I say this as an avid reader, but sometimes, what to read can seem like such a daunting task, especially if it’s something new. What if you choose wrong, and you feel as though you have to continue on with it, completely hating it as you go? What if you want to branch out from your usual genre, put down the sci-fi books and give the heartwarming novels a go, but you don’t know where to begin? There are so many new books to read, as well as old books, finding the place to start can seem almost daunting. 

Below, I’ve listed a few of the best books to read in 2024, with some of my most anticipated, must-read books of the year so we can get excited about the reading journey together. Between the two of us, dear reader, we can find something for you to try amidst some of the most popular books of all time and some great new releases for later on in the year.

1. Cosy

2. Thriller

3. Fantasy

4. Horror

5. My Most Anticipated Books of 2024

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Cosy book

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Image by sunmark publishing

Sometimes reading is just about the act of doing so, to get out of any reading slump that takes a hold on you. Where all you need is a warm drink and a cosy, yet emotionally poignant book to provide a much needed distraction from the world and with the fifth book in this series due to be released in September this year, there is perhaps no better time to find yourself lost in this cosy, magical series, beginning with the one that started it all.

Set in the back-alleys of Tokyo, Before the Coffee gets Cold takes place inside a mysterious cafe, where the stories of time travel have made it infamous, though its set of strict rules have turned patrons away from their curiosity. Following the cafe’s workers and their few customers, we are given four separate stories of those who risk going back to say the things they never got to say in the moment, to see their loved ones for a final time. While most time travel stories pose the question of change, more often than not turning into a grave be careful what you wish for story, Toshikazu Kawaguchi takes the possibility of change away, leaving the reader to ponder if they would still go back to say what they always wanted to. A short but one of the most heartwarming novels I’ve read, this is the perfect cosy read.

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Thriller book

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

Image by Orion Publishing Co

In an age where the details of any true crime is so easily accessible and digested at an alarming rate by the public (including me, I am not above watching documentaries or listening to podcasts in the morning as I’m trying to structure my day), it’s always interesting when a fiction book uses this fascination to its benefit. Danya Kukafka leaves so much unsaid, with only your imagination to fill in the gaps, you begin to pay attention less to the crime and more to the victims, creating one of the most incredible thriller books in recent years. 

Notes on a Execution begins in the second person perspective, as the reader takes the form of Ansel Packer – a serial killer on his last day of death row. We are told of his plans to escape, of his attempts to manipulate a female guard, only to be exploited himself. This story doesn’t belong to Ansel however, it belongs to the three women who had a role in changing and shaping him into the criminal behind bars. We don’t find out the gritty details of his kills, as many crime books would maybe enjoy delving into. We do, however, learn about his mother, Lavender, and the life she built for herself. We learn of Saffy, a childhood acquaintance turned detective, with a high suspicion of the boy she once knew. We learn of Hazel, a twin of his wife, a sister who wishes she had done more than what she did. The story belongs to the outsiders of his crimes, the women who in some way changed him. An intense, but incredibly addictive read, this thriller read is for those who are tired of reading the same gruesome crimes.

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Fantasy book

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

Image by George Allen & Unwin

Is it basic to recommend one of the oldest, and perhaps the most iconic, fantasy books of all time as something to read in this day and age? Yes, probably. You might actually be thinking if you haven’t read it by now, will you ever, and you may be right. However, honestly, I think a lot of people are put off by the idea of delving into the world of Middle-Earth, and its ever expanding roots. It can be scary to dive into such a place, but it’s also worth it, and what better place to start than at the beginning, with the first published book (don’t come for me Silmarillion fans).

In a hole, in the ground, there lived a hobbit. The Hobbit follows the tale of the young Bilbo Baggins – a hobbit who wants a quiet life, and finds himself with a taste for adventure as an old, unfamiliar wizard brings him alongside a dwarven company, looking to reclaim their home. A classic fantasy tale that inspired so many more, you’re given a sample of the wonders of Middle-Earth. Do you need to read beyond this book to understand anything more about the world, to understand the origins of the people who inhabit Middle-Earth? No, probably not. While it can lead you deeper into the mines, this can also be read as a stand-alone, a children’s book that give you a taste of what to expect from the rest of the world, while leaving enough said for you to stop here. As a relatively short book, it can provide you with a feeling of accomplishment for getting through a book written by Tolkien.

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Horror book

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Image by Penguin Books Ltd

You’ve watched the Netflix show (maybe), now it’s time to read the gothic horror novel it was based off. This is a phrase I use loosely, I’m ninety percent sure the only similarity might be the name, so prepare yourself for potentially not recognising a single moment between the two. However, if you’re looking for a starter horror novel, to begin with a book that has been described as the definitive haunted house story is probably one of the best places to start.

Eleanor Vance has been invited to Hill House, a place well-known for its disturbing events. Dr. John Montague has invited her, along with Theodora and Luke Sanderson, in an attempt to find scientific evidence of the supernatural, all of them having previously experienced something paranormal in their lives. The caretakers refuse to stay in the building overnight, and pretty soon, strange things begin to happen, with Eleanor experiencing so much of the paranormal, both she and the reader begin to question her sanity. While this has all the making of a classic ghost story, it is what is left unsaid and unseen that really creates the creepy atmosphere within The Haunting of the Hill House. Is the narrator really experiencing all the ghostly going ons, or is the reader privy to her slow descent into madness, an unreliable narrator through it all? If you’re looking for a gripping gothic horror, one that you can easily read in one sitting, this might be the book for you.

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My most anticipated books of 2024

Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson

Image by Penguin Books Ltd

When I heard that Jacqueline Wilson was coming out with her first fiction book to be directed at adults, I have to say, my inner child was wildly excited for it. Think Again continues on from the last book of her young adult fiction series, Girls in Tears. Ellie Allard, now all grown up, realises that being an adult really isn’t as she expected it to be (isn’t that always the way). Though she has her daughter, her two best friends Nadine and Magda, and her cat Stella, she is drifting through life, living the same day-to-day, keeping her head above water. But on her birthday, life decides to throw a curveball, and bring change to her – whether or not she wants it.

Maybe this is a nostalgia play from Jacqueline, to revisit an older series that she hasn’t touched for 22 years – or maybe, to give it a less cynical spin, she knows that fans of the series (me) have since grown up since the last book was released, and so a trip down a familiar lane will bring comfort to otherwise struggling millennials (also me). Either way, count me in.

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Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

Image by Cornerstone

The Lady knows many things. She knows the rumour that her eyes breeds madness in men. She knows that she’s to be married to a Scottish brute. She knows his court will be hostile, her survival dependent on her wiles and hidden witchcraft. What she doesn’t know, is her husband holds occult secrets of his own. That he has prophecy protecting guarding him like armour. That her own magic is more dangerous and greater, and threatens the order of the world.

Tale as old as time. Man and woman fall in love. Man learns of a potential way to usurp the throne. Man tells woman. Woman plots to murder the king. Chaos, madness and ghostly guilt ensues. It’s a play that everyone has probably read in their GCSE years, reciting the out damned spot, out I say monologue and its meanings until their blue in the face. Ava Reid has heard this story, and has decided its time now to hear Lady Macbeth’s voice and a past, with a sprinkling of the dark magic that powers the original story. I enjoy modern retellings of classic literature, and I think that while there are many other feminist literature retelling of this famous play, I’m really looking forward to seeing the supernatural aspect of the original story have a more prominent role.

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Want by Gillian Anderson

Image by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Acclaimed actor Gillian Anderson has been busy. In-between her work on Sex Education, The Crown and most recently, the new Netflix film Scoop, she has been collating anonymous letters from other women to create the new, generation-defining non-fiction book, Want. Through this book, Anderson explores the deepest fears and most intimate desires, revealing so much that is often left unsaid, revealing how other women (and herself, through her own anonymous letter), feel about sex with the freedom of anonymity.

Was I immediately like “oh no” when I saw another celebrity book was due to be released this year? Yes, absolutely, sorry Gillian. I love biographies as much as the next person, but there is also a fatigue around celebrities bypassing the publishing process to share their life story or their new fiction book. Do I still hold that same fatigue but also find myself intrigued and dare I say, excited, by the prospect of this book? Also yes. Producing a collaborative experience with other women, and introducing each letter, this book has the prospect to bring something new to the topic of sex, a conversation that otherwise may not have been discussed. Personally, I love the idea that she’s trying something new and bringing other women into the conversation, so I’m looking forward to seeing if the idea of this book lives up to my expectations.

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Conclusion

I hope that somewhere along the way, you found a book to be excited about and I’ve helped you to find a book to read. While not all of them have been released this year, they’re my personal top books to read, especially when venturing into a new genre or trying to escape a reading slump, along with some of, what I hope will be, the best new novels due to come out this year. If you have any book recommendations of your own, let us know! 

Keep an eye out of a future article on audiobook recommendations as well – listening to books counts as reading!

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