{"id":14889,"date":"2025-01-09T16:54:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T16:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=14889"},"modified":"2025-01-09T16:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T16:57:09","slug":"the-best-of-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/09\/the-best-of-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best of 2024!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Terri Schlichenmeyer<\/em>
\nThe Truth Contributor<\/em><\/p>\n

Once the holidays are over, you may look around you at a floor full of spent wrapping paper and sad ribbons and wonder, \u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n

A whole new year, that\u2019s what, and a dozen great books worthy of reaching back to find. Here they are, in no certain order, the Bookworm\u2019s Best of 2024\u2026<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0FICTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>If you\u2019re a fan of best-selling novels, you won\u2019t be surprised to see Extinction<\/em> by Douglas Preston<\/strong> ($29.99, Forge) on this list. It\u2019s the tale of a high-level vacation spot run by a big-money corporation and scientists determined to bring back certain kinds of long-extinct animals. Problem is, someone \u2013 or something <\/em>\u2013 is hunting the lodge\u2019s guests…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nFor the mystery lover who likes a bit of mysticism and some true-life in their novels, Spirit Crossing<\/strong><\/em> by William Kent Krueger <\/strong>($28.99, Atria) is a great pick. When the body of a Native American teen girl is discovered, Cork O\u2019Connor\u2019s son-in-law hopes the body solves a missing-persons case. Or cases<\/em>, plural. This book is part of a series but it can be read alone; just know that you\u2019ll want them all, once you\u2019ve finished this.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nTerror, tech, and trouble. What could go wrong, right? In William<\/em> by Mason Coile <\/strong>($27.00, Putnam), a geeky scientist builds a robot who goes out of control and takes over. The scientist\u2019s pregnant wife seems distant and cold, especially when she\u2019s near his laboratory. Could the robot be at fault? Mix horror, robotics, and a twisty ending and you\u2019ll be happy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nInheritances always come with certain feelings, don\u2019t they? In Fallen Fruit<\/em> by Shawntelle Madison <\/strong>($28.00, Amistad), one woman receives property that the locals tell her is a place of no good. Along with it, she inherits a no-good trait that befalls the offspring of one of her ancestors, an inheritance that she can prepare for, but that she cannot escape. And that makes a very good<\/em> tale.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nBased on a true-ish story, The Bullet Swallower<\/em> by Elizabeth Gonzalez James<\/strong> ($26.99, Simon & Schuster) is a tale of a book, a heritage, and a curse. It\u2019s a western, so you can expect horses, gunslingers, bad guys, dusty trails, and to sit in one spot for an entire afternoon until you\u2019ve finished it.<\/p>\n

NONFICTION
\n<\/strong>\"\"<\/strong>
\nOver the holidays, you learned a thing or two about your relatives and their politics. Good Reasonable People<\/em> by Keith Payne <\/strong>($29, Viking) is a book to reach for now. Here, Payne makes sense of the divide that plagues America, in a way that helps you understand both sides. Read it soon, before Family Barbecue season hits.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nPets in the City<\/em><\/strong> by Dr. Amy Attas <\/strong>($25, Putnam) is a memoir, but one that animal lovers will devour. Attas is a veterinarian in New York City, tending to the beloved pets of the Rich and Famous, but she also writes about the other half: dogs, cats, and critters that she knew, loved, were owned by everyday New Yorkers, and that Attas cared for. If you have a pet, this is your book.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nNow that the holidays are over, if you need a way to pay for all those gifts, you\u2019ll be happy to read Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans<\/em> by Jane Marie<\/strong> ($29, Atria). It\u2019s a deep, thorough, but personal look at mid-level marketing (MLM) schemes, the people who fall for them, the chances of success (slim!), and how to avoid getting involved in them in the first place. The price of this book may save you thousands…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nWhen Women Ran Fifth Avenue<\/em><\/strong> by Julie Satow<\/strong> ($32.50, Doubleday) is one of those books that\u2019ll satisfy a range of readers: history lovers will enjoy the narrative about the department stores of years past. Business-minded readers will like the stories of retail gone by. Women\u2019s history fans will like the individual tales of women executives in the last century. All in all, this book\u2019s a winner.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nIf you\u2019re a collector, you know how much you like talking about your accumulations and meeting like-minded people. In The Witch\u2019s Door<\/em> by Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina M. Rossi (<\/strong>$30, Chronicle Prism), you\u2019ll read about one couple\u2019s odd collections: skulls, shrunken heads, stuff that might creep you out just a little bit. But wait: this book is also part memoir, part romance, and fun. Anyone with a curious mind, a collection of oddities, or membership to a museum will love this.<\/p>\n


\nKIDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nReaders ages eight to 12 will enjoy Telephone of the Tree<\/em> by Alison McGhee <\/strong>($17.99, Rocky Pond \/ Penguin), a story of loss and hope that affects an entire neighborhood \u2013 but especially one young girl who misses her best friend. This is a beautiful book, somewhat of a tear-jerker, but for the right reader, it glows.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>
\nFor the teen who wants something absorbing, a little flippant, and funny, How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi <\/em>by Dr. Chris Balakrishnan & Matt Wasowski, illustrations by Kristen Orr<\/strong> ($30.00, St. Martin\u2019s Press) is a great way to spend that bookstore gift certificate. It\u2019s a little bit trivia, a whole lot of fun science, and a good dose of smart-aleck. Perfect.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for these books or something like them, or if you\u2019re starting your own Best Of list, check with your librarian or bookseller for help. They\u2019ll help you decide what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Terri Schlichenmeyer The Truth Contributor Once the holidays are over, you may look around you at a floor full of spent wrapping paper and sad ribbons and wonder, \u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d A whole new year, that\u2019s what, and a dozen great books worthy of reaching back to find. Here they are, in no certain order, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[20],"class_list":["post-14889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book_review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14889"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14904,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889\/revisions\/14904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14889"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=14889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}