Our favorite books we read in 2024

I did a lot of studying in 2024, and was fairly fortunate to have (principally) loved all of the books and comics I picked up. That might have made it troublesome to decide on favorites when it got here time to mirror on the yr, however there was no query in my thoughts about which e book I beloved most, as a result of one specifically absolutely knocked me on my ass, ripped my coronary heart out, made me chortle, made me cry, and so forth., and so forth., and so forth.: Stephen Graham Jones’ I Was A Teenage Slasher.

Now, I Was A Teenage Slasher wouldn’t look like the type story that’d depart you weeping about love and the facility of friendship if you happen to’re, you realize, judging a e book by its cowl. The slasher style isn’t precisely recognized for emotional depth, so if you happen to went into this considering you had been simply in for a traditional revenge-killing spree with some teenage antics combined in, I wouldn’t blame you. And also you wouldn’t be totally flawed — this e book certainly has these issues. However the supernatural slasher factor, whereas being a significant a part of the plot, feels secondary to the rollercoaster coming of age story that’s actually at its coronary heart.

Tolly Driver doesn’t wish to be a slasher, however he’s. It’s in his blood, due to a string of freak incidents that aligned in simply the suitable option to seal his destiny. Amber, his greatest good friend and actually a ride-or-die, has a number of data on the topic and primarily turns into his journey information on this bewildering journey. I Was A Teenage Slasher offers with a variety of troublesome topics, just like the grief of shedding a mother or father younger, one thing I immediately associated to, the stress of attempting to do proper by the folks you’re keen on, and the terrifying actuality of rising up and rising into your self. However it’s additionally fairly often humorous, which helped offset all of the gore and tragedy.   

That is the second yr in a row a Stephen Graham Jones e book has landed on the high of my checklist, which isn’t stunning as a result of I’m a giant fan, however I Was A Teenage Slasher is absolutely on one other stage. It isn’t simply certainly one of my favourite books of the yr, it’s in all probability certainly one of my favourite books ever. I needed to start out it over the second I completed studying it, however I couldn’t as a result of I used to be crying too arduous. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor