Bee's Best Books of 2024
filling up your TBR in lieu of a Friday Five!
Oh, my sweet swimmers. Life sure is a wild ride. I hope this Friday the 13th—a day devoted to goddess worship and celebrating the creative cycle of life, death, and rebirth—finds you well, safe, whole, sane, and wildly supported by all that surrounds you. Or at least one or two of the above.
Today’s letter comes at you from my hospital bed—the most liminal of spaces—where I am neither very well, nor truly sane. (It’s honestly bonkers I’m even sending this!) But I am wildly supported, and by more than I could ever whittle down into a list of what’s been getting me through this particular week. So in the spirit of the Friday Five, I’m going to instead share my 11 favorite reads of 2024!
A Quick Coven Update:
The times sure are nonsensical and over at Call Your Coven we’re trying to take our own practical advice. We’re taking a break for the rest of December, but we'll be back in the new year with new episodes! Wishing you and yours a safe and lovely rest of 2024.
Bee’s Best Books of 2024 📚
10 of my favorite books released this year, and 1 from last year that somehow I slept on!
1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by — A gorgeous collection of creative inspiration and craft lessons from the founder of the #1000WordsofSummer challenge (and author of
), and fifty other amazing writers.
Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic by Tabitha Stanmore — Tales of faith, seeking, and “service magic” from 1600s Europe, written with flair and depth by a postdoctoral researcher on the Leverhulme-funded Seven County Witch Hunt Project at the University of Exeter.
The Prospects by KT Hoffman — A fun, moving, rivals-to-lovers romance between Gene, the first openly trans baseball player in the minors, and his teammate Luis, who’s recently stepped down from the majors.
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kang — The stakes have never been higher in this sweet and spicy enemies-to-lovers story of two television writers forever entwined by a terrible tragedy.
Tarot for the Hard Work: An Archetypal Journey to Confront Racism and Inspire Collective Healing by — Part theory, part workbook, this hands-on adventure through the tarot from the brilliant mind behind
is a must-have for tarot enthusiasts, activists, and any human being dedicated to unlearning in order to create a better and more equitable future for all.
Rules for Ghosting by — The bighearted, totally romantic story of Ezra, who’s trans, sees ghosts, and is crushing on his cute neighbor, which would be a lot to handle without also getting pulled back into his family-run funeral home after his mom runs away with the rabbi’s wife.
78 Acts of Liberation: Tarot to Transform Our World by Lane Smith — An effortless weaving of historical movements with tarot theory and interpretation, this (com)passionate work is as informative as it is inspiring.
Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood — Rue and Eli cannot be together in this STEM-set forbidden romance that’s just as smutty as it is smart.
Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintera — A fast-paced, action packed investigation into a five-year-old murder, the survivor (or suspect) who’s just trying to move on, and the handsome podcaster threatening to reveal all.
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver — With more content warnings than a snuff film, this sordid story follows two serial killers—who only kill other serial killers—as they compete in an annual killing competition, and try not to fall madly in love along the way.
Weyward by Emilia Hart — The twisting tale of three women who live in wildly different times, and yet are inextricably linked by a wild and magical mystery.
Have you read any of these and loved them? Hated them? Felt just so-so about them? What books did you love this year? What should be on my list for 2025?
ICYMI:
💍: Marriage By the Numbers: Planning Your Wedding Using Numerology
📆: DAILY DIGITS: A 2025 Agenda for Magical Makers
🎧: Call Your Coven: December 2024: Hope Is in Community
Bee!
It is SO wild that you're still sending out these amazing missives, but I guess it's the embodiment of swimming in the soup. Sending you so much love and 🧃
I want to plug the 2025 Daily Digits calendar/agenda tool. I finally opened mine and she's such a beauty. I suppose this happens on 12 year cycles, but it feels cool and helpful to this numerology newbie for the months to actually align with overall month numbers, so January being the first month and also a 1 overall month, and then next year it will be a 2 month, so that's cool. I haven't read them all yet, but I love how you included quotes throughout and magical musings in the weekly spreads. I'm hoping that will help me stay present and be more reflective to the magic happening all around me.
I just got off the library wait list for Shelly's book, and I have Maria's and Lane's - working through both slowly (a good thing!). I'm so glad to hear you loved The Prospects by KT Hoffman - it's been on my list as I am a baseball fanatic. I don't read much m/m, but I feel like this is exactly the place to stretch myself a bit. I'm going to request this one and Cunning Folk from my library. I also missed Wayward, but I feel like I've been hearing a lot about it lately. Sounds really good. Did you read The Night Watch by Sarah Waters? That was the last book I really remember grabbing me that was multiple characters in different eras. For a movie that is top 5 all time for me, Playing By Heart (1998) has an incredible ensemble cast of characters who are all connected but you don't know how until the reveal at the end.
My favorite read this year was quite a heavy one: Thinning Blood: An Indigenous Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity by Leah Myers. The structure of the book is unique in itself and I keep thinking about it. But also, really lovely storytelling and some hard truths. I read it back in May and it's stuck with me for sure. I'm still not finished with Lilly Dancyger's First Love because I really don't want it to end. The essay's I've made it through are beautiful! I'm hoping to finish a couple of the 25+ books I have going before the calendar changes over - but we shall see if that comes to pass.
Finally, another wish for some ease for you. 💖
Sending healing vibes Bee - thank you for your efforts xxxx