My Top 5 Books of 2024

Continuing my tradition from last year, I'm reflecting on the thirty-two books I read this year and spotlighting my top five favorites. As always, it's a list dominated by sci-fi, but I am who I am.

5. The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic (2022)

By Jillian Peterson, James Densley

An examination of the phenomenon of mass shootings in America and an urgent call to implement evidence-based strategies to stop these tragedies.

Admittedly not a very fun book to kick off the list, but I found it to be a very thorough and darkly fascinating look at some of the data behind mass shootings. Much of it surprised me or ran counter to my own assumptions on shooters, their backgrounds and motivations, etc. There’s also some quality actionable recommendations on what everyday people can do to help curb this epidemic.

Would recommend to: Anyone looking to understand mass shootings in America on a deeper level or take actions to help the situation.

4. Pines (2012, The Wayward Pines Trilogy)

By Blake Crouch

A government agent heads to a remote mountain region to search for a missing colleague and finds himself trapped in a town that gets more mysterious, creepy, and dangerous by the minute.

Wayward is book one in the Wayward Pines trilogy. While the next two books more firmly occupy dystopian sci-fi territory, book one is a pure psychological thriller that’s gripping from cover to cover. It’s a fun and terrifying ride that ends with an incredible twist that sets the stage for the rest of the series.

Would recommend to: Fans of psychological science-fiction and mysterious thrillers.

3. Stranger in a Strange Land (1962)

By Robert A. Heinlein 

A human who was born and raised on Mars comes to Earth and grapples with the many oddities of Earth culture and ends up challenging and transforming customs relating to money, sex, religion, and even death. 

This book is often regarded as one of the great works of science-fiction, but it also has a lot of detractors which blast its many long-winded monologues and casual sexism indicative of the early 1960s. I found myself somewhere in the middle of these two camps. I thought the story was unique and thought-provoking in its examination of how the customs and norms that we take for granted may seem extremely strange to an outsider. The monologues, while definitely gratuitous diatribes, offer an interesting glimpse into the author’s mind. It's a book that provides plenty of moral and philosophical ideas to chew on.

Would recommend to: Anyone looking to check out a high-concept story that will challenge your perspective on what's "normal."

2. Dungeon Crawler Carl (2020)

By  Matt Dinniman

A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.

This book series (now on its 7th installment) is a ton of fun. It’s billed as a “Lit RPG adventure,” and there’s a big focus on the main characters leveling up, choosing skills, and gaining experience through combat. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, but there’s also a dramatic undercurrent of hope, despair, and survival as the characters navigate the end of Earth and try to survive a deadly, alien-run gameshow.

Would recommend to: Anyone who likes to have fun. 

1. Recursion (2019)

By Blake Crouch 

At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.

I’ve become a huge Blake Crouch fanboy in the last two years. I love his high-concept, fast-paced approach to science fiction, and Recursion is one of his absolute best works. It's a real mind-bender with some heartbreaking sequences towards the end that have stayed with me long after I put the book down. Crouch expertly blends realistic science with creative speculative inventions that are a joy to experience.

Would recommend to: Any fans of science fiction in general should check this out. Crouch is a modern master of the genre.

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That's my list for 2024! My goal for 2025 is to read 25 books. If there's one you think I should check out, please let me know!