Four Great Books We Read in 2024
A concise list to round out the year
It’s that time of year again — book lists galore! We have been hard at work to round out Season 4 of our podcast, which will be wrapping up so soon. Stay tuned this week to hear our thoughts on The Parisian by Isabella Hammad, followed by our Season 4 wrap-up (including thoughts on borders, international literature, and Edward Said).
Our final episode of the year will be 2024 in Books, in which we’ll share our top tens, some honorable mentions, and reviews of new releases (both ones we loved and ones we hated). But while we work to edit and release these episodes, we figured we would share a short teaser with you. Below you’ll find four books that we loved this year (plus links to some more in-depth reflections and analysis).
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
If you love classics but haven’t yet read this sweeping story of love, loss, betrayal, and pain — consider this your signal. The book revolves around the Notre Dame: church, refuge, and monument. It describes the lives of those who cross its path: Quasimodo, a deformed bell-ringer; Esmerelda, a poor gypsy dancer; Archdeacon Frollo, Quasimodo’s complicated guardian; Pierre Gringoire, a struggling playwright; and many more.
This book, though it took some time to get into, had me thinking about appearances, beauty, the different forms of love, a mother’s sacrifice, architecture, violence, and knowledge in completely new ways.
They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies that Raised Us by Prachi Gupta
This is a memoir written by journalist Prachi Gupta that follows the author’s childhood, adolescence, and family with a father who is manipulative and emotionally (and sometimes physically) abusive. Gupta does an exceptional job exploring Western psychology and cultural norms in South Asian diaspora families in such a nuanced way — and yet I never felt like she was making assumptions or trying to speak for the masses.
I find myself thinking about this book frequently, and I have recommended it to friends and family members more than once. For those looking to read more memoirs or non-fiction, this book is for you! Read more of my thoughts on the book below:
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Genly Ai is a representative of an inter-planetary alliance called Ekuman. He travels to a planet called Gethen to invite the people in power to join this alliance. During his time there, he struggles to understand and connect with their people due to their anatomical and mental differences.
This book is going to be one I go back to for the rest of my life. We did this book for the podcast (listen here) and I am so glad we did because it has so much to say and really packs a punch with every page. It led to many other rabbit holes including this one:
Another Country by James Baldwin
We were fortunate enough to experience James Baldwin for the first time together this year. This book follows a group of friends and lovers in New York City in the mid-20th century but it is so much more than that. It is beautifully written, explores many themes uniquely, and is truly a masterpiece in every way.
You can listen to our full discussion about the book here, or check out a related newsletter below:
—Shruti & Neha
Coming Up on the Podcast
Our next book — the final book for 2024! — will be The Parisian by Isabella Hammad. We couldn’t finish a season titled Beyond Borders without making sure to include a Palestinian voice.
Tune in next week to hear our full discussion, including historical context and our analysis of the book!
