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ST. ALBANS CITY — Get any reading in this year? Need a recommendation? Here's what was popular in 2024 at the St. Albans Free Library, along with some of the Messenger's staff's favorite reads from last year.
“The Women” by Kristin Hannah “The Princess of Las Vegas” by Chris Bohjalian “The Edge” by David Baldacci “Holmes, Margaret & Poe” by James Patterson “The Ghost Orchid” by Jonathan Kellerman “Three-inch Teeth” by C.J. Box “The Housemaid” by Frieda McFadden “Think Twice” by Harlan Coben “North Woods” by Daniel Mason “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon Bridget Higdon suggests “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett The best book I read this year was “Tom Lake,” a 2023 novel by Ann Patchett.
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lara, a former actor, narrates to her three young adult daughters the story of the summer she starred as Emily in “Our Town.” The story is bounded by the cherry season in rural Michigan—an intense, laborious time during which the whole family must work to harvest the crop. Lara spools out the story, deftly moving between her girlhood and the present day.
The story is a beautiful ode to theatre, first loves and our ever-short childhoods. “No one gets to go on playing Emily forever,” Lara thinks, preemptively grieving. Josh Ellerbrock suggests “Inside Story” by Martin Amis I read two Martin Amis books this year back-to-back to put a little spike in my step, and “Inside Story” was definitely the better.
As Amis’s last book before his death in 2023, “Inside Story” feels like a love letter to writers. Be bold. Be garish.
It’s our way, Amis said, and with one final throat punch, he took his leave and died. I’ll miss his tongue, but then, he expects he’ll still be around for another 100 or 150 years for all those weirdo writers who still find pleasure in a well-written sentence. I know I’ll be reading him until the day I die.
And “London Fields” could use a re-read. Jean MacBride suggests “Vipers Dream” by Jake Lamar I enjoyed this book about a semi-virtuous drug dealer during the mid-century period of jazz flourishing in Harlem who inspires creativity with cannabis instead of destroying it with cocaine. The book follows Viper, a jazz musician who doesn’t have the talent to go big but nevertheless finds a home in Harlem working for big men involved in the drug trade.
After leaving his wife and unborn child behind in Alabama, he has little choice but to forge his own path. The plot of the crime thriller has plenty of twists and turns and a love story with an edge. The writing itself reminds me a little of James Baldwin’s, but with a modern, self-aware flair more often found in contemporary literature.
I can’t wait to see what the author plans to write next. Shannon Gunderson suggests “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke When I picked up Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, I wasn’t sure what to expect— but within a few pages, I was completely captivated. I quickly finished this book in two days, and it remains my favorite read of 2024.
The novel takes you into the House, a sprawling, otherworldly labyrinth filled with endless halls, statues and the rhythm of tides. The story follows Piranesi, the House’s sole inhabitant (or so it seems). What makes Piranesi unforgettable is the way it defies conventional storytelling.
It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read, and it left me thinking about its world long after I turned the last page. If you’re ready to get lost in a story, this one is for you..
