A book bracket is a sort of tournament of books, where the winning book for each month is pitted against another winning book, until only one is left standing.
Overall Winner
The Reformatory, Tananarive Due
I read The Reformatory, Tananarive Due way back in February, and it emerged the overall winner. It’s set during slavery times, and the descriptions are graphic! It’s a horrific time, and the author’s skill with words makes for vivid imagery. But the story is also compelling, blending together injustice, death, hauntings, grief and so much more. This is a tough read, but so, so worth it. Empathy starts with seeing … and this book lays it bare.
Below is a look at how The Reformatory emerged as the overall winner of my book bracket, by looking at the winners for each month, and the books pitted against each other.
January – Winner: The Running Grave (Cormoran Strike #7), Robert Galbraith. This is now my favorite book in the Cormoran Strike series. Runner-Up: Silence for the Dead, Simone St. James
February – Winner: The Reformatory, Tananarive Due. I’ve loved every book I’ve read written by this author. Runner-Up: Razorblade Tears, S. A. Crosby.
March – Winner: This was an easy choice – All the Sinners Bleed, S.A. Crosby. Who knew I would like crime fiction!
April – Winner: Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher. Runner-Up: The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo. Another difficult decision because I loved both books.
May – The Very Secret Society of Magical Witches, Sangu Mandanna. Runner-Up: Tress of the Emerald Sea, Brandon Sanderson. I need more cozy fantasy books like these in my life.
June – Winner: Bride, Ali Hazelwood. Runner Up: Murder Road, Simone St. James. An impossible choice!
July – The Dead Cat Tail Assasins, P. Djèlí Clark. This is an auto-buy author. I received an advanced reader copy and then bought the print copy.
August – A Sorceress Comes to Call, T. Kingfisher. Such an aswesome, unexpected favorite. Runner Up: Yellowface, R. F. Kuang – I didn’t expect to love this one as much as I did.
September – Run, Blake Crouch. A fast paced thriller. Runner Up: Starling House, Alix E. Harrow.
October – The Eyes are the Best Part, Monica Kim. An unforgetable horror novel.
November – Two Can Keep a Secret, Karen McManus.
December – Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan. A last minute decision to read this one, and it became my favorite book for the month.
It was a good year discovering new authors and reading new books from favorite authors. There were a few reading slumps along the way – but life’s gonna life! I’m very much looking forward to more bookishness in 2025.
I love the Book Bracket. It’s a great way to summarize the top books of the year.