Matt's Books and Music

This week, I’ve been updating my Bookish Hall of Fame to account for the books I read in 2024. (I redid the Hall of Fame in February and March, but never got around to posting the updates until now!) Part I discussed the Hall of Fame Emeritus books (i.e., those books that fell out of the top 100 but remain much beloved) and the ‘ground floor’ Hall books (100-73); Part II covered books 72-29. And today I will go through the final two ‘floors’, accounting for books 28-13 and my Bookish Olympus (12-1).

Hall of Fame – Fourth Floor (28-13)

Note: +/- simply records how many places a book has risen or fallen. The ‘adjusted +/-’ judges it only against the books that were previous year, providing a more accurate reflection of how my feelings about it have changed year over year

28. Only This Beautiful Moment, by Abdi Nazemian (2023): (20 → 28 (+/- -8; adj. -5))

27. The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1879): (17 → 27 (+/- -10; adj. -7))

26. Glorious Exploits, Ferdia Lennon (2024): This was my favourite read of 2024 (though not the highest-ranking here) and it made a huge and fun impression on me. (NEW!)

25. Don’t Cry for Me, Daniel Black (2022): (16 → 25 (+/- -9; adj. -7))

24. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel (2012): (31 → 24 (+/- +7; adj. +9)

23. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Becky Chambers (2022): (23 → 23 (+/- 0; adj. +2))

22. A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers (2021): (22 → 22 (+/- 0; adj. +2))

21. Astonishing the Gods, Ben Okri (1995): (15 → 21 (+/- -6; adj. -4))

20. Children of God, Mary Doria Russell (1998): (24 → 20 (+/- +4; adj. +6))

19. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin (2022): (18 → 19 (+/- -1; adj. +1)

18. Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel (2022 🇨🇦) : (19 → 18 (+/- +1; adj. +3)

17. My Friends, by Hisham Matar (2024): A compelling story of displacement and connection, I was stunned when this not only didn’t win the Booker Prize last year, but didn’t even make the short list! (NEW!)

16. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004): While I expect some slight jiggling of the books in this range year by year, this thirteen-point rise is surprising, yet feels correct. This gentle novel has only risen in my esteem. (29 → 16 (+13; adj. +14))

15. Dayspring, Anthony Oliveira (2024 🇨🇦): A queer, mystical, and poetic telling of the life of Jesus, this won’t be for everyone; but for those of us for whom it worked, it really worked. (NEW!)

14. Home, Marilynne Robinson (2008): (14 → 14 (+/- 0))

13. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000): (13 → 13 (+/- 0))

My Bookish Olympus: 12-1

While there was some slight shuffling among the top twelve, my Bookish Olympus remained substantially unchanged this year. It’s a solid list, so we’ll see if it holds another year when I revisit the Hall of Fame next year!

12. The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell (1996): (12 → 12 (+/- 0))

11. The New Life, Tom Crewe (2023): (11 → 11 (+/- 0))

10. Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2003): (8 → 10 (+/- -2))

9. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher (1987): (9 → 9 (+/- 0))

8. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro (2005): (10 → 8 (+/- +2))

7. The Brothers K, David James Duncan (1992): (7 → 7 (+/- 0))

6. Fifth Business, Robertson Davies (1970 🇨🇦): (6 → 6 (+/- 0))

5. A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara (2015): (5 → 5 (+/- 0))

4. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles (2016): (3 → 4 (+/- -1))

3. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (1813): (4 → 3 (+/- +1))

2. The Color Purple, Alice Walker (1982): (2 → 2 (+/- 0))

1. A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki (2013 🇨🇦) : (1 → 1 (+/- 0))