Pop’s Picks: Best 6 Books of 2024
Over nine years ago, when I moved into my current home, I started a website and blog where I posted my published novels and used the blog to review books that interested me. In 2024 I read and reviewed 15 books from psychological thrillers like Scream Collector, love stories like Doc’s Double Delivery, and books on the deaf experience like Butterfly Cage, and a few memoirs. Below you’ll find five of the best books I reviewed this year plus my own recently published novel, The Abduction of Joshua Bloom. It’s that time of year where we give thoughtful presents to loved ones, friends, and acquaintances. Why not a book?
Scream Collector by Rod Little
Publication Date: August 14, 2023
Book Length: 335 pages
My review can be read at: https://shorturl.at/jjha3
Teen boys, Lucas, Rico, Tommy, and Joey live in the 1979 small town Eden Grove, Illinois.
Tommy’s stepdad is a violent drunk. His favorite past times are beer drinking and family beatings. Tommy has the bruises and scars to prove it. His three friends are disgusted with their friend’s father and decide to conjure up Malakai, the Scream Collector, during a campout in the forest outside of town. For the fun of it, they summon a supernatural being who will pluck the drunk from his home, never to be seen again. The boys soon discover people missing taken by a stranger one by one. Little’s novel is a page turner. The book’s settings are vivid, the characters are three dimensional, and the plot keeps you riveted to your seat to the unexpected twists and turns.
Great Again by Bill Day
Publication Date: August 14, 2024
Book Length: 294 pages
The full review: https://michaelthal.com/making-oneself-great-again/
Great Again, a novel by Bill Day, shows us the life of a MAGA bigot and watch him slowly grow as a human being. Watching Jack’s transformation seems like a fantasy, but the author does a magnificent job doing so incrementally. Jack tells us he’s descended from Irish immigrants who faced many of the prejudices Ana and Sofia must deal with. Jack’s precarious financial situation helps open his eyes to the plight of people like the Riveras.
The author avoids easy solutions but instead follows a realistic and subtle vision into how people can change when their worldviews are questioned. The characters and dialogue are very believable, the New Jersey Shore setting is nicely described, and the plot is so well written this reader had trouble getting back to work.
The Abduction of Joshua Bloom by Michael Thal
Publication Date: November 1, 2021
Book Length: 250 pages
The full review: https://michaelthal.com/the-abduction-of-joshua-bloom/
“Michael L. Thal’s The Abduction of Joshua Bloom is a book filled with excitement and constant intrigue. The action in the novel never reaches slow points, and the reader is always shocked and surprised with the twists and turns throughout. Readers will be sure to empathize with the emotions Joshua undergoes throughout his years away from home, just as they are sure to really feel for him during his return to Earth. Combining elements of love, loss, and legacy, The Abduction of Joshua Bloom is a read for those of all ages and interests.” – Red City Review
The Butterfly Cage by Rachel Zemach
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
Book Length: 435 pages
The full review: https://michaelthal.com/deaf-education-in-a-california-elementary-school/
The Butterfly Cage is where Zemach relates her experience in deaf education in a California Elementary School. The woman’s patience is amazing considering the audism and oralism she must contend with by other teachers, support staff, and administrators. Anyone interested in Deaf education, Deaf culture, ASL, or is deaf, HOH, or knows and or works with Deaf people needs to read this book. The Butterfly Cage is an eye-opener and will teach you a few things about empathy.
Secrets to Parenting Without Giving a F^ck: The Non-Conformist Playbook to Raising Happy Kids Without Public Meltdowns, Power Struggles, and Punishments by Sue Donnellan
Publication Date: January 28, 2021
Book Length: 225 pages
The full review: https://michaelthal.com/professional-parenting-at-its-best/
In her 245-page book, Donnellan outlines her voyage from a screaming mother of four (three of which are triplets) into a calm mom earning the respect of her children. After her triplets were born, she quickly learned to become less emotional and more cerebral when dealing with her children. She turned from a screaming banshee to becoming non-judgmental; to be direct and open, and most importantly, she mastered the art of questioning. When a parent is capable of this, children will learn to trust them, confide in them, and learn through the process of alternate outcomes. From this they can make responsible choices and decisions. If they don’t, they will learn from their mistakes and learn from them without anyone berating them or saying, “I told you so.”
A parent’s words are like a switch. They can either cause a short circuit of emotions that are destructive and hurtful; or those words can cause a series of lights to go on—productive and helpful. Donnellan teaches readers how to accomplish this uphill battle.
Doc’s Double Delivery by Jacqueline Diamond
Publication Date: September 2, 2024
Book Length: 182 pages
The full review: https://michaelthal.com/mismatched-soulmates/
Jacqueline Diamond’s The Doc’s Double Delivery is a poignant story about a mismatched couple. Barry is looking for a low-key soulmate while Chelsea is a free-spirited take charge woman with a heart of gold. Diamond’s novel has a well-developed plot, relatable characters, and prose that makes you laugh on one page and cry on another. This reviewer had trouble putting the book down.
A sci-fi space opera, a horror novel that will keep you up at night, and a realistic book about deafness are quite a potpourri of books to choose from. Pick one for a loved one and spoil yourself, too. Happy Holidays!
