I put 3 of these on my wishlist! North Woods was my favorite read of 2024 and perhaps the book of my life so far. I’ve read thousands of books and I cannot shake the memory of this book. Just absolutely brilliant!
I love T. Kingfisher's books. A House With Good Bones is my favorite of hers, but I've enjoyed all of her books. Les Miserables is such a great book! I'm hoping to get to James in 2025. I enjoyed hearing about your 2024 favorites. Wishing you all the best reading in 2025!
Thanks, Jen. A House with Good Bones is my favorite so far of all of Kingfisher's books. What a great find! I hope you have a great reading year in 2025 too, Jen.
Hi Gavin. It was very difficult to put this list together, and like I said, it really could change from one moment to the next. I really loved Earth Abides. It could easily be in the top ten. I definitely wanted my new ventures into SF and horror to be included in this list somehow.
Great list! A dear friend bought me Elena Knows and I really enjoyed it. I’m curious to read more. Les Miserables is a favorite of mine. I’m now reading The Hunchback and really enjoying it.
Thank you. Elena Knows is up next for our group. I've heard only good things about it. You are welcome to join our group if you are interested. We're moving through Pineiro's works chronologically now. Let me know. Happy Holidays!
Great list, Pat. I like the thought of making a list of a years's re-reads. Also, it was interesting you mentioned Stewart's "Earth Abides". His earlier book "Storm" appeared on my list and I featured him exclusively in an earlier post, too. Maybe Booktube will lead to a return and re-appreciation of his other works. He really was a great and prolific writer. And, of course, "James": I think it made everyone's lists. How could it not. An instant classic.
Hi Bob. Stewart was a new find for me this past summer, but I was really taken by him. Yes, I think James will make it to everyone's list in some way. A brilliant book.
I got a 3 month trial to kindle unlimited yesterday and Leonard and Hungry Paul is on there! So I might have to give that a go soon. Les Mis is the only one of these I've read, so lots of new things to look out for 😊
Hi Aaron. Oh definitely get Leonard and Hungry Paul if it's on kindle unlimited. It's such a delightful read. It's hard to even explain why it is so special, but I absolutely loved it. Hope you are doing well. Happy Holidays!
Lovely to hear about your favourite reads of the year Pat. James is up there as one of my favourites for the year too along with There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak.
Thank you, Joanna. I do keep my own log and reading journal, but I am not on Goodreads. Which of my favorites overlap with yours? Thanks for commenting here. Happy Holidays!
Hi Pat, thank you so much for your wonderful 2024 best books. I found some wonderful recommendations, especially of Irish literature on your list. I also had a similar experience with “are you somebody” after I read that wonderful book I read every book she wrote. I also watched some podcasts she gave before she passed away at a young age I think I will order rough sleepers on the Audible credits. I have left over this year. What is it about Irish literature that affects me so deeply. I only have a few percentages of Irish DNA through my Puerto Rican side, which was probably through the Spanish, who colonized Puerto Rico. I’m really glad you joined the community and you are a great addition and a great human. Aloha my friend.
Thank you, Marilyn, for this lovely comment! You are such a treasure. I'm so glad to have found you here this year. Thank you for always being so kind and welcoming to me....The Irish are just such wonderful story tellers. The more I read of them, the more I want to read. Happy Holidays, Marilyn. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend.
I probably could have guessed about half of those! But that's because I always watch your channel and I know which books you spoke highly of over the past year. I read "Loved and Missed" and that will likely be in my Top Ten as well. I have "Leonard and Hungry Paul" on my shelves somewhere and have no excuse for not getting to it earlier! LOL! I need to take a look at "Rough Sleepers" - I know I would love it!
Oh Reney, you absolutely coukd have predicted this list! Thank you for watching my channel so faithfully! As a nurse, you would definitely have a powerful appreciation for Rough Sleepers. There are some nurses on his team who really make the whole program function….Snowing here now…I’m heading out to the gym while I can still drive! Ho Ho Ho! 🎅🏻🎄
@@BeyondBooks-wt5il Awww. I'm sorry. There is something very special about a white Christmas, and we really haven't had one in a few years either. I've just come in from helping to clean off a few of my neighbors' cars. It's pretty cold out there now--very windy--but the snow has stopped falling. I guess that's actually a good thing since people will be traveling today. It does look really pretty....
I loved Something Wicked This Way Comes. I need to read more T Kingfisher. One day, I will get to Les Miserables! I’ve heard such great things about Leonard and Hungry Paul. You have certainly added to my wish list!
Hi Jack! I fell in love with Leonard and Hungry Paul. Such a sweet, lovely book. T. Kingfisher has been a delightful find for me this year, thanks to M-J. I hope you're doing well. Happy Holidays, my friend!
Nice list, Pat!!! I remember reading Something Wicked This Way Comes many years ago at school. I need to try reading some more Ray Bradbury at some point. Hopefully I can manage to obtain some library of America volumes of his works.
Thanks, Josh. I did teach Fahrenheit 451, but I've only recently really begun to read many of his novels. I read a bunch this past July for Rocket Summer. I loved Something Wicked....There is a beautiful box set of his novels at Library of America. I've been looking at it myself for a while now. I hope you're doing well, Josh. Happy Holidays.
What a reading year you’ve had, Pat! I have read three of the books on your list: James (agree, very important book and has really stayed with me), Leonard and Hungry Paul (glad to see it crack the top 5, and just loved its gentle humour too - the email sign off contest), and Something Wicked This Way Comes (a fave from my early teen years). I have the Nuala O’Faolain book out from the library right now and am excited to get to it! I absolutely will add the Susie Boyt book to my list in 2025. Thanks for being such an inspiring book reviewer and enthusiast and for sharing your reading all year. I so appreciate you and your insights into all kinds of literature. Merry Christmas to you and your family and friends, and much joy to you in 2025.
I love this list so much! I had guessed your top five, but forgot about Queen of Dirt Island! And there were a couple of other surprises (to me) as well, like the accidental memoir and North Woods. T Kingfisher and Piñeiro I was not surprised about! I’d really like to try both of them 😊 I hadn’t planned on doing a favorites video, but now I’m feeling inspired, so I might. Piranesi and Beartown would be on there for sure, and then I’ll have to think a bit. Thank you for sharing this list! 😊
Thank you, Ellen. I will be reading Piranesi in the new year because of you. I think I would like Beartown too. James is probably the greatest of the novels on my list, but Queen of Dirt Island spoke to me in a different way, I think, because of the Irish connection. Same with the Nuala O'Faolain memoir. I'd love to see your list if you do decide to do something like this. It was fun--harder than I thought--but fun.
I was so busy taking notes I had to rewind to comment! My sister and I are going to read Leonard and Hungry Paul (our own little book club-we’re reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid this month). Anyway, I added several of yours to my tbr list. Really enjoyable video!
That’s a great set of books there Pat. I especially liked your honourable mentions, and I must get a copy of James (although I might be lucky as it’s on my Christmas list) 🎄
Interesting list! I have read The River We Remember and Les Miserable.... it is interesting, another poster, Kim, has that exact same version of les Miserable, it is on shelf right behind her when she posts! I heard about Rough Sleeper from you, and i will definitely read that. I am just now reading Time of the Flies... in fact, my reading today introduced the client that may be a problem??? I picked up a copy of James recently at a thrift shop and have started that.
@@carolnash5617 Kim is a dear friend. I see the Les Mis edition in her videos on the shelf behind her. We both have The Penguin Classic Deluxe edition. I hope you enjoy Time of the Flies. And James! Happy Holidays!
I just discovered your channel and you're the first person I've come across who has talked about "The Queen of Dirt Island." It doesn't get enough attention. I also like the thoughtful way in which you discuss the books.
Thank you so much for this lovely comment. I did a fully review of The Queen of Dirt Island back when I read it for judging the Book Tube Prize Awards. I absolutely adore the book. Thanks for your kind words!
Thank you! I added several titles to my “For Later” list at my local library. I’m glad to have recently discovered your channel! Keep these videos coming please?
Great list, and I'm not just saying that because you have 3 of my very favorite reads from this year on it: The Queen of Dirt Island, Loved and Missed, Leonard and Hungry Paul. I also own the Pineiro and North Woods and hope to get them very early in the New Year. A friend of mine (retired librarian) and I have decided to swap our top ten lists just for giggles. It's a lot harder than I thought! I don't know how you Booktubers do it. ❤️💚
Hi Nina! I would love to hear your list too. It was a lot of fun to do the list, but yes, not an easy task at all! And as I said, it really is a fluid list. I've changed my mind more than once about some of these....Merry Christmas, my friend!
Thanks, Nigel. There are a few on this list that I think you might really like. So glad to have met you here this year. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a healthy year ahead! Thanks for your friendship!
What a wonderful selection. Les Mis is one of my favourite reads of this year too. Many of those that you highlighted are on my list for next year. What a great reading year it has been 😊
Thanks, Debs. Les Mis was such a powerful reading experience. It has been an exceptional reading year. I'm so grateful to have met you this year, my friend. I hope you have lovely holidays with your family! Here's to 2025 and more wonderful reading experiences.
I somehow thought you were here for one than a year, although I cannot watch every video you make, I really love your content 🤗 I added a Pinerio book to my TBR because of your and Ros’s recommendations 😊
Thank you, dear Berna. I love your channel too. It will be a year in February. I'll have to figure out what to do to observe the one-year anniversary then. Pineiro has been a great find for me this year. I've really loved her books so far. You're welcome to join us if you decide to read one of her books that we have coming up in the next months. Elena Knows is next, in January.
That's quite the eclectic list there! I have not read any of these books but have thought about reading James but would probably have to reread Huckleberry Finn first since I only read it as a kid and in German so a lot would probably be lost on me if I just read James now. I have not yet made any attempt at coming up with my favourite reads of the year but Silvia Moreno Garcia's The Seventh Veil Of Salome, Margaret Killjoy's The Sapling Cage and all of Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series definitely made an impact on me as did my first reading of Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. There's probably more but that would require thinking and I'm not good at that.
@@RafBlutaxt I have never tried to do a list like this before. I figured I couldn’t do separate lists for the different genres I read, so I just looked at the year as a whole and combined all genres into one list. It sounds like you’ve had a really intense and impressive reading year. If you decide you want to read James sooner than later, you really could do it with just a cursory review of Huck Finn. James does include the character of Huck, but it really goes off in totally different directions. Everett said he feels like he was in conversation with Twain, but that he wrote the novel that Twain never could have written in his day. I used to teach Huck Finn. If I were still teaching today, I would love to be able to teach JAMES in conjunction.
@@BookChatWithPat8668 Oh, I'm just generally bad at making lists, much less ranking them. I will get to James sooner or later, there's enough other stuff on my list for now to not rush it and the first 2025 release I want to read already comes out on the 14th so I'm sure I'll stay busy.
@@troytradup it might. Both Irish novels…I just felt so deeply connected to the women in Dirt Island. But I suspect I will revisit Leonard and Hungry Paul.
Fabulous top ten, Pat ☺It's so tricky to pick just ten favourite reads, isn't it! I've actually got two of your honourable mentions in my reading project TBRs -- I'll be diving into both _Earth Abides_ and _Something Wicked This Way Comes_ in February -- so it's great to hear you enjoyed them so much. I really need to get to some T. Kingfisher next year too, and have had _North Woods_ in my Audible library for a while now and really ought to listen to it! Will make a great pick for my Read What You Own challenge 👍Lovely to hear what a wonderful year's reading you've had, I've enjoyed hearing about all your experiences throughout the year and it's been fabulous to get to know you a little during 2024. Here's to another amazing year of reading, BookTube and friendship in 2025 🥰
Thank you for this lovely comment, Alex. You are such a treasure! I definitely wanted to have some of my recent forays into science fiction on the list. Earth Abides felt to me like such a modern, contemporary even, story, even though it was written in 1949. Really powerful novel. And Bradbury, well, I just love him. Such a great story teller. I'm so grateful for your friendship here, Alex. Wishing you lovely holidays and a great 2025!
@@BookChatWithPat8668 Yes, I love what I've read of Bradbury so far -- the style and tone of his writing has real power to it. I adore his choice of words and how he structures his sentences. And his imagination is brilliant. Very grateful for you too, Pat! Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! 😊
Outstanding assortment! It’s been so fun following along as you read these throughout the year. One highlight of my own year was reading James Agee for the first time. A Death in the Family left me weak in the knees, and Let Us Now Praise Famous Men . . . unflinching, mystifying, eloquent. His prose is poetry.
Thank you for the recommendation of James Agee, Patricia. It has been a powerful reading year, for sure. Thank you for following my channel and for commenting so thoughtfully all the time. I am so grateful for your friendship! Happy Holidays, Patricia.
This was great. Very enjoyable. What a great year - starting BookTube and your Ireland visit. My favourite 2 this year; 2 recent reads, The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell and The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (I got a stunning edition of it in Dublin). Really looking forward to seeing what 2025 brings.
Thanks, Helen. I, too, loved The Canterville Ghost this year, but that was a re-read, and I am only counting first reads for this video. The Old Nurse's Story was terrific too. Yes, I guess it really was a year of very special firsts. Merry Christmas, my friend!
I read Rough Sleepers on your recommendation and it was so good. I'm adding a Claudia Pineiro book to my list for next year, but not sure which one I should read first.
Hi Kelly. Most people in our group had already read her novel, Elena Knows. (I haven't read it yet.) We are reading that one next as it is next in the chronology. It's probably her most famous novel, for which she was in the running for the Booker Prize, I believe. Her most recent novel translated into English is the one I love the best so far, Time of the Flies, but I wouldn't start with that one. It's a sequel to her much earlier novel, All Yours. You're welcome to join us at any point if you'd like. We will be reading Elena Knows starting in January.
Thanks for delivering your Top 10 of 2024. I am not doing rereads at all, just because my TBR gets longer and longer all the time. I will release my top 10 in about a week from now, I am still reading some books and always hesitate since they might make it into the list. "James" has good chances to end up Top 10 for me, too.
@@Rainierbooks I know what you mean. Leonard and Hungry Paul is one that I just finished and adjusted my list to add it! I just have so much to do in the next week that I figured it’s not likely that I’m going to read a new book that will make the list. But never say never. I guess it could always happen!
I am pausing after the honorable mentions because all of those sound good and I thought, uh-oh, my TBR is about to become much bigger if these are the hon. mentions! Back to the video... So many interesting titles. Should All Yours be read before Time of the Flies? Lots of good reading to look forward too in 2025.
@@krc5210 thank you! Yes, I would recommend All Yours first. It’s a very different kind of book from Time of the Flies, and the main character feels like a totally different person. But if Time of the Flies is to really make sense, it would help to know what happened 15 years earlier…
Thanks, Meg. I guess it is a pretty varied list. I didn't know if I would be able to do a bunch of different top ten lists for different genres, so I put them all together. Happy Holidays, my friend!
Awesome list my friend. William Kent Krueger is one author i have read one book from and want to binge read his books! Of the actual list i have heard of a few but read none of them. I am slowly working on branching out thiugh! Awesome video Pat, i always learn so much! Educator for life…😊❤
Thank you, Kevin, for always responding in such a kind way. I will definitely read more of Wm Kent Krueger. I really loved the three that I've read so far, and he has A LOT of books to binge on!
Of your list, I read A House With Good Bones and really liked it. I read Something Wicked This Way Comes. Thought it was okay, but it didn't live up to my memory of what I thought of it when I read it years ago
Hi Stuart. I can see Something Wicked This Way Comes having a powerful impact on younger readers of SF. It introduced me to Bradbury's Green Town series, which I've loved. T. Kingfisher has been a delightful new discovery for me this year.
Well, I waited til my mid-sixties to read it, but I was absolutely floored by what an incredible reading experience it was. I'm also someone who had never seen the movie or the Broadway play. So I was coming at it with few pre-conceived notions about it. I loved it.
@@jimsbooksreadingandstuff Earth Abides really floored me. I think James is probably the most important American novel of this year, and I don’t usually talk in superlative language like that. I’m glad Everett is getting the attention he deserves.
Oh Pat, now I have more titles to add to my list 😉I am very intrigued with Earth Abides, and want to read James as well, but first need to read Twain's book as I heard James is inspired by Huckleberry story... My absolute two favorite reads of 2024 are Life Before Us by Romain Gary and The House of the Mosque by Kader Abdolah! Happy Holidays! 💫💕
Thanks for the recommendations, Daniela. James is a re-telling of Twain's story from the point of view of the character, Jim, who becomes James in Everett's novel, but it goes far beyond Huck Finn. I was very surprised by Earth Abides. Although it's been around for a long time, it was a totally new discovery for me and very timely in a weird way. I've discovered so many great new-to-me writers since I've started reading science fiction. Happy Holidays, my friend.
My best of the year list is brewing in my head at the moment. North Woods is a contender, Piñeiro will probably sneak in there. I was grateful for the BookTube Prize for bringing me to Loved and Missed. James was a fine work but not an absolute favourite. I have Queen of Dirt Island and must read it.
Hi Ros. I, too, made some great discoveries through the Book Tube Prize judging. I don't think I've ever tried to make a list like this before. It was challenging but also a lot of fun. I experienced James as a very difficult and disturbing read--but ultimately a really important book. I hope you like Queen of Dirt Island. I know that it especially spoke to me because I was preparing for my first trip to Ireland. It also set me on quest to read more of Donal Ryan's work. I think he's enormously talented. I will look forward to your "best of" video, Ros. I hope you have a lovely holiday.
I have read a few of the same books since we were both judges for the BookTube Prize. We I put out my favorite list at least one book will be the same.
I know we must have a similar taste in books because three of my favourite books this year are also on your list. Do you keep a log of the books you read anywhere? Like a reading journal or Goodreads?
I have not read anything of the books you mentioned thank you for sharing. I have accidentally stumbled on books by Clare Pooley. Have you read any by her?
Well, thank you for watching and commenting. I think the only thing I've read by Clare Pooley was The Authenticity Project a few years ago. What do you recommend?
Thank you so much. I'm glad that you've found me! I discovered Earth Abides in Rocket Summer in July, and I really loved it. Such a powerful book! I think it is one that I will revisit as well. Thanks so much for checking out my channel.
What a happy thumbnail! I love the range of books here and I'm interested in all of the ones I haven't yet read myself. Oh, you're reminding me of how much I love North Woods. It was the one that slipped in under the wire last December right into my favorites. I especially need to add Loved and Missed and Queen of Dirt Island to my TBR. Great video!
Thanks, Angelia. I was afraid I'd never do anything if I tried to do a separate Favorite Reads for different genres, so I just threw them all in together. I think I also started North Woods last December, but I believe my book group discussed in January, and then I read it in one of the Book Tube rounds--maybe in April? What a great book! This was a lot of fun to put together--but harder than I would have thought. Merry Christmas, my friend!
I put 3 of these on my wishlist! North Woods was my favorite read of 2024 and perhaps the book of my life so far. I’ve read thousands of books and I cannot shake the memory of this book. Just absolutely brilliant!
How wonderful! It is a magnificent book. I will revisit it again, I'm sure. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I love T. Kingfisher's books. A House With Good Bones is my favorite of hers, but I've enjoyed all of her books. Les Miserables is such a great book! I'm hoping to get to James in 2025. I enjoyed hearing about your 2024 favorites. Wishing you all the best reading in 2025!
Thanks, Jen. A House with Good Bones is my favorite so far of all of Kingfisher's books. What a great find! I hope you have a great reading year in 2025 too, Jen.
Great list, and happy to see “Earth Abides” mixing around the top!
Hi Gavin. It was very difficult to put this list together, and like I said, it really could change from one moment to the next. I really loved Earth Abides. It could easily be in the top ten. I definitely wanted my new ventures into SF and horror to be included in this list somehow.
Great list! A dear friend bought me Elena Knows and I really enjoyed it. I’m curious to read more. Les Miserables is a favorite of mine. I’m now reading The Hunchback and really enjoying it.
Thank you. Elena Knows is up next for our group. I've heard only good things about it. You are welcome to join our group if you are interested. We're moving through Pineiro's works chronologically now. Let me know. Happy Holidays!
Thanks for the recommendations. These sound like some wonderful books.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
Absolutely wonderful list, Pat! I enjoyed this presentation immensely! Sounds like you had a truly incredible reading year. Excellent video.
Hi Trav! It's been a great reading year. Thanks so much for your lovely comment.
Great list, Pat. I like the thought of making a list of a years's re-reads. Also, it was interesting you mentioned Stewart's "Earth Abides". His earlier book "Storm" appeared on my list and I featured him exclusively in an earlier post, too. Maybe Booktube will lead to a return and re-appreciation of his other works. He really was a great and prolific writer. And, of course, "James": I think it made everyone's lists. How could it not. An instant classic.
Hi Bob. Stewart was a new find for me this past summer, but I was really taken by him. Yes, I think James will make it to everyone's list in some way. A brilliant book.
I got a 3 month trial to kindle unlimited yesterday and Leonard and Hungry Paul is on there! So I might have to give that a go soon. Les Mis is the only one of these I've read, so lots of new things to look out for 😊
Hi Aaron. Oh definitely get Leonard and Hungry Paul if it's on kindle unlimited. It's such a delightful read. It's hard to even explain why it is so special, but I absolutely loved it. Hope you are doing well. Happy Holidays!
Lovely to hear about your favourite reads of the year Pat. James is up there as one of my favourites for the year too along with There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak.
Thank you, Joanna. I do keep my own log and reading journal, but I am not on Goodreads. Which of my favorites overlap with yours? Thanks for commenting here. Happy Holidays!
Hi Pat, thank you so much for your wonderful 2024 best books. I found some wonderful recommendations, especially of Irish literature on your list. I also had a similar experience with “are you somebody” after I read that wonderful book I read every book she wrote. I also watched some podcasts she gave before she passed away at a young age
I think I will order rough sleepers on the Audible credits. I have left over this year.
What is it about Irish literature that affects me so deeply. I only have a few percentages of Irish DNA through my Puerto Rican side, which was probably through the Spanish, who colonized Puerto Rico. I’m really glad you joined the community and you are a great addition and a great human. Aloha my friend.
Thank you, Marilyn, for this lovely comment! You are such a treasure. I'm so glad to have found you here this year. Thank you for always being so kind and welcoming to me....The Irish are just such wonderful story tellers. The more I read of them, the more I want to read. Happy Holidays, Marilyn. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend.
@ love you, Pat. Aloha.
Love you back!
I probably could have guessed about half of those! But that's because I always watch your channel and I know which books you spoke highly of over the past year. I read "Loved and Missed" and that will likely be in my Top Ten as well. I have "Leonard and Hungry Paul" on my shelves somewhere and have no excuse for not getting to it earlier! LOL! I need to take a look at "Rough Sleepers" - I know I would love it!
Oh Reney, you absolutely coukd have predicted this list! Thank you for watching my channel so faithfully! As a nurse, you would definitely have a powerful appreciation for Rough Sleepers. There are some nurses on his team who really make the whole program function….Snowing here now…I’m heading out to the gym while I can still drive! Ho Ho Ho! 🎅🏻🎄
@BookChatWithPat8668 gotta admit - I'm kinda jeal-y about the snow! I haven't seen a White Christmas in decades!
@@BeyondBooks-wt5il Awww. I'm sorry. There is something very special about a white Christmas, and we really haven't had one in a few years either. I've just come in from helping to clean off a few of my neighbors' cars. It's pretty cold out there now--very windy--but the snow has stopped falling. I guess that's actually a good thing since people will be traveling today. It does look really pretty....
I loved Something Wicked This Way Comes. I need to read more T Kingfisher. One day, I will get to Les Miserables! I’ve heard such great things about Leonard and Hungry Paul. You have certainly added to my wish list!
Hi Jack! I fell in love with Leonard and Hungry Paul. Such a sweet, lovely book. T. Kingfisher has been a delightful find for me this year, thanks to M-J. I hope you're doing well. Happy Holidays, my friend!
@ and to you Pat!
Nice list, Pat!!! I remember reading Something Wicked This Way Comes many years ago at school. I need to try reading some more Ray Bradbury at some point. Hopefully I can manage to obtain some library of America volumes of his works.
Thanks, Josh. I did teach Fahrenheit 451, but I've only recently really begun to read many of his novels. I read a bunch this past July for Rocket Summer. I loved Something Wicked....There is a beautiful box set of his novels at Library of America. I've been looking at it myself for a while now. I hope you're doing well, Josh. Happy Holidays.
What a reading year you’ve had, Pat! I have read three of the books on your list: James (agree, very important book and has really stayed with me), Leonard and Hungry Paul (glad to see it crack the top 5, and just loved its gentle humour too - the email sign off contest), and Something Wicked This Way Comes (a fave from my early teen years). I have the Nuala O’Faolain book out from the library right now and am excited to get to it! I absolutely will add the Susie Boyt book to my list in 2025. Thanks for being such an inspiring book reviewer and enthusiast and for sharing your reading all year. I so appreciate you and your insights into all kinds of literature. Merry Christmas to you and your family and friends, and much joy to you in 2025.
@@jf8559 thank you so much, and thanks for your kind and positive presence on my channel! Happy Holidays to you and your family as well!
I love this list so much! I had guessed your top five, but forgot about Queen of Dirt Island! And there were a couple of other surprises (to me) as well, like the accidental memoir and North Woods. T Kingfisher and Piñeiro I was not surprised about! I’d really like to try both of them 😊 I hadn’t planned on doing a favorites video, but now I’m feeling inspired, so I might. Piranesi and Beartown would be on there for sure, and then I’ll have to think a bit. Thank you for sharing this list! 😊
Thank you, Ellen. I will be reading Piranesi in the new year because of you. I think I would like Beartown too. James is probably the greatest of the novels on my list, but Queen of Dirt Island spoke to me in a different way, I think, because of the Irish connection. Same with the Nuala O'Faolain memoir. I'd love to see your list if you do decide to do something like this. It was fun--harder than I thought--but fun.
Ooh-I loved Nuala O’Faolain’s My Dream of You when it came out. I really should revisit it sometime! Amazing list, Pat!
Hi Hannah. Nuala O'Faolain has been such a wonderful find for me. I hope you are doing well. Happy Holidays, my friend.
@@BookChatWithPat8668 You, too. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!
@@HannahsBooks thank you!
I was so busy taking notes I had to rewind to comment! My sister and I are going to read Leonard and Hungry Paul (our own little book club-we’re reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid this month). Anyway, I added several of yours to my tbr list.
Really enjoyable video!
Thanks, Vicki. I hope you both like Leonard and Hungry Paul. It's a very sweet, quiet novel that really affected me deeply.
That’s a great set of books there Pat. I especially liked your honourable mentions, and I must get a copy of James (although I might be lucky as it’s on my Christmas list) 🎄
@@AlansReads thank you! I hope you do get a copy of James for Christmas!
Interesting list! I have read The River We Remember and Les Miserable.... it is interesting, another poster, Kim, has that exact same version of les Miserable, it is on shelf right behind her when she posts! I heard about Rough Sleeper from you, and i will definitely read that. I am just now reading Time of the Flies... in fact, my reading today introduced the client that may be a problem??? I picked up a copy of James recently at a thrift shop and have started that.
@@carolnash5617 Kim is a dear friend. I see the Les Mis edition in her videos on the shelf behind her. We both have The Penguin Classic Deluxe edition. I hope you enjoy Time of the Flies. And James! Happy Holidays!
Wonderful list! I added some of these to my tbr. I gifted myself Northwoods recently and it is one on the list for early 2025!
Thank you. It's a wonderful book. I hope you enjoy it!
I just discovered your channel and you're the first person I've come across who has talked about "The Queen of Dirt Island." It doesn't get enough attention.
I also like the thoughtful way in which you discuss the books.
Thank you so much for this lovely comment. I did a fully review of The Queen of Dirt Island back when I read it for judging the Book Tube Prize Awards. I absolutely adore the book. Thanks for your kind words!
Thank you! I added several titles to my “For Later” list at my local library. I’m glad to have recently discovered your channel! Keep these videos coming please?
@@jenniereece1158 thank you! I’m glad you found me! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great list, and I'm not just saying that because you have 3 of my very favorite reads from this year on it: The Queen of Dirt Island, Loved and Missed, Leonard and Hungry Paul. I also own the Pineiro and North Woods and hope to get them very early in the New Year.
A friend of mine (retired librarian) and I have decided to swap our top ten lists just for giggles. It's a lot harder than I thought! I don't know how you Booktubers do it.
❤️💚
Hi Nina! I would love to hear your list too. It was a lot of fun to do the list, but yes, not an easy task at all! And as I said, it really is a fluid list. I've changed my mind more than once about some of these....Merry Christmas, my friend!
@@BookChatWithPat8668 And to you, Pat. If I manage to pull a list together I'll share it here.
Excellent!
@@BookChatWithPat8668 Update: My "Ten Favorite Reads of 2024” list currently stands at 17. 🤦🏻♀️
Well, that just made me laugh out loud! I completely get it; my top 10 was really 13, so I totally understand! 😉
I've not read any of these Pat so thanks for the reviews! Best wishes for Christmas and here's to some great reading in 2025!
Thanks, Nigel. There are a few on this list that I think you might really like. So glad to have met you here this year. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a healthy year ahead! Thanks for your friendship!
What a wonderful selection. Les Mis is one of my favourite reads of this year too. Many of those that you highlighted are on my list for next year. What a great reading year it has been 😊
Thanks, Debs. Les Mis was such a powerful reading experience. It has been an exceptional reading year. I'm so grateful to have met you this year, my friend. I hope you have lovely holidays with your family! Here's to 2025 and more wonderful reading experiences.
I somehow thought you were here for one than a year, although I cannot watch every video you make, I really love your content 🤗
I added a Pinerio book to my TBR because of your and Ros’s recommendations 😊
Thank you, dear Berna. I love your channel too. It will be a year in February. I'll have to figure out what to do to observe the one-year anniversary then. Pineiro has been a great find for me this year. I've really loved her books so far. You're welcome to join us if you decide to read one of her books that we have coming up in the next months. Elena Knows is next, in January.
@ well the book I added is Elena Knows 😎 No promises but I will try to read it in January 😉
@@BernasBookishAdventures I think we start it around Jan. 6. Let me know if you would like to join the voxer group. No pressure, though, of course.
That's quite the eclectic list there! I have not read any of these books but have thought about reading James but would probably have to reread Huckleberry Finn first since I only read it as a kid and in German so a lot would probably be lost on me if I just read James now. I have not yet made any attempt at coming up with my favourite reads of the year but Silvia Moreno Garcia's The Seventh Veil Of Salome, Margaret Killjoy's The Sapling Cage and all of Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series definitely made an impact on me as did my first reading of Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. There's probably more but that would require thinking and I'm not good at that.
@@RafBlutaxt I have never tried to do a list like this before. I figured I couldn’t do separate lists for the different genres I read, so I just looked at the year as a whole and combined all genres into one list. It sounds like you’ve had a really intense and impressive reading year. If you decide you want to read James sooner than later, you really could do it with just a cursory review of Huck Finn. James does include the character of Huck, but it really goes off in totally different directions. Everett said he feels like he was in conversation with Twain, but that he wrote the novel that Twain never could have written in his day. I used to teach Huck Finn. If I were still teaching today, I would love to be able to teach JAMES in conjunction.
@@BookChatWithPat8668 Oh, I'm just generally bad at making lists, much less ranking them. I will get to James sooner or later, there's enough other stuff on my list for now to not rush it and the first 2025 release I want to read already comes out on the 14th so I'm sure I'll stay busy.
@ got it. What’s coming out on the 14th?
@@BookChatWithPat8668 Death Of The Author by Nnedi Okorafor which, with this title, I can't not read immediately on release.
I hope it's a great read! I just read about it online, and it does sound like an incredible book.
Thanks so much for sharing, Pat!
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Thanks, Laura! Happy Holidays!
@
Ditto, Pat! ♥️💚
Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo! 🎄
@@LauraRodriguez-Peace Igualmente, gracias!
Some interesting books. I managed to finally watch! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thank you for watching! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! I'm so glad we've connected here this year.
@@BookChatWithPat8668 Same her Pat I've really enjoyed getting to know you.
I really struggle to do lists like this, i’m not good with ‘favourite’ questions 😊
Great selection 🎉
@@Bookishtravels1 I know what you mean. It took me forever to put this together!
Great list Pat.
@@BookishTexan thanks, Brian! I guess it’s been quite a year!
Thanks so much for so many great recommendations --- I've added several to my list!
@@MyGrannyEra aww I’m glad you were inspired to add some titles to your list. I hope you’re doing well! Happy Holidays!
Awesome list! I predict Leonard and Hungry Paul will rise in your mind over time to eventually supplant this year's victor. 😉
@@troytradup it might. Both Irish novels…I just felt so deeply connected to the women in Dirt Island. But I suspect I will revisit Leonard and Hungry Paul.
Fabulous top ten, Pat ☺It's so tricky to pick just ten favourite reads, isn't it! I've actually got two of your honourable mentions in my reading project TBRs -- I'll be diving into both _Earth Abides_ and _Something Wicked This Way Comes_ in February -- so it's great to hear you enjoyed them so much. I really need to get to some T. Kingfisher next year too, and have had _North Woods_ in my Audible library for a while now and really ought to listen to it! Will make a great pick for my Read What You Own challenge 👍Lovely to hear what a wonderful year's reading you've had, I've enjoyed hearing about all your experiences throughout the year and it's been fabulous to get to know you a little during 2024. Here's to another amazing year of reading, BookTube and friendship in 2025 🥰
Thank you for this lovely comment, Alex. You are such a treasure! I definitely wanted to have some of my recent forays into science fiction on the list. Earth Abides felt to me like such a modern, contemporary even, story, even though it was written in 1949. Really powerful novel. And Bradbury, well, I just love him. Such a great story teller. I'm so grateful for your friendship here, Alex. Wishing you lovely holidays and a great 2025!
@@BookChatWithPat8668 Yes, I love what I've read of Bradbury so far -- the style and tone of his writing has real power to it. I adore his choice of words and how he structures his sentences. And his imagination is brilliant.
Very grateful for you too, Pat! Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! 😊
@ thanks, Alex.
Outstanding assortment! It’s been so fun following along as you read these throughout the year. One highlight of my own year was reading James Agee for the first time. A Death in the Family left me weak in the knees, and Let Us Now Praise Famous Men . . . unflinching, mystifying, eloquent. His prose is poetry.
Thank you for the recommendation of James Agee, Patricia. It has been a powerful reading year, for sure. Thank you for following my channel and for commenting so thoughtfully all the time. I am so grateful for your friendship! Happy Holidays, Patricia.
@BookChatWithPat8668 Happiest of Holidays to you as well! 🎄😊💚❤️🕯
This was great. Very enjoyable. What a great year - starting BookTube and your Ireland visit. My favourite 2 this year; 2 recent reads, The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell and The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (I got a stunning edition of it in Dublin). Really looking forward to seeing what 2025 brings.
Thanks, Helen. I, too, loved The Canterville Ghost this year, but that was a re-read, and I am only counting first reads for this video. The Old Nurse's Story was terrific too. Yes, I guess it really was a year of very special firsts. Merry Christmas, my friend!
I read Rough Sleepers on your recommendation and it was so good. I'm adding a Claudia Pineiro book to my list for next year, but not sure which one I should read first.
Hi Kelly. Most people in our group had already read her novel, Elena Knows. (I haven't read it yet.) We are reading that one next as it is next in the chronology. It's probably her most famous novel, for which she was in the running for the Booker Prize, I believe. Her most recent novel translated into English is the one I love the best so far, Time of the Flies, but I wouldn't start with that one. It's a sequel to her much earlier novel, All Yours. You're welcome to join us at any point if you'd like. We will be reading Elena Knows starting in January.
Discovered and love your channel! Merry Christmas and thank you!🎉❤
Thank you so much! How lovely! Merry Christmas to you as well.
Thanks for delivering your Top 10 of 2024. I am not doing rereads at all, just because my TBR gets longer and longer all the time. I will release my top 10 in about a week from now, I am still reading some books and always hesitate since they might make it into the list. "James" has good chances to end up Top 10 for me, too.
@@Rainierbooks I know what you mean. Leonard and Hungry Paul is one that I just finished and adjusted my list to add it! I just have so much to do in the next week that I figured it’s not likely that I’m going to read a new book that will make the list. But never say never. I guess it could always happen!
I am pausing after the honorable mentions because all of those sound good and I thought, uh-oh, my TBR is about to become much bigger if these are the hon. mentions! Back to the video... So many interesting titles. Should All Yours be read before Time of the Flies? Lots of good reading to look forward too in 2025.
@@krc5210 thank you! Yes, I would recommend All Yours first. It’s a very different kind of book from Time of the Flies, and the main character feels like a totally different person. But if Time of the Flies is to really make sense, it would help to know what happened 15 years earlier…
@@BookChatWithPat8668 TY! And Happy Holidaze to you.
@ to you too! 😊
Great list! I loved the variety of subjects!
Thanks, Meg. I guess it is a pretty varied list. I didn't know if I would be able to do a bunch of different top ten lists for different genres, so I put them all together. Happy Holidays, my friend!
Awesome list my friend. William Kent Krueger is one author i have read one book from and want to binge read his books! Of the actual list i have heard of a few but read none of them. I am slowly working on branching out thiugh! Awesome video Pat, i always learn so much! Educator for life…😊❤
Thank you, Kevin, for always responding in such a kind way. I will definitely read more of Wm Kent Krueger. I really loved the three that I've read so far, and he has A LOT of books to binge on!
Of your list, I read A House With Good Bones and really liked it. I read Something Wicked This Way Comes. Thought it was okay, but it didn't live up to my memory of what I thought of it when I read it years ago
Hi Stuart. I can see Something Wicked This Way Comes having a powerful impact on younger readers of SF. It introduced me to Bradbury's Green Town series, which I've loved. T. Kingfisher has been a delightful new discovery for me this year.
Your words of praise make me really want to read Les Miserables even tho it seems quite tedious
Well, I waited til my mid-sixties to read it, but I was absolutely floored by what an incredible reading experience it was. I'm also someone who had never seen the movie or the Broadway play. So I was coming at it with few pre-conceived notions about it. I loved it.
Great selection. Earth Abides sounds intriguing. I have seen a lot of people praising James by Percival Everett.
@@jimsbooksreadingandstuff Earth Abides really floored me. I think James is probably the most important American novel of this year, and I don’t usually talk in superlative language like that. I’m glad Everett is getting the attention he deserves.
Oh Pat, now I have more titles to add to my list 😉I am very intrigued with Earth Abides, and want to read James as well, but first need to read Twain's book as I heard James is inspired by Huckleberry story... My absolute two favorite reads of 2024 are Life Before Us by Romain Gary and The House of the Mosque by Kader Abdolah! Happy Holidays! 💫💕
Thanks for the recommendations, Daniela. James is a re-telling of Twain's story from the point of view of the character, Jim, who becomes James in Everett's novel, but it goes far beyond Huck Finn. I was very surprised by Earth Abides. Although it's been around for a long time, it was a totally new discovery for me and very timely in a weird way. I've discovered so many great new-to-me writers since I've started reading science fiction. Happy Holidays, my friend.
@ ❤️ warm hugs from Italy..
@@Uncommon_Reader thank you, Daniela! 🥰
My best of the year list is brewing in my head at the moment. North Woods is a contender, Piñeiro will probably sneak in there. I was grateful for the BookTube Prize for bringing me to Loved and Missed. James was a fine work but not an absolute favourite. I have Queen of Dirt Island and must read it.
Hi Ros. I, too, made some great discoveries through the Book Tube Prize judging. I don't think I've ever tried to make a list like this before. It was challenging but also a lot of fun. I experienced James as a very difficult and disturbing read--but ultimately a really important book. I hope you like Queen of Dirt Island. I know that it especially spoke to me because I was preparing for my first trip to Ireland. It also set me on quest to read more of Donal Ryan's work. I think he's enormously talented. I will look forward to your "best of" video, Ros. I hope you have a lovely holiday.
I love thrillers so I will definitely check out House with Good Bones
@@sophietennyson4103 I was very tentative going into the Horror Mayhem reading event, and T. Kingfisher was just right for me.
Aunt Pat I will be back to watch this one as I can't wait to see what your top reads are. Need to get some other things done first... Be back later...
@@FacelessBookReviews okay! Thanks for checking out my list!
I loved North Woods. It was eerie, unnerving, and wonderful. I also loved his previous book The Piano Tuner.
I think Daniel Mason is terrific. Thanks for tuning in and for commenting!
I have read a few of the same books since we were both judges for the BookTube Prize. We I put out my favorite list at least one book will be the same.
@@anotherbibliophilereads I can’t wait to see your list. I think I can guess which one we have in common as a favorite.
❤ from Brazil
Awww thank you! Happy Holidays!
I know we must have a similar taste in books because three of my favourite books this year are also on your list.
Do you keep a log of the books you read anywhere? Like a reading journal or Goodreads?
@@joannarigby1989 thanks for commenting! Which three are on your list too? I keep my own log and journal but I’m not on Goodreads.
I have not read anything of the books you mentioned thank you for sharing. I have accidentally stumbled on books by Clare Pooley. Have you read any by her?
Well, thank you for watching and commenting. I think the only thing I've read by Clare Pooley was The Authenticity Project a few years ago. What do you recommend?
@ that is what I am reading currently. Are any other read a likes that you know of? Thank you in advance for helping me
@@miajones6302 have you read any Richard Osman? His Thursday Murder Club series might feel similar. How about Frederik Backman?
@@BookChatWithPat8668 thank you I will check them out thank you
You’re welcome!
I just discovered your channel today. You're the only book tuber I've seen mention Earth Abides. Great book and I really enjoy your channel.
Thank you so much. I'm glad that you've found me! I discovered Earth Abides in Rocket Summer in July, and I really loved it. Such a powerful book! I think it is one that I will revisit as well. Thanks so much for checking out my channel.
What a happy thumbnail! I love the range of books here and I'm interested in all of the ones I haven't yet read myself. Oh, you're reminding me of how much I love North Woods. It was the one that slipped in under the wire last December right into my favorites. I especially need to add Loved and Missed and Queen of Dirt Island to my TBR. Great video!
Thanks, Angelia. I was afraid I'd never do anything if I tried to do a separate Favorite Reads for different genres, so I just threw them all in together. I think I also started North Woods last December, but I believe my book group discussed in January, and then I read it in one of the Book Tube rounds--maybe in April? What a great book! This was a lot of fun to put together--but harder than I would have thought. Merry Christmas, my friend!
@BookChatWithPat8668 It turned out great! Merry Christmas!
@@readandre-read 🎄❤️🎅🏻