The following, in no specific order, is a round of eight books I read in 2024 that made an impact on me. The phenomenal books on this end of year list are not all new releases, some are a few years old and one is considered a classic. There’s fiction and non-fiction alike, murder, sex workers and difficult women. It doesn’t even encompass the many books I read or listened to that I truly enjoyed. These are the books that immediately came to mind when I sat down to reflect on what made me say, shit, that was a great book, then stare ahead and absorb the words. Without further ado, the Eight Books of 2024 That Made an Impact (on me):
Whores, Harlots and Hackabouts, Kate Lister: Sensational. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Professor Lister, and she has a fantastic northern English accent that carries you into the history. She is thoughtful in addressing a really difficult subject, compassionate and uproariously funny. Sex work isn’t the oldest profession, as she argues in the book, but it is very old and it is one that is frowned upon unless you have the right economic status and pretty face. History is ridiculous and hilarious, but it’s also a rich resource for us to learn and Kate Lister is one of my favourite guides.
The Five, Hallie Rubenhold: The first Jack the Ripper book I read was the famous narrative that put forward Queen Victoria’s grandson as the murderer. We had recently moved in with my grandmother and I had started raiding her bookshelves (also where I found a sensationalized account of the Black Donnellys). “The Five” is nothing like that 1970s pulp non-fiction, though Rubenhold does reference it in her very well-done book about the five victims of Jack the Ripper. She eloquently breathes life and some agency into these women who were brutally cut down, their memory intertwined with their unknown murderer for generations. You can find my review here.
Sinister Graves, Marcie Reardon: This is the third instalment in the Cash Blackbear series by Reardon. I discovered the first in her series, the award-winning Murder on the River, as a happy accident at the library. Cash Blackbear is an intriguing Native American woman with abilities to see things not of this world and she assists a local police officer, who has also become her mentor and only family. Book four in Reardon’s series is coming out in 2025, so I’m looking forward to that!
Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler: Absolutely quintessential and necessary reading for anyone who is interested in speculative fiction and post-apocalyptic stories, but also philosophy and the human experience. Butler is an absorbing writer, her broken world, before it became that way, is unsettling in how familiar it is, but that is why post-apocalyptic storylines work so well. They are both a cautionary tale and a horror that could never happen.
Difficult Women, Roxane Gay: A powerful, painful and beautiful collection of short stories. Roxane Gay is a professor, editor, social commentator (from Twitter to the New York Times) and writer. This collection is raw and spectacular, it reveals bits and pieces and of what makes us whole.
The Wife Between Us, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen: A slow burn psychological thriller, “The Wife Between Us” is a great read as the weather chills and you have the opportunity to sit snuggled up by a fire. The storyline takes us back and forth between Vanessa, the scorned ex-wife of Richard, and his new fiancée Nellie. The women’s lives are intertwined in ways the reader would never expect.
Calling My Deadname Home, Avi Ben-Zeev: I loved this incredible memoir by Dr. Ben-Zeev. An honest and very loving look into the life of a trans man trying to heal himself and the journey with his family and loved ones. You can read my review here.
As 2024 unravelled and unfurled into whatever will come in the next year, these books were more than just stories. Each brought its own wisdom, touch of magic and introspection, growth and tears, which is a testament to the formative power of reading. A well-told story can change how you see the world.
What were books that impacted you the most this year? Share your favourites below in the comments, I’d love to hear other readers’ reflections and recommendations.
Joy Reads Books 