What to read next? NYT’s guide to the 10 best books of 2024

The New York Times 10 list continues its tradition of spotlighting impactful books, from a novel on a mother’s affair to a reimagined Twain classic.

Just like the past twenty-five years starting from 2000, the New York Times 10 list spotlights books that challenge our understanding and expand our ways of thinking ranging from ‘The Books Readers Loved’ to ‘The Best Audiobooks of 2024’.

(Image for representation) Nate Coulter, executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), looks at a book in the main branch of the public library in downtown Little Rock, Ark., May 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Katie Adkins, File)(AP)

The goal? To showcase books that make one’s mark on the self, provoke thought, and seek to comprehend the essence of existence. These, indeed, are the type of books that you will carry with you while turning the next page.

Here are the 10 Best Books of 2024 cited by the NYT

1. All Fours by Miranda July

July’s second novel follows a married mother and artist whose solo road trip takes an unexpected turn when she begins an affair with a younger rental car worker. Dubbed “the talk of every group text” and “the first great perimenopause novel,” this sexually frank, humour-laced book poses a universal question: What would you risk to change your life?

2. Good Material by Dolly Alderton

This brisk, witty novel centres on a 35-year-old comedian navigating a breakup as his friends settle down. Full of snappy dialogue and memorable characters, it subverts traditional gender roles and marriage plots. With a surprising twist, Alderton delivers a modern rom-com that celebrates independence and adventure.

3. James by Percival Everett

Everett reinvents Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn by retelling the story through Jim’s perspective—here, a literate and erudite man named James. This radical reimagining explores freedom and the horrors of American history, transforming a classic into a work of exquisite originality. It’s “a literary hat trick” that complicates our understanding of the past, NYT noted.

4. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

This debut novel follows Cyrus Shams, a recovering addict in the Midwest grappling with grief and a family secret. Akbar’s poetic prose and inventive plot turn Cyrus’s search for meaning into an indelible affirmation of life, with vivid characters and surprising twists that make it captivating.

5. You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer

Set in 16th-century Tenochtitlán, Enrigue’s novel depicts a meeting between Hernán Cortés and Moctezuma. Brazen carnage and bone-dry humour define this retelling, which reimagines historical power dynamics with sharp wit and unflinching insight.

6. Cold Crematorium by József Debreczeni, translated by Paul Olchváry

This 1950 masterpiece memorializes the Holocaust through clinical, mordant observations. Debreczeni’s gallows humour and vivid details offer a stubborn fight to retain humanity amidst unimaginable horrors.

7. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer

Blitzer’s kaleidoscopic narrative examines U.S. immigration policies and their human cost. From Central American insurgencies to contemporary border crises, this assured work brings compassion and clarity to a complex issue.

8. I Heard Her Call My Name by Lucy Sante

In this fearless memoir, Sante reflects on her transgender journey, describing it as a “homecoming” after decades of secrecy. Her story intertwines personal transformation with broader truths about identity and resilience.

9. Reagan by Max Boot

Boot’s biography of Ronald Reagan delves into his evolution from New Deal roots to his role as a conservative icon. A landmark work, it explores Reagan’s impact on America and questions his legacy in today’s political climate.

10. The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides

Sides chronicles James Cook’s final voyage, blending scholarship with Indigenous oral traditions. This masterful history explores the fallout of imperial ambition while painting a vivid portrait of adventure and cultural exchange.