Young Woman Relaxing by Book in Cozy House, Sit on the Floor, Top View (sirinapa (123RF))
Every month, Stars and Stripes Europe provides you a recommended list of books to read. We include a mix of genres revolving around a single theme. Past themes have included: National Dog Month, Women’s History Month, Self-Care Awareness and Spooky Books for Halloween.
However, my favorite list is when I get to share my top reads of the year with you. According to my Goodreads and StoryGraph accounts, my yearly roundup was 46 books, so this list consists of the top 22 percent. It does not include all the typical genres featured in our 10 books series; however, these are the ones that I can personally recommend.
1. The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop (2024) (Celebrity Memoir)
You don’t have to be a fan of “Gilmore Girls” to appreciate this memoir. I listened to this one as an audiobook narrated by the author herself (as I did the other memoirs mentioned). The introduction is by none other than the original Gilmore Girl, Amy Sherman-Palladino. Bishop has had such a vibrant life that she discusses in the book. Some of my favorite stories include a name change in the middle of Tony season (where the name submitted for the award was different than the name used when she won the award), a turmoil-filled marriage to a gambling addict and being invited by Edward Herrman’s (Richard Gilmore) real wife to say goodbye to him in the hospital when he passed.
2. Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw (2022) (Non-Fiction) (LGTBQ+)
I am always interested in the English-language books that make their way onto the shelves on the German bookstores. As I was perusing a Thalia bookstore, this title caught my eye. Shaw combines scientific studies (that date back over 100 years), social commentary and her own experiences to explore this topic in an interesting and nuanced way.
3. Crave by Tracy Wolff (2020) (Young Adult) (Fantasy) (Romance)
I stayed up way past my bedtime on a worknight to read this book. Yes, it is catered to young adults, and I don’t care. It’s got everything for fantasy readers: vampires, witches, dragons, feuds, grudges and forbidden love. I will say that while I devoured this first book of the series, I enjoyed the second less and did not finish the third book (and googled the ending of the series) because I felt like the author was taking 700-800 pages to say what could have been said in 300-500 pages and the “twists” became too predictable. However, I stand by the high ranking on the list for this first book because of how much I loved reading it.
4. A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston (2016) (Celebrity Memoir)
How did the dad from Malcolm in the Middle go on to become the world’s most famous high school chemistry teacher? I won’t spoil it, but it involved the X-Files. Enjoy this read as Cranston talks about his time on a soap opera, a motorcycle road trip with his brother and moving on from one of most his iconic roles.
5. Collapse Feminism: The Online Battle for Feminism’s Future by Alice Cappelle (2023) (Non-Fiction) (Feminism)
This was another random German bookstore find that introduced me to Cappelle, a French author and YouTube personality. Capelle’s book takes readers into the world of understanding feminism and the reception of feminism and feminist thought on social media and the internet as a whole. This reminded me a lot of a book that made last year’s list, Laura Bate’s “Men Who Hate Women: From Incels to Pick-Up Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyny and How It Affects Us All.”
Two books, “Blue Bloods” and “Masquerade” by Melissa De La Cruz laying next to each other (Tamala Malerk)
6. The Bar Code Tattoo and The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Wein (2004-2006) (Young Adult) (Dystopia) (Science Fiction)
This year was the year of re-reading all the book series I did in high school, and this series is an easy two-book arc for any reader to jump into. The year is 2025 (so hitting a little close to home now) and the protagonist, 16-year-old Kayla, must soon get the bar code tattoo that all 17-year-olds in society get. This tattoo makes life so much easier: it is connected to your bank accounts and medical/personal records, which means no more need to carry around pesky IDs and credit cards. However, Kayla soon discovers what happens when your code reveals something that may be less than normal.
7. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick (2016) (Celebrity Memoir)
Maybe you know her from Pitch Perfect, her Oscar-winning role from “Up in the Air,” or, unlike Kendrick who forgot, her four-movie role in the Twilight series. No matter how you may (or may not) know her, Kendrick’s first memoir is a hilarious and heartwarming story. Some of my favorite antics include her shopping at Payless as a tween with her brother all alone in New York because her parents couldn’t get out of work as well as talking about her own insecurities and anxieties, even as a famous actress.
8. Blue Bloods 1-7 by Melissa De La Cruz (2006-2013) (Young Adult) (Fantasy) (Supernatural)
Okay, I know this is technically squeezing seven books into one slot, but to truly appreciate the story you must follow the entire arc. It presents the idea of vampires being the fallen angels that chose to follow Lucifer when he fell from Heaven, and they are reincarnated in different eras until they earn their redemption. It’s like “Gossip Girl” meets the biblical apocalypse. I originally read this series as a teen but understand it so much more as an adult. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good vampire series.
9. Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: The Oral History of Emo’s Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008 by Chris Payne (2023) (Non-Fiction) (Music History)
At 33-years-old I am proving to my mom that Emo is not a phase. I must confess that I am still reading this one, but writing deadlines happen before the actual end of the year. As someone who first saw My Chemical Romance live in 2006 and traveled to Oberhausen to see Fall Out Boy in 2023, I recommend this book to anyone who wore way too much eyeliner and can sing any lyric to a Panic at the Disco song but cannot tell you the title of the song.
10. Living With Mochi by Gemma Gene (2021) (Comics/Graphic Novel) (Humor) (Dog) (Non-Fiction)
Mochi was living his best life. Mami loved him and only him. Then Mami brought in the spare human. That’s okay; but then came the chihuahuas and then Mami had not one, but two human babies. Mochi’s life has been turned upside down; but he is still living his best life because he knows deep down, he is still Mami’s favorite.
2024 Honorable Mentions: This year I also revisited the series Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead which are both great. Other new reads that didn’t quite make the top 10 (but are still worth a read) include “Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business” by Roxane Gay, “Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith” by April Ajoy and “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” by Matthew Perry.
*Writer’s Note: Just because these are my favorite books of 2024, does not mean that the views and opinions reflect those of Stars and Stripes.
