Usually I list all of my favorite reads from a particular year in one post (like in 2023, for example). However, I saw a few people make a separate post for their favorite backlist reads of 2024. So, I thought I would also make a post for my favorite backlist reads of 2024. Not all of these are five-star reads, but they’re all ones that I enjoyed or stuck with me a while after I read them. I separated them into “fiction” and “nonfiction,” but other than that they’re in no particular order.
Fiction
WEYWARD by Emilia Hart (2023): I didn’t write a review for this one, which I read via audiobook. As a general rule, I don’t ever write reviews for audiobooks because I know that my attention drifts, so it’s not fair (I think) for me to review it. Regardless, this one definitely held my attention. I loved that it’s a multigenerational story across centuries of the Weyward women and their intersection with witchcraft. Meaning, wayward or forward-thinking and independent women are often scapegoats or hidden away.
THE HURRICANE WARS by Thea Guanzon (2023): There was a little bit of hype about this book, so I was hesitant to start it. However, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I plan to write a review for this one, but in short, the writing is fantastic as are the lush descriptions of, well, everything. The Reylo fan ship apparently inspired this book, but I thought it held up well on its own. “The fates of two bitter enemies with opposing magical abilities are swept together in The Hurricane Wars, the spellbinding debut in a fantasy romance trilogy set in a Southeast Asia-inspired world ravaged by storms, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses.”
HESTER by Laurie Albanese (2022): This is another historical fiction book about a woman outcast from society for going against the grain. It’s set in New England in the early 1800s and is a retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s inspiration for The Scarlet Letter. I went into this with no expectations, though I was oddly drawn to it and ended up loving it. “In this sensuous and hypnotizing tale, a young immigrant woman grapples with our country’s complicated past, and learns that America’s ideas of freedom and liberty often fall short of their promise.”
ADELAIDE by Genevieve Wheeler (2023): This is another book I was strangely drawn to, since I tend to read fantasy. But I loved it. It’s about a young woman with an undiagnosed mental illness who falls in love with her ideal man. But he’s not as fully invested in her as she is in him and a series of small things over an extended period of time lead her to do something drastic. There are a lot of content warnings for this one, in particular attempted suicide. However, the writing and characterization is phenomenal. Read my full review here.
A MIDWINTER’S TAIL by Lili Hayward (2023): This is an atmospheric seasonal tale that occurs around the holidays. A young woman receives a mysterious letter from her godfather to take care of his cat, Murr, on the Cornish island of Morgelyn. When she finds out he’s in a coma, she rushes over, which rekindles childhood memories of her time on the island. There’s a smidge of magical realism and a whole lot of enchanting folklore. (I noticed on Bookshop.org this is a preorder. However, I bought my copy from Book Outlet, so perhaps they received overstock from the UK?)
THE SHADOW QUEEN by Nicola Tyche (2023): This is the second book in a finished trilogy. It’s dark fantasy and has a nice amount of political scheming going on, which I always appreciate (if it’s not too dry). I feel this self-pub trilogy is underhyped, so check it out if you can! I wrote a review for it, but still need to post it (oops!).
Nonfiction
FINDING ME by Viola Davis (2022): I read this via audiobook and I’m so glad I did because Viola Davis narrates it. I learned a lot about her that I never would have guessed. She had a rough childhood and I’m amazed at her tenacity to push through all of that adversity.
LESLIE F*CKING JONES by Leslie Jones (2023): This was another audiobook selection for me. I loved that Leslie Jones narrates it, but wow, all of her ad-libbing really made the audio probably 40% longer! Anyway, as with FINDING ME, I learned a lot about Leslie. She also had to deal with a lot, but her strong will and stubbornness served her well. Love her energy and I miss her on Saturday Night Live.
THE TRUTHS WE HOLD by Kamala Harris (2019): Another audiobook? Why, yes! I appreciated learning more about her upbringing and how her mother’s strength and feminism made a lasting impact on her. Despite her holding an elected office for quite some time, I didn’t know much about her politics or what drives her. I’m happy to say now I do and she seems like someone driven by doing what’s right by others.
UNDER THE HENFLUENCE by Tove Danovich (2023): This is a fantastic book about the cultural significance of chickens. I picked it up because I thought I wanted chickens (even though I can’t have them in my neighborhood). This book cured me of that notion. But this was still a good book about those who raise chickens and even the dark side of breeding them. Read my full review here.
And that’s a wrap for my favorite backlist reads of 2024! Have you read any of these, or are any on your TBR?
I love that you read enough backlist books to make up a list. I’m really striving to do that this year, we’ll see how that goes😁
Surprisingly a large percentage of my reads this year were backlist! I really try not to overdue it with ARCs since I have so many backlist books sitting on my shelves.
I haven’t read any of these yet, but I would like to try The Truths We Hold.
I liked it! It gave me a better view into Kamala Harris as a person.
I feel like I’m not being very smart this morning, so, what’s a backlist book?
Haha no worries! A backlist book is one that’s not newly published. So when I make lists like these I think of books that were published the year before or earlier—so, anything earlier than 2024 in this case.
Oh! That makes complete sense. I’ll have to have a look and see what mine are. I’m not sure what my split of 2024 vs older reads was for the year but is something I’ve never thought to track!
The spreadsheet I use tracks stats like backlist vs new releases and I was surprised at how many backlists I’d read (nearly 50%!).
As someone who literally read 6 books in 2024 (all backlist, but still lol), this list brings me joy! Great that you have a mix of fiction and nonfiction as well. I haven’t read any of these books but Adelaide sounds particularly interesting.
Happy reading in 2025, Celeste!
Good to see you back around the blogosphere! ♥️ I wish you happy reading as well in 2025!
I’ve only read Weyward out of these but I really enjoyed it too. The one I’m most excited to get to is Hurricane Wars but I’ve also been curious about Hester for a while too so hearing that it was a hit is wonderful. You’ve convinced me to add A Midwinters Tale to my TBR for next November/December, particularly due to that folklore mention.
It looks like you read some interesting non fiction too. Autobiographies are probably where I’ll start when I finally try out the genre. I’ve never really wanted chickens but for some odd reason I’ve had the occasional post pop up about them on Facebook and one of those would have put me off too so I’m not surprised a book devoted to them deterred you 😅
WEYWARD is fantastic! Given that we seem to have similar tastes in fantasy, I think you’ll like THE HURRICANE WARS, too. And since you liked WEYWARD, you’d probably appreciate HESTER. I hope you’re able to get to some of these…probably THE HURRICANE WARS! 😉
That’s a good point and I really hope so. It’s nice to know that Hester would probably work for that reason too as I haven’t seen much about it. The Hurricane Wars most likely is the one I’ll get to first. I’ll let you know how I find it whenever I pick it up (hopefully fairly soon 🤞)
The cultural significance of chickens? I might have to check that out! Many years ago I had a book about chickens on my TBR haha… I think I culled it a few years back due to its age but a 2023 release might be interesting. I also fancy having backyard chickens (not possible as I live in an apartment) and would be curious to find out what in the book turned you off the idea.
If you get around to it I hope it’s as interesting to you as it was to me! Aside from the fact I’m not allowed to have chickens because of our HOA, they’re like any pet—if they get sick you need to take care of them. And chicken doctors are few & far between if you live in the suburbs or city. So idk…it’s an investment, like any other pet! But with less professional help if something goes wrong. I’d also probably feel even worse for eating chicken if I kept them as pets too.
Ah okay, I see what you mean! I fancy I’d like to have chickens around for the eggs… I’ve done some WWOOFing where I helped with the daily care of chickens but that would have been quite a different experience than me being solely responsible for the chicken’s well-being.
Great list! I’ve still got Adelaide is on my TBR. I also just saw The Hurricane Wars going for 99p on Kindle and now I’m reconsidering whether to get it or not! Excited to see it on your faves backlist list 🙂 Also, keen to check out Viola Davis’ book. She’s so awesome!
Oooo 99p is a great price for THE HURRICANE WARS on Kindle! I hope you got it!
I need to read, “The Hurricane Wars”; but, I’m glad more readers are reading, “Weyward”!
Yes, THE HURRICANE WARS was great!
I think it’s a neat idea to have separate “backlist” and “frontlist” favorites posts, since you read so much newer stuff! I also really enjoy author-narrated memoirs; it can really add something special. Quick rec, if you ever feel like reading more on chickens — since you liked “Under the Henfluence” you might also like “Locally Laid” by Lucie B. Amundsen.
Ohhh thank you for the chicken recommendation! I haven’t heard of that one. Just added it to my TBR!