I read 38 books last year, covering nearly 5,000 pages — a personal record since I started my full-time job! Among so many great reads, these five stood out as my absolute favorites of 2024. By coincidence (or maybe not?), they’re all releases from this year.
My overall favorite is Trotzdem Sprechen, but the rest of the list is unranked.
✨ Lena Gorelik, Miryam Schellbach, Mirjam Zadoff (eds.) – Trotzdem Sprechen
This essay collection on Oktober 7, the Israel-Gaza war, and the discursive climate in Germany gave me hope. Published by Ullstein, 2024.
✨ Max Czollek – Gute Enden
“A poetry collection for after the happy ends, a poetry collection for our present.” Verlagshaus Berlin, 2024.
✨ Joan Nestle – Begehren und Widerstand
Timeless essays that show how vital intersectional activism is—and how powerful lesbian and queer desire can be. Etece Buch, 2024.
✨ Martina Heller – Hey, guten Morgen, wie geht es dir?
This slice-of-life novel stands out for its abrupt ending, concise yet sensitive prose, and exploration of precarity, privilege, and unspeakable truths. Klett-Cotta, 2024.
✨ Kaveh Akbar – Martyr!
A gripping novel about addiction, depression, family, and martyrdom. It’s brilliant, but be mindful of the many content warnings. Picador, 2024.
Thoughts?