The Best Books of 2024

[@debrahills8148]

I enter 2025 wanting to monkeybar very gently from one book to another with only the lightest sense of tbr. That being said, so many of your books are the kind I see myself reading! So here’s to a new year in which reading is fun and no one gets sick! You three are lovely and this video is a balm. Thank you!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you so much for the kind words. Happy new year to you and yours! 🥂

[@ilovaychanka1026]

hi, Greg and Joel! thank you for such kind and warm video. Many of the books which have helped me through difficult times during last couple of years were recommended by you. Sending you best New Year wishes from Ukraine! 🎄

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

Happy New Year! Glad we can share some of the joy! Be well.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Happy new year. I’m so glad we have been able to help during a difficult time for you and your country. Here’s hoping for better in 2025! ❤️

[@Nina_DP]

You guys are the best. I simultaneously smiled ear to ear through this video while tearing up a few times, too. Wishing you both the best in 2025. 🥂

[@bettyjones9220]

I right away noticed the sweater and the little pin on the lovely sweater…..I too went to Ireland two months ago with someone I also treasure, my daughter….I think everyone who visits that mystical, magical land is forever changed by the experience….love your book choices, love the bond of love so obvious between you two🙂❤️…oops three, Mr. Teddy is clearly an important part of the wee club😘

[@9josie]

Snow Child is in my all-time top 10! You've convinced me to read Tin Man and Small Joys, at least. Cerulean Sea is staring at me from my physical tbr too. Thanks, you two are terrific!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thanks so much! I hope you like any of the books that you pick up.

[@bobbykeniston7240]

Thanks for the !great lists! Happy New Year!

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

Hello Beautiful is the last book I read, but as an audio book as well. I loved it. I was thinking the same thing as Joel while listening to Tom Lake that Meryl Streep could play the main character.

[@michele9159]

I was so excited to see your video and that it was an hour long! BEST HOUR EVER!!! Love you both! ❤

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you so much! Happy new year!

[@janethansen9612]

You reminded me of how much I enjoyed Small Joys. I picked up a copy of Part of Your World, so that will read that in the next couple of weeks. Happy New Year.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Happy new year and happy reading!

[@faithwarren9212]

I enjoy your channel so much! Great reads, excellent commentary, and an adorable dog... your channel is the best gift the algorithm showed me in 2024. I love your love for each other and your family - furry, foster, friends, and otherwise. I read a lot of non-fiction and am looking forward to that video! Wishing your family a healthy 2025.

[@marjoriedybec3450]

I'm so glad your reading year was such a solace to you. I know you struggled to even find the serenity to sit with books at times this year. But when you did, you chose well. Bravos. I think my favorite reading experience in 2024 was reading the 600+ pages of the "Collected Stories of Colette," translated by Matthew Ward. Each short story is very short, most just 2-5 pages long. Some are just vignettes. But Colette shows you the human condition with perfectly crafted sentences that you just want to lay amongst. I hope you'll find a copy at a used book store and because of this comment will add it to your bookshelves and dip in whenever life is stressful and you need a smart escape. Positively glorious. BTW, Greg, I am three-quarters through To Kill A Mockingbird (read by S Spacek) because of your constant nagging (I mean "recommendation.") I cannot thank you enough! OMG, what a tour-de-force! Wishing you an incredible reading year ahead. TY for giving us your wonderful content even when your hearts are so heavy. Hopefully, the distraction helps a little. Joel, for Christmas I baked a Prune Pudding with a Toffee Sauce; and "Mrs Quinn's Rise ..." is on my January TBR, as a possible comp for the novel I hope to query later this year. marjorieapple.substack.com

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

Thank you! Hope you enjoy Mrs. Quinn!

[@monisharmuk]

You both always have the best recommendations!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoy them.

[@dmurfval702]

Happy New Year Greg and Joel. Looking forward to watching in 2025. Great list of books. I had a good reading year but this year is not starting of so good...I love TJ Klune, I'm excited to hear there will be a third book!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Happy New Year to you, too! I hope things look up for your reading year in 2025.

[@marciajohansson769]

I found a gently used (if at all) copy of The Midnight Library in the swap shack at our dump a few weeks ago! I have been wanting to read it so I am encouraged by your recommendation Joel. Since I have read a few on your list and have some on my bookshelf I think I am in good shape for some good reading this year! Thank you for another fun, warm and enjoyable year spending time with you, Joel and Teddy. Supposedly fun has become my comfort place and purveyor of cinnamon bun moments. 💙

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

I hope you like Midnight Library! I keep forgetting to tell you, thank you for a beautiful Christmas card! It is stunning depiction of Santa!! Happy new year to you!! ❤❤❤

[@marciajohansson769]

@@joelmcclanahan9004 You are most welcome and Happy New Year to you too!

[@lulukan64]

Happy New Year!🎉 Still watching the video, but wanted to say I love the beard, Joel.

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

Thank you!

[@SupposedlyFun]

It’s SO GOOD!

[@luvsumbooks]

Happy New Year! 🎉 Your videos are so cozy and perfect with a cup of coffee on a cold day. Thank you for these great recommendations.

[@Winterknits]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful list of books ❤

[@SupposedlyFun]

Happy reading!

[@Mystikk89]

Happy New Year, lovely video. Thank you for sharing, pup pup was dozing off soooo cute ❤❤❤

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you, and happy new year! Teddy is a total cutie.

[@dianaleerode5847]

Thank you for mentioning the trigger warning for suicide ideation/attempt in Midnight Library. I probably would have enjoyed that book better if I had been prepared, and in different parts of my life, coming across that unprepared could have been very difficult.

[@SupposedlyFun]

It's absolutely a topic that can be difficult for a lot of people. I'm sorry you weren't prepared for it in that book.

[@Dawnsbookreviews]

I love A Christmas Memory so much, I recorded myself reading it!!!❤❤❤

[@SupposedlyFun]

That's a really cool idea!

[@kChandler10]

Happy New Year! Great video. Loved the book list and hearing a bit about your life, interests, and parenting. ❤️😊

[@SupposedlyFun]

Happy new year to you as well! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@suzanneward5131]

I’m rereading Hello Beautiful. It’s even better the second time!

[@SupposedlyFun]

It's a gorgeous book.

[@jillbellaus385]

Good read Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk - great to read on New Year’s Eve day

[@SupposedlyFun]

I’ve heard of that one but haven’t read it-thanks for the recommendation.

[@wendycayless]

To The Bright Edge of the World is just stunning! Highly recommend!

[@SupposedlyFun]

I’m so looking forward to that one!

[@readandre-read]

I agree with the misleading blurb on Tin Man. But I’m glad it made the list! I also loved Tom Lake, James and A Christmas Memory. I have Small Joys on my book cart just waiting patiently. Adding Amongst Women to my list. And maybe I need Mrs. Quinn, too. These lists were awesome! Thank you!

[@julieg_quebec-julesselivre8641]

Hi! Abby Jimenez is 100% in my top readings of 2024! ❤ Happy New Year to you both and Teddy! Such a charmer! 😉

[@SupposedlyFun]

He is a charmer! I’m so glad you liked Jimenez, too. Happy new year and happy reading!

[@catedee5012]

Thank you for the wrap up. At your suggestion in other videos I have completed Part of your World and I am going to move on to the next two. I will definitely take away some suggestions from this list. I especially love the videos you do with Joel. You seem so natural and comfortable together as well as supportive of each other.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you so much! We love making these videos together. I hope you like any of the books you pick up.

[@shareyourcalm]

Thank you for the great recommendations and descriptions. What a joy to see you both and the charm of your interactions. Wishing you a more peaceful than we may be expecting 2025.

[@SupposedlyFun]

We’re definitely wishing for a peaceful 2025 for all of us! Thank you for the kind words.

[@BookReviewsWithBecky]

Teddy is so cute! I subscribed! 😍

[@SupposedlyFun]

Teddy is the best! Thank you and welcome!

[@karenbrouard697]

I read the snow child because of your channel and it was one of my favourite books of 2024❤

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

It was so good!

[@SupposedlyFun]

I'm so glad you liked it!

[@luvsumbooks]

Thanks!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thanks so much! Happy new year and happy reading! ❤️

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

Thank you! Happy New Year. ❤

[@mradcaqbdb]

Well, that was perhaps my very favorite video the two of you have made! Just so much joy, all the feels, I loved it. I have to say that I have purposefully avoided The Midnight Library in the years since it came out. It seems like a concept that would completely bum me out, thinking about what could have been. I suspect (but don’t know) that the book ends with you did the best you could with the choices you had (a bit cheesy), but I was always more afraid that the main character would be shown that she could have had a wonderful life and missed out. And speaking of It’s a Wonderful Life, I think that’s as close as I want to get to what happened if you made different choices. I am very interested in your reaction to this book, Joel, because as I said I have actively avoided it, but I still don’t feel strong enough to take it on. Anyway, my Baker’s Dozen (in honor of Joel). Mostly in order but gets a little squishy towards the end. Nightwatching - Tracy Sierra My Government Means To Kill Me - Rasheed Newson Blizzard - Marie Vingtras tr. Strangers - Taichi Yamada tr. Three Fires - Denise Mina The Examiner - Janice Hallett Lie With Me - Philippe Besson tr. Clear - Carys Davies Eastbound - Maylis de Kerangal tr. Over My Dead Body - Maz Evans Another Brooklyn - Jacqueline Woodson The Reformatory - Tananarive Due The Warm Hands of Ghosts - Katherine Arden

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

If I recall I liked the ending! I don’t want to spoil it! But I liked it a lot! Let me know if you do read it. Thank you for the lovely books! I read merriest misters so I will do the other one next. ❤❤❤

[@SusiFord-w7f]

Tom Lake definitely made it into my top 10 - I listened to the Meryl Streep audio and was entranced. Hello Beautiful has been sitting on my bedside table for a few months - I need to move it up my TBR list. I appreciate your thoughtful considerations when creating your lists and Teddy is definitely the best doggo!!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you! Tom Lake is wonderful, and I hope you like Hello Beautiful as much as I did. We are so lucky to have Teddy.

[@Roscoethecat]

My 2024 favorites were Tom Lake, Hello Beautiful, Razorblade Tears, Mrs. Quinn and The Berry Pickers. I read the last 50 pages of The Berry Pickers on New Years Day, so I'm counting it as a 2024 book. I first read then listened to the audio books for Tom Lake and Hello Beautiful. I live in Chicago and want to visit the library where Sylvie worked.

[@SusanTuttle-zh9jf]

Thank you for the list of 2025 books to come,everyone else is recapping their 2024 favorites,so this is exciting to hear what will be out this year.I have a suggestion for both of you,”West with Giraffes”by Linda Rutledge,although you may have already read it.Thank you,you both seem like very kind people.

[@MMjones6459]

Thanks for the high points of your reading year. I was able to get Small Joys via Libby.

[@catherinejager3264]

Could Joel look more like Sean Connery?! 😁❤️ I’ve been looking forward to this episode. We shared some (because of you) in my top 10, and some new picks that I look forward to. Because of you, my NY goal for 2024 was to get back to reading - at least 2 books per month- and one could be audio. Goal accomplished! Mostly - some months more one month less - so I thank you for getting me back to the page. I feel your pain trying to compile a list 😬 #1 Demon Copperhead #2 The History of Sound #3 The Women. I’ll spare you the rest. But we did match on Tom Lake, The Snow Child❤️, Mrs Quinn, and Here we go again❤️ Can’t wait to read Tin Man. Love your channel and the both (3) of you.

[@catherinejager3264]

Also had my first DNF- The Thursday Murder Club. I just couldn’t 🥱

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

Thank you! You have some great books on your list that I have not read yet! I also could not deal with Thursday Murder club!

[@shannongeier8155]

One of my favorites of 2024 was a recommendation from you Greg, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. So amazing. I began, at the beginning of 2025 Rodham, a retelling of Hilary Clinton's life if she hadn't married Bill Clinton. So far AMAZING!!! I stopped listening to a book that I was in the middle of (that was a good book) because ever since I heard the description of Rodham, I've been obsessed to read it and so far, it's been fantastic. Are you on Goodreads Greg?

[@SupposedlyFun]

I'm so glad you liked The Secret Lives of Church Ladies! I think I do still have a Goodreads account but I might as well delete it since I don't use it anymore--and haven't even opened it in ages. I do The StoryGraph instead. It's not owned by Amazon and I like a lot of its features more than StoryGraph.

[@LAsperge]

I read The Orphan Master’s Son this year and it was far and away my favorite book. I’ll have to give Snow Child a read

[@ChloeChloeify]

I read and LOVED The Snow Child thanks to you!

[@SupposedlyFun]

I’m so glad! It’s SUCH a good book.

[@nadiadixon5805]

I just feel I've been invited into who you both are from your best books 2024...you are nice people...I wish you happy things for 2025 and lots of kindness all the way from the italian Alps...😊

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you so much. We wish you the best in 2025 as well! We hope to visit the Italian Alps someday--it's a gorgeous area.

[@Ali-AvidReader]

I really enjoyed Hello Beautiful, it was one of my favourites of 2024.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Such a beautiful, thoughtful book.

[@johnbarry7874]

Happy New Year gents. All the best for ‘25 👍🙂

[@SupposedlyFun]

Happy New Year to you as well! 🥂

[@debbiejefferies]

Hi Greg and Joel, Thanks for this, because of this video I have now grabbed Wolfsong by TJ Klune off my bookshelf, maybe you could look that book up.

[@annegibson6072]

Good morning. It seems that we have been on totally different reading journeys this year. When my world goes crazy I look for books to help me understand what is going on. My top 3 fiction books were A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci, Orbital by Samantha Harvey and James. I know you hated Orbital. Can't wait to see the nonfiction list

[@SupposedlyFun]

It is so interesting how people react to stress differently. I’m glad you found a way to get by.

[@SusanTuttle-zh9jf]

Hi Greg and Joel,recently found you guys,I am enjoying all your reviews.Wondering if you have read “West with Giraffes “I highly recommend it.Thanks for the rundown of books coming for 2025,I was pleasantly surprised.

[@KurtAnderson812]

I have Mrs. Quinn as my 2nd place book (following James) and I agree that a second book would be great and actually a good way to answerable a few questions that the ending left.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I absolutely want to know what happened after the last page.

[@julieaulava9567]

Okay, I have Somewhere Beyond the Sea right here and am going to switch and read it now.

[@jennamakesbugs]

It was so good.

[@_daniela_s]

I loved The house in the cerulean sea so much in 2023 that I'm a bit hesitant to pick the second one up. I just don't want to be disappointed, but your words on it kinda make me want to prioritise it earlier this year now 😅 All my six 5 star reads this year are sci-fi or fantasy so I'm not sure if its worth mentioning here since you don't really read that. Howeeever saying that the one I actually would recommend is A letter to the luminous deep by Silvie Cathrall. It is a very sweet romance told in letters and the fantastical element is very much in the background I would say. It is just lovely, I don't have any other word to describe it. If you are in need of some more fluffy books this January to transport you to another world this could be your book. I also found the LGBTQ and mental health rep very good! Edit: there is a little processing of grief though, so maybe I take January back

[@joelmcclanahan9004]

I like Somewhere beyond the sea a bit better than Cerulean!❤❤❤

[@_daniela_s]

@joelmcclanahan9004 yay that makes me so happy to hear!

[@MJ-in-Canada]

Teddy's tartan jacket.👍

[@SupposedlyFun]

He 👏 is 👏 adorable 👏

[@karenmoore4430]

H Greg and Joel. My favourite book of the year is There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak. I might get upset if it doesn’t make the Women’s Prize list. I am currently reading Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler. I need to read more Anne Tyler. What is your favourite Anne Tyler? Hello Beautiful was great. I re-read Tin Man this year, so goodxx

[@SupposedlyFun]

The only other Tyler book I’ve read at this moment is Breathing Lessons (which won the Pulitzer), and I didn’t like it at the time-but I was about 20 years old and I think I would appreciate it a lot more with some age and wisdom (I hope) gained through the years. I hear a lot of good things about The Accidental Tourist and Celestial Navigation.

[@karenmoore4430]

@ thanks Greg. I have read Accidental Tourist will try Celestial Navigation.

[@Libra_Libris]

Happy New Year 🎉

[@SupposedlyFun]

Happy New Year!

[@gastondeveaux3783]

Happy New Year you guys. Now, you guys are great, but let's be honest, Teddy is at a whole other level of handsome. ❤

[@SupposedlyFun]

It's true! He's in a league of his own.

[@tdawna]

If you’re wanting to read more Anne Tyler, I highly recommend The Accidental Tourist. The film measures up to the book as well with William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and an Oscar-winning performance by Geena Davis. All the other actors are wonderfully quirky, too.

[@nanimaonovi2528]

I've asked TJ Klune to call himself 'the Patron Saint of Queer Joy' because defining yourself by what you love-never by hate- is how to know you're one of the good guys.

[@myreadinglife8816]

Joel’s beard does look great! Yay for Abby Jimenez!

[@SupposedlyFun]

I love both Joel’s beard and Abby Jimenez!

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

I still can’t decide between the 30 books I gave 5 stars in 2024. I might have to divide it into different categories like Best debuts Best Irish Most surprising ☘️👋🍀💕📚📖📕☕️🤗

[@SupposedlyFun]

That would be a fun approach!

[@williejameswilliams1]

I think my favorite book of the year was “Trust” by Hernan Diaz.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I want to read his first book at some point.

[@MJ-in-Canada]

Bibliotherapy at its best.📚😊

[@SupposedlyFun]

🤗

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

Teddy the bestist doggie in the world 🥰😍💕

[@SupposedlyFun]

He really is!

[@carlgranados7106]

I.found James a bit boring and expressing nothing new. Part of my problem probably is that I love the novel Hick Finn and this book tries to tell the story from the slave Jim's point of view. To me what the author wanted to convey would have been better taking a different novel since Mark Twain was obviously sympathetic to blacks but at the same time his stories were meant to be a bit of satire, comedy, and how hard life used to be in those days for everybody while also being a great novel for young readers at the time.

[@dunnadam]

I also disliked James. I think we are the only two. I really wanted to like it.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I think Twain was definitely sympathetic but had some blind spots that were probably signs of the times he lived in. Everett's perspective is, I think, a fascinating alternate view.

[@spexi513]

📖 🪱 💚💚💚💚💚

[@SupposedlyFun]

📚 🥂

[@spexi513]

I tend to prefer 🇬🇧 covers & order 📚 from there partly because of that 🫣

[@SupposedlyFun]

I feel like most people do!