PEOPLE Picks the Best 10 Books of 2024, Including Al Pacino's Memoir, Sally Rooney's Latest and More
See our favorite books of the year, from celebrity memoirs to buzzy literary fiction
See our favorite books of the year, from celebrity memoirs to buzzy literary fiction:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/PEOPLE-Picks-the-Top-10-Books-of-2024-120324-346692ae68774341aa9927b942be4b30.jpg "A selection of PEOPLE's Top 10 Books of 2024")
As the end of the year approaches, we're looking back at our reading lists for the standouts from 2024. Below, PEOPLE's Senior Books Editor picks the 10 best books of the year.
'The God of the Woods' by Liz Moore
In 1961 Bear Van Laar, 8, disappeared without a trace. Now, 14 years later, Bear’s teen sister has gone missing too. This taut dual-timeline suspense novel masterfully handles class and privilege.
Related: These Goodreads Choice Awards Winners Also Made PEOPLE's Book Picks
'Intermezzo' by Sally Rooney
Farrar, Straus and Giroux 'Intermezzo' by Sally Rooney
After their father’s death, brothers Peter, a lawyer, and Ivan, a competitive chess player, navigate very different relationships. A quiet, poignant novel about love and grief.
Related: Here’s How the Cover of Fall’s Biggest Book — Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo — Came to Life (Exclusive)
'The Ministry of Time' by Kaliane Bradley
This romp of a spy thriller-meets-romance sees a civil servant help a time traveler from 1847 adjust to the modern world. But they soon question the program that united them.
Related: PEOPLE’s Best Books To Read in May 2024: Steve Guttenberg Reflects on His Father and More
'The Pairing' by Casey McQuiston
Four years after former best friends and lovers Kit and Theo break up, they end up on a European food tour together. To prove they’re really over the split, they have a hookup competition. Spicy, sexy and delicious. Grab a snack before you crack this one open — trust me.
Related: See Which PEOPLE Book Picks Also Made the New York Times' Top 100 of 2024
'James' by Percival Everett
National Book Awards 'James' by Percival Everett
From the author of Erasure, this National Book Award winner is an ingenious riff on Huckleberry Finn as told by Jim, the enslaved man who rafts with Huck down the Mississippi.
'Catalina' by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Harvard senior Catalina must reckon with what graduation will mean for her and her undocumented family in this sharp coming-of-age story.
Related: Karla Cornejo-Villavicencio Reimagines the ‘Sad Latin Girl’ in New Novel Catalina (Exclusive)
'Wandering Stars' by Tommy Orange
Spanning the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre and two generations at the notoriously cruel Carlisle Indian Industrial School, this is a heart-wrenching saga of trauma, friendship and hope.
'My Beloved Monster' by Caleb Carr
Little, Brown and Company 'My Beloved Monster' by Caleb Carr
The late novelist reveals his struggle to overcome the legacy of his famous Beat Generation father and his remarkable bond with his rescued Siberian Forest cat Masha.
Related: PEOPLE's Best Books of April 2024: Salman Rushdie's Memoir and New Romance from Emily Henry
'Sonny Boy' by Al Pacino
Penguin Press 'Sonny Boy' by Al Pacino
The rare celebrity memoir that’s also a literary read. As funny as it is reflective, it shares stories behind Pacino’s hardscrabble upbringing, classic films and journey to icon status.
'JFK Jr.: An Oral Biography' by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio
This intimate account by People staffer Liz McNeil and JFK’s former assistant shows a new side of the beloved figure. If you can't get enough of the "last great American dynasty," don't miss this one.
