100 Notable Books of 2024 according to The New York Time | Best Books of the Year Round-Up

[@Ali-AvidReader]

Interesting list, have read some and have added a couple to my list. You did a great job talking us through them all Shelly!

[@Shellyish]

Yay, thank you!

[@purelytainted4]

Girl you got this edited and up so fast! Apparently I've barely read any 2024 releases, but I did read What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella and ugly cried during the whole thing. I read so many of her Shopaholic books in college and so reading a fictionalized account of her own life while she was battling brain cancer was such a shift from her typical genre, but so good!

[@Shellyish]

I did! I don't know how I did it! :)

[@jaynehunter-ar]

I’ve read a previous book by Arlie Hochschild and it was amazing! I’ll definitely add this new one to my TBR.

[@Shellyish]

Good to know! Thank you!

[@jakesbug]

Can't wait to dive into this video! alsooooooo I love your shirt!! Where did you get it?!

[@Shellyish]

Thank you!! I thrifted it.

[@themusicsnob]

The Black Utopians sounds super interesting! I have read a bit and learned a bit in college about American Transcendentalism and a utopian colony in Massachusetts and I am intrigued 🤨

[@Shellyish]

Thanks for sharing, Grace!

[@jacksontalley]

I’m so excited to read God of the Woods. Her book “The Unseen World” is one of my favs of all time!

[@Shellyish]

I wanted to read The Unseen world since you mentioned it.

[@lindysmagpiereads]

Whale Fall is quiet and wonderful. I think you will enjoy it. I was already looking forward to Salvage, Empusium, Praiseworthy, Our Evenings, and My Favorite Thing Is Monsters II (although there’s possibly some controversy over the release of that graphic novel, with the author claiming it’s not the edition she actually wanted released). New to me - and intriguing: The Practice, the Horizon, the Chain, and Silence of the Choir.

[@lindysmagpiereads]

Added note after doing some sleuthing: it looks like the lawsuit between Emil Ferris and her publisher Fantagraphics was settled in March 2023.

[@Shellyish]

I'm so excited to check out Whale Fall.

[@socaltoobie8984]

I nominate The Coin for your next book cover recreation. 🤭

[@Shellyish]

Noted! 😉

[@MsPixieD]

Hi Shelly, Here are the ones I've read (in the order presented) and how I rated them -- Cue the Sun! 3⭐s, The Bright Sword 5⭐s, Creation Lake 4.25⭐s, The Empusium 4⭐s (last name pronounced Tow-KAR-chuk), The Familiar 3⭐s dnf'd, Funny Story 3⭐s, Good Material 4⭐s, James 4⭐s, Martyr! 2.25⭐s, Modern Poetry 4.25⭐s Feel free to ask about any of them. Sometimes I think my 3 star ratings should be 2.5, because 3 is the middle number from 1-5, but 2.5 is the actual middle, so there is a bit leeway in my ratings. Cheers!

[@Shellyish]

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate you!

[@trudejensen8512]

I just watch Jack Edwards going through the 60 most popular books on Goodreads of the last 5 years. The list was so disappointing. I had read none of them, and are not planning to. Had higher hopes for this list (and I love the way you went through it) - it was better, but I am only familiar with 15 (!) of the titles, and have only read one - Creation Lake. I am a librarian at a Norwegian public library, and although we buy a lot of english/american books for our (especially young adult) readers, there are such an extreme amount of books published in English and we have limited funds.

[@Shellyish]

I watched that video as well and was surprised by the titles!

[@janicecuroso1042]

Looking forward to the new Adam Higginbotham. His Midnight in Chernobyl was excellent.

[@Shellyish]

Oh! I didn’t realize he wrote Midnight in Chernobyl. Thank you!!

[@ralg9523-n6b]

⁠Thank you for the video, and sorry to say that the amount of omitted/butchered syllables in these authors’ names is disconcerting.

[@Shellyish]

I am so sorry about that! I will try to pronounce the names more clearly next time.

[@estherjane-m8e]

@@ShellyishI think it’s hard as many also probably have a different sound than what one would think. You had guts just trying to say them. ❤😊

[@hollyc4624]

There were about 4-5 books on that list that interested me. Usually my taste is broad enough that a list like this would entice me to add several to my TBR if I hadn’t already read them and this list didn’t do that. Although your comments might add another couple! Tough names.

[@Shellyish]

That’s what I love about making these videos!

[@emsteroo]

I read The Anxious Generation earlier this year. It was ok, I didn't find anything revolutionary presented, but some interesting suggestions about how to move forward. Do want to note I am in the children's/adol. mental health field, though. So someone outside of that may find more new information.

[@purelytainted4]

I added it to my TBR on goodreads in the middle of this video and then browsed the reviews and there were people saying it was poorly cited - including citing his own substack. That made me think there may be misinformation, but your comment makes me think it could just be super surface level and that's why he didn't include a lot of references to proper research.

[@emsteroo]

@purelytainted4 yes, I saw some of those reviews after I had already read it. He did reference a decent amount of his own prior writing/research. Still an important topic, but I feel like it could've been executed better.

[@Shellyish]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[@hopefulpolyglot3298]

I read it - I agree with his basic thesis (more free play, less screentime), but there were a lot of personal opinions (playgrounds are too safe these days!) and generalizations. It also became apparent he didn't actually talk to preteens or teens for this book. He seemed to have formed an opinion ahead of time and just put together what supported his thesis instead of applying the scientific method. The If Books Could Kill podcast had an interesting analysis of the book.

[@susanmccoy1992]

Shelly, I know you don’t want to mislead your viewers, but it’s Ina Garten, not Gardner🤗

[@Shellyish]

You are absolutely right! I'm so sorry!

[@audreyh7892]

The nonfiction sounds great. The fiction….

[@Shellyish]

Ha!

[@lylahmb]

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii from me and Lake

[@Shellyish]

Hi back to you and Lake.

[@bjminton2698]

Notable? Hmmm... Lots of things written by people with unusual names would be a more appropriate description.

[@estherjane-m8e]

I thought the same thing😊 Also I am one that is also drawn to covers. Major of theses I would pass by.😮

[@Shellyish]

Right.

[@aidahhh]

@bjminton2698 This comment seems racially charged. What makes these names unusual? Are names that originate from other cultures and languages "unusual"? What an ignorant comment.

[@estherjane-m8e]

@@aidahhh for me not. But many are just people I have never heard of. And I think you are taking this wrong. I hope so as I don’t thinks Shelli would appreciate it🥴😢😳

[@bjminton2698]

Hi Aida! I noticed that Shelly was having difficulty pronouncing a lot of the names. I certainly would not be able to pronounce them correctly. So I guess that makes me ignorant - lol. We Americans generally just speak English. So, other languages are unusual for us. Nothing racial intended. But, I do find your comment to be hurtful.

[@justheathers]

Thank you for going through all the books on the list! The website prompted me to sign up to be able to see the list, and I didn't want to 😂 I didn't like The Safe Keep either 😅 Wild Houses was lack lustre. I felt it could have done more. Headshot had some good things but was also a test of perseverance. And Creation Lake was a page turner but had an unsatisfying ending 😂 Wandering Stars is much better as a dual read with There There. Start with Part 1 of Wandering Stars, then read There There, and return to finish Wandering Stars. Of the Booker ones on this list, I enjoyed James the most. There's only a four I'm interested in, none of the non-fiction 🫣😅 and of the fiction: Beautyland, The Women, The Hunter, and The Practice The Horizon and The Chain. I'm keen to read Alexis Wright's other book Carpentaria which I found at a thrift store, but I DNF'd the audiobook of Praiseworthy because I didn't gel with the narrator and wasn't in a good place for the story itself. Thanks again for going through the list!

[@Shellyish]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ll keep an eye out for Carpentaria.