I love doing my quarterly reading wrap ups because it makes my favorite books of the year lists so easy to compile! In the first three months of 2024, I completed 30 books, which is a little slower pace than last year. I also DNF 5 books, which is a lot more than usual (including one after reading 350 pages!)! I decided there are just too many books I want to read to continue something that isn’t right for me.
I had some difficulty with reading for my Booking It Through History: First Ladies project these past months, and while I read three different nonfiction books about Abigail Fillmore, Jane Pierce, and Harriet Lane, I didn’t include them on this list of favorites. It was tough finding any books about these women, but I know I won’t have an issue for the second quarter with one of the most written about first ladies, Mary Todd Lincoln, on tap! I have dozens of books to choose from about her.
The books that I’m still thinking about weeks or months after reading are the ones that made my favorites list. Check it out below, and let me know if you’ve read any!
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Favorite Historical Fiction
What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway (releases April 2)
I adore this book set in one of my favorite places, the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. Joy’s story about a young woman who finds her true self in the soaring mountains of 1913 Asheville is full of fascinating historical details and romance! A top read of the year for me! Read my full review here.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Hannah’s historical fiction is always full of history but wrapped in a highly readable story that transports you back in time. This book takes you to the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. A definite five star book for me! Read my review here.
The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay
I enjoyed every minute of this propulsive historical thriller about a family on both sides of the Berlin Wall. The tense story about who to trust and who is telling the truth is heart-stopping, and I learned so much about the wall’s history. See my review here.
American Daughters by Piper Huguley (releases April 2)
I loved learning about the special friendship between the daughters of Teddy Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington. Alice and Portia were women who shined bright even outside of their fathers’ spotlight. Read my review here.
The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson (releases in US on April 9)
With her previous WWII book my favorite from that time period last year, I was so excited to read Thompson’s latest about the war on the Channel Island of Jersey. It was a grittier take on the Nazi occupation of the islands as was portrayed in the beloved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and was a huge hit for me! And the author’s detailed historical note at the end is a must-read. Read my review here.
Favorite Middle Grade/YA
The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel
This heartbreaking graphic novel tells Estelle’s own story of survival in the Holocaust. It is brutally hard in places but told in a way that younger readers (ages 12+) can handle. I highly recommend it! Read my review here.
Favorite Contemporary
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
I had to read this for book club, and I’m so glad I did! I never would have picked up the book on my own after hearing that one of the perspectives was an octopus. I can’t believe how well it worked in this poignant tale of a grieving woman, a wayward young man, and an intelligent octopus. Read my review here.
Sun Seekers by Rachel McRady
If you know anyone who has dealt with a loved one having dementia, this is a must-read book! Focusing on the relationship between a six year old little girl and her grandfather, the story is both sweet yet painfully true-to-life about the horrible effects of dementia. Read my review here.
It’s hard to narrow down favorites, but these were the ones that really stuck with me over the past few months. What was one of your favorites read in the first three months of the year?
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