The Kallys® 2024 – Best Books
Following on from my other recent Kally® awards posts, here are my choices for the best books I read this year. While they weren’t all released this year, I did read them in 2024, so that counts, right? I adore reading but in recent years it has been harder to make the time (I know you know what I’m talking about), so I made a commitment to read one new book per month, and it was the best decision I have made. Here are the ones that have lingered longest in my mind after reading them. I present to you The Kallys for my favourite books of 2024.
See also The Kallys® for: Best TV of 2024 \\ Best Podcasts of 2024 \\ Best Films of 2024 \\ Best YouTube of 2024 \\
1 \ Mayflies – Andrew O’Hagan
2024 Book of the Year: #1
Maybe it’s because I reached a milestone birthday this year, or maybe it is because I’m a sucker for a thoughtful tale about friendship, but either way, Andrew O’Hagan’s Mayflies is the book I loved the most this past year. On the surface, its an extended story about friendship, but ends up being an evocative ode to music and the passage of time. The story spans decades, from the youthful escapades of a group of friends in 1980s Scotland to the bittersweet realities of middle age. And the dynamic between the central characters, Tully and Jimmy, captures that rare kind of bond where shared songs and wild nights somehow cement a lifelong connection. O’Hagan’s prose is beautiful, shifting between raucously funny and quietly devastating. This is the kind of book that sneaks into your heart and stays there long after the final page. [Buy Mayflies here]
2 \ The Bee Sting – Paul Murray
2024 Book of the Year: #2
Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting is a sprawling, dark (and sometimes funny) novel about the beleaguered Barnes family in rural Ireland. Set against the backdrop of economic collapse, it follows each family member as they deal with their own unraveling. Murray’s real gift is the ability to balance the tragic and comic parts of each person, while also telling a grander human story about dreams and regrets. If you loved Skippy Dies, you’ll adore this, but even if you’re new to Murray’s work, The Bee Sting is a perfect entry point into his storytelling. [Buy The Bee Sting here]
3 \ Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir
2024 Book of the Year: #3
Project Hail Mary is a science-fiction epic packed with heart, humour, and somewhat complicated experimental science. The story follows Ryland Grace, a lone school teacher/astronaut tasked with saving humanity in a last-ditch space mission. While the plot is centred around the scientific problem that has to be solved, ultimately, the emotional core of this book is about friendship & cooperation. If you were a fan of Weir’s The Martian (btw, the Matt Damon film adaptation is also great), this book is a perfect companion piece in the same spirit. It’s clever, uplifting, and I found it almost impossible to put down. If you’re looking for a story where science and heart collide in the best way, this is it. [Buy Project Hail Mary here]
