Season 7, Episode 22: Our Top Reads of 2024!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are sharing their favorite reads of 2024. This year, we have two lists: favorite reading experiences and favorite books. With so many great reading experiences of… not so great books, we had to differentiate. We had some very surprising mentions, and no overlaps this year!

*Reading experiences are interspersed throughout the episode this year, and those are labeled with “RE

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

3:20 - Our Yearly Reading Overview

3:36 - Meredith Read 137 books total, 11% were 5 star reads

6:15 - Kaytee read 230 books total, 10% were 5 star reads

6:52 - 25% non fiction for Kaytee, 14% non fiction for Meredith

10:30 - Both read 60% backlist for the year

14:10 - Kaytee’s biggest recommendation source was Katie Proctor

15:05 - Meredith’s number one recommendation source was Elizabeth Barnhill

15:17 - @mother.horror on Instagram

16:25 - Kaytee’s top publishing houses were Berkely and W.W. Norton

16:38 - Meredith’s top publishing house was Minortaur, followed by Tor and Atria

19:05 - Currently Reading Patreon

20:00 - Our Top Reads of 2024

21:02 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (Meredith RE)

21:13 - Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

23:07 - Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner (Kaytee RE)

23:33 - Currently Reading Patreon

24:36 - I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (Meredith #10)

25:35 - River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer (Kaytee #10)

25:30 - CR Season 7: Episode 10

26:35 - The Safekeep by Yael Van der Wouden (Meredith #9)

26:52 - The Booker Prize

28:10 - High Tide in Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee #9)

28:22 - CR Season 6: Episode 44

29:34 - Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Meredith RE)

29:36 - The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

31:47 - The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (Kaytee RE)

32:46 - The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland (Meredith #8)

34:14 - Sandwich by Catherine Newman (Kaytee)

34:17 - CR Season 7: Episode 14

35:02 - The Mars House by Natasha Pulley (Meredith #7)

36:39 - Charter Books

36:44 - A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams (Kaytee #7)

36:48 - CR Season 6: Episode 36

40:31 - Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes (Kaytee’s Favorite protagonist)

41:11 - The Odyssey by Homer (Kaytee’s Least Favorite protagonist)

42:42 - The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller (Merdith’s Least Favorite protagonist)

44:10 - Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (Meredith’s favorite protagonists)

44:27 - The Stand by Stephen King

46:19 - The Examiner by Janice Hallett (Meredith #6)

48:21 - The Appeal by Janice Hallett

48:34 - Family Family by Laurie Frankel (Kaytee #6)

48:50 - CR Season 6: Episode 34

49:48 - The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (Meredith #5)

51:24 - The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon (Kaytee #5)

53:41 - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (Meredith RE)

55:22 - “In person bookish delight” (Kaytee RE)

55:32 - Roscoe Books

55:40 - Boswell Books

55:48 - The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher

55:50 - The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

56:38 - Confessions by Kanae Minato (Meredith #4)

58:38 - James by Percival Everett (Kaytee #4)

58:40 - CR Season 6: Episode 39

58:43 - National Book Award

58:50 - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

1:00:03 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Meredith #3)

1:02:58 - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Kaytee #3 - The whole series)

1:02:58 - A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

1:02:58 - A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

1:02:58 - A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir

1:03:06 - CR Season 7: Episode 5

1:05:42 - The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (Meredith RE)

1:06:25 - “Letting myself get swept away by series: (Kaytee RE)

1:06:36 - Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

1:06:38 - Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage

1:06:39 - Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage

1:07:25 - The Stand by Stephen King (Meredith #2)

1:09:35 - Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

1:10:12 - Wolfsong by T.J. Klune (Kaytee #2)

1:10:15 - CR Season 6: Episode 35

1:12:34 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Meredith #1)

1:14:44 - All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Kaytee #1)

1:18:31 - Currently Reading Patreon

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

  • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January’s IPL is a special episode in partnership with All Things Murderful and a total mystery and thriller stack from Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas!

  • Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

  • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

  • From the Editor’s Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

  • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Kaytee Cobb2 Comments