‘The Conversation’ invited 30 writers from diverse fields to share their top books of 2024, celebrating the reads that left a lasting impression. While “best of” lists are always subjective, they offer a glimpse into the stories that resonated most.

The Books & Ideas team joined the fun, sharing their own picks.

• Suzy Freeman-Greene chose Hazzard and Harrower: The Letters (NewSouth), a vivid four-decade correspondence between two brilliant writers, as gripping as a fine novel. (Honourable mention: Samantha Harvey’s Orbital).
• James Ley picked Vladimir Sorokin’s Blue Lard (NY Review Books), a wild mix of science fiction, alternative history, and irreverent satire of Russian literature. (Honourable mention: Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake).
• Jo Case, The Conversation’s Deputy Books and Ideas Editor, loved Sarah Manguso’s Liars (Picador), an electric and poetic fragmented divorce novel blending precision with raw emotion. (Honourable mention: Fiona McFarlane’s inventive Highway 13).

Clinton discusses the highlights with Jo Case, diving into these standout selections.

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