Books That Matter (Part Two)
Fourteen Substack writers share the books that mattered to them in 2024
I love Substack. Yes, I have problems with some of the decisions the company makes, and, yes, I understand the ongoing tensions about Substack vs. “legacy media.” But after ten years of sharing books on Instagram, Substack has given me the readerly space I’ve always wanted. There are lots of things I could say about what I appreciate about this corner of the internet, but what I love the most is the collaboration and ongoing conversations that happen here. I love being able to pursue ongoing questions with other readers and build off each other’s ideas. I love how easy it is to collaborate and share each other’s work. It feels like an intellectual space where we’re all pursuing what we love curiously and thoughtfully, side by side.
I engage with many newsletters—bookish and otherwise— and today I wanted to share just some of my favorites so that you can find even more sources for great reads and thoughtful discussions about books. Below you’ll find 14 Substackers I adore and a book that mattered to them. Of course you’ll find excellent book recommendations. But my greater hope is that you’ll also discover some new voices to add to your Substack inbox, and, to that end, I’ve also included links to some of my favorite articles from each publication.
First a few quick reminders:
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You can find Part One of this series here.
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Now, let’s get to the books…
Books That Matter - 2024
Augustown by Kei Miller
Submitted by of as seen on
Augustown is actually my most recent read, and it’s one I know will stay with me for a very long time. It tells the story of Jamaica, Augustown, and the Rastafari through everyday people and their small traumas. I usually shy away from books that center Black trauma, I’m so glad I read this one. The story read like childhood storytimes with my mom and aunt, and I just felt like I knew these characters! I guess reading this reminded me how big and dynamic the world is, which is, after all, the beauty of reading.
Read: ‘why everyone wants to be the internet’s librarian’ and ‘the worst thing to be on substack is a substacker’
Foster by Claire Keegan
Submitted by of Words on Words
I experienced the unexpected with this novella, which is about a little girl from a poor family who has to go live with a childless couple until the girl’s mother has her baby. I opened the book and didn’t close it again until I finished it. Once I was done, I set the book down for a minute, thought about what just happened, and began to read again. I made it to page 30 before my eyes could no longer stay open. The following night, I finished Foster for the second time. The emotional impact Keegan imparts on readers in so few words is astounding.
Read: ‘Reading a holiday romance like a great piece of literature’ and ‘The 24 most beautiful sentences I read in 2024’
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Submitted by Renee of It’s Book Talk & More
Giovanni’s Room is so memorable because I never anticipated reading a classic this year let alone a classic that ended up making my top 10 books of the year. This book is about David, a white young American in 1950s Paris, who's waiting for his girlfriend to return from vacation in Spain when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman and the two men are drawn into an intense affair. This story had one of the most powerful openings I’ve read this year, and then went on to blow me away with writing that was at times so eloquent and at other times so sparse and simple. At a mere 156 pages, this story is filled with passion, regret and longing, as well as a fated love triangle which are some of my very favorite elements in a story.
Read: ‘16 Books To Read If You’re in the Mood for Something Fun’ and ‘The Best Online Places to Find Books’
Human Acts by Han Kang
Submitted by of The Lit List
I love when historical fiction adds context to contemporary society because it allows us to see our current anxieties reflected in the past. Beginning with the 1980 Gwangju Uprising in South Korea, Han Kang treats a brutal event with such uncompromising care and reflection that it's easy for the reader to find empathy for those whose lives are left broken by human cruelty. At the surface, it might seem like the militant dictatorship detailed in Human Acts is far removed from both modern-day Korea and the U.S., but we're talking about fascism more than ever after the U.S. presidential election and, most recently, South Korean President Yook Suk Yeol's attempt to instate martial law (for the first time since the book's setting) and his subsequent impeachment. And, as you'd expect from a Nobel prize-winning author, the second-person narrative is immersive and the prose is, at the risk of being cliche, haunting. History remains relevant, and I think this novel will stay with me for a long time too.
Read: ‘everyone wants to be a lit girl’ and ‘Consumption Diaries No. 24’
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Submitted by of The Eclectic Reader
Hugo's tome felt prescient during our Novel Pairings readalong last summer, but current events and political discourse have kept it at the front of my mind. Through a propulsive narrative (tangents about convents and Paris sewer systems notwithstanding) and characters who feel both symbolic and deeply human, Hugo explores questions we need to ask ourselves in this moment: what role does education play in creating the society we desire? How does violence achieve or impede our goals? How do we distinguish between individual choices and the collective good? I'm confident this philosophical classic will continue to matter to my reading life and my civic life.
Playboy by Constance Debré
Submitted by of A Reading Life
Constance Debré's Playboy—the first book in her autofictional Triologie—was the literary earthquake of my year. Yes, there was the electrifying prose and those masterfully rendered scenes of desire. But what truly shook me was her fearless examination of how patriarchal structures shape the most intimate parts of our lives. Like many women in their 40s, I've begun to see how many of our "choices" were predetermined by systems we didn't build. In the fight against female domestication, Debré shows us something vital—that sometimes living authentically means making the unthinkable choice.
Rental House by Weike Wang
Submitted by of Literary Leanings
It's wonderful when you encounter a book that gives you insight into a human experience other than your own and also makes you feel incredibly seen. That's what happened when I read Rental House by Weike Wang. It's a slim, funny, and astute novel about an interracial marriage between Keru and Nate, who are approaching their 40s and, by choice, don't have children. As a woman in my mid-30s who is married without children, I couldn't help but love Wang's portrayal of this dynamic in a marriage. She explores the question of what makes a family when you decide not to have children. I loved that despite having to explain their child-free status repeatedly (relatable), these characters stand firm in what is right for them. I loved the representation of that dynamic and think we need more empowering stories like this as folks think critically about whether parenthood is for them.
Read: ‘Finding joy in the season, pots of soup, and new movies’ and ‘Favorites of 2024: Top 10 of the Year’
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Submitted by of Subverse Reads
What makes this historical thriller about two scholars’ decades-long search for the real-life Dracula so hauntingly magical is that while it offers insights into the never-ending time loop of human history, it is also a pure pleasure to read. The combination of esoteric European history with folklore, occultism, and literature creates a gothic time-bending sort of love story that interrogates what it means to be alive and to be remembered. Every sentence is crafted with a commitment to the vibe—darkly romantic, intelligent, sinister, and affecting. If you would break the seal on a coffin, if you would stand among the tombstones in a crumbling cemetery, if you would stare the undead in the eye, if you would fall in love on a speeding train amongst ancient spires, if you would do anything to save your loved ones from a fate worse than death, then this is a novel for you (and me). I just finished and I am ready to start reading all over again. Yours in grief…
The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn
Submitted by of Moonstruck Reads
A blend of romance, mystery, and family story, this is an absolute masterclass in writing romance from one of my very favorite authors. It's achingly soft, gorgeously written, and impeccably crafted. The word that comes to mind when I think about this book is rich: rich in meaning, rich in characterization, rich in emotion, and rich in what it has to offer to both longtime romance readers and those new to the genre. There's something to savor on every page and I never wanted it to end.
Read: ‘Let’s talk buzzy summer romances’ and ‘Ten chunky reads for fall’
Patriot by Alexei Navalny
Submitted by of Marginalia
It’s rare for me to choose a non-fiction title for something like this, because I’m typically so heavily invested in the particular and unique ways fiction helps us learn about the world. But within the context of increasing global conflict, polarization, and instability, I believe Navalny’s posthumous autobiography is more important and relevant than ever. His relentless fight against corruption, imperialism, and state oppression in Russia highlights the interconnectedness of these issues across nations and the global consequences of authoritarianism. His life exemplifies the universal implications of unchecked power, from the undermining of democratic processes in the United States to the intensification of geopolitical crises in eastern Europe and the Middle East. As his story makes clear, the stakes of civic engagement, accountability, and the preservation of democratic ideals are global in an era of pervasive—and profound—instability.
Read: ‘11 NYC books perfect for your fall reading list’ and ‘A cozy guide to thoughtful, non-physical holiday gifts’
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Submitted by Aquino of Lupita Reads Book Letter and La Comunidad Reads
One book that deeply mattered to me this year was The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. I initially picked it up because I was told it’s the lesbian version of Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman. While it does share some similarities in terms of finding/navigating queer love, it is completely different. It resonated and mattered to me because the novel was a reminder that bookscan help us think more broadly. To understand that there are deep histories we are tied to and that impact everything around us, and, more importantly, if we don’t pay attention, we could miss that!
Read: ‘What I Said to Oprah When I Met Her’ and ‘A love letter to Tucson’
This Motherless Land by Nikki May
Submitted by
of DowntimeA decolonialized reimagining of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, this novel tells the story of Funke, who is half-Nigerian and half-white. After losing her mother in a tragic accident in Lagos at a young age, Funke is sent off to London to live with her wealthy, unwelcoming aunt and her cousins, including Liv, who becomes an unlikely sister of sorts. The novel follows their intertwined journeys over two-plus decades. This book has everything I love: dry, wry humor (very British), a comedy of manners, and themes that feel deeply relevant today, such as race, identity, class, and privilege. As a multiracial person, the themes of identity and belonging hit close to home. I'd also consider it a love story of sorts. It was so fun to read—it made me gasp at times and laugh out loud at others. I can’t recommend it enough and I need more people to read it!
Read: ‘Bookmarked with This Motherless Land author Nikki May’ and ‘Lessons I Learned from a Just-Okay Year’
We Were The Universe by Kimberly King Parson
Submitted by of Shelf By Shelf
I read We Were The Universe by Kimberly King Parson’s the month I was moving from Florida to Philadelphia. While I initially fell in love with the book because of Parson’s gorgeous, surprising sentences, it was the unexpected kinship I felt with the protagonist throughout the story, as she acclimated this transitory period of her life, that left it permanently etched into my brain for the rest of the year. This book found me at the perfect time. It articulated all of the feelings I was having, was entertaining enough to still feel like an escape, and it reminded me of all of the things language can do, that fiction can do, and that, for me, is a beautiful thing.
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
Submitted by of Romancing the Phone
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian is both a swoon-worthy romance and a breathtaking rumination on the nature of grief. No one is better at writing wool sweater warm soup books than Cat Sebastian. Set in New York in 1960, this book is also about baseball, queer history, The Haunting of Hill House, and an opinionated terrier named Lula. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll feel nurtured, you’ll believe that people can find joy even in times and places that are actively hostile to them. And you'll never look at a jar of cherries the same way again.
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Happy reading!
Sara
I sound like a broken record saying it but Substack really is a perfect fit for readers: form, content and community.
Thank you for including me and for supporting the work of so many amazing writers. There are never enough hours in a day to read everything we want, but as this group shows, we sure do try!
🤓📚🥰
Sara, thanks for this eclectic and exciting list of books (and their bookish fans). Not sure how we haven't crossed paths before but I found you through Petya I think and glad I did. All the best.