Happy New Year everyone. At the end of each year I love to look back on my favorite reads of the year. This year I set myself a goal of 24 books in 2024 – and beat it – ending up with 27 books read!

Here is a highlight of 12 of my favorites, one for each month.

I started the year gloriously with what turned out to be my favorite book of the year and a book that will go on my all-time favorite reading list. I loved THE WISHING GAME by Meg Shaffer so much this year that I actually read it twice. Once by myself in January and then again in the summer with my son Joey when he come home from college. I even got my husband to read this wonderful book, that left me with happy tears in my eyes.

In February I was delighted to continue Charlie Holmberg’s Whimbrel House series with THE BOY OF CHAOTIC MAKING. This is book 3 of the series and I highly recommend you start from the beginning. It’s well worth it. A whimsical, magical read. Very much looking forward to book 4 which is releasing in early 25.

March seemed like a good time for a vampire book! And this one THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES by Grady Hendrix was just the ticket! Lots of twists and turns and actually would make the perfect book club book! This was my first book by Grady Hendrix and I’ll definitely be adding others to my future reading list.

One of my favorite books of 2023 was Travis Baldree’s LEGENDS & LATTES, so I was super excited to read his prequel book BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST and even more excited as later in the year I got to meet Travis at Archon. He was super lovely (just like his books) and he signed both books for me.

More vampires In May, but cozy ones this time. I devoured THE VAMPIRE KNITTING CLUB books by Nancy Warren, reading five of them in succession and I plan to go back and read more at a later date.

Still cozy in June but a cozy mystery this time instead of fantasy or paranormal. BED, BREAKFAST AND THE BEYOND is the latest Eileen Duggan book. Eileen is a local author and friend and I love her books. Each have a local flavor and a hint of the unusual.

Once a year I need to read a Terry Pratchett book and this year it was SNUFF. This was a Vimes book with a lot to say that had me thinking about it for a long time afterwards.

My favorite book of 2023 was THE HOUSE ON THE CERULEAN SEA by T.J Klune. and I was super excited not only to read his new book SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA but also to hear Klune speak at our local library in the summer as part of the book’s release. There was even someone dressed up as Chauncey at the event!

Discovering THE TOMB OF THE QUEEN by Joss Walker was a happy accident. The author had applied for a newsletter swap with me and I made an error and accidentally left his book off my newsletter that month. I felt bad of course so reached out to the author and agreed to share the book on this blog and social media instead and a the same time picked up a copy. I’m glad I did. It’s an awesome story and not at all what I expected from the cover and fit well with my other cozy reads this year.

I met Esme Symes-Smith at Archon and swapped books with them. I’m so glad I did because their book SIR CALLIE AND THE CHAMPIONS OF HELSTON turned out to be one of my favorite books of 2024. It’s a lovely empowering story that I feel should be in every middle school and high school library and I plan to continue the series.

I’d wanted to read THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES by Sangu Mandanna for a while and was thrilled to pick it up in a local Little Free Library. It’s a wonderful warm hug of a book and was well worth the wait.

My final book of 2024 was THE STORY COLLECTOR by Evie Woods. Last year I read her wonderful LOST BOOKSHOP and this one was just as good but in a different way. Read it – you’ll understand!

Check out ALL the books I read here on Goodreads!

What was your favorite book of 2024? I’d love to see some of your recommendations in the comments.

Happy New Year everyone!