Entertainment Books Book Recommendations PEOPLE Picks the Best 10 Books of 2024, Including Al Pacino's Memoir, Sally Rooney's Latest and More See our favorite books of the year, from celebrity memoirs to buzzy literary fiction By Lizz Schumer Lizz Schumer Lizz Schumer is the senior books editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024. Her work has previously appeared in Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, Prevention, The New York Times, and others. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 8, 2024 08:00AM EST Comments A selection of PEOPLE's Top 10 Books of 2024. As the end of the year approaches, we're looking back at our reading lists for the standouts from 2024. Below, PEOPLE's Senior Books Editor picks the 10 best books of the year. 01 of 10 'The God of the Woods' by Liz Moore 'The God of the Woods' by Liz Moore. In 1961 Bear Van Laar, 8, disappeared without a trace. Now, 14 years later, Bear’s teen sister has gone missing too. This taut dual-timeline suspense novel masterfully handles class and privilege. Buy Now These Goodreads Choice Awards Winners Also Made PEOPLE's Book Picks 02 of 10 'Intermezzo' by Sally Rooney 'Intermezzo' by Sally Rooney. Farrar, Straus and Giroux After their father’s death, brothers Peter, a lawyer, and Ivan, a competitive chess player, navigate very different relationships. A quiet, poignant novel about love and grief. Buy Now Here’s How the Cover of Fall’s Biggest Book — Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo — Came to Life (Exclusive) 03 of 10 'The Ministry of Time' by Kaliane Bradley 'The Ministry of Time' by Kaliane Bradley. This romp of a spy thriller-meets-romance sees a civil servant help a time traveler from 1847 adjust to the modern world. But they soon question the program that united them. Buy Now PEOPLE’s Best Books To Read in May 2024: Steve Guttenberg Reflects on His Father and More 04 of 10 'The Pairing' by Casey McQuiston 'The Pairing' by Casey McQuiston. Four years after former best friends and lovers Kit and Theo break up, they end up on a European food tour together. To prove they’re really over the split, they have a hookup competition. Spicy, sexy and delicious. Grab a snack before you crack this one open — trust me. Buy Now See Which PEOPLE Book Picks Also Made the New York Times' Top 100 of 2024 05 of 10 'James' by Percival Everett 'James' by Percival Everett. National Book Awards From the author of Erasure, this National Book Award winner is an ingenious riff on Huckleberry Finn as told by Jim, the enslaved man who rafts with Huck down the Mississippi. Buy Now Kate McKinnon Hosts 2024 National Book Awards: 'Writing a Book Is Nothing Short of an Act of Kindness' 06 of 10 'Catalina' by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio 'Catalina' by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Harvard senior Catalina must reckon with what graduation will mean for her and her undocumented family in this sharp coming-of-age story. Buy Now Karla Cornejo-Villavicencio Reimagines the ‘Sad Latin Girl’ in New Novel Catalina (Exclusive) 07 of 10 'Wandering Stars' by Tommy Orange 'Wandering Stars' by Tommy Orange. Spanning the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre and two generations at the notoriously cruel Carlisle Indian Industrial School, this is a heart-wrenching saga of trauma, friendship and hope. Buy Now Best Books for Native American Heritage Month: Great Fiction, Nonfiction and Kids Books By Native and Indigenous Authors 08 of 10 'My Beloved Monster' by Caleb Carr 'My Beloved Monster' by Caleb Carr. Little, Brown and Company The late novelist reveals his struggle to overcome the legacy of his famous Beat Generation father and his remarkable bond with his rescued Siberian Forest cat Masha. Buy Now PEOPLE's Best Books of April 2024: Salman Rushdie's Memoir and New Romance from Emily Henry 09 of 10 'Sonny Boy' by Al Pacino 'Sonny Boy' by Al Pacino. Penguin Press The rare celebrity memoir that’s also a literary read. As funny as it is reflective, it shares stories behind Pacino’s hardscrabble upbringing, classic films and journey to icon status. Buy Now Al Pacino Opens Up About His Iconic Career, Fatherhood and 40-Plus Years of Sobriety: ‘I’ve Had Quite a Big Life’ (Exclusive) 10 of 10 'JFK Jr.: An Oral Biography' by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio 'JFK Jr.: An Oral Biography' by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio. This intimate account by People staffer Liz McNeil and JFK’s former assistant shows a new side of the beloved figure. If you can't get enough of the "last great American dynasty," don't miss this one. Buy Now The Biggest Revelations from JFK Jr.'s Oral Biography: Naked Female Visitors, Smoking Weed Daily and More Close