Like so many, we’ve been reeling as we watch the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. This post has several vetted organizations doing great work in the area if you’re looking for a way to help. We’d also like to highlight this GoFundMe for Tamar Mekredijian and her family who lost their home in the fires. This GoFundMe was started by Kailey over at Write or Die, an incredible lit mag and community for writers. Tamar is Kailey’s writing partner and a Write or Die team member. She’s also a talented writer and a warm, kind human. There are thousands of people experiencing tragic loss, but if you have been looking for a way to help a family directly, we hope you’ll consider the Mekredijians.
Now, onto our list…
What if 2024 was…
A CURATED BOOKLIST
LINDSEY: This is hard for me, a person who CANNOT ABIDE finishing any book I do not truly love. Which means I only end up reading things I love with a fiery passion. But. But! If I had to pick favorites of my favorites this year it would go like this:
WOMEN TALKING by Miriam Toews. A stunning work of empathy that I read in an almost-trance. This is a book for right now. These times we’re in. The women have voices, and oh boy do they talk. I have chills just thinking about this feat of a book.
STATE OF PARADISE by Laura van den Berg. Halfway through, I proclaimed to my husband that Laura van den Berg writes books for me. ME. (Maybe you, too?) This book is weird and wonderful in a way that feels subversive. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read and if I were to try to summarize it, I would sound crazy. Perfect? I think yes.
NIGHTBITCH by Rachel Yoder. I have never read something wilder or more true about motherhood. Because those early years, the ones everyone says you’ll miss when they’re gone, are so gnarly. So. Gnarly. But also strangely boring and magical and feral all at once? And this book gets it. Rachel Yoder GETS IT. Her writing is wise and hilarious and cutting and bold.
THE GUEST by Emma Cline. I could not put this book down. That’s what I remember most about this reading experience. I stole so much time to read–just one more page, one more chapter. It was the kind of book you want to be reading with a friend so you can text them and go WTF WHAT IS SHE DOING NO. Delicious.
KRISTIN: I had a few reading slumps in 2024, but I did pick up some truly incredible books at various points in the year. These are the ones that got me out of the slumps:
HAPPINESS FALLS by Angie Kim. I read it last January so it’s not super fresh in my mind, but I can still remember specific scenes and how it evoked such strong emotions in me. Angie Kim is such a gifted writer. Her other novel, MIRACLE CREEK, blew my mind when I read it years ago. I think I loved HAPPINESS FALLS even more, though!
HOT SPRINGS DRIVE by Lindsay Hunter. DAMN. This book is a masterpiece. The story and characters are so brilliantly written and the pacing is FIRE. Literary thriller fans, take note!
NIGHTWATCHING by Tracy Sierra. This book. THIS BOOK. It’s one of my new favorites to recommend to all my friends, but I always give the warning that it scared the shit out of me AND made me furious. And I loved every second of it! But seriously, I plan to get everyone I know to read it so I can force them all to join me in a giant book club meeting about this book.
GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore. I don’t even know if I have words for how much I loved this book and how many times I forced people in my life to add it to their list. I love how sprawling this novel is. I love the countless POVs, the constantly-shifting timelines, the taut line of suspense throughout this nearly 500-page book. And I really, really loved the ending. READ IT!
MADWOMAN by Chelsea Bieker. Chelsea is such a special human. She’s one of those writers whose books are an instant buy for me. I don’t need to know anything before I hit the button to preorder. I just know I’ll love whatever is on those pages. MADWOMAN was no exception. It tackles domestic violence better than any novel I’ve ever read, and it did so while also being funny?! It has depth, heart, and humor. And the perfect amount of suspense to keep you flipping the page!
SANDWICH by Catherin Newman. I technically finished this on January 3rd, but I started reading it in late December. While on Cape Cod, ironically. This book is so unassuming from the cover and description, but what it did to my heart should be illegal. Here’s another one that’s brimming with humor yet also has no problem making you weep onto the pages. A MUST READ.
LINDSEY: Oh yes! MADWOMAN! Preach!
KRISTIN: We’re a Chelsea Bieker household on this Substack!
A SUBSTACK SUBSCRIPTION
LINDSEY: God, I’m subscribed to so many Substack newsletters it’s almost indecent, but my crowning winner of the year is Alexander Chee’s The Querent. I’m obsessed with the way Chee talks about writing and the world, the ways that the arts and activism intertwine, how life makes books, and when one of his Substack essays lands, I read it immediately like it’s a transmission from the muse. (This was a big Alexander Chee year for me, so get ready to sense a theme…)
KRISTIN: There are SO many good ones, but I never skip
If you’re a writer, these are all definitely worth reading! They’ll give you everything from writing inspiration to craft tips to publishing advice.
A PIECE OF WRITING ADVICE
LINDSEY: HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL by Alexander Chee (see, I told you!) was a transformative read for me, beginning to end, but the essay “The Autobiography of My Novel” held so much mind-blowing writing wisdom I printed it out and have it on my bulletin board so I don’t forget the ways it blew my mind. That essay taught me so much about using fiction to find the archetypal truths in my personal stories. Chee writes this about his experience with his debut novel, Edinburgh: “The story of your life, described, will not describe how you came to think about your life or yourself, nor describe any of what you learned. This is what fiction can do—I think it is even what fiction is for.”
KRISTIN: This is an evergreen craft book/piece of writing advice for me, but Alan Watt’s 90-Day Novel (and 90-Day Rewrite, which I’m just beginning right now!) both talk about holding the story loosely as you write or revise a novel. I love the visual this advice evokes. Instead of gripping onto the story, we can let the writing process be gentle. We can change course while writing, we can try something new, we can follow the surprises that pop up out of nowhere. Story is malleable.
A CREATIVE EXPERIENCE
LINDSEY: Starting this Substack! Getting over the idea that the world did not need another Substack and just making something for the sheer joy of it… I highly recommend! And thank you so much for being here with us, for being part of the magic of this equation. We are so grateful!
KRISTIN: Oh my gosh, yes! Writing this Substack with you has been the absolute best. I also made it a point last year to attend a few in-person book events, and those experiences renewed my creative spark and reminded me that being in community with other writers, even briefly at a book event, is so good for the soul.
A RITUAL
LINDSEY: I started Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way at the very end of 2024, so maybe its cheating to say this ritual is THE RITUAL, but already Morning Pages have changed my life, so whatever.
Morning Pages: three handwritten brain-dump pages in, uh, the morning with no other purpose or proposed artistry beyond that. You just do them, and that’s the beauty. For me, it’s like some internal signal has been restored. I’ve tried The Artist’s Way many times in the past, and for some reason it didn’t take. So, maybe it’s a case of the right practice at just the right time. These things always find you when you need them most.
KRISTIN: Walking! This might be a lame answer, but I’ve become such a big fan of walking over the last few years. I try to start my day on the walking pad with a book and follow it up with ten minutes on our vibration plate. I also try to get in a couple of dog walks, too. When I walk consistently, I feel so good and I swear my writing is better.
A BEAUTIFUL SENTENCE
LINDSEY: I want to get better about collecting these so I can savor them later. But here’s one I distinctly remember because it’s a first line and I loved it so much I put down the book I’d just picked up and went to a completely other room, inconveniencing myself greatly, to get my notebook so I could write it down. Alexander Chee’s EDINBURGH, which is packed full of too many gorgeous sentences to count, begins thusly: “After he dies, missing Peter for me is like swimming in the cold spot of the lake: everyone else laughing in the warm water under some too-close summer sun. This is the answer to the question no one asks me.”
KRISTIN: I want to get better about collecting these, too. Sometimes I’ll dog-ear the page a great line is on, but if I don’t have a pen nearby, I don’t always mark it or write it down. And sometimes I’ll send you a photo of the passage in question so someone else can witness its greatness with me.
For now, I’m going to share the opening line of NIGHTWATCHING because I remember the distinct chill I felt when I read it. “There was someone in the house.” What a way to start a book! This line is such a good example of beginning in the most urgent moment of the story. It might not be the most beautiful sentence I read last year, but it’s one that stayed with me.
A BOOK YOU TRIED TO LOVE
LINDSEY: I really really wanted to like Anna-Marie Tendler’s memoir MEN HAVE CALLED HER CRAZY, because I know so many people loved it and the cover was gorgeous and I’ve followed Anna-Marie for years! But it was not for me and I’m still kind of bummed about that.
KRISTIN: We’re on the same page with this one. I have long loved Anna’s art and was excited to read this memoir, but I had a similar experience and didn’t finish it. I wanted to like it and maybe had expectations that were too specific for me to enjoy what the book actually is. As writers, we understand how difficult writing a book is so we never want to diminish any author’s work or efforts. I’m so glad this book found its audience, but we sadly weren’t it!
A SLICE OF LIFE
LINDSEY: 2024 was a big year for me because I removed the Instagram app from my phone! Hahahahaha. But I’m serious. Instagram and I have always had a tenuous bond. For years I’ve tried to make nice with the app so it would stop ruining my vibe. Until finally, I had a truly original idea: what if I just stop? As a millennial, I can remember the utopia of flip phones, a time before scrolling with the finger and instantly knowing too much information about too many people I don’t actually know. I remember, and I’m nostalgic for it. My robins egg blue palm pilot! Anyway. I deleted the app, what felt like a subversive act wherein I showed Meta what’s what, and I’m so happy!
I’m still technically on Instagram, but without the app it’s so janky and basically useless that I can’t spend more than a few minutes dealing with it. This feels like a very sad life-hack for the person who hates the term “life-hack.” You’re welcome?
KRISTIN: I’m ENDLESSLY impressed with you putting up such solid Instagram boundaries. I want so badly to do this too! But a part of me is like, really? During your debut year? Maybe someday I’ll feel confident leaving Instagram, especially since I have a huge distaste right now for all things Meta thanks to Zuck pushing for the TikTok ban. But yes, in late 2019 I “left” Facebook in a similar way to you leaving IG by deleting the app and using a browser plugin to block the FB newsfeed on my laptop. It’s great. I do have to use it occasionally for communication with my homeschool community, but in the future, I dream of being free lol
But anyway, my favorite non-literary thing of the year was getting a puppy. Our beloved first dog, Mia, passed in October of 2023 and by last summer we were starting to dip our toes into the idea of getting another dog. We found Josie through a local rescue and even though I’d forgotten how difficult the puppy stage is at times (it’s like having a toddler again, but one with big teeth and no language skills), she is such a perfect addition to our family and I’m so grateful we found her.
A PITHY TAKEAWAY
LINDSEY: Attempt over stagnation! An attempt is such a low-stakes concept, and it’s incredible what can happen when you lower your standards.
KRISTIN: Hold the vision! A year ago, my book wasn’t even on sub yet. And now I’m six-ish months out from it debuting in the world. Hold. The. Vision. Even when you think it won’t happen. Even when you’ve tried everything. Even when you don’t see how it could happen, hold the vision.
And because we can’t stop, here’s a bonus look at what’s already making our lists for 2025:
LINDSEY: 2025 means it’s your debut year, Kristin!! See how nonchalantly I slipped that in? Or, is it actually nonchalant if I used two exclamation points and have zero chill? But I’m giddy at the thought of your work in book-shape in the world! THE HOUSEWARMING, out everywhere July 29! Preorder now!
KRISTIN: You’re seriously the best. I’m so excited too! And very chalant about it, tbh! I know my debut novel is publishing this year, but I’m still pinching myself daily.
Other things I’m looking forward to this year: getting to read your WIP! I got a sneak peek and I can’t wait to read more. Also our writing retreat in February (SO EXCITED). And finally, getting to read all the fantastic books out this year. I was selected to be in the 2025 Deb Ball class with six other wonderful women who have debut novels coming out this year. They are lovely people and I’m excited for their books. Check them out here!
Wow! I absolutely loved this topical exchange. I’m going to have to talk to my librarian about some of these read recommendations. Keep up the great writing. I’m looking forward to your 2025 posts. Wishing you both large quantities of success in 25.
This was a flurry of excitement for me! I felt like I was eavesdropping on some incredibly important information. As a reader, not a writer, I was being carried along by both of your enthusiastic gifts being handed out freely and with joy!
Thank you both for being so generous with your thoughts and great ideas for the writing community!
Substack needs your voices!
Even non writers like me can appreciate your ideas and your book recommendations! ❤️❤️