I read 100+ books in 2024, here are my reviews and the best one!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

How was your 2024 reading year? I'm excited to have a new #1 best book to recommend until you've all read it :P Which book would you make everyone read if you could?

[@zachreads]

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

[@AnEriksenWife]

For anyone who likes the hard scifi of The Martian, and the storytelling of Sanderson... Theft of Fire: Orbital Space #1! It's under the radar... but so good :)

[@rhondasruminationsonreading]

I'd make everyone read What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama. Loved that book!

[@klaireelizabeth3499]

I absolutely loved "Don't Let the Forest In" I know some DNF'd the book.. The ending is worth reading IMO 😂😂 I'm reading Beautiful Ugly rn and, It's just so mysterious... ❤ I'm halfway through it and I recommend it.

[@VeraFran]

My best book of the year was The Tainted Cup. It brought my love and excitement for reading back.

[@amatheus_]

I bought Ferrante's Neapolitan box set last month solely because of your recommendations in the past videos and I'm absolutely MESMERIZED by My Brilliant Friend! Just finished it today and can barely contain myself to not devour the remaining three books at once. It's so difficult to put into words what the book means to me, but I was enthralled to see all the dynamics at play in the city, the post-war Italy full of families struggling to find their place of use in a society as the gossip, intrigue and violence spreads like an infection that tries to taint the new generation, education being their sole mean of defense against these growing threats. Everything you said is so true too, the people do feel alive and I feel weirdly excited to discover what happened to each of them as the time passes! The character of Lila is the most fantastic one for me for sure, such a complex and layered character, and I'm tragically aware that her story, as those of Lenu and the other women, have much more to say about womanhood and italian customs than I was able to grasp, as I'm neither a woman nor italian. I would also like to point out that the writing is one of the most fluid and engaging ones I've read this year, and I'm not sure if the english translation has those perks (as my books are all translated to portuguese), but I'm certain that Ferrante's writing is to praise for this!! Thanks for the videos and recommendations in 2024!! Your channel was the light to take me back to literature last year, and I wish you and everyone all the best in 2025! :D

[@jucimakesthings]

sci-fi is my favorite genre and one of the things I love about your channel is that you read and recommend that genre! yeees please more sci-fi in 2025!!!!!

[@biznis9965]

Second that!

[@inderwink]

Yes, please more sci-fi content!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Now that my brain fog is going away I might be able to read sci fi again 😂

[@Annsolo-y1z]

I feel exactly the same about My brilliant friend series. Among my top top favorite books of all time and even though I barely reread books anymore, i FOR SURE will explore this series again. Something about the way Ferrante draws out the humanity (in all its complexity) in each and every character is just incredible.

[@zachreads]

Ok fine, I'm declaring Ferrante Febuary! I'll read all 4 next month. (Assuming I like it)

[@annbechtel7113]

🤞 so hoping they work for you, I also took the recommendation but read them all back to back ❤ them

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I’m hoping you’ll love them too!!

[@saraimbriani2526]

I'm from Naples and Ferrante's "My brilliant friend" series hit me like a truck when I decided to finally read it a couple of months ago, truly one of the best books I've ever read and I'd recommend to everyone, especially women

[@AlyssaWhite88]

I read 146 books and my favorites were 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World (thanks to you❤), Razorblade Tears, and Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.

[@hanansabra4825]

TOTALLY agree with you on your best book! An emotionally charged journey, this series. Keeps you thinking as well.

[@JillPlusBooks]

I read the Neapolitan series because of your recommendation and I LOVED it. Loved it! :) I kind of want to read it over again, but there are so many more book reccs to check out! Thank you for sharing your favs! Great video.

[@sirgnome]

I'm happy that The Goblin Emperor made it to your top six books, even if it didn't win! Also, if you're moving away from Goodreads, maybe give StoryGraph a try. I really like their layout and the way you can see various stats as you go through the year.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I tried SG and didn't like it... I'll have to give it another shot!

[@sirgnome]

They’re always updating the app and coming out with new features so there’s a good chance it is different from the last time you tried it 😊 Happy New Year!

[@roxanatalos4429]

i’ve started the dollmakers because of you and i am so into it so far!!

[@narsasistify]

I finished it today and I really enjoyed it!

[@LibrariesandLattes]

2025 will be the year that I read your top pick! I wanted to read the first book in the series last year but never got to it so hopefully I can do that this year 😊

[@linmin7082]

i was looking forward to the tournament bracket but love this too!! am i the only one who watched this with my phone by the side adding so many more books to my tbr 😂

[@wonderingamazon4973]

I definitely was adding books but also dying inside knowing that I probably won't get to them since my TBR is already to long!!

[@seanbriere8428]

I read ton of graphic novels this year. I started a job at the library, and found myself drawn to them. Out of the graphic novels I read I'd make everyone read The Lightfall series, A Witch's Guide to Burning, and Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees (Animal Crossing meets Dexter) Nonfiction- The League of Lady Poisoners (that book is gorgeous, and I love reading about women's wrongs), and Women Living Deliciously. Sidenote I read an arc of The Last Interview with Octavia Butler last year! So you and those 40 people are not alone...there's 42 of us at least. Fiction- I truly loved One Dark Window, but I'm pretty sure everyone knows of it's existence, and Wild Failure by Zoe Whittall

[@megm6569]

I got a copy of My Brilliant Friend at the library book sale last year... Officially convinced to prioritize it!

[@BookReviewsWithBecky]

I love your cat talking in the background! 😂😍

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Clawdia has a lot to say lol

[@ashleyh1558]

I finally put My Brilliant Friend on hold through Libby about a week ago. I'm ready to dive in and see why you love it so much!

[@raquelra5878]

I’m also using Fable since yesterday and am really enjoying it so far. Their wrap up is super fun. According to them I’m an Eclectic Dreamer… 😂 My Hot Take was “Tom Lake”, which I really didn’t like… 😂 And I’m too niche bc I’ve read “Acia” by Ivan Turgenev… Only 14 other people added this one to their lists… As you can see, I’m even “nicher” than you, Emily. 😂

[@zachreads]

I read 187. Here's my Top 5 -The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec -The Wedding People by Alison Espach -Project Hail Mary by Andy Wier -Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See -The Unmothers by Leslie Anderson Honorable mentions -The Seven Year Slip by Ashly Poston (best romance) -Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (best literary fiction) -Dragonrider by Taran Matharu (best Dragon) -Other Birds (best contemporary) -Godzilla x Kong (best big dumb action book!) -Taken by the Witch Queen by Luna Fury (best smut) -Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck (best Historical fiction) -The Bird King by G Willow Wilson (best historical fantasy) -Star Acrapper by JN Chaney (best sci-fi adventure) -The Hidden Gaurdian by JDL Rosell (best sequel) -The Crypt by Scott Sigler (best scifi horror) -Her Spell that Binds Me by Luna Oblonsky (best dark academia/romance) -The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska (best clean romantasy) -The Lost Village by Camilla Sten (best mystery thriller)

[@crystalrainbow19]

Project Hail Mary was amazing. Try 22/11/63 by Stephen King. It’s not horror, more adventure, and it’s widely loved.

[@zachreads]

@crystalrainbow19 I've read all of Stephen King's books!

[@crystalrainbow19]

@@zachreadsoh wow! Okay, try A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck. It’s got a vaguely similar vibe to The Long Walk by Stephen king when he was writing as Richard Bachman.

[@zachreads]

@@crystalrainbow19 OK that sounds interesting! I'll wait for a sale, but it's on the list!

[@angelab3617]

I agree 100% with your best book/series!! I loved all of them, too!

[@mpkfan]

I know you don’t like short stories but you also don’t like magical realism and it gives me so much joy to see you enjoy Sarah Addison Allen’s books! For short stories, I would highly highly recommend reading Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. She has some of the most breathtaking writing I’ve ever read and I’d say this collection is better than her novels, including the famous one, The Namesake.

[@ashleigh-l7d]

I just got fable and love it so far!

[@avsambart]

I agree, there are not enough sci-fi readers. Especially on youtube, I only know maybe 5 booktubers who genuinely read and review a good chunk of sci-fi 😭

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Right?? I feel like I wasn’t even a sci fi trader in 2024!! I’m hoping to go back in 2025

[@heathiedoodle]

I’m trying to get into sci-fi this year. I got All Systems Red because it’s short. What would you recommend for a newbie? (I read This is How You Lose The Time War and it was way over my head! I don’t think I understood half of it).

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

ASR is a good start! This is how.... is a lot lol the writing style wasn't for me either. I have a couple beginner's guide that should be easier: kzbin.info/www/bejne/omm4gXSLoLZ8hqs or kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKKtln-BhZytg68

[@jucimakesthings]

which are the youtubers you follow who read sci-fi? looking for recommendations

[@sarazur244]

@@jucimakesthingsplant based bride!

[@GreenGranny]

I just read the first chapter of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante and immediately bought the first 3 books in the series. Her writing is fabulous! I would never have checked it out if you hadn't talked about it. Thanks!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Her writing is amazing!

[@weallneedheroes5180]

read my brilliant friend because of you - loved the whole series!

[@heathiedoodle]

I just got back into reading last year so I am late to the party, but I’m recommending The House in the Cerulean Sea to everyone who hasn’t read it yet.

[@rhondasruminationsonreading]

I ended up as "The Quirky Sleuth" on Fable because of my love of mysteries and books with animal main characters lol.

[@Dani4Equality]

Horrorstor was very odd...but I couldn't put it down! Sometimes scary, sometimes funny, every time intriguing. It's absolutely worth a read 📚

[@cdm234]

I read My Brilliant Friend in November because of the “NYT Book of the Century!!” Hype that it was getting. it took a while for me to get into and I was feeling meh about it but after the first third I was SUCKED IN and didn’t even realize I had read through the last 2/3 of the book in one sitting!! I still thought it was just okay when I finished (book 1 felt like it was setting up for the remainder of the story) and wasn’t sure if I was gonna continue the series but after processing some more I realized I couldn’t stop thinking about the book for weeks! so I picked up Story of a New Name and am officially addicted to the story, the writing, everything. I’m not from Naples but the culture is very similar to my family’s so I think it added another relatability layer for me that keeps me invested. I’ve been binging book 2 but it’s breaking my heart into a million pieces so I’m forcing myself to take a break and read the remaining 100 pages I have left veryyyy slowly. 100% agree with and appreciate your recommendation!!

[@Senidhr]

I read 30 books this year (it is an achievement for me) and my best books were a few, but most of them were from Becky Chambers so read Becky Chambers.

[@James.NewYork]

If there’s one book I think everyone should read this year, it’s keezano’s Your Life Your Game. It beautifully shows how connecting with God and building meaningful relationships can lead to spiritual growth, and success in both your personal and professional life. This book truly changed my life…a must-read. God bless❤❤

[@becklebooks]

I’m similar to you in that 2024 was a disappointing year for me but I found 3 stand-out 5-star books. I read 74 books in the year so I was really hoping for more 5 stars. 😢

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Wow that's worse than me! Hopefully 2025 treats us better!

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

I've only read a few by Grady Hendrix so far but he's definitely a fave author - Horrorstör is my current favorite!

[@fidato_]

I'm a mythical maven as per my fable stats. I am more at home with supernatural than the mundane. ❤️ Haha love it

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

I haven't read it yet but it's on its way to me and thought I'd mention it ... a lyrical space opera SciFi re-telling of The Little Mermaid called Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters.

[@isirlasplace91]

7:25 Ordered this book on your recommendation because you haven't steered me wrong so far lol

[@crimsonwhispersva2498]

My favourite books of 2024 1. Dune By Frank Herbert 2. The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson 3. The Hot Hex Boyfriend By Carly Bloom 4. Hate To Love You By Jennifer Sucevic 5. Dungeon Crawler Carl By Matt Dinniman 6. Quilt Of Souls By Phyllis Biffle Elmore (non-fiction) 7. The Sliverblood Promise By James Logan 8. Just For The Summer By Abby Jinenez 9. Walking Practice By Dolki Hin 10. Covenant Vol 2 By Lysandra Wuong (Graphic Novel). The best year of reading I have had in a few decades by reading 276 books Omg I have even surprised myself I was at the top:- 0.05% of art and design readers 5% of mystery readers 1% of Graphic novels & manga readers So I take 2024 as a great year for reading

[@lobkeh4067]

I understand this was sponsored but I was really disappointed by Fable's recent screw-up. Some people had some really misogynistic and racist things said in their wrap-up. The AI literally told them to 'read more white authors' and stuff like that...

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

No way! Do you have a link?

[@4567890mrjki]

I read The Painted Man when I was 19/20 and liked it but, the way I feel about it now really highlights how much you can change in a decade. That shit would not fly with me now lol

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

That's part of the reason I get so annoyed. I know I wouldn't have noticed before because it's so normalized! I appreciate that I can't stand it as I get older

[@badfaith4u]

I also enjoyed Funny Story by Emily Henry and look forward to her newest book.

[@commar6088]

The thing about your channel is that you either give 5 stars to my most hated books of all times, or would hate my most favorite books of all times, occasionally though, we agree on how a book is great….😂 so it is mostly 70% chance for me that I would like your least favorite books, and that is where I find my recommendations 🎉 I read my brilliant friend in 2020-ish? And I am still mad that I read the whole thing and suffered with those sooo annoying characters 😂

[@Kelsk3825]

I’ve been dying for you to read Yumi and the Nightmare Painter secret project!!! I’m reading Tress now but may skip the wizards one

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I'm listening to it as an audiobook now!

[@vickibradley8418]

I am so with you with your favourite book. I can’t put into words how much I LOVE Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. I have read and re read them all at least twice. In fact have you listened to them? Wow, I urge you to listen to them - the narrator Hilary Huber is fantastic. I am going to listen to them all again soon. It is like connecting with an old friend. As they are so in depth with relationships and emotions and have so many characters I feel each time I connect with them I learn more about them or understand the reasons why they did what they did. I haven’t read any of the other books on your list but have taken a note of a few to try. 😊 Edited: I haven’t read ‘Days of Abandonment’ yet but have read The lost daughter. Elena Ferrante is not afraid to go into the subject of ‘motherhood’ and how it isn’t something that comes naturally to some women and what is expected of them.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I haven't tried them as audiobooks, I might have to! She definity isn't afraid to go there in her books... I need to finish The Lost Daughter!

[@vickibradley8418]

I hope you like them as audiobooks. I found the more you ‘read’ them the more you understand the characters and the dynamics between them. I find it’s like reconnecting with old friends.

[@noaaa7]

I wish we had the bracket tournament, but that’s ok. We all knew which book would win anyway!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Sadly it was this or skipping it this year (totally unacceptable!) I’ll go back to it in 2025 🤞🤞

[@NicOfTime19]

I’ve now got My Brilliant Friend and hoping to get to it soon! Very excited! My #1 book of the year shocked me, it was Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, highly recommend 🖤

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Oh I have it on my shelf!

[@NicOfTime19]

@ aw great! I think you would love it, it’s not too dry for a Japanese translation!

[@Feyenoord101]

Another book I really liked on plant based diet is - how to not die. My husband and I read this few years back and we are still omnivores but eat a lot more of plants, especially crucifers.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I'll add it to my TBR!

[@Shellyish]

The Bell Jar made it to MY worst books of the year as well.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

It was shockingly bad... I'm still mad about it!

[@kathleendudek2955]

I was surprised. I thought that it would be All the Colors of the Dark.

[@a.r.e.j.1693]

The percentages in Fable are probably skewed, to be fair. Fable isn't mainstream yet, so you have those numbers based on the userbase which is mostly the young book community from youtube/instagram/tiktok/etc, that circle of people. Not saying there aren't others, just that it's the main demographic. I bet you would've gotten WAY different results in GR.

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

I read a lot of genres (nearly all of them, besides smut and extreme horror) and Sci·Fi is my #2 most read genre... I'm a supporter of more SciFi content 😄

[@Longhornchic]

Bright young women was a surprising like for me as well

[@prescilla201]

I joined Fable last year and my wrap up says I'm in the top 5% of literary fiction, nature and enviroment and political readers. Interesting!

[@despoinabouzounieraki9076]

Which one is better, the will of the many of blood over bright haven?

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Blood over bright haven!

[@maryline0113]

Bright young women was so good. Didn't care for Yours Truly either. This year I really enjoyed "the push", "home before dark", "the good sister", "Circe", "book lovers", "the collected regrets of Clover" and "the great alone". As a non fiction, "just mercy" from Bryan Stevenson is a must read and "the glass castle".

[@ashleigh-l7d]

The Dollmaker. I met the author and the way she explained it I wasn’t that interested but after your explanation I’m curious

[@CaIIistocake]

How good is Fable? I've been seeing some weird output from their AI on twitter

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I'm not on Twitter anymore, do you have a link?

[@goop1475]

Links don't seem to be working. But I saw these reader summaries: "Diversity Devotee: Your bookshelf is a vibrant kaleidoscope of voices and experiences, making me wonder if you're ever in the mood for a straight, cis white man's perspective!" "Your journey dives deep into the heart of Black narratives and transformative tales, leaving mainstream stories gasping for air. Don't forget to surface for the occasional white author, okay?" They said it's made with generative AI, so not surprising that it reinforces harmful biases and conservative talking points

[@CaIIistocake]

​@@goop1475 ooh thanks. I was having the same issue

[@CaIIistocake]

​@@BookswithEmilyFoxthe comment below me talks about what they said. Can't seem to post any links here

[@johan0626]

​@@BookswithEmilyFoxTry Threads if you're there, it's all over there as well

[@leeben1898]

Fine! I’ll down the app

[@nur2276]

I think your percentages are that high, not because you read a lot of sci-fi or wellness or whatever, but there aren't enough Fable users to have reliable data.

[@heathiedoodle]

I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but I really dislike the cover art on that Elena Ferrante series! ha! Maybe I’ll have to listen to it on audio!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

lol fair. We all judge! There are different editions if you prefer

[@jucimakesthings]

oh, since you like books with dead characters, have you ever heard of the book "The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas" by Machado de Assis? it's a brazilian classic and it's told from the perspective of a man who is dead and is telling the story of his life. very funny, witty and touching. I think you would like it! is has been gainning some attention in international media lately

[@amyh7673]

Yes! I second that recommendation.

[@michellecgb]

Watch Fable become the Better Help of booktube. Creators will just continue to promote it.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

So I’ve looked into it and I don’t think the two are comparable. Their AI said some truly awful things. They’ve apologized and are removing it? I’ll wait and see what happens.

[@michellecgb]

@ I’m not comparing the apps or the controversies. I’m saying that it’s likely creators will continue to promote it regardless, sorry if my comment was confusing about that. It was also not meant as an attack to you, just a general observation. I believe you stand on business/your values and it’s a big part of why I love your content. In case you’re at all interested in my general thoughts though: we aren’t the ones affected by what their AI did, so I feel it’s not up to us to decide if what they said so far is acceptable. It was disappointing to see the comments on their TikTok video flooded by mostly white people at the time I watched it thanking them for it and accepting an apology that’s not for them to accept, imo as a Latina. I’ll stay on the fence but hope for the best in terms of action and accountability beyond removing and apologizing.

[@andrewissodone]

THE 4TH SEASON IS ALREADY OUT!!!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

NO WAY

[@caburg93]

I used Fable for over a year and deleted it. 🤷‍♀️

[@miamorereads]

Hi, I don’t know if you’ve seen the Fable controversy, but I’d love to hear your take on the use of AI for these. (Obviously the racism was unacceptable as I’m sure most would agree)

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Yeah I'm on vacation and didn't see it until now. Not impressed. They've made an apology and said they were removing the AI (?) I guess we'll see what happens!

[@lifewithpatti9531]

I put Housemaids in my worst books of the year also.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I really don't get the hype XD

[@Nari-7022]

wait doesnt fable support ai 😅😅😅 did i miss something?

[@giulia480]

Since when is ai bad?

[@tennille9dawn]

Well that was enlightening - that the app deemed feminist books as political (vs anthropological or human rights, etc.)

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

LOL right?

[@isirlasplace91]

I'm an "imaginative risk-taker"😂

[@deanmarquis4325]

So what is it?

[@isabellehall9217]

This sponsorship was badly timed because people are now leaving Fable. The app uses AI generated content in the form of reader summaries. While they have mosrly been fun, some users have been reporting racist and homophobic comments in those AI summaries. I don't want to leave the app yet because I want to see how the devs respond to this. They are aware of it but we're yet to see if they will remove the reader summaries

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

What??

[@isabellehall9217]

@@BookswithEmilyFox Fable users are angry because of the racist/homophobic AI generated content. BTW this is nothing personal against you, I'm just telling you because maybe you should be aware

[@avsambart]

Didn't The Goblin Emperor get a sequel very recently? *searches* yeah it did in 2021!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

No? I think you’re referring to the companion series and that’s the one I mention right after. It follows my least fav character so I didn’t care for it. If I’m wrong please correct me because did love more from that series lol

[@SuperStrangSshadow]

I've given up on Josh Malerman 'cause I don't get along with his writing style. 😔

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Yeah after three books I think I'm done done

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I was not a fan of ministry of time😂

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I'm still in shocked in won the Goodreads Choice Awards for sci-fi!

[@BirgitHaeupl]

❤️📚🐱

[@courtneyrodgers8435]

I think it's time to leave Fable in 2024 after some of their AI wrap ups...

[@johan0626]

I'm surprised more people haven't mentioned this. I've happily been with Storygraph for awhile, but if anything solidified my choice...

[@ChosenByCover]

I wanted to switch from Goodreads, but after seeing a wrapup recommending the user should not forget to read the occasional white author instead of just BIPOC, I'll keepnon looking...

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Wait, what??

[@ChosenByCover]

@@BookswithEmilyFox it seems my response hadn't uploaded correctly. :( You may want to look into Fable's most recent post on Threads. They've addressed the issue. In the responses to this post you'll find some screenshots of the offensive summaries that were created.

[@VeraFran]

I'm a Storygraph user, I hadn't hear about Fable until two weeks ago and decided to give it a go but looks like I should rethink that.

[@cindystephens6997]

🚌

[@Janella_Ice_Ice_Baby]

I found My Brilliant Friend boring :(

[@laurenschenck5355]

Funny story loved and the thirteenth child 📖📚📚📖📙📖🎊🎇📙📖📙📚🎊🎇🎆🎉🎉🎉🎆🎇🎉🎉🎆🎇🎇🎊📖📖📖

[@laurenschenck5355]

I recommend you read me before you book it is so cute this year and adorable and the film is amazing too 📖📖🎇🎇🎇🎇🎊🎆🎆🎊📖🎇🎇🎉🎉🎉📚📚📙📙📙🎊🎊🎊🎇🎊🎊🎊📚📚📚📚📚📖📖🎆🎆🎆🎆