "Margaret wrote: "When does this finish? Still reading The Night Alphabet and Brotherless Night....."Happy to keep it going for a few more weeks, maybe until the end of January"
Thanks Hugh.. Might try to get Praiseworthy in too then.
1 Held by Anne Michaels2 My Friends by Hisham Matar
3 Playground by Richard Powers
4 Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor
5 Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
6 Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright
7 Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
8 Martyr! by Kaveh Akba
9 James by Percival Everett
10 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
11 Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
12 The Safekeep by Yael van der Worden
13 Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
The Mookse and the Gripes
Books mentioned in this topic
And the Stones Cry Out (other topics)Anita de Monte Laughs Last (other topics)
The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers' Guild (other topics)
The Anthropologists (other topics)
Bad Habit (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Clara Dupont-Monod (other topics)Xóchitl González (other topics)
Mathias Énard (other topics)
Aysegül Savas (other topics)
Alana S. Portero (other topics)
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To keep the league table calculations tidy I will ignore numberings in the league tables and space all of the lists evenly.
NB Please do not include books that were not on the list below (so please stop including Headshot!)
These are the 66 nominated books (alphabetically by title):