Fiction Books of 2024 that would make great gifts for your loved ones!

Yesterday I did a list of Nonfiction Books of 2024 that would make great gifts for your loved ones which you can read here by clicking this link https://booknotions.com/nonfiction-books-of-2024-that-would-make-great-gifts-for-your-loved-ones/ . Today’s focus will be Fiction Books of 2024 that would make great gifts for your loved ones! I read a lot of great fiction &

The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni

The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni is a great sequel to The Puzzle Master. It is the year of the wood dragon and Mike Brink has been invited to Tokyo Japan to open the legendary Dragon Box. The Dragon Box is a mysterious box created in the 19^th century that has remained unopened & unsolved for 150 years. Many have tried to open the box over the years, unfortunately the tricks, booby traps and poisons had gotten to them first. While the idea of him possibly dying and facing off against a faction from a disgraced samurai family working with an old enemy of course makes him nervous, he doesn’t let any of this deter him from solving this puzzle. I love that this story takes place in Japan filled with a mystery that is like an intricate puzzle (pun intended 😉). What’s great is, you don’t have to read the previous book The Puzzle Master, to read The Puzzle Box both stories have Mike Brink but they standalone! We had a great time discussing The Puzzle Box in our Behind The Book Q&A https://booknotions.com/behind-the-book-with-danielle-trussoni/

A Wedding In Lake Como by Jennifer Probst 

A Wedding In Lake Como by Jennifer Probst is about three best friends Maddison who everyone calls Maddie, Ava & Chelsea make a pact that no matter where their careers & love lives take them that they’d remain friends forever and attend each of their weddings. The three friends make this vow on their first trip to Italy. Ava is marrying the man of her dreams but is haunted by a choice she made that tore the friends up five years ago. Maddie is making a name for herself as a fashion influencer, but a scandal costs her & Chelsea has a great family and a wonderful husband but feels her professional dreams have taken a back seat. From the lovely descriptions of Lake Como Italy, & character growth & social media not determining your worth, what’s not to love? I also like how the ending isn’t what you expect and for me I felt was very realistic. Here is my lovely Behind The Book Q&A With Jennifer Probst https://booknotions.com/behind-the-book-with-jennifer-probst/ .

Toward Eternity by Anton Hur

Toward Eternity by Anton Hur takes place in the not-so-distant future where a new therapy promises to eradicate cancer by replacing the cells with nanites. Nanites are android cells that not only cure patients with cancer but make the patients virtually immortal. The question is, are they really themselves anymore? This story is scarily realistic as AI is becoming a part of our lives and can be used for great things as well as terrible things. I’m not the biggest Sci-fi reader but there are rare times I pick up a sci-fi read and enjoy it. I love how the book makes us ponder the themes about what truly makes us human, what we do and how we love makes our legacy live on even if we’re not literally immortal.  Anton’s writing is descriptive and beautiful! If you know someone who is a sci-fi reader or looking for something different to read, I recommend Toward Eternity by Anton Hur. I hope to do a Q&A with Anton in the future!

The Far Side Of The Desert by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

The Far Side Of The Desert tells the story of Sisters Samantha & Monte Waters. Sam & Monte are vacationing in Santiago de Compostela Spain enjoying a Catholic festival & they plan on meeting their brother Cal. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a fun adventure ends up being short-lived. Terrorist attacks disrupt the festivities around them. What makes it worse is Samantha an international television correspondent & Monte a US foreign service officer are separated. Monte is the one taken hostage. The family comes together to try to find Monte and find out what her hostages want. The story moves from Spain to Washington DC to Morocco to Gibraltar to the Sahara Desert. Joanne’s writing is descriptive, and you are immersed in the story as you are taken on a journey to Spain, Morocco & Gibraltar. When you think the story is over there are so many twists and questions that need answers. I love the characters of Samantha, Monte & Cal. Just a warning there is a rape scene in the book take that into consideration before picking up the book. If you or your family members are like me and you enjoy stories that are action packed with journalism, terrorism, adventure, current(ish) events (the story takes place in 2007) & stories that have to do with sisterhood and family, I recommend The Far Side Of The Desert. Here is my fun Behind The Book Q&A I did with Joanne https://booknotions.com/behind-the-book-with-joanne-leedom-ackerman/ .

What The Wife Knew by Darby Kane

Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a pediatric surgeon very renowned and a survivor of an infamous tragedy and a national hero. Well, it seems like that on the surface but there are dark secrets. Secrets that spell Richmond’s downfall and murder. Addison Dougherty is the second Mrs. Dougherty and a very rich widow, which makes her the obvious suspect in town. Addison wouldn’t have minded killing him. After all, she knows things about him that many don’t and there was no love in and out of the bedroom. But who killed the husband that she planned on destroying his reputation? That is a mystery Addison will need to solve before whoever killed Richmond, decides to end her as well. I love getting Addison’s backstory and reading from Richard’s point of view gave a great amount of how eerie and creepy he is. If you or your family members enjoy mysteries with twists and turns that reveal themselves little by little as though it were an intricate puzzle, your eyes widening in surprise I recommend What The Wife Knew by Darby Kane which is available to read now! Here is my Behind The Book discussing the novel, we even discuss who our dream cast would be when Hollywood gets the rights https://booknotions.com/behind-the-book-with-darby-kane/ .

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

In 1918 field nurse Laura Iven is discharged from the medical corps after being wounded. Laura receives news that her brother Freddie died in combat in Flanders Belgium and is sent back his personal items. Though something doesn’t make sense to Laura & she’s determined to find out the truth after hearing whispers about a mysterious hotelier also known as Faland & The Fiddler & gives the soldiers the gift of oblivion but at a price…. Wilfred “Freddie” Iven is trapped in an overturned pill box with an enemy soldier named Winter. They both com across the Fiddler & to save Winter he stays with Faland and gives him stories, but this comes at a price as he’s about to lose some of his memory and his soul…. The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden blends historical fiction with magical realism and scary elements. If you or a family member are a fan of stories that blend historical fiction, magical realism & scary elements & if you’re a fan of Katherine Arden’s books, grab a copy of The Warm Hands of Ghosts. It is much darker than The Bear And The Nightingale!

The Uncharted Flight Of Olivia West by Sara Ackerman

In 1927 Olivia “Livy” West is a fearless pilot with a lot of spunk. Olivia wants to enter the Dole Air Race going from Oakland California to Hawaii. Problem is, they won’t let a woman be the pilot, however she does end up being a navigator. In 1987 Wren Summers is going through a rough go in life, on top of being dumped by her fiancé, she’s kicked out of her apartment because she couldn’t pay rent. Things change for Wren when she learns she inherits a remote piece of land on The Big Island. It’s in dis repair but that doesn’t stop Wren. During Wren’s time, she figures out the tragic history of aviation history with the help of a resident at a nearby retirement home and a potential new love interest. Normally for a dual timeline historical fiction novel, you end up preferring one era over the other one. In this rare case, I enjoyed reading from both main characters & 1927 and 1987! Sara has a gift of research & writing and I was immersed in being in the plane and seeing the beauty of Hawaii one of many places I would love to see. Other than the historical fiction, there is a lesson to be learned & remembered which you can find out by clicking on this Behind The Book link https://booknotions.com/behind-the-book-with-sara-ackerman/

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. Legend has it if you are kind to cats, they will one day return the favor. In the magical tale of The Full Moon Coffee Shop, if you are kind to the right cat, you will find yourself underneath the mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon called The Full Moon Coffee Shop that is run by cats, and they can talk! This coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours and appears at random. Customers eat cakes, drink teas and coffees and the cats also consult their star charts and offer wisdom helping those who are lost find their way again. If you enjoy stories that have magical realism and as a bonus, take place in another part of the world, & have great characters, you will enjoy The Full Moon Coffee Shop. I came across this novel in a Facebook Group called Japanese Literature, so I immediately put it on hold at the library & sped through it. I love cats, the characters and how we can all relate to them in one way or another. Venus, the Persian cat is my favorite amongst the cats lol! If Lunar Chocolate Fondant existed, I would eat it too!