Q1 Favorites and Missed Connections

The best books I read from January to March, plus the new releases that slipped through the cracks

Hi, book friends.

We’re three months into the year, which means it’s time for some quarterly reflection.

But first, a quick FYI: Libro.fm is celebrating Indie Bookstore Day (April 27) all month long. You can use code SWITCH (or click here!) when you sign up to get three audiobooks for the price of one. Or, if a membership isn’t your thing or you already have one, you can also shop the sale on their bestsellers.

OK, let’s get into it! Here are my favorite books I read in the first quarter, plus some new releases I’m still eyeing even though they slipped through the cracks.

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My favorite books I’ve read so far in 2024

I’d read 27 books as of March 31, and a LOT of them were excellent. It was hard to narrow it down! Ask me again tomorrow, and this list might change a bit. But you can’t go wrong with any of these.

• Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon* 🎧: This is written so conversationally and reads so easily, you’d never know you were reading a book about science. Plus, it’s filled to the brim with legitimately fascinating and useful information.

• The Book of Love by Kelly Link* 🎧📖: What a story, what a cast. IMO, this one earned its length and then some. I also love that the villain was — kind of, sort of — the moon?

• Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino* 🎧: I love a book that finds a really great metaphor and turns it into an entire plot. This one likens the experience of growing up to being a literal alien. It was beautiful.

• The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo 📖: This one doesn’t come out until April (this week, actually), but I read it early, and it was a standout. I especially loved the ending. It was so *Leigh*.

• James by Percival Everett* 🎧📖: I’m sure you’ve heard a ton about this one already, but I’m going to add my voice to the chorus because it really is that good. Don’t sleep on it; you’ll regret it! (And grab a signed copy at your local indie if you can; this book has staying power.)

• The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft* 🎧📖: I was obsessed with and delighted by

*gifted to me by the publisher

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Missed connections

• The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett: A buzzy fantasy novel that sounds so good.

• Ways and Means by Daniel Lefferts: I’ve heard nothing but raves about this one!

• Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan: Another buzzy fantasy, this one based on East Asian mythology.

• Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley: Soooo many good reviews on this memoir. It’s only a matter of time for me.

• The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin: MCR is a master, and I’m going to put anything he writes on my shortlist.

• Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices by Travis Rieder: A highly relevant topic. I might pick this one up on audio.

• Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon: Hellooooo, Persephone and Demeter retelling!

• The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle by Anna Shechtman: It’s all in the title. I mean!

• Bunyan and Henry; Or, the Beautiful Destiny by Mark Cecil: I really want this one to be gay lol, but alas it’s not. Still, it sounds excellent.

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As always, thanks for sharing your corner of the internet with me! It would mean a lot if you were to take a second to like this post. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, too.

Finally, if you like this newsletter, please send a few friends my way.

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— Deedi (she/her)