Spokane librarians share their recommended reads of 2024

Who better to recommend the best books of the year than librarians? Staffers at the Spokane Public Library released their recommended reads of 2024 (some were published before 2024), all available to check out at area branches or to purchase at local book shops, such as Auntie’s.

Here are their top picks:

‘Beautyland,’ by Marie Helene Bertino

“Funny, poignant, and beautiful, both familiar and other-worldly: An alien grows up on Earth and experiences girlhood and womanhood, sending faxes of her experiences back to her home planet. A wonderful book for anyone who has felt like an outsider.” – Sharma Shields

‘James,’ by Percival Everett

“Seeing an interpretation of Huck Finn from Jim, the slave’s, perspective made for a very interesting read. It was extremely well written and presented a positive view of the strength, intelligence, character, etc. of those who were enslaved while also detailing some of the horrors they suffered. And it was published at a time that the story seems more important to tell than ever.” – Wade Linquist

“A fresh perspective on Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn focusing on Jim, the enslaved man who joins Huck on his journey. Everett stays true to Twain’s tone while giving Jim a deeper voice, adding powerful insights on race, freedom and humanity. James is both a tribute to and a reimagining of a classic – thought-provoking and impactful.” – Emily Baum

‘There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension,’ by Hanif Abdurraqib

“You know when you finish a book and you feel like you’re about to cry because it is ending or over? That is this book. I could have lived in it forever. It is an intricate memoir of the author’s life through media and basketball ties. It starts with, ‘I believe that I was a child once because I am afraid today. There are parts of me that might die soon, parts of my memory that might drift to a distance too far for me to get back, and because I know myself to be afraid of this, that is all I need to believe that I was once a child.’ So yeah … it is just beautiful, and it will make you owe the state of Ohio an apology. Please always ball.” – Nicole Roman

“I think it’s very easy and arguably reasonable to not feel a whole lot of hope in regards to most everything these days. This is a book about triumph, joy, pain, solidarity, comfort, outrage and hope. This book is about basketball, music and finding love where you can get it.” – Sean Kudrna

‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead,’ by Olga Tokarczuk

“A murder mystery with lots of heart and intrigue, centered on the interior life of an older woman and the depths of her feelings about the world and the people in her life.” – Mason Neil

‘Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century,’ by Kim Fu

“Spokane is Reading author! But I really loved being immersed in her dream-like storytelling.” – Sonia Plante

‘That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon,’ by Kimberly Lemming

“A hilarious use of all the fantasy romance tropes. I laughed all the way through.” – Amanda Miller

‘Cats of the World,’ by Hannah Shaw and Andrew Marttila

“Cat lovers will enjoy the beautiful pictures of cats in various scenic locations throughout the world, but real substance of the book is the short articles that explain the history of cats in those countries, what their current status is, and the people who are trying to care for and support them.” – Dana Dalrymple

‘Connie: A Memoir,’ by Connie Chung

“Though Connie predates my news-watching years, I saw her speak earlier this year and she was INCREDIBLE. I just had to read her memoir when it came out! Connie Chung was the first women of color in MANY media spaces. She paved the way for many other women and women of color in the media, and it wasn’t always easy. She is resilient, hardworking, real, FUNNY and an absolute badass. I highly recommend LISTENING to this one. She reads it and it’s amazing.” – Alina Murcar

‘Weyward,’ by Emilia Hart

“I absolutely LOVED this book. I’ve read a lot of witchy books and this one was extremely well done. I loved the characters, familial bond and visual imagery!” – Alina Murcar

‘A Strange and Sublime Address,’ by Amit Chaudhuri

“Chaudhuri excels at connecting a character’s inner world with their physical surroundings in gentle and unexpected ways, while providing the reader with humorous and thoughtful narratives.” – Christopher Brown

‘Disfigured: On fairy tales, disability, and making space,’ by Amanda Leduc

“This book dives deep into Western fairy tales and the way cultural fiction impacts our perceptions of disability. If you ever wondered about disabled protagonists and antagonists and what they say about the society that created them, this is the book for you.” – Jules

‘Martyr!: A Novel,’ by Kaveh Akbar

“ ‘It seems very American to expect grief to change something. Like a token you cash in. A formula. Grieve x amount, receive y amount of comfort. Work a day in the grief mines and get paid in tickets to the company store.’ A stunning and surprisingly funny novel about addiction, inheritance, and making meaning out of our lives. This book balances emotional gut punches with sincere laughs. I wish I could read it for the first time all over again.” – Sean Kudrna

‘Lore of the Wilds,’ by Analeigh Sbrana

“I didn’t realize how invested I was in this story until the twist ending made me angry for an entire day. Can’t wait to see how the upcoming sequel picks it up.” – Amanda Miller

‘The Last One at the Wedding,’ by Jason Rekulak

“I lovvve this author and this recent release has gotten me my reading mojo back!” – Kayla Miller

‘Ernest Hemingway,’ by Mary V. Dearborn

“This biography provides a fresh perspective about the life of Hemingway.” – Andrew Chanse

‘Erasure,’ by Percival Everett

“I reread this book after seeing the movie, “American Fiction.” which was based on the book. It was just as relevant and shocking today as it was when it came out in 2001. Great as an audiobook also!” – Eva Silverstone

‘A Psalm for the Wild-Built,’ by Becky Chambers

“It was like drinking tea in a moss-covered book nook.” – Sonia Plante

‘We Used to Live Here,’ by Marcus Kliewer

“If a stranger and his family showed up at your door claiming he used to live there, how accommodating would you be? This nerve-wracking horror novel explores the nature of reality and the limits of civility. Also, never buy an old house in the boonies …” – Dana Dalrymple

‘The West Passage,’ by Jared Pechaček

“This was a weird and wonderful book that read like an anthology of folk tales.” – Zoe Van der Weide

‘Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind,’ by Monica Silvie

“The way we have checked this book out at least five times and have sneaked it out even more times. … My 4-year-old finds this book hilarious!” – Sonia Plante

‘Banal Nightmare,’ by Halle Butler

“All of Halle Butler’s stories can be read as either slightly twisted dramas or totally twisted comedies. Unfussy writing style which trusts the reader to finish a few thoughts here and there, “Banal Nightmare” is Butler’s most hilariously anxious story and deserves a few readings.” – Christopher Brown

‘The Last Days of Black Hammer,’ by Jeff Lemire

“Love this entire series, but this serves as an exciting and essential prequel to the story.” – Andrew Chanse

‘I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death,’ by Maggie O’Farrell

“This beautifully written memoir shares the author’s close calls with death at various points in her life. She shows the tenuous grip we all hold to life and how beautiful it is all around us. Could not put it down!” – Eva Silverstone

‘Bookshops and Bonedust,’ by Travis Baldree

“Even better than the author’s already great ‘Legends and Lattes.’ ” – Amanda Miller

‘Sometimes I Kaploom,’ by Rachel Vail

“We have shared this with my daughter’s classroom. It is such a validating book for adults that have big feelings just like kids.” – Sonia Plante

‘The Sacrificers,’ by Rick Remender

“A great start to another dystopian world by one of my favorite comic authors.” – Andrew Chanse

‘The Extra Woman: How Marjorie Hillis Led a Generation of Women to Live Alone and Like It,’ by Joanna Scutts

“I adore Marjorie Hillis’ works, and the history behind them is fascinating. There are so many parts of this that show how phony an idea the romanticized ‘traditional housewife’ is, and at the same time shows so many similarities between lives of women in the 1930s/’40s and now that we don’t think about.” – Amanda Miller

‘Pokko and the Drum,’ by Mathew Forsythe

“Maybe it’s the ’tism, but this book makes me so happy, I love reading it to my daughter. She tolerates it.” – Sonia Plante

‘American Hippo,’ by Sarah Gailey

“This was like a movie unfolding in my hands.” – Sonia Plante

‘The Latecomer,’ by Jean Hanff Korelitz

“Fun book with so many touchstones for me. Great character development with lots of art and interesting plot twists.” – Eva Silverstone

‘You’d Look Better as a Ghost,’ by Joanna Wallace

“A witty and dark-humored page-turner! Great for fans of ‘Killing Eve,’ too …” – Thuha Nguyen

‘Tress of the Emerald Sea,’ by Brandon Sanderson

“Beautiful and fantastical! I love Tress. Such a fun and imaginative read.” – Samantha Day

‘Bonk,’ by Mary Roach

“Like watching a train wreck, I couldn’t look away. This book was simultaneously the most revolting and entertaining thing I’ve ever read. 5/5 stars.” – Sophie Strom

‘The Seven Year Slip,’ by Ashley Poston

“This one had such a sweet mix of magic and romance. I couldn’t put it down!” – Skyler Noble

‘The Water Outlaws,’ by S.L. Huang

“This book has constant action and political intrigue.” – Zoe Van der Weide

This list was compiled and provided by the Spokane Public Library.