Barnes & Noble booksellers and Amazon editors have announced the best books of 2024. Get ready to discover your next favorite read!
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The Best Books of 2024, According to Barnes & Noble and Amazon
Updated on Nov. 19, 2024
It’s been a banner year for books. From historical fiction bestsellers and modern mysteries to of-the-moment nonfiction, there’s been no shortage of stories to keep us entertained. Sure, that can make it hard to narrow down your next read. But we have two end-of-year book lists—the Barnes & Noble Book of the Year and Amazon Best Books of 2024—to direct us to the cream of the crop.
As an avid reader who devours around 50 books each year, I’m convinced that nothing beats a crisp, newly published book—the unexplored world contained within its pages is enough to brighten my mood for the day. So I readied my to-be-read list (and grabbed my wallet) the minute I learned that both Barnes & Noble and Amazon had announced their best books of 2024.
Which exceptional titles were crowned the winners? I’m thrilled to share the best books of the year with you, so read on for the full list.
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What is Amazon’s No. 1 book of 2024?
Amazon named The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller its best book of 2024. This heartwarming nonfiction book explores the story of an all-deaf high school football team that led a historic, undefeated season in 2021 and 2022. But it’s the cast of real, human characters that brings this story to life.
Sarah Gelman, the editorial director of Amazon Books, said The Boys of Riverside wasn’t just Amazon’s top read—it was a unanimous pick. “It’s always exciting when a book unanimously captivates the entire editorial team, and our No. 1 pick, The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller, is just that book,” she said in a press release. “It’s a feel-good true story about an all-deaf high school football team and their triumphant climb from underdogs to champions. This incredible tale of grit, perseverance and brotherhood will stick with you, even if you aren’t a football fan.”
What are Amazon’s best books of 2024?
In addition to its No.1 pick, Amazon announced a list of 20 favorites. Here are Amazon’s best books of 2024:
- The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- James by Percival Everett
- The Women by Kristin Hannah
- The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon
- Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
- Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach
- I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
- The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
- All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
- Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell
- We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
- When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
- The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson
- Fire Exit by Morgan Talty
- John Lewis: A Life by David Greenberg
- There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
- The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
What is Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year?
Barnes & Noble announced that James by Percival Everett earned the coveted Book of the Year honor. It’s a novel everyone’s been talking about since it hit shelves in March, and for good reason. Full of humor and clever commentary, it’s destined to be as much of a classic as the book it’s based on.
That’s right: James is a retelling of the classic book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, told from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. When Jim realizes that he is about to be sold and separated from his wife and daughter, he devises a plan to hide on a nearby island and find a way to reunite with his family. Everett employs many of the same narrative features as the original Huckleberry Finn and retells the story with humor and incisive reflections on identity, race and agency.
“Of all of the books we booksellers have read this year, this is the one that we have not been able to stop talking about,” Shannon DeVito, Barnes & Noble’s senior director of books, said in a press release. “Browse in any of our bookstores for more than a few minutes, and you’ll overhear someone recommending James—whether bookseller to customer or a suggestion between friends: ‘You have to read this.’ ‘The best book I’ve read all year.’ ‘This, this is the one.’ Thank you to the booksellers who started this ball rolling. I echo their sentiments: If you read one novel this year, let it be this one.”
What is Barnes & Noble’s Gift Book of the Year?
For the first time ever, Barnes & Noble also selected a Gift Book of the Year, The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan. You’ve likely heard of Tan’s earlier masterpiece The Joy Luck Club, but her latest tome takes readers on a different kind of journey.
This unique book uses Tan’s diary entries, sketches and reader questions to tell the story of the natural world, its beauty and the important lessons that can be found in nature. Tan’s book allows readers to take a deep breath and find soothing and comforting illustrations and reflections—a welcome break from the fast-paced world around us.
So what made the retailer add it to its best-of list or deem it gift-worthy? “Amy Tan has long been celebrated for her excellent novels, and rightly so,” James Daunt, the CEO of Barnes & Noble, said in a press release. “Now, with this lovely book, she has proven her prowess once again—a memoir as compelling as her best work of fiction; a celebration of nature by a master storyteller. This book defies categorization—you need not be interested in birds to thoroughly enjoy it, as the author’s own interest is infectious. This truly makes for an excellent gift.”
What is Barnes & Noble’s Children’s Book of the Year?
In another first, the retailer chose a children’s favorite for 2024. Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell is Barnes & Noble’s choice for best children’s book of the year. The fantasy novel follows Christopher and Mal, two young people who embark on an epic adventure to save the magical creatures of the Archipelgo—a collection of magical islands that host dragons, griffins and sphinxes.
“As soon as I read the first chapter, I knew this would be a hit, and our booksellers—and customers—agreed whole-heartedly,” Jackie DeLeo, the chief merchandising officer of Barnes & Noble, said in a press release. “The enthusiasm we’ve seen from readers of all ages has been astounding but not surprising. Pick this one up and you’ll understand why.”
What are Barnes & Noble’s best books of 2024?
In addition to its three winners, the bookstore announced a list of 10 finalists. Here are all of the Barnes & Noble Book of the Year picks and runners-up:
- James by Percival Everett (Book of the Year winner)
- The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Gift Book of the Year winner)
- Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Children’s Book of the Year winner)
- There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
- Swift River by Essie Chambers
- Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through the Eras by Sarah Chapelle
- Why I Cook by Tom Colicchio
- Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs by Luis Elizondo
- Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell
- The Women by Kristin Hannah
- The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
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At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. For this piece on the Barnes & Noble Book of the Year and Amazon Best Books of 2024, Brianna Bell tapped her experience as a longtime journalist to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Amazon: “The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller Named Amazon’s Best Book of 2024”
- Amazon: “Best Books of 2024”
- Barnes & Noble: “Barnes & Noble Announces James by Percival Everett as Its 2024 Book of the Year”
- Barnes & Noble: “2024 Book of the Year Finalists”
