It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

As 2024 comes to an end today, it’s time for a little hall of fame of the best titles I read this year:

1. Island Beneath the Sea, by Isabel Allende

Historical Fiction. Rating: 5 stars
It was hard to choose the top one of the year, but I think the mix of magical realism, historical fiction and Allende’s unique prose made it for me. This book confirmed Isabel Allende as probably my favourite writer of this decade, and I’m amazed at how many of her books I keep rating 5 stars.

Country: Chile

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2. Babel, by R.F. Kuang

Historical Fiction. Rating: 5 stars
Kuang was one of the good discoveries of 2024. I initially hesitated, since she has been so hyped on social media, but Babel is a solid top 5 book for me. It led me to search for her other works and this year I also read Yellowface, which got a 4.75 stars in my rating. I’ll sure be checking more of her work.

Country: China

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3. The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood

Dystopia. Rating: 5 stars
This top 10 list wouldn’t be completed without some Atwood in it. Although I had a little disappointment with The Penelopiad, The Testaments is a solid one. She writes so well that I caught myself highlighting several sentences already in the first pages. Plus the plot is amazing, especially how it all comes together at the end.

Country: Canada

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4. The Tiger’s Wife, by Téa Obreht

Magical Realism. Rating: 5 stars
Obreht was another good discovery of this year. I’ve had very little experience with Magic Realism outside of Latin America, so I was a little skeptical, but her book checked all the boxes. I already got Inland, another one of her titles, and will definitely be reading more of her in 2025.

Country: Serbia

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5. The Garden of Evening Mists, by Tan Twan Eng

Historical Fiction. Rating: 4.75 stars
I obviously have a sweet spot for historical fiction, I know. I first read Eng’s work last year, when House of Doors was nominated for the Booker Awards. Turns out that all the 3 of Eng’s books were nominated. I became a fan and his second book didn’t disappoint. I have the third one, but I’m trying to save it for later, as I know he hasn’t published anything else yet.

Country: Malasya

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6. The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, by Martha Batalha

Historical Fiction. Rating: 4.75 stars
I vowed to discover new Brazilian writers to love in 2024, and Martha Batalha is definitely one of them. I love the quirky way she writes, and if I was brave enough to write a book, that would probably be my writing style. I intend to read more of her books in 2025, and I already got a new one on my last trip to Brazil.

Country: Brazil

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7. Factfulness, by Hans Rosling

Data Analysis. Rating: 4.75 stars
Hans Rosling is one of the people who got me into Data Visualization and my current career. I was always fascinated by his dynamic charts in which he tells the story of the world with bubbles. When I saw that he had a book out that talked about how, against popular belief, the world has actually improved in the last decades, I had to get it.

Country: Sweden

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8. West with the Night, by Beryl Markham

Memoir. Rating: 4.75 stars
This was one of my favourite audiobooks of 2024, and I actually miss hearing Beryl’s story in the voice of Anna Fields. The way this book was written is something from a different universe altogether, it’s hard to describe her style. This is one of the books that will stay with me for many years.

Country: Kenya

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9. The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

Mythology. Rating: 4.75 stars
Of course, there would be a Greek Mythology book in this list. I really enjoyed Miller’s writing style in Circe, and this one did not disappoint as well. I loved how she framed Achilles and told the book from the perspective of his companion Patroclus.

Country: U.S.

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10. Knife, by Salman Rushdie

I’ve read a lot of memoirs this year, but none touched my heart as deeply as this one. As Rushdie retells his encounter with his assassin, he makes a point of focusing on all the love he received after that attack, rather than the hate that inspired it. I still carry some of his sentences in my heart and try to apply them to my life.

Country: India

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What about you? What’s in your list?

Check more book memes:
– Books on My Winter 2024-2025 To-Read List (TTT)
– How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time – with charts (TTT)
– 6 Degrees of Separation – Asian Edition