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We share our very favorite books in our annual Christmas letter each year. But sometimes it’s hard to limit ourselves to just a few titles. So here are our top picks for the year…

Gretchen’s Top Ten Books of 2024

I read exactly 60 books in 2024. 

Top 10 Fiction:

Here are my top ten fiction titles, in alphabetical order by author.

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: The best in romance and witticism, this is a timeless classic for a reason!
2. Where Trees Touch the Sky by Karen Barnett: Artfully woven split timeline that deals with historical topics with grace and accuracy. 
3. Hope Like Wildflowers by Pepper Basham: A beautiful story that imparts timeless truths and joy through its pages. 
4. Between the Sound and the Sea by Amanda Cox: There were so many layers to this story—past and present relationships and mysteries are untangled through the pages of a lighthouse keeper’s log. 
5. Walking on Hidden Wings by Rachel Scott McDaniel: Mystery abounds in this spectacular (and a bit spicy!) Roaring Twenties tale. 
6. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple by Joanna Davidson Politano: An unusual yet delightful mix of fairytale and truth with many layers of story woven together to tell another story, The Story.
7. A Shadow in Moscow by Katherine Reay: A split perspective between the first and second Cold War eras from a master storyteller (I didn’t see the end coming!).
8. The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay: A fascinating dual-timeline perspective from two generations of East Berlin dwellers with incredible historical detail.
9. My Last Name by Eric Schumacher: A brief, beautiful, heart-rending first-person novella commentary on dementia and the dignity of life. 
10. Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin: Fascinating historical fiction, cleverly crafted mystery—a heartbreakingly beautiful novel. 

Top 2 Series:

You know it’s a good series when each new book makes you want to read the entire series all over again. These are two series I can’t wait to read again!

• The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series by Beth Brower: This series defies a specific classification of genre but it is filled with classic literary quotes and the most memorable characters. 
• Electra McDonnell series by Ashley Weaver: Ashley Weaver has an incredible ability to solve the mystery at hand while simultaneously leaving you with an ongoing cliffhanger throughout the series!

Top 2 Middle Grade:

Because sometimes the best books are those written for younger readers. 

• Beyond Mulberry Glen by Millie Florence: A beautiful tale of friendship, determination, and the power of truth to triumph over darkness—a magical middle grade fantasy novel with truth for all ages.
• Between Flowers and Bones by Carolyn Leiloglou: The second in a series featuring classic art and homeschool characters, these are books you and your kids will love. 

Top 2 Non-Fiction:

These two bookended my year, companions as I walked through grief.

• In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God by Colleen Chao: With bite-sized chapters perfect for the waiting rooms of life, this is the book I texted my cousins quotes from as we grappled with the reality of our precious grandma’s Homegoing.
• Glad and Golden Hours by Lanier Ivester: Lanier writes of the juxtaposition of sorrow and joy—the empty chairs at the table of holiday feasting, the end of the era of a beloved family home—with wisdom and with grace.

Top 2 Christmas Fiction:

I read a fun variety of Christmas fiction this holiday season but these two were favorites.

• The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor: A fun Christmas rom-com, complete with a matchmaking grandmother and hints of “Shop Around the Corner” and “You’ve Got Mail”!
• Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor by Roseanna M. White: A delightful Nutcracker-inspired Christmas tale with such a loveable heroine, you can’t help but smile at her joy in everything.

Top Picture Book: 

Because in our house, picture books are for all ages.

• Because Barbara by Sarah Mackenzie: An exquisite picture book biography and fitting tribute to the woman who set out to make the world more beautiful: picture book creator Barbara Cooney. 

Merritt’s Top 2024 Audiobooks 

A few of Merritt’s favorites from the 60+ audiobooks he listened to this year on Everand.

1. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
2. Brunelleschi’s Dome by Russ King
3. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
4. The Great Bridge by David McCullough
5. Not That it Matters by A.A. Milne
6. Rembrandt Is in the Wind by Russ Ramsey
7. Captain Blood by Raphael Sabatini (narrated by B.J. Harrison)
8. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (narrated by Harrie Dobby)

Our Children’s Top Books of 2024

Our children use Audible for the audiobooks they listen to over and over again, as well as the Loyal Books app for copyright-free audiobooks from Librivox. 

Ruth’s Top Books of 2024

Ruth read 123 books in 2024. Here are a few of her favorites (not in order of favoritism).

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (translated by Constance Garnett)
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak
3. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
4. The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
5. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series by Beth Brower (favorite series of the year)
6. Love and Mr. Lewisham by H.G. Wells
7. What the Queen Said and Further Facetious Fragments by Stoddard King (early 1900s poetry from a Washington poet)

Mary’s Favorites of 2024

Mary read and listened to 37 books in 2024. Here are some of her favorites:

• Straw Into Gold: Fairytales re-spun by Hillary McKay
• 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
• The Codebreakers series by Roseanna M. White

Mary’s favorite audiobooks:

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (narrated by B.J. Harrison)
• Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome (narrated by Alison Larkin)

Daniel’s Favorite of 2024

• Come On, Seabiscuit! by Ralph Moody (narrated by Jim Weiss)

Sara’s Favorite Audiobooks of 2024

Sara’s favorite book series this year included: 

• Little House on the Prairie (narrated by Cherry Jones)
• Mary Poppins (narrated by Sophie Thompson)
• The Mysterious Benedict Society (narrated by Del Roy)
• Little Women (narrated by Andrea Emmes)
• Andrew Lang’s Rainbow Fairy Books (from Librivox)

Sara’s other favorite audiobooks:

• The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye
• A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett (narrated by Virginia Leishman)
• Who Was Amelia Earhart? by Kate Boehm Jerome
• Letters from Father Christmas by J.R. Tolkien
• Aunt Sass by P.L. Travers