Our Booksellers' Fave Reads of 2024
By Golden Hare Books
Our Booksellers' Fave Reads of 2024
By Golden Hare Books
Here are the books our booksellers read and loved in 2024!
Feeding the Monster: Why horror has a hold on us
Anna Bogutskaya
£16.99 £16.14ELLA: Definitely my favourite non-fiction read of the year - Feeding the Monster is a fantastic book for horror film lovers, compulsively readable, with a chapter on cannibalism that (pardon the pun) just eats.
Butter
ASAKO YUZUKI
£14.99 £14.24ELLA: This was such an "it" book, I had very high expectations and was not disappointed. A deliciously buttery story with brilliant characters, mouth-watering food and feminism. Silence of the Lambs meets Martha Stewart meets diet culture?
The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story
Olga Tokarczuk
£14.99 £14.24ELLA: Olga Tokarczuk never misses - The Empusium was as strange as it was uncomforable, and as creepy crawly as I was expecting. A fantastic bit of literary fiction to cuddle up with in these darker months.
Good Dogs: Canine Companions in Art and Illustration
£30.00 £28.50
JONATHAN: I love dogs. And I love books about dogs. So Good Dogs was always going to be a perfect book for me. The book encapsulates the diverse and whimsical artistic interpretations of dogs across breeds and the the artwork shows a kaleidoscope of styles, painted with love and imagination by artists from every corner of the globe.
The Condiment Book: A Brilliantly Flavourful Guide to Food's Unsung Heroes
Claire Dinhut
£14.99 £14.24JONATHAN: Food is great, but how do you improve a meal with ease? Condiments! This cracking book has everything you need to know about condiments from all over the globe and loads of great recipes, too!
Kala: 'The thriller of the moment'
Colin Walsh
£9.99 £9.49JONATHAN: I picked this for our August book group and it was a really thrilling read. Set in a small town on the west coast of Ireland it's about the disappearance of a girl and the effect that it has on her friends. The story is told in two timelines, one just before the girl disappears and the other when her friends return to their hometown for a wedding fifteen years later. Considering it's a pretty thick book I tore though it in about two days!
The Proposal
Myung-hoon Bae
£13.99 £13.29JONATHAN: This space opera romance is told through letters sent home from the frontlines of an intergalactic war. It touches on themes of duty, love and the absurdity of war. It really reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut, and I absolutely loved it.
Mob One: Delicious meals in one pot, pan or tray
Mob
£26.00 £24.70JONATHAN: The team at Mob can do no wrong in my eyes. They've been producing incredible recipes for years and this book is a collection of the best ones that can be cooked in one pot. It's absolutely packed with delicious meals.
Atlas of Paranormal Places: A Journey to the World's Most Supernatural Places
Evelyn Hollow
£22.00 £20.90JONATHAN: Lothian (and Uncanny's) very own Evelyn Hollow brought out this book a couple of months ago and it was immediately one of my favourites of the year. The book is a journey around the world's most chilling supernatural phenomena and is a perfect present for someone who doesn't mind being scared, whether they be a believer or a sceptic.
The Horse
Willy Vlautin
£16.99 £16.14JONATHAN: I've been a bookseller for a long time and one constant has always been my love for Willy Vlautin's work. Whether that's his music or his books, it's alway struck a chord in me and The Horse is no exception. It's sad, beautiful, kind, and incredibly moving.
The Outrun
Amy Liptrot
£10.99 £10.44KIRA: This memoir beautifully explored addiction, identity, nature and the Orkney Isles. Liptrot's honest and raw narrative is poignant and moving against the stunning Orcadian backdrop. The movie adaptation was also my favourite film of the year and translated Liptrot's journey from paper to screen with great care. A must watch after reading the book!
Time of the Flies
Claudia Pineiro
£12.99 £12.34KIRA: I always know I'm in good hands when it comes to Charco Press, so much so, I seldom read their synopses before buying. Piñeiro's latest novel published in English was a 2024 publication I'd been looking forward to for an entire year. Impressively following her novels Elena Knows and A Little Luck, Time of the Flies easily holds its own. Coupled with Piñeiro's beautiful prose and measured plot reveals, this literary thriller expertly explores redemption, rehabilitation, motherhood and found family.
The Goldfinch - 10th Anniversary Edition
Donna Tartt
£12.99 £12.34KIRA: Like many, I adored Tartt's The Secret History so had high expectations for The Goldfinch and it did not disappoint. I now regard it as one of my favourite novels of all time and found myself feeling really lost after finishing it. Watching the protagonist Theo Decker grow up makes it difficult to leave him: his wins and losses feel like our own. I know this is one that I'll come back to!
Sharks in the Rivers
Ada Limon
£12.99 £12.34KIRA: Ada Limon's poetry is always a welcome reprieve to pick through slowly and meditatively alongside other reading. I find her to be a particularly effective balm for when the world is feeling unbearable, and this collection's focus on the individual and collective, does just that.
The Journals of Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
£20.00 £19.00KIRA: I was gifted a copy of Sylia Plath's journals as a teenager and nearly a decade later, I finally picked it up. Her thoughts and diary entries made for a friendly, and at times, dreary companion throughout the autumnal months but I enjoyed her company nonetheless. It was a slow, meditative read and I was sad to turn the final page.
Enter Ghost
Isabella Hammad
£9.99 £9.49KIRA: A motley crew of locals come together to rehearse and perform a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet in the West Bank. Sonia's return visit to Palestine is shadowed by her capricious relationship with her ancestry but over the course of rehearsals, we witness her heartwarming reconnection and are briefly entertained and distracted by the cast's antics until art mimics real life in a harrowing and climactic opening night.
Blue Sisters
Coco Mellors
£9.99 £9.49ELLA: I knew I was going to love Blue Sisters before I'd really started to read it. Coco Mellors writes such vulnerable and tender characters and relationships that it's impossible not to feel their wounds yourself. Just gorgeous.
Dust and Pomegranates: How Greece Changed Me Forever
Victoria Whitworth
£20.00 £19.00POLLY: Not just a memoir, a travelogue, or a new take on the Greek myths, Dust and Pomegranates takes us into Whitworth's memories of formative experiences in Greece (and Albania), the good and the bad, enriched by the reflection that several decades distance can bring. A thoughtful, challenging, and beautifully written book.
The Tainted Cup: an exceptional fantasy mystery with a classic detective duo
Robert Jackson Bennett
£12.99 £12.34ELLA: My favourite fantasy read this year! A brilliant cast of characters, a unique, organic world with fantastic creatures and quirks. The mystery and plotting at the center of the story is both clever and addictive. Not to be missed!
The Proof of My Innocence
Jonathan Coe
£20.00 £19.00POLLY: The Proof of My Innocence combines a tight timeline (the novel is set during Liz Truss' ill-fated tenure as prime minister) with several experiments in currently popular literary genres (cosy crime and auto-fiction, amongst others), woven together with Coe's trademark understated yet cutting commentary on British politics. An excellent read for the Christmas period.
Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels
Caroline Eden
£18.99 £18.04POLLY: Each chapter of Cold Kitchen is structured around a recipe which holds a particular resonance for Caroline Eden, and leads into personal reflections of the places she has visited over the years, their politics, the people she's met, and the experiences shared. But we always come back to her Edinburgh Kitchen, where the best way to remember these precious people and places is by cooking and eating in tribute to them. A brilliant gift for anyone who enjoys travelling (armchair or otherwise) and eating.
Small Bomb At Dimperley
Lissa Evans
£18.99 £18.04POLLY: What I enjoy most about Evans' books is her true to life characters, who come with all of their faults and foibles, complicating plotlines, and triggering recognition in the reader. Small Bomb at Dimperley is the tale of a family's fight for the survival of their stately home in post-war England - there are complicated family relationships, a quiet romance, and plenty of humour.
Ootlin
Dr Jenni Fagan
£16.99 £16.14POLLY: This much-anticipated memoir by a Scottish writer at the top of her game contrasts beautiful writing with the stark reality of life in the care system. At once a heartbreaking tale of childhood trauma and a tribute to Fagan's resilience, Ootlin is also a demand that the system must change for our society's most vulnerable children.
Dragonfall: the addictive and smouldering epic dragon fantasy with a dangerous slow-burn forbidden romance
L.R. Lam
£9.99 £9.49JULIA: I love dragons. And books about dragons. And very specifically this book! I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and characters (the tension between Arcady and Everen was exquisite), but I also appreciated what Lam did with language and perspective. It was such a great take on a genre of books that continues to produce some of my favourite stories. The second book, Emberclaw, is out in 2025!
The Short End of the Sonnenallee
Thomas Brussig
£9.99 £9.49JULIA: Of the six book groups I did here at Golden Hare in 2024, this was probably my favourite pick. I’ve enjoyed every group because we always end up having great discussions, but this book was surprisingly funny and such a clever way of portraying life in the GDR. Very topical, too, what with Germany celebrating 35 years of reunification this year.
Red Rising: Celebrating its 10th anniversary, an explosive dystopian sci-fi novel (#1 New York Times bestselling Red Rising seri
Pierce Brown
£10.99 £10.44JULIA: I first came across the Red Rising series this year, having somehow missed it entirely over the past decade, but it has quickly taken over my every waking thought. Between the books and the audiobooks (which you can find in my LibroFM recommendations list!), I spend most of my time thinking about this world and its characters. I am eagerly awaiting the final book, Red God!
The Book at War: Libraries and Readers in an Age of Conflict
Andrew Pettegree
£12.99 £12.08JULIA: This was an excellent read. Books (both as objects and the industries behind them) have played such a pivotal role in the dissemination of knowledge and propaganda, have raised spirits and warned of evils, and become targets or casualties of wars. Fascinating and illuminating!
Fair or Foul: The Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition
Stefan Stern
£10.99 £10.44JULIA: I was intrigued by this from the outset--ambition is often portrayed as something we should all have (as long as we’re not too obvious about it) but in the context of the people and texts discussed in this book, as well as the cultural nuances at play, I came away with an entirely new understanding of it.
Be Useful: Seven tools for life
Arnold Schwarzenegger
£10.99 £10.44JULIA: Look, I love the guy. Something about a German-speaker finding success in the anglosphere always inspired me. After almost two years of reading his daily email newsletter, I was not surprised that I very much enjoyed this--refreshing to hear someone praise the importance of community and helping each other, in an age that seems so dominated by egocentric approaches.
Anne of Green Gables
Katherine Woodfine and Isabelle Follath
£16.99 £16.14HANNAH: This abridged retelling is perfect for slightly younger readers, and Isabelle Follath’s illustrations capture the charm and magic of Avonlea. I adored the original as a child, and it was lovely to return to Anne and her series of scrapes and adventures, from the tea parties to the hair dye.
An Amazing History Atlas of Scotland
David MacPhail and Anders Frang
£12.99 £12.34HANNAH: Perfect historical review for a curious child. Even as an adult it makes for entertaning revision of the vast and varied history of Scotland. Clear timelines, detailed illustrations, and over six millenia in forty-five pages!
It's Not About Whiteness, It's About Wealth: How the Economics of Race Really Work
Remi Adekoya
£10.99 £10.44HANNAH: Just this week I found myself reading multiple excerpts of this book to a friend of mine during a discussion on status, religion, and politics. I have already read Remi Adekoya's book through twice, and will doubtless return a third time. Remi Adekoya's examination of global economics and its impact of national and cultural narratives is both concise and broad, and his frank and practical approach manages to inspire optimism despite the challenges we all face.
The Damages
Genevieve Scott
£10.99 £10.44HANNAH: I thoroughly enjoyed this claustrophic page-turner. Genevieve Scott's narrator is a liar and a coward, and manages to derail her life before she's even left college. I always enjoy reading about people who are forced to reckon with the consequences of their actions and how their reactions reveal their character.
This is Not America: Why We Need a British Conversation About Race
Tomiwa Owolade
£10.99 £10.44HANNAH: If you enjoy history, statistics, and an independent, discerning perspective, then you will enjoy Tomiwa Owolade's first book as much as I did. With so much of modern political writing imported in from the US, having the specifics of our own country explored and analysed is extremely refreshing. I am very heartened to know that there are such writers active in my own generation, and very much look forward to his next book.