9 Books I Loved in 2024
Our annual Books on GIFt guide features books by Djuna Barnes, Cookie Mueller and Eva Baltasar, and indie imprints and bookstores where you can buy (most of) them.
Donna and I hope you are having a wonderful and restorative holiday season full of joy, loved ones and, of course, books. I read a ton of great books this past year—some are from my favorite authors, others are new-to-me gems. Here are the books I loved in 2024. The list mostly includes novels, but there’s a nonfiction collection as well. I hope you’ll find some that you’ll want to give as a gift or get as a treat for yourself.
‘Mammoth’ by Eva Baltasar
‘Mammoth’ by Eva Baltasar is a fascinating and fierce novel that explores the drive to live on one’s own terms—and the consequences. It follows a twenty-something lesbian who is fixated on getting pregnant. She eventually quits her job and relocates to a remote area where she works at a bar and rents a house that’s off the grid. The book’s back-cover description sums up her journey without spoiling anything by saying she ‘nurses lambs, battles stray cats, waits tables, cleans house, and dabbles in sex work—all in pursuit of life in the raw.’ If you’re looking for a short and intense read, I strongly recommend it.
My rating:
‘Nightwood’ by Djuna Barnes
‘Nightwood’ by Djuna Barnes follows the emotional destruction wrought by Robin Vote, an androgynous and hard-partying American woman living in Europe between the world wars. It’s a haunting story and a fascinating exploration of relationships and gender and sexual identity that, despite being first published in the 1930s, is still relevant today. Barnes’s writing is beautiful and intricate, and full of subtle meanings, but the text also is dense, and it requires your full concentration to follow. If you’re up for a challenging yet rewarding read, you should tackle this book.
My rating:
‘A Month in the Country’ by J. L. Carr
‘A Month in the Country’ by J.L. Carr follows Tom Birkin, a World War I veteran and newly minted art restorer who leaves London for a commission in northern England to uncover a church’s medieval mural that had been whitewashed centuries ago. Birkin eventually discovers he’s uncovering a masterpiece, and the project helps him start to heal his trauma from war. This is an achingly beautiful book. I love how it demonstrates the power of art, friendship and community to heal and uplift us. You all should read it.
My rating:
‘The House on Mango Street’ by Sandra Cisneros
‘The House on Mango Street’ by Sandra Cisneros is a quick and beautiful read that follows Esperanza, a young girl who lives in a house on Mango Street, a fictional thoroughfare in a Latino neighborhood in Chicago. Cisneros’s writing is sharp and evocative, and not a word is wasted. Donna, who read the book right before I did, loved that Cisneros’s narrative at times morphed into poetry. So did I. The novel is a wonderful reminder of how neighborhoods and communities support us and shape us as we’re growing up. It’s a powerful coming-of-age story and a tremendous book. If you’re looking for a quick classic to read, it’s a must.
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‘Pisti, 80 Rue de Belleville’ by Estelle Hoy
‘Pisti, 80 Rue de Belleville’ by Estelle Hoy is my favorite book I read this year. It follows Elke, who finds herself in a Paris apartment for a gathering that’s part house party, part political salon and part orgy. She meets an intense, younger woman named Pisti, a Hungarian militant leftist with a liberal view about being fully clothed. Elke and Pisti spar over the usual intellectual things—who’s read the right underground literature, who’s formed the purest political critique, who’s lived the truly authentic life—and as they do, and as the Muscadet flows, their sexual tension rises. This short gem is a brisk and engaging read. It came to me serendipitously, and copies can be hard to find. I recently found one hiding at McNally Jackson:
I’d like to give it away to one of you. It’s a small way to say thank you for supporting Books on GIF. You can enter the random drawing by clicking here:
My rating:
‘Walking through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black’ by Cookie Mueller
‘Walking through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black’ is a collection of personal essays, fictional short stories, health columns and art criticism by Cookie Mueller, who’s perhaps best known for her roles in John Waters films. Mueller’s life was intense and wild; her devil-may-care attitude and relentless optimism alchemized into a brand of joie de vivre that squares might call a death wish. It’s more than 400 pages long, but Mueller’s writing is crisp and fast—she describes her style as being for those with a short attention span—and I flew through it. If you’re looking for a book to shake you up, you definitely should check it out.
My rating:
‘The Black Prince’ by Iris Murdoch
‘The Black Prince’ by Iris Murdoch follows Bradley Pearson, who’s just left his job at the tax office. Bradley is the author of several unsuccessful books, but he is determined to use his free time to pursue his next one, sure to be a masterpiece. His bags are packed for a writing retreat when calamities strike. His best friend/rival calls to ask for help; he may have murdered his wife. His sister has left her husband and aims to move in. And his ex-wife is back in town. Murdoch’s writing is sharp as always, and this novel explores getting older, and how anxiety about age combined with repressed regrets and resentment can lead to crisis and self-centered madness. It’s a sobering read, and I highly recommend it.
My rating:
‘The Bloater’ by Rosemary Tonks
‘The Bloater’ by Rosemary Tonks follows Min, who is in a joyless marriage and a fight to the death against boredom. She hits parties, eats decadent meals and contemplates launching love affairs. Diversion also comes from her friends and acquaintances, including an opera singer/pianist/painter whom Min nicknames The Bloater. Min is obsessed with him, but her fixation is complex, and I enjoyed puzzling over it. I also loved following Min’s drama and chaos; she is such a fun character to get to know, and she often had me chuckling aloud. Tonks’s writing is evocative and often hilarious. Her novel is another absolute gem. If you’re looking for a quick and fun read, you must check it out.
My rating:
‘The Gadfly’ by Ethel Lilian Voynich
‘The Gadfly’ by Ethel Lilian Voynich is one of the most interesting, unpredictable and intense novels I’ve read all year. It is set during the Italian Risorgimento, where we find a studious and deeply religious teenager named Arthur Burton under the mentorship of a local priest, Montanelli. Arthur also is connected to Gemma, a leader of a seditious group. Gemma and her group eventually hire a mysterious man called ‘The Gadfly’ to write pamphlets and propaganda to troll their adversaries. The fates of Gemma, Montanelli, Arthur and The Gadfly become increasingly intertwined, and their propulsive journey includes intense personal conversations, spycraft, betrayals, traumatic humiliations, brutal secrets revealed, gun battles and daring prison escapes. Voynich’s writing is clear and straightforward, and she tells a powerful, emotional and wild story that I couldn’t put down. This book is hard to find, but it’s totally worth the effort!
My rating:
Before you go:
Read these: Here are more book-related gift guides/roundups from some of our favorite newsletters (note: some may require subscriptions):
Can We Read? (This one features books for children.)
If you enjoyed this newsletter:
Thanks for reading Books on GIF in 2024, and thanks especially to Donna for editing this newsletter!
Until next time,
Mike
Thanks for this highly original list! All of the books are new to me.
Thank you for your newsletter and this wonderful lists. Have read a couple after you discovered them and can’t wait to read the others. I find it so enjoyable and rewarding to get off the beaten path. Thanks for that!