The book critics of the New York Times had their say earlier this month, and now the newspaper’s readers have weighed in, picking their favorite books of 2024.
The Times asked its readers for their most beloved books of the year, and wrote, “Their answers were funny and insightful, both about books our staff liked and about those that left us cold.”
Indeed, there is overlap between the critics and the readers, including Miranda July’s All Fours, which Times reader Becky Lake said “helped me to more fully understand myself.” Both the critics and the readers had kind words for Percival Everett’s Kirkus Prize- and National Book Award-winning James, as well as Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!
Times readers also loved Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo, which received a glowing review in the newspaper, along with Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lakeand Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland, which reader Levi Welch praised as “empathetic, odd, delicate, hysterical, and quietly moving.”
In nonfiction, readers spoke up for Adam Higginbotham’s Kirkus Prize winner Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, which Ann Yackshaw said “elegantly describes dozens of individual tragedies that combined to one great tragedy.” They also had kind words for Erik Larson’s The Demon of Unrest and Yuval Noah Harari’s Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI.
In a seeming nod to a tough year, the Times noted that “plenty read for escape,” calling out two reader-favorite romances: Emily Henry’s Funny Story and Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
