We are back with our 5(ish) favorite reads (and games) of 2024!
We try very hard to keep it to five, but it’s simply not always possible. So, per staff member there may be more or less than five titles, but there can also be an A and a B list, memorable reads or just plain marvelous books.
We’re presenting our lists in bite-size chunks to make them more digestible, as there are more than 150 titles for you to sink your teeth into.
We hope to inspire you to try some of them in the new year.
Happy reading (and playing)!
The Home Scar by Kathleen MacMahon
A wonderful and melancholy story. A brother and sister, normally not involved in each other’s lives, meet up at the location where they enjoyed a glorious childhood summer, to revisit the memory of their mother, just before she passed away. (If you want to read more of what Simone thought about this book, check her Staff Choice text here.)
The Great Alone and The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
This year was my introduction to Hannah, two powerful and moving stories.
The Great Alone is the story of a troubled family moving to the rough surroundings of Alaska. (Read Simone’s Staff Choice here.)
The Four Winds describes the heartbreaking impact on families of the Great Drought in the southern states in the 1930’s. This story will stay with you.
You are Here by David Nicholls – An odd selection of people attempts to walk from coast to coast, and two of them will be changed forever. A clever, witty and lovely story.
Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa
In the 1970s in Japan, 12-year-old Tomoko stays with her relatives and forms a close bond with her 13-year-old cousin Mina. All the delicate relationships in the large household weave an intriguing story.
Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay
Another author discovered in 2024, Barclay has got me hooked this year. Too Close to Home is the first story in the Promise Falls setting, where a family is murdered, and the quiet town will never be the same again.
Sigrid
Nexus by Yuval Harari
In the last few years there has been a veritable flood of books about the upcoming AI revolution. If you only read one book about AI, my suggestion would be to pick Nexus by the historian Yuval Harari. Famous for his earlier work on human history and possible future in Sapiens and Homo Deus, Harari gives us the tools to think about how the emergence of AI will impact our life. Starting with the question what information is and how information systems have influenced the way we literally view our world from stories in the stone age to mass media in the 20th century, Harari delves into one of the most pressing issues of our current time. Because for the first time we invented an information technology that can create new information by itself and how do we live our lives when human intelligence is no longer the only kind of intelligence?
The Nature of Our Cities by Nadina Galle
This book has made me take my lunch breaks sitting outside in the park. In The Nature of Our Cities ecological engineer Nadina Galle explains why nature is indispensable in cities to survive, live and thrive. A quick glance learns that nature is really not doing well these days, but Galle explains how we can actually use technology to protect and help nature thrive in cities and beyond. From soil sensors to measure when and how much trees needs to be watered, to drones and algorithms to prevent bush fires and floods, Galle gives us an overview of the exciting new technology and their inventors and adaptors that can help us keeping our cities liveable in a time of global climate change.
The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
My sci-fi pick for 2024. Imagine if the aliens win in The War of the Worlds, abduct the smartest people of the world and transfer them to their home planet. Now imagine the aliens have done this already countless of times and each conquered species either proves they are useful tools to be integrated into their empire… or get culled.
The writer duo Corey already proved they have writing chops with their Expanse series. With the start of this fresh new sci-fi saga it feels as if they have moved beyond space opera popcorn and are claiming their place next to sci-fi giants like Ursula K. Le Guin, Joe Haldeman and Octavia Butler.
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Well…2024 has been a year. I noticed that the last few months I tended toward fantasy that is less slash the orcs and more slice of life. Bookshops & Bonedust proved to be an excellent way to escape and wind down a bit. A sort of sequel/prequel companion novel to Legends & Lattes, this time our protagonist Orc Barbarian, Viv, is forced to take it slow, and while recovering from her wounds she helps out in the local bookshop and makes some friends along the way. Perfect for these dark, dreary days.
