It might still only be June, so not technically half-way through the year, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t ready to see roundups of some of the best books of 2024 so far. Barnes & Noble released a slate of picks earning the honor so far in 2024.
The best books of 2024 so far are organized into 13 different thematic collections and each book included was hand picked by booksellers nationwide. All of the books included have been published between January and June 2024.
“It is always a joy — and a challenge — to curate our Best Books lists, and this year has been an exceptional one for new publishing,” said Jackie De Leo, Chief Merchandising Officer, Barnes & Noble. “Instead of conforming to a Top 10-style round-up, our booksellers had the freedom to find the best books within a variety of themes. From broad categories like debut novels, to the very niche, like nostalgic horror stories, we’ve had a blast pulling these lists together. We hope our customers find them as interesting and fun to browse as they were to create.”
Here are a handful of titles from each of the 13 categories representing the best books of 2024 so far.
Let It Linger: Four Works of Literary Fiction We Didn’t Want to End
- James by Percival Everett
- Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Modern Love: Six Novels That Changed the Way We Think About Relationships
- The Husbands: A Novel by Holly Gramazio
- Green Dot: A Novel by Madeleine Gray
A Moment In Time: Nine Histories From Today’s Heavy Hitters
- The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
- Challenger by Adam Higginbotham
The Examined Life: Six Varied & Unforgettable Memoirs
- Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
- There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib
Micro to Macro: Seven Science & Nature Titles to Explore
- The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
- The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger
The Cutting Edge: Eight Spredges We’re Obsessed With
That’s “sprayed edges” for those who might not know the terminology here. An interesting category for a best of list to say the least.
- The Night Ends With Fire by K. X. Song
- Gothikana by RuNyx
They Write, We Score: Ten Sports Romances We Cheer For
- Cross The Line by Simone Soltani
- The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson
Audiobooks to Marathon: Because There’s No Way Not To
- Funny Story by Emily Henry, Narrated by Julia Whelan
- My Black Country by and narrated by Alice Randall
It’s Good to Be Bad: Five Cozy Fantasies With an Edge
- Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis
- How To Become The Dark Lord or Die Trying by Django Wexler
Horror Rewind: Five VHS Thrills & Chills
- I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
- The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry
Killer Instinct: Eight Tales of Murder, Mystery & Mayhem
- Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
Mystery Solved: Eight Best Young Detectives on the Case
- The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon
- The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie
Time For A Story: Eight Phenomenal Picture Books
- The Book That Can Read Your Mind by Marianna Coppo
- I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li
Check out the full slate of books within each of the categories at Barnes & Noble’s website.
Barnes & Noble also recently announced their winners for their Children’s & YA Book Prize, which launched the start of their summer reading program for kids in grades 1-6.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
