I have always been fascinated by religion from an intellectual perspective—the way it can be such a powerful force for both good and evil and is such a constant facet of humanity, regardless of the time or place. I’m also interested in community and the complexity of human relationships, so it’s only natural that I’m particularly excited about books set within religious communities. And, as much as I appreciate a true crime cult expose, I am a lover of great fiction first and foremost, so novels that explore religion with intelligence and artistry are my personal holy grail.
This was my favorite read of 2024. I thought it was utterly wonderful and well-deserving of its Booker shortlisting. It’s full of gorgeous, subtle writing with a great deal of power contained both in and between its lines.
Wood uses prose with great precision, so that not a word is wasted and every sentence has an impact. I’m not usually someone who writes on my books, but Stone Yard Devotional made me want to grab a pencil and underline chunks of text so that I could reread them again and again.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE VICTORIAN PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE AGE BOOK OF THE YEAR
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA AWARD FOR LITERARY FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BARBARA JEFFERIS AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD
BOOK OF THE YEAR, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
BOOK OF THE YEAR, ABC
A woman abandons her city life and marriage to return to the place of her childhood, holing up in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of the Monaro.
I loved this book because it was one of the most powerful books I read in 2024—and because I wasn’t expecting that at all! Haven is different from everything else I’ve read from Emma Donoghue, which is a very long list at this point.
It’s remarkably clever and subtle, lulling you into thinking it’s just an adventure tale at first. But then it develops into a book that offers such a sharp, intelligent insight into religion as a compelling, corrupting, and blinkering force that it almost hurts to keep reading it.
In this beautiful story of adventure and survival from the New York Times bestselling author of Room, three men vow to leave the world behind them as they set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them.
In seventh-century Ireland, a scholar and priest called Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. Taking two monks—young Trian and old Cormac—he rows down the river Shannon in search of an isolated spot on which to found a monastery. Drifting out into the Atlantic, the…
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
This immediately immersed me in another time and place. Apparently, I’m very clear in my bookish likes, because it was recommended to me multiple times due to the combination of nuns and sapphic content. Luckily, it lived up to the recommendations!
It is very well written and extremely atmospheric, and it drew me right into its medieval world. Groff managed to create characters who feel appropriate to their era but who are also accessible to a modern reader, which is not an easy task. This helped me to become emotionally invested in the book.
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS AN OBAMA'S BOOK OF THE YEAR
'Gorgeous, sensual, addictive' SARA COLLINS 'Brightly lit' NAOMI ALDERMAN
Born from a long line of female warriors and crusaders, yet too coarse for courtly life, Marie de France is cast from the royal court and sent to Angleterre to take up her new duty as the prioress of an impoverished abbey.
Lauren Groff's modern masterpiece is about the establishment of a female utopia.
'A propulsive, captivating read' BRIT BENNETT 'Fascinating, beguiling, vivid' MARIAN KEYES 'A dazzlingly clever tale' THE TIMES 'A thrillingly vivid,…
This bookcompletely surprised me, and I love it when a book can do that. It’s sapphic historical fiction with a speculative twist, which would be reason alone for me to like it, but it’s also beautifully written and it kept my attention with an engrossing narrative.
Kent created such well-drawn and multi-faceted characters that it's no surprise that the book had such a lasting emotional impact on me; it’s truly a book that left me thinking about it for a long time.
'A glorious love story' - Sarah Winman, author of Still Life Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award
A stunning story about the impossible lengths we go to for the ones we love, with a breathtaking twist, from the bestselling author of Burial Rites, Hannah Kent.
Hanne and Thea's friendship is a miracle. Before, Hanne always felt apart from the local girls, but with Thea it all came easy. Suddenly she could imagine a future for herself, a happy one, by Thea's side.
But when their tight-knit community embarks on a long and brutal journey to Australia, in search of new…
Twelve-year-old identical twins Ellie and Kat accidentally trigger their physicist mom’s unfinished time machine, launching themselves into a high-stakes adventure in 1970 Chicago. If they learn how to join forces and keep time travel out of the wrong hands, they might be able find a way home. Ellie’s gymnastics and…
This book captured my attention with its gorgeous Australian cover and kept it with its clever representation of religious belief and human nature. I grew to love it as I read it, and by the time the protagonist entered into adulthood, I was completely hooked.
Maguire took a myth and made her human—with all the complexities that entails. It’s a story of religion and reality, concerned with both the body and the soul, and it’s magical and rational at the same time.
This book is set in Melbourne in 1888 and is about Victorian spiritualism, grief, and family—both birth and chosen. When Ellen Whitfield’s closest friend breaks off her engagement to Ellen’s brother in favor of her new spiritualist church, Ellen is determined to expose the church’s tricks and get her friend back in the process.
Once she gets to know the church’s medium leader and her followers, however, Ellen’s initial skepticism begins to waver. She, too, is drawn into the spirit circle, where she is forced to face the ghosts of her own past.
A witchy paranormal cozy mystery told through the eyes of a fiercely clever (and undeniably fabulous) feline familiar.
I’m Juno. Snow-white fur, sharp-witted, and currently stuck working magical animal control in the enchanted town of Crimson Cove. My witch, Zandra Crypt, and I only came here to find her missing…
This is the fourth book in the Joplin/Halloran forensic mystery series, which features Hollis Joplin, a death investigator, and Tom Halloran, an Atlanta attorney.
It's August of 2018, shortly after the Republican National Convention has nominated Donald Trump as its presidential candidate. Racial and political tensions are rising, and so…
