Best Books of 2024

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Best Books of 2024"
Bad On Paper - Hosted by Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Release Date: December 11, 2024

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Introduction

In this special episode of "Bad On Paper," hosts Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter celebrate their annual “Best Books of the Year” segment. This episode not only highlights their personal favorites but also showcases an array of recommendations from their listeners, encompassing a wide range of genres and themes.

Personal Highlights

Before diving into the book recommendations, Becca and Olivia share their personal highs and lows of the year, setting the stage for a relatable and engaging discussion.

Becca Freeman [01:27]:

"I am currently six working days out from my book deadline, and I'm in really deep work mode."
(01:27)

Becca discusses her intense focus on finishing her book draft, revealing the pressures and self-reflection involved in the writing process. She emphasizes the importance of self-care through simple actions like taking a walk, which led to a much-needed attitude adjustment.

Olivia Muenter [05:22]:

"I need to be propped up by the power of hip hop and just do it."
(06:25)

Olivia shares her excitement and anxiety about an upcoming Caribbean vacation, particularly her concerns about wearing a bathing suit. This candid conversation highlights the personal challenges and growth both hosts experience alongside their professional endeavors.

Top Book Recommendations

Olivia’s Top Picks

1. Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

"It is very bizarre, but it's unlike anything I have ever read."
(13:37)

Olivia kicks off her list with Shark Heart, a literary romance that defies convention with its unique premise of a husband transforming into a great white shark. She praises its moving narrative and distinctiveness.

2. Night Watching by Tracy Sierra

"I have rarely been so scared by a book."
(15:06)

Her favorite thriller of the year, Night Watching, captivates Olivia with its suspenseful story of a woman and her children facing an intruder in their home. The intense emotions and well-crafted tension leave a lasting impression.

3. Long Bright River & The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Olivia appreciates Liz Moore's ability to blend suspense with societal issues, making both books standout entries in her list.

4. Good Material by Dolly Alderton

"It was really charming and the end just got me."
(19:57)

Olivia commends Good Material for its delightful perspective on breakup told from a man's viewpoint. She enjoys its humor and cultural commentary, highlighting Alderton's multifaceted writing style.

Becca’s Top Picks

1. The Wedding People by Alison Aspach

"It really defies classification for me because it's a little bit of everything."
(27:00)

Becca’s top pick, The Wedding People, is lauded for its intricate blend of friendship, romance, career drama, and family secrets. The fleshed-out characters and the author's talent in creating a multi-dimensional narrative make it a standout choice.

2. Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

"The relationships were so heartwarming. I was rooting for every person in this book."
(28:17)

Chosen for its unique storyline and heartwarming relationships, Becca praises this book for its originality and profound character development.

3. One Star Romance by Laura Henkin
Becca appreciates the dual focus on romance and female friendship, exploring themes of personal growth and evolving relationships amidst life milestones.

4. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Described as her "platonic ideal thriller," Becca highlights this book for its gripping twists and non-scary suspense that keeps readers hooked.

5. How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy by Aaron Carlson
This non-fiction work fascinates Becca for its deep dive into Nora Ephron’s influence on the romantic comedy genre, filled with behind-the-scenes insights and comprehensive research.

Listener Voicemails

The episode features enthusiastic book recommendations from listeners, adding a personal touch and diverse perspectives to the discussion.

Helen from [17:02]:

"My favorite book of the year is God of the Woods by Liz Moore. I loved the small town setting, the family drama, the secrets..."
(17:14)

Megan from Kentucky [21:31]:

"My best book of 2024 was Life Impossible by Matt Haig... it was written just for me."
(21:31)

Stacy from Pittsburgh [23:19]:

"The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye is beautiful and funny and sexy and sad."
(23:19)

Andrea from Pennsylvania [24:05]:

"First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly is serious without being too heavy and hopeful without being cloying."
(24:05)

Brittany from Chicago [43:20]:

"My favorite book of the year was Blue Sisters by Coco Melors... I laughed, I cried, and I immediately ordered her other book."
(43:20)

Additional Book Highlights

Becca’s Further Recommendations

6. Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
A compelling blend of research and personal narrative on social media addiction, chosen for the January book club.

7. All Fours by Miranda July
Praised for its unique portrayal of a midlife crisis and perimenopause, offering both zaniness and depth.

8. Another Nonfiction Pick: "Say Nothing" by Patrick Gradden Keefe
A gripping account of Northern Ireland's troubles, lauded for its page-turning thriller-like narrative.

9. Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Olivia’s own book is celebrated for its insightful take on the influencer world and the relationships within it.

10. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Becca admires its magical love story and the dual timelines, offering a transportive and wise narrative.

Final Recommendations from Listeners

Katherine from New York [33:21]:

"Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rendell... set in the late 90s, early 2000s with New York as a character."
(33:21)

Jill from South Portland, Maine [33:24]:

"My favorite book of the year was Any Trope But You by Victoria Levine... it's clever, witty, funny, and oh so spicy."
(33:24)

Courtney from the Bay Area [35:49]:

"Family Family by Laurie Frankel is about adoption and redefines family tropes with humor and wisdom."
(35:49)

Madeline from Minneapolis [36:30]:

"The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo beautifully depicts the complexities of family and sisterhood."
(36:30)

Rebecca from New York City [47:30]:

"Say Nothing by Patrick Gradden Keefe is gripping nonfiction about Northern Ireland, reading like a thriller."
(47:30)

Dotsy from the South/New York [48:08]:

"The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a thrilling series about teenagers solving FBI cold cases."
(48:08)

Obsessions and Final Thoughts

In the final segment, Becca and Olivia share their current obsessions outside of reading:

Becca Freeman [59:40]:

"I've become obsessed with this chic tissue box cover from Amazon. It's so cute and functional."
(59:40)

Olivia Muenter [60:36]:

"I'm obsessed with the second season of Shrinking on Apple TV. It's warm and insightful without being cheesy."
(60:36)

Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Becca and Olivia express their gratitude to listeners for their engagement and participation throughout the year. They encourage continued interaction through social media and invite listeners to join their Telegram group, Facebook group, and Instagram channels. The hosts look forward to returning in January 2025 with more book discussions and recommendations, wishing everyone happy holidays and a Happy New Year.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Becca Freeman [01:27]:

  "I am currently six working days out from my book deadline, and I'm in really deep work mode."

• Olivia Muenter [13:37]:

  "It is very bizarre, but it's unlike anything I have ever read."

• Olivia Muenter [15:06]:

  "I have rarely been so scared by a book."

• Olivia Muenter [19:57]:

  "It was really charming and the end just got me."

• Becca Freeman [27:00]:

  "It really defies classification for me because it's a little bit of everything."

• Becca Freeman [28:17]:

  "The relationships were so heartwarming. I was rooting for every person in this book."

• Olivia Muenter [43:20]:

  "I laughed, I cried, and I immediately ordered her other book."

• Becca Freeman [54:53]:

  "I find this dealt with it in a way that I found really educational, frankly."

• Olivia Muenter [59:40]:

  "I'm obsessed with the second season of Shrinking on Apple TV."

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the "Best Books of 2024" episode, highlighting key discussions, personal insights, and a rich array of book recommendations from both the hosts and their listeners. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the podcast, this episode offers a wealth of literary inspiration to explore.

Transcript

[Becca Freeman]

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to Baton Paper Podcast. I'm Becca Freeman.

[Olivia Mentor]

And I'm Olivia Mentor.

[Becca Freeman]

And it is one of my favorite episodes we do every year. It is our best books of the year. And you all submitted so many voicemails, which made me so happy. And it's interesting because there's not a lot of overlap between our best books and the best books that the listeners told us about. So there is just so many wrecks in this episode.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. I find it very heartwarming that everyone has a different favorite book. Like, that's the beauty of reading. It's wonderful.

[Becca Freeman]

As you said about Santa's pubic hair, there is a lid for every pot.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes. I'm glad that we're already back to that. Let's just keep that going.

[Becca Freeman]

I never left.

[Olivia Mentor]

I keep saying, by the way, like, things around the house in the past 24 hours as I do, like, oh, I can't wait till that's done. And Jake was like, if we only had Klaus.

[Becca Freeman]

If only. Did Jake read it, too?

[Olivia Mentor]

He listened to the episode.

[Becca Freeman]

I love that. For him. For us.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, me too. I was surprised and delighted.

[Becca Freeman]

Well, before we get to the best books, I want to hear your high.

[Olivia Mentor]

My high is that I had a very nice, wintry weekday this week. It snowed a lot here this week, which was kind of unexpected and really pretty because it stuck and it was just very cold. But on Wednesday, I went out and I got a slow cooker. Very exciting purchase. And we had a happy hour that night.

[Becca Freeman]

Is it like a crock pot? Is it the same thing?

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes, basically.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, I think so. I think so. We had a happy hour in Hudson with friends. And I was like, okay, I'm going to do something I've never done before, which is I'm going to put dinner in this slow cooker. So when I get home from the happy hour, it is going to be done. And I'm not going to be two drinks in. In the McDonald's drive through, which is a thing that happens quite often because there's not a lot of options here. After, after, like 9pm on a Wednesday. And coming home in the snow, the snow coming down, listening to music, walking in and just having the chili just there ready to go, was one of the most just comforting adulthood, lovely moments of my week.

[Becca Freeman]

It was for good, for you.

[Olivia Mentor]

I was so proud of myself, saved myself money. It was a nice, easy evening with friends, met some new people, and it was just like a perfect, cozy winter day. And I loved it.

[Becca Freeman]

Love. What was your high My high ties into my low, so I'll tell you my low first. And my low is my attitude. I am currently six working days out from my book deadline, and I'm in really deep work mode. And so I finished the first pass of this draft a couple of weeks ago, and then I've just been going back through it, and I've been hitting all of the sections that, well, first, anything that's new, I wanted to give a second glance. And then there were a few things that I backed away from, and I didn't actually write on the first pass, so I needed to fill those in. I left myself a lot of TKs while I was writing, which is just like journalism speak for to come. So I was filling those in and just, you know, shoring everything up before I send it in. And I realized that I've just been using this pass to beat myself up and to, like, rub my nose in everything that's not working yet, even though the expectation is not that this is a final draft and that I've kind of just lost sight of how much work I've done and how much has changed for the the better in this draft. So that was my low, and I was really beating myself up and being mean. And on Wednesday, I woke up, I took a shower, and I went for a walk first thing, and I had a talk with myself, and I was like, we're not doing this. Like, you're making yourself miserable. This is you. We're not doing this. We're gonna have an attitude adjustment. And I mean, truly. I joked about this on my Instagram story, but I was like, do people know about showering and taking a walk? Like, I felt transformed. Transformed after. So is this.

[Olivia Mentor]

You're talking to yourself in your head?

[Becca Freeman]

Yes.

[Olivia Mentor]

Not out loud. I'm imagining.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, yes, yes, yes. I'm talking to myself in my head. But I've held onto that. I mean, it's only been two days since then, but I do think that I gave myself a little attitude adjustment.

[Olivia Mentor]

Good. I'm glad that it helped. I feel like sometimes you really do have to reset like that. You just have to be like, okay, we're starting over. We're redoing this. We're changing the soundtrack that's in our head right now, and I'm glad that it worked.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, it's been really hard to go outside because it's been freezing here and really windy. So I've been, like, resistant to going out and taking a walk. But, I mean, having done it, I'm like, oh, no, that's necessary.

[Olivia Mentor]

I've been avoiding it as well because it has been so windy and my ears hurt so bad sometimes. But you're right. Like, it really does make the biggest difference to just take a step away and reset.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. What is going on on the low end on your side?

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, so in a few weeks, Jake and I are going on a vacation together, which we haven't done in a while. Just us. We are going to a new place. We are going to the Caribbean. And I am dreading wearing a bathing suit. A month ago, I started thinking about this and I was like, should we cancel the trip? That is how much I was like. I mean, I would never do that, of course, but it was just this thing where I was like, oh, my God, it has been so long since I have spent any time in a bathing suit. I feel like I do not even have any that I like anymore. I have not shopped for them in forever. Shopping for them is actually the world's worst experience. Even online. Especially online. I feel like it's horrible. I don't know. I was telling Jake last night as we were watching the Netflix rap competition Hustle and Flow.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, I've heard that's really good.

[Olivia Mentor]

It's incredibly good and extremely addictive. But they do, like, these little hype videos for the rappers, and I feel like I need a hype video for myself.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

Just to get. I need, like, what the NFL players have. Like, Travis Kelce has a hype video for himself that his team puts together every week before the game. I need one of those for me just to, like, show up in a bathing suit this year. Like, I need to be. I need to be propped up by the power of hip hop and just do it. But, yeah, I'm kind of dreading it. I'm really looking forward to taking a trip and taking some time away with Jake. But, yeah, I just. Sometimes it's just, like, mentally, it's a battle. It's a battle.

[Becca Freeman]

I hear you. I, as expected, cannot rap. But I would be happy to contribute a spoken word encouragement to your hype video.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, that would be good. We could layer it with some beats.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

And, like, you know, it could be really good.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. Oh, you know what? I'm, like, kidding, but not kidding. Have you heard those Snoop Dogg affirmations?

[Olivia Mentor]

No, but I'm already intrigued.

[Becca Freeman]

They're for children. They're for little kids.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay. But even better, I feel like you.

[Becca Freeman]

Could listen to some of those. I feel like it is a rap affirmation situation.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, I need some affirmations. I really do. I know it'll be great when I get there and I'll be like, that was so silly. But sometimes just it's easy to get in your head about these things.

[Becca Freeman]

I hear you. And I especially hear you in the depths of December when it's like, I have no tan.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, I know. Well, in Philly I have my go to spray tan place and I felt very, very good about that situation. I would go to the spray tan place, I would go on the trip. I am as pale as a human can be in this moment. But that's okay. I'll be wearing lots of sunscreen anyway.

[Becca Freeman]

I'm sorry, I. I know a lot of us can identify with this feeling. So you are not alone.

[Olivia Mentor]

Thank you. Maybe I need to go on a walk and hype myself up.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, listen to some Snoop Dogg affirmations on a walk.

[Olivia Mentor]

Can you picture me just in the streets of my town, the cows walking by and me just kind of like doing a rocky sort of let's do this sort of hype pump up moment?

[Becca Freeman]

No, I actually can't picture that. But I love that for you.

[Olivia Mentor]

Thank you.

[Becca Freeman]

Well, let's get into some book recs, but before we do, let's take an ad break.

[Olivia Mentor]

This episode is sponsored by Quince. There is something so heartwarming about giving someone a gift that you know, they might not have invested in for themselves, but that they will really truly enjoy. And I especially love when you can just really tell that a gift makes someone feel super special and loved. And if you are looking for quality gifts at an affordable price this season, I highly recommend shopping from Quint.

[Becca Freeman]

Quint lets you treat your loved ones and yourself to everyday luxury at an affordable price. Something everyone needs in their closet in my opinion is Quince's iconic Mongolian cashmere sweaters which are so reasonable. For cashmere they start at $50. Or for the ultimate year round gifts, check out their 14 karat gold jewelry, Italian leather handbags and European line sheet sets. Whatever you're looking for, all Quince's Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands.

[Olivia Mentor]

Every item from Quince feels like the kind of piece that you would find in someone's closet who just always looks extremely expensive and very put together. But, and I think this is actually key, isn't covered head to toe in fancy labels like truly quiet luxury. You know what I mean? I am a huge huge fan of Quince's sunglasses like I have mentioned here before. But you also cannot go wrong with their amazing Win winter gear. They have puffers and leather jackets, cashmere beanies, you name it. And they have the best quality, most affordable version of whatever you're looking for.

[Becca Freeman]

Gift luxury this holiday season without the luxury price tag. Go to quince.com bop for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I n c e.com BoP to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com BoP this episode is sponsored by.

[Olivia Mentor]

Book of the Month. Are you looking to gift yourself something small yet impactful as a reward for surviving yet another year? I think that we all deserve a little something extra during this time of year personally. And my suggestion would be to gift yourself a Book of the Month membership, AKA Incredible books delivered straight to your door each month. And all you have to do is choose the titles that interest you most.

[Becca Freeman]

And instead of the overwhelming experience of trying to remember the title of that one book that you keep seeing everywhere or browsing and feeling overwhelmed because there are so many books, Book of the Month makes it easy for you. They curate titles that are diverse and exciting no matter what genre you prefer. I chose the Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter for my December book and I am so excited to dive into it over the holidays.

[Olivia Mentor]

That was also one of my choices and I am so glad that it was an option for Book of the Month because I'm actually not sure if it would have been on my radar otherwise since it's not my usual go to genre. And I really have a feeling I'm going to love it though, so I'm excited that Book of the Month gave me the chance to check it out.

[Becca Freeman]

If you're new to Book of the Month, we have an amazing deal for you. You can get your first book on book of the month for $5 with code TINSEL. That's a brand new hardcover book for just $5 with code TINSEL. T I N S E L and one more very important thing, make sure to select BAT on paper in the survey after enrolling so the brand knows that we sent you. All right, Olivia, we have so many books to get through between our top tens. So many listener voicemails. Let's start out with you. Hit me with five of your top 10 books from 2024.

[Olivia Mentor]

I want to start by saying something which is that I am very grateful to have had an excellent reading year, which means that I had more than 10 favorites. So this was a very tough. This was a tough assignment for me. Technically, I Think I have listed more than 10 here, but I'll try to, like, bundle them together when it makes sense. But I pared it down for this. I pared it down. So I'm excited to dive in. But there's a lot of good books this year.

[Becca Freeman]

Hit me. What's your first one you're bringing my first one.

[Olivia Mentor]

I actually had to go check if I had talked about it in last year's Best Books episode because I read it so long ago. I read it at the very start of 2024. And that is Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. This is literary romance. It's also actually, my mom recently described this to me as the weirdest book she's ever read. But she liked it and I think so.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

I think so. It is a very strange book. It's about a couple who, very shortly after they get married, discover that the husband is turning into a great white shark. And it is just incredibly moving. It is very bizarre, but it's unlike anything I have ever read. And I just felt completely compelled by the story. And I just love it. I love it so much.

[Becca Freeman]

I feel like this is a cult favorite. Everyone who I've heard talk about this has loved it.

[Olivia Mentor]

I feel like I've grown to love it more since reading it because I just. Every time I read a book, I'm like, nothing is like Shark Ark. It's just. It's singular. And I actually am really looking forward to reading it again. But if you want a literary romance, I think you will enjoy it. My second one is probably my favorite thriller of the year, which is Night Watching by Tracy Sierra. I've talked about this one a lot as well. This one is about a woman living in a very old house in New England on a very snowy winter's night. Her two children are in the house with her. They're alone. And she realizes there's an intruder in the house. And the whole story is about her and her children surviving this experience and what happens when the police don't believe her. And it's just heart pounding, page turning, absolutely terrifying, but really good. If I had to do top three, it's definitely in my top three.

[Becca Freeman]

Wow. This sounds like a recommendation to everyone else and a warning to me, which I appreciate.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, yeah. Never. I have rarely been so scared by a book. Like, it's just. It is so, so creepy. And there is one scene where if anyone has read it, it's. I don't even know how to describe it. It's about a stranger fixing the strap on her daughter's dress. And it haunts me. It haunts me to this day. It is so well written. But oh, my gosh, I have chills just thinking about it. It's just. It's such an incredible book and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next. I will be first in line, pre ordering.

[Becca Freeman]

Was this a debut?

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes. From your publisher, by the way. Yeah. Huge fan.

[Becca Freeman]

What do we have next?

[Olivia Mentor]

Next we have. This is like, I tried to fit two into one. I read Long Bright river and the God of the woods by Liz Moore. This year. I discovered Liz Moore. I am planning on treating myself to one of her other books as one of my vacation reads. And both of these were just remarkable. The first one is about two sisters and the drug epidemic, specifically in Philly. And the second one is historical thriller mystery set mostly in a camp in the Adirondacks. And they're both just like very beautifully written suspense, which is like my favorite type of genre. And I'm like a huge Liz Moore fan. Like, both of these books are amazing. I prefer Long Bright river, but they're both great. I love them.

[Becca Freeman]

Well, you are not the only person who chose God of the woods as your book of the year. We have two voicemails, which might be my favorite voicemails that we got in the whole bunch. One of them is so mysterious and the other person has a great accent. So let's listen to those.

[C]

Just wanted to say my favorite book of the year is God of the Woods. Oh, I absolutely loved it.

[Becca Freeman]

Hi, Becca. Hi, Olivia. I'm Helen, and I'm calling in about my best book of the year, 2024, which was the God of the woods by Liz Muir. I think this is one of Olivia's top picks, too. I loved this. I loved the small town setting. I loved the family drama, the secrets, the privilege, the summer camp. I was so immersed in the world. I really like the different characters perspectives and how they all came together. Although you definitely had to pay attention at times. I think Alice's Story was probably my favorite, but it was also the saddest as well. So, yeah, absolutely loved this. Okay, thanks. Bye.

[Olivia Mentor]

My next favorite of the year was the Husbands by Holly Grazio. I just adored this book. I know you did too, Becca. It was Olivia.

[Becca Freeman]

This also made my top 10. I think this might be our only point of overlap. No, no, we have one other point of overlap.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, also, one of mine was one of your favorites last year. So we'll get to that later.

[Becca Freeman]

We have a small Venn diagram three books in the middle out of 10, which I think is good. If our taste is too similar, it would be boring.

[Olivia Mentor]

I totally agree. I think, like, the voicemails, the more variety, the better. God, I loved this book. For anyone that hasn't read it, it's about a woman who comes home from a night out and there's a husband there that she didn't have before. Right. Remembering this correctly. And then she discovers that she can basically trade him for any new husband by making him go up into the attic. Then a new husband comes down. And it's such a kind of strange but simple concept. And it works so beautifully. It was one of the most striking endings, like, last chapters of a book that I've read all year. I thought it was just so, so well done and really made me think about a lot of deeper themes about the lives we choose, the people we choose in a way that was, like, also very light and charming and fun.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

Which is hard to do.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. And it was so creative. It was so different than anything I'd read. It just felt like such a breath of fresh air.

[Olivia Mentor]

I also read an interview with this author recently that was very interesting. This was her debut, I think, and.

[Becca Freeman]

She'S a video game designer, which is interesting and makes sense with the multiple paths.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes. I would highly suggest reading about her story and her story with this book because it was really inspiring.

[Becca Freeman]

All right, what is your next one? Your last one for now.

[Olivia Mentor]

My next one is Good Material by Dolly. Good Material. I'm now Southern. Good Material by Dolly Alderton. This was my first Dolly Alderton book. We did it for Book club. I think it was your pick, if I'm remembering correctly.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, it was. I'm a huge Dolly Alderton fan, but I was only medium on this one.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. Maybe I would really love her other books then. I feel like sometimes I find an author that I love and I avoid reading their other books right away because I want to savor them. And I sort of feel that way about Dolly Alderton now. Cause I'm extremely obsessed with her. I think she has incredible style. I just. I love her social media presence. I just love her. But I love this book. And basically it's about a breakup, but it's told from a man's perspective. And I just thought it was really charming. I laughed out loud so much and the end just got me. And I thought it was genius. The New York Times just named this one of the five best books of the year, which I found kind of surprising. Not cause it isn't good, but just cause like it just surprised me. But it is really, really wonderful and very well. And I love that you can read it as sort of like not a rom com, but you can read it as something lighter or you can really like dive deeper into the cultural themes and the things that we all relate to. And I love having both of those things in a book so much.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. Well, let's take a batch of listener voicemails.

[Olivia Mentor]

Hey, y'all, it's Megan from Kentucky. And I just wanted to send you a quick snippet about my favorite book from 2024. I liked a lot of books better, but this one hit me in the perfect time and in the perfect place. And in October, my sweet papaw passed away. And I just remember reading the Life Impossible by Matt Haig and reading along and just getting hit like a ton of bricks by this section. And to my credit, it wasn't underlined in my Kindle, so pretty much only I picked this out. It was written just for me. But he says that's how we beat death. We beat death by living while we are here. Death may be infinite, but as we know infinity is a relative concept. We can create a bigger infinity out of life by feeling. And every day I feel, I feel deeply and intensely. And what I feel is gratitude. And it was perfect. The book's perfect. And you get to say Ibiza a lot. Thank you all for your podcast. I love it so much. And the Orphans Club is next on my list. Hi, Becca and Olivia.

[Becca Freeman]

My name is Katie and I'm calling from Indianapolis, Indiana.

[Olivia Mentor]

Longtime listener, first time caller. My best book of 2024 was the wishing Game by Meg Shafer. If you're somebody who loved reading the Magic Treehouse series, this book has a lot of those common themes. It's very nostalgic, not written for kids, it's written for adults. But it's in a way that just pulls on those heartstrings. Has such a good message about found family. It's just such a sweet book. Highly, highly Recommend. My favorite 5 star read of 2024.

[C]

Thank you. Hi, Becca and Olivia. This is Stacy in Pittsburgh calling about my favorite book of 2024. And I'm going with the Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye. It's about Shakespeare's Juliet who keeps reincarnating through the centuries and falling in love over and over again with an immortal Romeo who is cursed. And it's beautiful and funny and sexy and sad, but it's also heartwarming. And it does have a happily ever after. So highly recommend it. Love you guys.

[Olivia Mentor]

Hi Becca and Olivia, this is Andrea from Pennsylvania. I want to recommend the First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly, which was nominated this year for the National Book Award for Young People's literature.

[Becca Freeman]

Set in 1999, Michael, a latchkey kid.

[Olivia Mentor]

And doomsday prepper with Y2K anxiety, meets a strange boy named Ridge who reveals himself to be the world's first time traveler. Ridge is fixated on the 1990s in America and has a book that shows how the future turns out, which only heightens Michael's Y2K anxiety. When Ridge tells Michael he can't show the book to him, it only makes Michael want to know about what happens more. It's serious without being too heavy and hopeful without being cloying or childish. I laughed. I cried and cried some more. Even now it makes me hopeful for our uncertain future.

[Becca Freeman]

Happy holidays to everyone.

[C]

Hi Beck and Olivia. This is Kelly from Houston. Although 2024 was the year of audiobook memoirs for me, my favorite read of 2024 was Bi Baby by Carola Lovering. I'm not typically a thriller reader, but everything she writes I read in less than 48 hours. The female friendship of the book, the back and forth timeline, the influence. My goal is really, really good. Can't wait to hear everyone else's books.

[Olivia Mentor]

Let's get into your first five, in no particular order, favorite books of the year.

[Becca Freeman]

So I was really surprised when I was doing this because I feel like some of the books are slightly out of character or not that they're out of character. But as our resident romance reader, I had very few, like straight down the line romances in my picks. I like, definitely had more book club fiction, literary fiction. I even had some nonfiction. Like I surprised myself when I went to make this list.

[Olivia Mentor]

It's a good mix, a very good mix. It is a mix, a healthy mix of genres.

[Becca Freeman]

So my first one, which I think is tied for my very top book of the year, if I was putting these in rank order, is the Wedding People by Alison Aspach. I loved this book. It's a little bit of everything. So the premise of the book is that this woman goes to this fancy hotel in Rhode island that she's always wanted to visit with the intention of ending her life. And when she gets there, she realizes that she's the only person at this hotel who's not associated with this ritzy wedding that's happening and she ends up getting sucked into the bride's orbit and becomes her confidant. And this book really defies classification for me because it's a little bit of a friendship story, it's a little bit of a romance, it's a little bit of a marriage story, it's a little bit of a career story, some family drama. Like it's just everything. But it's somehow manages to hit each of those so well. Like I said when I first read this book, the fact that the main character, Phoebe, is not somebody who is one of my friends in real life, like the way I think about her in my head is so fleshed out, is actually really a fascinating testament to the author's talent.

[Olivia Mentor]

This was one of the ones we shared. This is definitely one of my favorites of the year. And even though it's not technically a romance, like you said, there is a romance in it and I loved it. Like I could not get enough of the romance in this book. It's a gem. It's a gem of a novel gem.

[Becca Freeman]

Yes, that's exactly right. We also had one listener who agreed with us. So let's hear from them.

[C]

Hi, Becca and Olivia, Love the podcast. Thank you so much for everything you do. My favorite book of the year was the Wedding People. I read it only a few weeks back and it instantly just rose to the very top of my list. And I have you both to thank for that because I learned about the book from the podcast. So yeah, thank you. Happy holidays.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, so my next one which is tied for my top spot is Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. I loved this book. We did it for book club over the summer. This is about a 19 year old woman who gets pregnant by her literature professor, kind of spitefully decides to have the baby, realizes how hard and expensive it is to have a baby, and ends up starting an only fans with tips from her father about creating a character who is an ex pro wrestler.

[Olivia Mentor]

You know, this was actually on my long list of favorites and I had to cut it down. So I think it's just maybe out of my top 10, but still so wonderful. I can't wait to watch the show. Great book. Just wonderful.

[Becca Freeman]

It was so good. It was so different than anything I'd ever read. And the relationships were so heartwarming. Like I was rooting for every person in this book.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes, me too.

[Becca Freeman]

So those are my top two. Next, I would say One Star Romance by Laura Henkin. And we also did this for book club. This one just hit all the notes for me. So this is a romance, but it also kind of on the same tier is a friendship story. And you know how I feel about any type of friendship romance story. So I was all here for this. It's about this woman who, a story that was inspired by the author's real life has to walk down the aisle as a bridesmaid. Meaning she has to walk down the aisle with a man who gave her book a one star review on Goodreads. And it's an enemies to lovers romance. She's the bride's best friend, he's the groom's best friend. And they kind of keep coming in and out of each other's lives via the life milestones of this other couple that they're friends with. And in addition to the romance, there's such a great story about the female friendship between the two women and kind of how it feels when you're progressing through milestones at a different pace than your friends. And I just, I loved this.

[Olivia Mentor]

I really enjoyed this one too. And I still am impressed to this day with like the depth behind the premise of the story. Like, it surprised me so much and I just was blown away by how Laura put all those pieces together.

[Becca Freeman]

And I'm not saying that this is why it's in my top 10. But there is a scene at an airport Chili's.

[Olivia Mentor]

There is. It helps.

[Becca Freeman]

Doesn't hurt. Yeah, it doesn't hurt. My next one is a thriller. Kind of a thriller. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, which came out in January. I love this. This is my perfect non scary thriller. It's about this like very perfect southern couple who are dating. And the only problem is that the woman, it's a fake identity. She's not who she says she is.

[Olivia Mentor]

I just had to check. I cannot believe this came out this year. Yeah, I feel like it has been out for like two or three years.

[Becca Freeman]

I think the first week of January. Like it was early, early.

[Olivia Mentor]

Wow. Wow.

[Becca Freeman]

But this was perfect for me. Every time I thought I got my hands around it and I knew what was happening, there was a huge twist and it shocked me. It was never scary. Too scary for me, like, but it was really propulsive and page turning. And this is just like my platonic ideal thriller.

[Olivia Mentor]

Love, love.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. My last one in this batch is nonfiction and it's I'll have what she's How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic films saved the Romantic comedy by Aaron Carlson. And I read this as research for my own book where the main character is an actress. And it's not an oral history, but it's like a very deeply researched history of Nora Ephron's career, but then also specifically her three iconic rom coms. So When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and you'd've got Mail. And there's so much behind the scenes detail about how those films got made and kind of their reception at the time. And I was just fascinated by this. I listened to it on audio, which I thought was great. I'd never read or I didn't know much about Nora Ephron before this and it really made me want to dive so much deeper on her. I read part of an anthology of a lot of her essays. I really do want to read Heartburn, which is her only novel that she wrote. I haven't gotten to it yet, but I was fascinated by this.

[Olivia Mentor]

We love a nonfiction top 10 read of the year. Yeah, backlist.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, backlist.

[Olivia Mentor]

It's. It's. I like it.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. If you're a rom com fan or an or Ephron fan, I can't recommend it enough.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, we have a few more favorite books of the year from listeners, so let's hear all about those. Hi, this is Katherine. Lots of great books this year, so I decided to go with one that surprised me. It's called Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rendell. I feel like I haven't seen a lot of places but don't really know how I came across it. But it was great. It's set in the late 90s, early 2000s. It's a you've got male inspired story, very New York as a character, and it was just a really great little surprise. Yeah. And of course, such a bad influence by Olivia Mentor.

[Becca Freeman]

Bye. Hi, Deccan.

[C]

Olivia, this is Jill from South Portland, Maine. Calling was my best book of the year. I'm a longtime listener reader of both the work. My favorite book of the year was Any Trope but yout by Victoria Levine. She's actually a fellow Mainer, which I found out after I read it somehow. This is her debut novel, not sure how. It's amazing. It comes out April 1st. I literally cannot express enough how much I think both you and the listeners of the podcast will love this book. It's about a writer who essentially gets cancelled and flees to Alaska to work on her next novel and reinvent herself. Enter Forrest, who works there. It's clever, witty, funny, and oh so spicy and has a depth with that you just wouldn't expect from a rom com. Please believe me when I tell you that Victoria Levine, the next Emily Henry Carly Fortune, Abby Jimenez, Katherine Senter, and I know that sounds like a big, big thing, but I swear this book is worth it and she is the real deal. Thanks so much. Love you guys so much and love the pod.

[Becca Freeman]

Hi Becca and Olivia, this is Courtney from the Bay Area. I read a number of five star books this year, but I wanted to share one that I don't think got as much attention as it should have. I recommend Family Family by Laurie Frankel. Her protagonists are always women I admire and who I would want to befriend and she writes about family in this compassionate and reasonable but actually very realistic way. This book is about adoption and all the ways in which society talks about it and all the different and valid ways there are to be a family. This book was filled with these charming characters who challenged readers to rethink some of the tired tropes that persist around adoption and she used humor and wisdom and compassion to do so. It was just so good that I raced through it, but I also didn't want it to end. I wanted to hang out with all of those characters for so much more time. Anyway, that is my recommendation for this year. Can't wait to hear what everybody else suggests. Thanks again and happy holidays.

[C]

Hello, my name is Madeline and I'm calling from Minneapolis. My favorite book of 2024 is the most Fun We Ever had by Claire Lombardo. This novel beautifully depicts the complexities of families, particularly of sisters. If you love a character driven novel or or family drama or Chicago, then this is the book for you. I read this book in preparation for her new novel which was released this summer called Same as It Ever Was. I am so excited to read that book because I loved her first book. I love the podcast so much and Happy holidays.

[Becca Freeman]

And now for a quick ad break. This episode is sponsored by Prose. The reason I've used Prose consistently for the past five years now is that they make a product that truly gets my hair. Not anyone else's but mine. Most beauty brands don't understand that my hair is fine and a little bit grease prone and I want it to have body. I want it to look healthy, but I also want to be able to go longer between washes. But Prose does. They have a formula that can address my specific needs because they make it just for me. If you're wondering whether custom hair care is worth the hype, let me tell you that it is. I'm obsessed with Prose.

[Olivia Mentor]

Developed in Paris and bottled fresh in Brooklyn, Prose combines the know how of its world class team of in House cosmetic chemists with an advanced AI algorithm that personalizes your formulas based on 80 plus unique factors. Plus Prose is backed by more than 500,000 five star product reviews and a clinical study that proves personalization works better.

[Becca Freeman]

My hair has gotten so much shinier and just overall so much healthier since I started using Prose and I find that I can go longer between washes without getting oily. Every time someone compliments my hair on Instagram, I just want to say it's not natural, it's the pros.

[Olivia Mentor]

Prose is so confident that you'll bring out your best hair that they're offering an exclusive trial offer of 50% off your first hair care subscription [e-mail] bop so take your free consultation, get your one of a kind formulas and see the difference custom hair care can make with 50% [e-mail] BOP this episode is sponsored by this Is Small Business behind the Buy, which is the official companion podcast to Prime Video's new show called Buy it now, where entrepreneurs compete to win $20,000. If you are someone who is interested in how ordinary people turn their big ideas into a money making business, or if you want to learn from real entrepreneurs and get actionable advice on how they succeeded, this is definitely for you.

[Becca Freeman]

In each episode you hear directly from the winning entrepreneurs revealing the backstories, challenges and the business strategies that turned their dreams into reality. From the intense preparation to the thrill of winning, the podcast explores every angle of what it takes to pitch, win and build a thriving business.

[Olivia Mentor]

It makes an otherwise completely overwhelming process where you do not know where to start seem incredibly doable. And it is all backed up by real life stories from real life entrepreneurs like Felicia, who's featured in the first episode. In her episode you learn how one of her scariest moments as a mom inspired her to create a product that is literally saving lives today.

[Becca Freeman]

Follow this Is Small Business behind the Buy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And big thanks to this is Small Business for sponsoring the show. All right Olivia, we've looped back around to you. Give us the finale of your top 10 books of the Year list.

[Olivia Mentor]

Gosh, it's so much pressure. I do feel like I'm leaving. I'll have to do an Instagram post with like some extra books, but these are the ones that came to mind. Anyway, my next one is Mad Woman by Chelsea Beaker. This came out, I believe, in September. It's a literary thriller about a woman who has this sort of perfect seeming life who's very into wellness in a sort of almost funny way. It's like there's a lot of cultural commentary. She's like very obsessed with grocery stores. Like very nice grocery stores in the book, which is kind of funny but poignant. And essentially this woman has a dark past and a history. It is a lot about violence against women. So trigger warnings, but it's just beautifully rendered. My favorite cover of the year, by the way.

[Becca Freeman]

Ooh.

[Olivia Mentor]

I like, I gasped when I saw this cover reveal. It is so beautiful. I am really also into Chelsea's substack. I think she's incredible and it was just a beautiful book and I really, really enjoyed it.

[Becca Freeman]

What do you have for us next?

[Olivia Mentor]

Next, I have Piglet by Lottie Hizzel. This is another weird one. Kind of like Shark heart. It's literary, but it reads, I would say, a suspense without having any sort of thrillery elements whatsoever in it. It is about a woman who is about to get married and learns a secret about her fiance. And it's a lot about class, about food. She's a food writer, editor in the book, I can't remember which. And there are some descriptions of food, which are the best I have ever read in my entire life. It is just this weird, short, beautiful book about desire, I think, and kind of accepting what has been given to us as women or pushing back for something more, which I will take that theme in any book at any time, please and thank you. And it is great. It is weird and it is great and I loved it.

[Becca Freeman]

This is still kind of on my maybe list of things. You said you weren't sure how I would feel about it. But I am really intrigued by it.

[Olivia Mentor]

I would be really interested to see if you liked it or not. I honestly don't know. It was very different than I expected and much more page turning. So I don't know. Report back if you read it.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, you'll know. I mean, my TBRS multiple are toppling over. But I am curious about this one.

[Olivia Mentor]

I love the COVID Oh, the COVID is great. So good.

[Becca Freeman]

What do you have for us next?

[Olivia Mentor]

My next one is a recent read, Blue Sisters by Coco Melors, which you have said repeatedly was a very Olivia mentor book and you are correct.

[Becca Freeman]

This makes me really proud. Even though I both didn't write it and I think you would have read it with or without my endorsement.

[Olivia Mentor]

No, but it gave me the push that I needed. Like you, my TBR is honestly deeply out of control. So I was really excited to read it. And yeah, it's the type of book where you hear the description, you're like, okay, that's probably been done before in some way. It's a story about four sisters who all deal with addiction in some way. But it's just the characters were so richly drawn. I loved each of them so much. There's a really also, I think, kind of moving romance in it, which I really loved and it was great. And I'm really excited to read her first book, which I now have.

[Becca Freeman]

Well, you're not the only one who loved this, so let's listen to a quick voicemail.

[C]

Hi, Becca and Olivia. This is Brittany from Chicago. And my favorite book of the year was definitely Blue Sisters by Coco Mellows. I actually saved this book to read on vacation and I am so happy I did because the moment I opened it and started reading, I could not put it down. I loved the gorgeous writing, the characters that were real and complicated in the fantastic dialogue, including humor, especially with such dark emotional matters that were also taking place throughout the entire book. I laughed, I cried, and I immediately ordered her other book. Coco Mellers has definitely become a must find author for me. Thanks.

[Olivia Mentor]

So my next pick is something we've already talked about, which is the Wedding People by Alison Sbach. It's just so good. It's like, if there's one book I could say from this year, across the board, crowd pleaser. I can't imagine anyone not liking this book. Really. It's just wonderful. I mean, we've already talked about it, but I just loved it.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. I put together my Gift guide of books to gift in Sunday's newsletter, and this is the one that I said, for somebody whose reading taste, you don't know, like, I feel like anyone could really jive with this book.

[Olivia Mentor]

And you know what's kind of interesting? I don't know if you've looked this up, but I looked up Alison Sbach's previous books and I just kind of glanced at the reviews and stuff, but they seemed a little more divisive. And so it was really fascinating to me how you can write divisive books and then write one that just hits with everyone.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

You know, across the board. Basically like as crowd pleasing of a book as I've ever seen. So it's just I love seeing how authors books evolve and the reception of them, I guess, evolves in that way.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. All right, last pick. No pressure.

[Olivia Mentor]

I know. I debated what to put in this slot because there were a lot of other books from this year that I loved. But ultimately I just Read this one. I can't stop thinking about it ever since. And that is the Rachel incident by Caroline O'Donoghue. Another book you said I would love, but I just had 9,000 other things to read over the course of the last year. Like I said, this is about a woman in her early 20s and her best friend living in Ireland and sort of the weird relationship they both develop with one of her professors and his wife. And it just is kind of hard to describe and a little weird. Very funny and just very, very warm. And I don't know, I was sad when it ended. I was like, I want to live inside that world longer. I really enjoyed this just immensely.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, I love this one. This is the one that I had last year on my list.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, let's listen to a few more voicemails from listeners.

[C]

Hi Becca and Olivia, My name is Julia. I'm calling to share with you one of my favorite books of the year that I literally finished last night at 2am I stayed up because I could not stop reading it. It is the Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren. No surprise, another Christina Lauren romance hit. This one is set on an island in Indonesia and it not only has the romance and the theme and the spice that we love from Christina Lauren, but it also had a lot of commentary on money and privilege and, you know, family when it needs to be loved. And it was just, oh, the characters were amazing. It was so good. It was like if the family from Succession was in a romance with a normal person who didn't have a lot of money growing up. But oh, so good. Loved it. Love you guys. Bye.

[Becca Freeman]

Hi Becca and Olivia. This is Kirsten from Canada. I'm leaving you a voice memo to tell you what my top book pick was for 2024. I absolutely loved the Paris novel by Ruth Reichel and it just had everything that I love in a book. It had a mystery, it had self.

[Olivia Mentor]

Discovery, it had fashion, it had food, it had Paris. To me, it was perfect.

[C]

Hi guys, this is Kristen from Illinois. I'm calling with my favorite book of 2024. Hands down, The Housemaid by Freda McFadden was the best book I've read this year. Thanks. Happy holiday.

[Becca Freeman]

Hi, this is Rebecca from New York City. My pick for best book of 2024, even though I believe it came out in 2018, is say Nothing by Patrick Gradden Keefe. It's a gripping nonfiction book about the troubles in Northern Ireland. It reads like a page turning thriller. Couldn't put it down. It's beautifully written and Utterly fascinating. Highly recommend if you love history that feels alive. Very much looking forward to watching the new series based on the book on Hulu. Unusual pick for me. I'm not a huge nonfiction reader, but I really love this one.

[C]

Hi, Olivia and Becca. My name is Dotsy. I'm from the south, but I live in New York and I love the podcast. My favorite book series of the year. I've been so hooked by it. I'm the last book right now is the Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I'm a bit of a scaredy cat like Becca, so I don't read a lot of thrillers, but I did read such a bad influence for you, Olivia. And this is a thriller series that follows a group of teenagers that work for the FBI solving cold cases. And it is so fascinating and just really hooked me. I just couldn't put it down. And I've really enjoyed it. I'm excited to see where the last book goes. Happy holidays and thanks so much for the pod. Bye.

[Olivia Mentor]

All right, Becca, take us home. Or at least home for your picks. Tell us your next five favorites.

[Becca Freeman]

So my next favorite is Such a Bad Influence by our very own Olivia mentor.

[Olivia Mentor]

That is so nice.

[Becca Freeman]

I mean, I loved the book in a vacuum in and of itself. I thought it tackled a topic in the influencer world. Cause I do read a lot of influencer thrillers. I find like it's a niche of thrillers that I really enjoy, but it tackled an aspect that I'd never seen dealt with on the page and frankly that I hadn't thought about that much. And it was so interesting. And especially the relationships between the two main characters, Evie and Hazel and their mother I thought, I just thought was so interesting. But it's also the first time that I've been in this place where I've gotten to read a book by somebody I know so deeply and that I really got to see the behind the scenes of what went into it. And I feel like that made it so much more special. But I'm also not the only one who loved it. I just saw that Spotify recognized it as one of the best audiobooks of the year. Congratulations.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, well, thank you. That's so nice. I appreciate that a lot. And I felt the same way about the Christmas Orphans Club. So I really appreciate that. It's been a nice year putting a book out into the world. It's been a lovely life changing experience. I've enjoyed it. Well, enough about me, please let's hear your next favorite.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, so my next one is Another nonfiction one. So it's Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. And this is a book that, when Leslie Stevens came on for the episode we did about social media habits, this was one of her recommendations. And I did this on audio as well. How I do most of my nonfiction, frankly. And I loved this. It's kind of divided between research data and then a personal story about. The author decides to go to Provincetown in Cape Cod for a summer without his phone and try to, like, break his own social media and phone addiction, which he thinks is kind of what's holding him back and, like, what's making his brain feel bad and kind of his experience going through that and then his experience afterwards. And I. I thought it was really fascinating. I loved that it was paired with, like, a personal story as well as, like, all of the research and data. And it kind of goes through just, like, theories of focus in general. It does talk a lot about phone and social media addiction. It lightly touches on adhd, although I would not say that that is, like, a huge piece of it. So don't read it if that's, like, what you're specifically looking for. But I loved this.

[Olivia Mentor]

I've been looking forward to reading this for so long. I have the book, thanks to Leslie. I'm really, really looking forward to it. Should we preview our January book club now, or do you want to?

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, I think we can. So we're gonna read this for January book club. We started what I think is now going to be a tradition. Last year in January, we read a nonfiction book. And last year we read 4000 time management for Mortals. And then this year, we're going to read Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. I do realize he's a polarizing figure. If you would like to call and leave us a voicemail about that to play in the episode, feel free. We can talk about that more then. But I really thought that this was so interesting, especially given how much we've talked on the podcast this year about wanting to change our phone and social media habits. And I think in conversations I've had offline with just friends, I think that this is so pervasive. So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to revisiting this and talking about it with the listeners.

[Olivia Mentor]

I can't wait. I just got a burst of adrenaline thinking about sitting the first week or second week of January in my little chair with my highlighter reading this.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, I can't wait for you to read this.

[Olivia Mentor]

I'm like, oh, my God, I'm wired just thinking about it.

[Becca Freeman]

I can't wait.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, what's your next pick?

[Becca Freeman]

My next pick was All Fours by Miranda July.

[Olivia Mentor]

I was wondering if this was gonna make your list or not. I wasn't sure.

[Becca Freeman]

I wasn't sure either. But I do think that this was so unique and so surprising, and I think that's kind of my word of the year. Unique. Like, I really liked books that felt different and that surprised me. And I feel like that's what I was looking for was novelty as opposed to. I think I felt a little exhausted by, you know, my usual go to of romances. And I still read and enjoyed a lot of them, but, like, I was really drawn to books that surprised me and this one did that. So this is about a woman in her 40s who is married and has a child, and she goes on a road trip from LA to New York. And she ends up stopping about an hour into her road trip to get lunch and to get gas, and she ends up checking into a motel and staying there for the duration of her trip and having an emotional affair with this younger man. And yeah, it's so zany, but at the same time has so much to say about life that I found really resonant. And it also really deals with perimenopause directly in a way that I've never seen portrayed on the page. You know, I feel like usually we see, like, an older woman having hot flashes, but I felt like this dealt with it in a way that I found really educational, frankly.

[Olivia Mentor]

Did you see that Miranda July is on Substack? I did now.

[Becca Freeman]

I did, yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

Did you read the post and then watch the video at the end?

[Becca Freeman]

No. So I saw her first post when she said it was starting it, but I think she had one yesterday that I haven't seen yet.

[Olivia Mentor]

So the post I just looked at right before this, at the very end, there's a video of her dancing. I think it's her. I'm assuming it's her in her underwear a la all fours.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

And it was this strange moment of, like, this is you. Is this you like seeing a thing I imagined in the book, like.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

Anyway, you should watch it and report back because it is interesting.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, my next one we don't have to spend time on because it's the Husbands by Holly Grimazio, also in the Venn diagram. Loved. And then my last one is my most recent read, which is the Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V. E Schwab, which is about a woman in the 1700s in France who makes a bargain with a God or the devil to live forever, but she will be forgotten the minute she leaves anyone else's sight. And so the book is split into two timelines. So the first one is in present day New York City. I think it's like maybe 2017 or something. Not like completely present day, but modern New York City. And then the other timeline goes from her living in France in the 1700s through how she got to New York. It's kind of a magical love story. It was so different. It was so transportive, it was so wise in a way. I loved this.

[Olivia Mentor]

I saw a lot of people saying in Geneva or on the Facebook group that they also felt the same way about this book. So if you haven't read it out there, definitely worth checking out.

[Becca Freeman]

Yes. Let's get to the last batch of listener voicemails.

[C]

Hi Becca and Olivia, I am so excited to share my best book of 2024. It was I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynis McNichol. This is a memoir type book and honestly I loved every single bit of it. It was seven hours to listen to on Audible and I just found it so refreshing and wonderful to hear about a woman in her 40s really taking on life post pandemic and enjoying herself. So yeah, that was my best book of the year. Have a great day. Hi Becca and Olivia. This is Rebecca from New Jersey. The best book that I read this year was the Sicilian Inheritance by Joe Piazza. Was such a great story, had so many different elements and was different than anything I've read before and I was not expecting the twist at the end. Highly recommend to everyone. Thanks.

[Becca Freeman]

This is Michelle from Florida. One of my favorite books this year was Ready or Not by Cara Bestone. This book is about Eve, a slightly chaotic New York City resident who finds herself pregnant after a one night stand.

[C]

From the minute she finds out, it's.

[Becca Freeman]

Shep she turns to for support. He's her best friend's older brother and he is a total gem. He's sweet and caring and a little nerdy and so protective.

[Olivia Mentor]

This may be a love story, but.

[C]

More than anything this is Eve's story.

[Becca Freeman]

It's her journey to understanding what she wants in life and how to get it. It's all the ways this surprise pregnancy changes her view of herself and those around her. This book has found family and friends to lovers and lots of pining. I cried my way through the ending.

[C]

Of this book in a good way.

[Becca Freeman]

And I really want more of these beautiful, wonderful characters.

[C]

Hi Olivia and Becca, my name is Haley and I love your podcast and.

[Becca Freeman]

I'm really excited to tell you about my favorite book of 2024 because I.

[C]

Think it's been super under hyped. It's called How We Named the Stars by Andres and Orderica.

[Becca Freeman]

So the story is about two boys who are assigned as roommates at a.

[C]

College in upstate New York and they fall in love. It's told in second person narration from.

[Becca Freeman]

One of the characters, Daniel, to the.

[C]

Other, Sam, who we learn pretty early on in the book, like within the first page that something has happened to Daniel recalls how him and Sam fell in love in such a raw and beautiful way.

[Becca Freeman]

And throughout the book he's also navigating, deepening his own understanding of his family's history as he goes on a summer trip to his Mexican homeland.

[C]

There's a lot going on, but it.

[Becca Freeman]

Never feels like too much. You might be wondering how these storylines kind of come together, but trust me, it all makes sense. I don't want to spoil anything, but it comes together super powerfully.

[C]

The author is a poet and you.

[Becca Freeman]

Can tell the writing is stunning, emotional.

[C]

And tender, so hopefully that inspired someone.

[Becca Freeman]

To pick it up.

[C]

If you love a campus novel, this.

[Becca Freeman]

One is partially sat on a college campus, so it might be a really good fall read. But really any time of year I would absolutely recommend.

[C]

Thanks. And again, I love your show.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, let's get into some n matter now.

[Becca Freeman]

Yes.

[Olivia Mentor]

What are you obsessed with?

[Becca Freeman]

I have one of the more random obsessions that I've ever had, which is this kind of knockoff Bottega Veneta tissue box cover from Amazon that is $8. So I've become a person who blows their nose a lot more this year. I like had a sinus infection in January and it went away, but it left me with this. I don't know, I blow my nose a lot more now. I should probably see an ent, but I have tissue boxes all over my house. And before Friendsgiving I was like, oh, it's so hideous I need to hide it. And so I bought this tissue box cover on Amazon and it's so chic.

[Olivia Mentor]

It's very cute. I enjoy it. I hate looking at like a naked tissue box.

[Becca Freeman]

Well, it's just for $8. You can cover yours in one of like 15 colors.

[Olivia Mentor]

I might do that. I have one cover from Target, which is fine, it's nice, but. And I weirdly have gotten compliments on it. It's just like wood, but I think I need to switch it up. Seasonal decor for the tissues what about you?

[Becca Freeman]

What are you obsessed with?

[Olivia Mentor]

I'm obsessed with the second season of Shrinking.

[Becca Freeman]

All of Shrinking.

[Olivia Mentor]

Apple tv. All of Shrinking. I just.

[Becca Freeman]

What a good show, Shannon.

[Olivia Mentor]

Man, it was enough of a break that I forgot how good it is. And I actually think in some ways this season is better because it's so hard to follow up a season as good as season one. And I think it's doing it wonderfully. It's just, it's so warm and like insightful without being cheesy. And that is so hard to do. And it's like it blows me away every single time. I cried a lot more this season, I think, but it's really good.

[Becca Freeman]

It's so good. Reading wise, I have not been reading as I am in this all out sprint to finish my book. Have you read anything in the three days since we recorded?

[Olivia Mentor]

I have, but I haven't finished anything. So we'll just, we'll see when we come back. It's just gonna be. We're gonna have a lot, hopefully.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh my gosh, we're gonna have so many. Well, thank you to all the listeners who submitted voicemails. It truly made my year to have this much engagement with hearing all of your books of the year. And I also added so much to my own tbr. If you didn't get to submit a voicemail but would like to weigh in on your book of the year or react to any of ours, join us in the Geneva group search Baton paper. You can also join the Facebook group again, search batonpaper we're on Instagram adonpaper podcast. I am on Instagram Eckam Freeman.

[Olivia Mentor]

I'm on Instagram oliviamenter. And also just a special shout out to everyone who's been sharing their Spotify wrapped top podcasts.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh yes.

[Olivia Mentor]

And sharing us in them, including Kimmy Gibbler, Andrea Barber from Full House.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh my gosh, what a fun surprise.

[Olivia Mentor]

We haven't talked about that yet, but delightful. But we appreciate each and every one of you, even if you were not on a famous 90s sitcom. But if you were, thanks.

[Becca Freeman]

And this is our last episode of the year. So we will see you in 2025. We'll be back on January 8th.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes. Thanks for a great year. Excited to be back.

[Becca Freeman]

Happy holidays. Happy New Year.

[Olivia Mentor]

Bye. Sa.