With the year coming to a close, it is often considered a time for reflection and resolutions, looking back at the year’s events, and what we’re going to do over the course of the next year. In library- and book-land, the end of the year often means lots of retrospectives about the best books published that year, what people read and love, how many books they read, etc. I do read a lot of books (since working in libraries especially, I average between 150-200 books a year), but there are always more! So, given how many books I own, have out from the library, or have heard good things about, what am I prioritizing as we move into 2024?
Tracy Deonn exploded onto the scene in 2020 with her debut novel “Legendborn.” Meant for a young adult audience (although don’t let that stop you), we follow Bree, a young Black woman as she discovers the secret behind her mother’s death. On her first day at UNC Chapel Hill’s early college program, Bree witnesses something she shouldn’t have, and when magic fails to wipe her mind, she sets off on a journey to discover more about her own magic. This novel mixes the African diaspora with Arthurian legend, while examining race, gender and intergenerational trauma.
I’ve owned a copy of this for a few years now, and it pushes so many of my buttons: King Arthur and his knights, with magic, set in the modern day, from the perspective of someone who isn’t a white male. Everyone I’ve heard talk about this book, either on social media or just within my friend group absolutely loves it, and they all immediately picked up the sequel when it came out. As of the writing of this post, the third book has been announced for 2025, with a planned fourth book down the line, meaning there will be lots to look forward to!
I have not read any R.F. Kuang. I know, I know! I have “Babel” as an ebook and audiobook, as well as “Yellowface” on audiobook, and of course before either of those came out, there was “The Poppy War” trilogy. I don’t know much about the series, but the one thing I have consistently heard from everyone (and I do mean everyone) who has read the trilogy is that it will make me cry. So that’s exciting!
Genuinely, looking over the synopsis, I’m not sure how to succinctly sum up this book. It looks like it touches on classism, racism, colorism, religion, the horrors of war, the cost of revenge, through the lens of grey morality. All of which is to say, this is right up my alley, and I will report back if I do indeed cry.
Another Asian-inspired fantasy trilogy? Why don’t mind if I do! Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, starting with “Jade City” is another series I have heard consistently raved about since it started in 2017. In a world parallel to our own, gangster families use jade to as a way to enhance their magical abilities and keep foreigners from invading their island. The war is over though, and now the families are at each other’s necks, each trying to consolidate power and corner the jade market. When a new drug appears in the streets of the capital city Janloon, which allows anyone, including foreigners to use jade? All bets are off, and a new war has begun between the Kaul and Ayt families, and their respective clans.
This sounds incredibly epic, and I’ve been promised this is another series with plenty of twists and turns. Plus, it has maps?! I mean, come on, any major science fiction or fantasy series worth its salt has a good map or two. Do I ever look at them when reading about the distances the heroes travel, or where various cities and landmarks are in relation to one another? I mean, no, but if it has a map, it is almost certainly going to be a phenomenal series.
Ah, Sir Terry Pratchett. Some important bits of context: I had heard of the Discworld books for years, and knew they were widely beloved, but I also knew there were a lot of them, and that was intimidating. Cut to 2021, where I decide I’ll just try one, and see how I feel about it. I picked up “Mort”, and the rest is history. I ended up reading all 41 Discworld novels that year, and absolutely fell in love, sobbing my way through “The Shepherd’s Crown,” the last book Pratchett worked on before he died, and the end of my journey on the Discworld.
I wasn’t aware of the Pratchett biography until May 2023, when I saw it on hold for someone else, and knew I would want to pick it up as well. Unfortunately, it was around that time I lost my grandfather, and I knew I would be in no shape to pick up the biography of someone I admired and whose work I loved so deeply. No doubt I’ll still shed a few tears, but I’m hoping that by the point I pick up this book, they will be less.
What started as Pratchett’s memoir had to be passed on to friend and manager Rob Wilkins, after Sir Terry passed due to complications from Alzheimer’s in 2015. Terry Pratchett, creator of the phenomenally bestselling Discworld series, knight of the realm, and holder of more honorary doctorates than he knew what to do with, was known and loved around the world for his wildly popular books, his brilliant satirical humor and for the humanity of his campaign work. This is his story.
Am I going to manage to read all of this in 2024, or will new shiny books nudge them out? There will certainly be new shiny books, but hopefully I can make the time for these as well. Check in with me in about June or so. What have you been meaning to read, and what are you hoping to pick up in 2024?
