Chelmsford Public Library Staff's BEST BOOKS OF 2024!

January 13, 2025 Book Reviews, Reading Room Julie Iatron

During the neverending month of January, we love to look back on what we read the previous year and determine which books were the best, right? Well, the staff here at the Chelmsford Library are no exception, and each year, we ask them to share their favorite reads. 2024 was a banner year for staff reading: most staff asked what their recommendation limit was! (I told them there was no limit, although a couple of these lists were shortened just a little bit...Some of these titles are really popular, so you'll want to place holds on those. But a book doesn't need to have been published in 2024 to make a 2024 "Best Of" list, so there are also some older titles on here that are available right now. You can find some of them up in our display area--look for the two endcaps with the "Chelmsford Public Library's Staff Picks" flyers. We hope you love some of these as much as we did, so please let us know if we have any favorites in common!

Charlene

“The Women” by Kristin Hannah

“The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon

“The Huntress” by Kate Quinn

Donna

“The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon

“How to Read a Book” by Monica Wood

“No Two Persons” by Erica Bauermeister

Stephanie

“The Grimm Legacy” by Polly Shulman

“The Wells Bequest” by Polly Shulman

“The Poe Estate” by Polly Shulman

“How to Hang a Witch” by Adriana Mather

“Haunting the Deep” by Adriana Mather

“A Study in Charlotte: A Charlotte Holmes Novel” by Brittany Cavallaro

“The Last of August: A Charlotte Holmes Novel” by Brittany Cavallaro

“The Case for Jamie: A Charlotte Holmes Novel” by Brittany Cavallaro

“A Question of Holmes” by Brittany Cavallaro

“The Getaway List” by Emma Lord

“We Were Beautiful” by Heather Hepler

Jianna

“Diavola” by Jennifer Thorne

“The Paris Apartment” by Lucy Foley

“The Maidens” by Alex Michaelides

“The Fury” by Alex Michaelides

Trupti

“She's Not Sorry” by Mary Kubica

“Tell Me Everything” by Elizabeth Strout

“One Perfect Couple” by Ruth Ware

Todd

“Carrie” by Stephen King

“All Fours” by Miranda July

“There's Always This Year” by Hanif Abdurraqib

“Doppelganger” by Naomi Klein

“How to Tell When We Will Die” by Johanna Hedva

Lesley

“The Mars House” by Natasha Pulley

“The Waters” by Bonnie Jo Campbell

“The Morningside” by Tea Obreht

“White Cat, Black Dog” by Kelly Link

“The Eyes and the Impossible” by Dave Eggers

“Snow, Glass, Apples” by Neil Gaiman

“Bird Life” by Anna Small

“Land of Milk and Honey” by Pam C. Zhang

Jill

“The Lost Bookshop” by Evie Woods

“Recipe for a Charmed Life” by Rachel Linden

“The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard” by Natasha Lester

“How to Read a Book” by Monica Wood

“Libby Lost and Found” by Stephanie Booth

“The Lost Story” by Meg Shaffer

Jeff

“What Feasts At Night” by T. Kingfisher

“Rabbits” by Terry Miles

“The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi” by Shannon Chakraborty

Wes

“Someone You Can Build a Nest In” by John Wiswell

“Moonbound” by Robin Sloan

“Service Model” by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Alyssa

“Black River Orchard” by Chuck Wendig

“All Fours” by Miranda July

Jessica

“James” by Percival Everett

“Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett

“Entitlement” by Rumaan Alam

“The Hunter” by Tana French

“The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway

“Playground” by Richard Powers

“The Mighty Red” by Louise Erdrich

“The Vulnerables” by Sigrid Nunez

“Creation Lake” by Rachel Kushner

“Crook Manifesto” by Colson Whitehead

“Cat Kid Comic Club”

“Amulet” by Kazu Kibuishi

Nancy

“The Reformatory” by Tananarive Due

“The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon

“Playground” by Richard Powers

Michele

“Nicked” by M.T. Anderson

“The Secret History” by Donna Tartt

“Big Swiss” by Jen Beagin

“American Nations” by Colin Woodard

“Midnight Riot” by Ben Aaronovitch

“The Wager” by David Grann

“The Good Wife of Bath” by Karen Brooks

“All Systems Red” by Martha Wells

Andrea

Audios: “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” by Jesse Sutanto

“Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Both of those are among the best audios I’ve ever listened to. The narrator in Vera Wong is so spot on, and I’ve never laughed so hard while listening to a murder mystery. Daisy Jones is a full-cast audio and all of the voices are just perfect. They brought the story to life in the best way possible. I can still hear a couple of them in my head!

Best Bibliobites cookbooks: “Yes Chef” by Marcus Samuelsson

“Dinner in One” by Melissa Clark

These were the 2 most highly rated books in 2024. “Yes Chef” is an older title but is still such a compelling story. “Dinner in One” was a well-received cookbook of approachable, mostly one-pot meals. They’re a tough crowd to please, so if they like a cookbook, you know it’s a good one!

If re-reading counts, I once again took out “The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook”. If you enjoy mysteries, this is just a fun read, even if you don’t cook from it. Various well-known mystery authors contributed recipes that either they or their fictional characters would make. It’s the headnotes that really shine here, and many of the recipes aren’t bad, either!

Fiction: “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles

“Magpie Murders” by Anthony Horowitz

“The Comfort of Ghosts” by Jacqueline Winspear

You will note that 2 of these are older titles that by now everyone else has read! I’m perpetually behind but glad I finally got around to them. I loved ”Magpie Murders’” complex story-within-a-story framework. Even better (almost) was watching it on PBS and seeing actors play 2 roles, one in the present story, and one from the novel that the main character has written. I don’t know what I can say about “A Gentleman in Moscow” that hasn’t already been said by those far smarter and more eloquent than me. Just amazing. I’ll probably re-read it this year! And Maisie Dobbs doesn’t need any cheerleaders, either. It was a very satisfying end to the series.

Julia

“Yr Dead” by Sam Sax

“Someone You Can Build a Nest In” by John Wisell

“Intermezzo” by Sally Rooney

“Less Is Lost” by Andrew Sean Greer

“Mister Magic” by Kiersten White

“Make a Move, Sunny Park!” by Jessica Kim

Jen

“James” by Percival Everett

“The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon

“The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore

“The Women” by Kristin Hannah