As I started reviewing my reading year there was one stat that jumped off the chart at me. Of the 13 five-star books I read this year my favorite 9 were backlist (published before 2024). I’m sure publishing analysts could provide an easy explanation (fewer books published in an election year) or a psychologist something more detailed (possibly around escape and avoidance) but I’m just going to own it. I LOVED backlist fiction this year.
A Quiet Life: A Novel by Ethan Joella
Published by Scribner
Publication date: November 29, 2022
Bookshop
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date: March 7, 2023
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The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Published by Saga Press
Publication date: October 31, 2023
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Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
Published by Vintage
Publication date: September 27, 2022
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Mirrored Heavens (Between Earth and Sky, #3) by Rebecca Roanhorse
Published by Saga Press
Publication date: June 4, 2024
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Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Published by Vintage
Publication date: October 15, 2020
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Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer
Published by Harper Paperbacks
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The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Published by Riverhead
Publication date: May 16, 2016
I haven’t reviewed this unusual novel yet about a girl who escapes from one of the American colonies in the midst of its harshest winter, but it was outstanding.
The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2) by S.A. Chakraborty
Publication date: January 22, 2019
Bookshop
Another novel I adored, but didn’t review (yet). This is the 2nd in a fantasy trilogy and it is SO good!
There you go, my favorite reading of the year! Lots of options if you got gift cards to spend at your local book stores. I’ll be back next week with the 2024 books I enjoyed most.
The Groff and Atkinson are so good!
I loved the Groff, but seem unable to write about it! How to describe something so unusual and make others want to read it?
Oh good list! I’ll take some of these from you. I’ve read only 1 of them — the Alice Winn novel which was excellent. I just saw today that The Reformatory is like $1.99 on an Amazon ebook deal, so what am I waiting for? It seems a bit lengthy but hopefully I can handle it.
Hello! You can handle it, it goes by so fast. A great distraction from American politics.