Halfway through the year is a good time to take stock of our reading. The spare elegies of winter have left their mark; the elegant literary novels of spring have come and gone; the big juicy beach reads of summer are just beginning. Let’s pause here and take a look at what good things the year has already brought to us before we look ahead to the riches of the fall. Here are the 10 best books from the first half of 2024.

The best books of the year (so far)

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TheBoutiqueAdventurer

For most of us, visiting the zoo as a child brings up happy memories of adventures, melting ice cream, and childhood friends. Luckily, zoos aren’t just for kids; as a grown-up, you can go whenever you want — no need to wait for a school trip.

10 Best Zoos in the United States

Parade

From Don Winslow to Tana French (and Princess Di!), we’ve got them all.

The 29 Best Mystery, Thriller and True Crime Books of 2024…so Far

The Conversation UK

Looking for a great read to take on holiday with you? We had our experts review some of the hottest books of 2024. From love stories to tales of murders and food, there’s something for every fiction lover. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. How do we make meaning out of...

Five of this summer’s best fiction reads

Each month in our FYI Digital Magazine, I write a column focusing on local authors and recent releases. Here is a look at some books with a local flavour coming your way. Leonard Cohen: The Man Who Saw the Angels Fall, by author Christophe Lebold from ECW Press, follows the singer’s cosmopolitan life from Montreal and New York to the Greek island of Hydra and examines his perpetual dialogues with himself, God, and avalanches. We see how six decades of radiant pessimism and a few thousand nights in hotel rooms transformed a young Jewish poet who longed to be a saint into an existentialist troubadour in love with women and a gravelly voiced crooner who taught a thousand ways of dissolving into love. After more than two decades of research and travels, Lebold, who befriended the poet and spent time with him in Los Angeles, is said to be delivering a stimulating analysis of Cohen’s life and art. Gracefully blending biography and essay, he interrogates the mission Cohen set out for himself: to show us that darkness is just the flip side of light. It will be out on Sept. 3.

Summertime reading: New books set to hit the shelves

This week’s bestsellers include a couple new titles. First is The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness, which is the fifth book in the All Souls series that started with A Discovery of Witches. The other is not a surprise: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance hit the bestseller list after being nominated as Vice President, running alongside Donald Trump. Here at Book Riot, we’ve been writing about the flaws of Hillbilly Elegy for years, especially as a representation of Appalachia. First there was Josh Corman’s Lies, Damn Lies, and Hillbilly Elegy in 2016, then Kendra Winchester’s 15 Books About Appalachia to Read Instead of Hillbilly Elegy in 2020, and even more in years since. Of course, we can’t stop you from reading it, but we can suggest that if you do, you pick up some of these other examples of Appalachian literature to get a more accurate view of the region and the writers who represent it. Now, onto the bestsellers.

The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists

Herbie J Pilato

Kate Jackson began her acting career as a silent ghost on TV's classic 1960s gothic daytime drama Dark Shadows but remains alive and well years after two horrific battles with breast cancer. Jackson went on to small screen prime-time stardom on police/detective/crime drama/comedies like The Rookies, Charlie's Angels, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and more. This is her triumphant story.

'Charlie's Angels' Star Kate Jackson Has Courageously Battled and Conquered Cancer Several Times

Interesting Engineering

Archaeologists uncovered a rare hoard of Persian gold coins in the ancient city of Notion in Turkey that most likely belonged to a wealthy mercenary soldier.

Pot filled with gold coins buried by soldier 2400-year-ago discovered

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

New York City, NY

The Forward

(JTA) — On Friday, for the third time since September, Timothy Reif found himself standing in the New York District Attorney’s Office to accept a modernist drawing that the Nazis looted from his family. With him in the room was a relative of another family that survived the Nazis and that — in an unusual...

Another Nazi-looted Schiele painting has been returned to heirs of ‘Cabaret’ inspiration Fritz Grünbaum

We talk about a lot of books on Book Riot every month…a lot. Between our dozens of newsletters, our podcasts, and our on-site content, we’re recommending hundreds of books every month in all genres, age categories, and formats. Hopefully, these recommendations connect you with your next favorite book. But how do we know which of these recs were successful? We don’t have comprehensive data on which recommendations made you read a book — that would be creepy. What we do have, though, is data on which books we linked last month that you clicked on. It’s not a perfect metric for popularity, since we don’t know why you clicked on them, but it’s the closest thing we have. So, here are the top ten most clicked on books on Book Riot last month.

The 10 Most Popular Books on Book Riot in July 2024

TIME

'Jewels of the Sun' Is on TIME’s List of the 50 Best Romance Novels

Irvine, CA

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NewSantaAna

A check from an Irvine business was intercepted from the mail around May 3, according to the Irvine Police Department . This man is suspected of depositing the stolen check into an ATM account. The investigation is ongoing, but it would be helpful to the investigation to identify this suspect.

Man wanted for stealing a $20K check in Irvine and depositing it at an ATM

Savannah, GA

Daily Coffee Press

Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges.

Federal Charges in Southern GA: Indictments and Sentences for Firearms and Drug Offenses

San Diego, CA

New York Post

One of the oldest male gorillas who was living at a US zoo has died at the age of 52. 

The gorilla named Winston lived roughly 20 years beyond his life expectancy at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California. 

The park recently announced his passing on July 13 after noting that the gorilla was receiving “significant medical treatments for several age-related conditions.”

Scientists eager to see how animals react to eclipse

Some of the conditions Winston was struggling with included heart disease, degenerative joint disease and kidney disease. 

The gorilla was ultimately euthanized after what the park said was “careful consideration stemming from furthering complications...

One of the world’s oldest gorillas dies at California zoo 20 years past life expectancy

Real Simple

Some of these books were foundational in inspiring other writers to share their stories.

10 Banned Books Everyone Should Read, According to These Published Authors

The following is an exclusive excerpt from Moral Injuries, by Christie Watson, in which four college friends turned medical professionals must confront a dark secret from their shared past that threatens to destroy their personal and professional lives. Christie Watson is a Professor of Medical Humanities at University East Anglia and worked as a nurse with the National Health Service for over twenty years, and is the author of five books.

Moral Injuries

LiveScience

The coins were found beneath a home and were likely hidden by mercenaries.

Pot overflowing with gold coins discovered in ancient Greek city in Turkey

Have you ever found yourself in a reading slump? I certainly have. There’s just something so frustrating to be in that head space where nothing I read seems to work for me. To help myself out whenever this happens, I keep a stash of books I think I’m all but guaranteed to like. In today’s newsletter, we’re talking about two books that helped pull me out of a slump and return me to my usual reading groove. But first, let’s jump into bookish goods!

Nonfiction Books to Pick You Up After a Reading Slump

Los Angeles, CA

Dennis the Menace actor Jay North is now 73 years old. This is his story. On August 3, 1951, Jay North was born Jay Waverly North, Jr., in Los Angeles, and seven years later, began acting on TV on shows like Wanted: Dead or Alive, and 77 Sunset Strip.

Former Childstar Jay North (TV's 'Dennis the Menace') Turns 73

NewsBreak

Crime Fiction in Sweden's Fastest Growing City: Malmö

Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city and the sixth largest Nordic conurbation, but also Sweden’s fastest growing city right now, partly due to immigration and its...

Crime Fiction in Sweden's Fastest Growing City: Malmö

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