Our Best-of List
I'm a huge fan of Best-Of Lists. I wait all year to see how my list compares to all of the lists that come out. Will my favorite book of the year be recognized by others? One of the best parts of working at a library is that I work among many other people who are always reading and who always give great recommendations. So naturally, I asked the best book reviewers around what they loved reading this year.
Without further ado, here are the books that our SJPL Staff members loved this year.
SJPL Staff's Favorite Books of 2024
As is my habit, I read the best releases of any given year after their published year when those hold lines die down. I have read nearly every James McBride book, and this one did not disappoint. Reading a great American novel about the redemptive powers of empathy and community was such a comfort this year. —Elizabeth
I read the hardcopy and listened to the audiobook. They were both wonderful! Mr. Everett takes us through all the emotions: I laughed, I cried, I raged, and I wondered. —Nga
Short chapters, fun illustrations, and a heartfelt story. My kindergartner loved it, I loved it, and it's also a Silicon Valley Reads 2025 pick. Win-win-win. —Julie
This is NOT the Beowulf you trudged through in English Lit. This children's graphic novel is as much fun for adults as it is for kids. A group of candy loving kids in a treehouse take on their curmudgeonly, fun hating neighbor in this tale that uses the same meter as the original alongside stunning illustrations for a delightfully imaginative spin on a story almost as old as time. Bonus, at the end of the books is one of the best and most understandable descriptions of the history of Beowulf I've ever come across. I think I'm gonna get a Bea Wolf tattoo... —Nina
Add a comment to: SJPL Staff: Our Favorite Books of 2024