TTT: Freebie -- Best Books I've Read so Far in 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I've Read So Far in 2024

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
I just finished this book today and haven't had a chance to review it yet but I already know it will be the best book I read in 2024. It is about the civil war in Sri Lanka. The war went on for decades and there were bad people on both (all) sides. It broke my heart but also touched me in an empowering message that every person can do something to make a difference. The 2024 Women's Prize Winner.
Completed in July.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
I loved this family saga set in India. It was as if I moved to India and lived with the family -- I could feel the temperatures, taste the food, smells the flowers, and admire the art. Packed with complex and quirky characters.
Completed in January.

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar, 10th Anniversary ed. by Cheryl Strayed
I was touched by every single answer 'Sugar' gave her readers. At the time of her writing this column few people had heard of Cheryl Strayed because her very popular book Wild hadn't been published yet. I couldn't believe at the deftness with which she as Sugar got to the bottom of each problem/question. She was like the best counselor helping her patients to realize they were focusing on the wrong issue or catching them in their own deceptions. She was brilliant.
Completed in June.

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
I have to remind myself that 'best' and 'favorite' are two separate things. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time because the writing was so brilliant. Other book club members are probably shaking their heads at me for this pick because the plot was so dark. I thought it was brilliant. Winner of the 2022 National Book Award.
Completed in February.

When We Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
This book is more a feminist novel than it is a fantasy tale. I enjoyed the fierceness with which these dragons fought for women's rights in a time when women were supposed to stay in their lane. It was recommended to me by my daughter and I was so glad she did.
Completed in March.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
This book will undoubtedly be my favorite book club selection of the year. It is so well written and researched. Lisa See's books never disappoint me and I usually learn so much from them.
Completed in March.

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
A novel about the Battle of Gettysburg during the US Civil War. It tells the story from the vantage point of several different people: Gen. Sherman, Gen. Longstreet, General Pickett from the Confederate side, and Col. Chamberlain and Gen. Buford from the Yankee side. I don't often read books about battles in wars, but I do enjoy reading good historical fiction. Killer Angels may very well be the best of the bunch. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975.
Completed in April.

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow
In this nonfiction book Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.  Those of us in the literary world all know that a 'prequel' is a book which was written after the first book about events that happened before. The prequel gives history and context to further the story and the reader's understanding. This book is a prequel to what is happening in politics today. Maddow is giving us history and context to round out knowledge in hopes that we will thwart the efforts by many who seem eager to give away our democracy.
Completed in April.

Leave Only Footprints: Amy Acadia to Zion Journey Through America's National Parks by Conor Knighton
This book may be on the list because it is so closely associated in my mind with a wonderful family vacation to the five National Parks in Utah. My review is not only about the book, it is also about our trip.
Completed in April.
 

-Anne