2024 Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List Released

The 2024 Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List is here!

Since 2009, the goal of the Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List is to highlight outstanding fiction that is “simply a pleasure to read.” To that end, a committee of librarians from the Texas Library Association annually selects a list of outstanding fiction titles.

In Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. This suspense-filled and action-packed novel is riveting and was one of 2023’s hottest novels.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night, by Nina Simon, is a lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths. Think Gilmore Girls, but with murder. High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud of: her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when her teenage granddaughter becomes a suspect in a homicide investigation, Lana must work with her family to find the true killer.

You’ll find these and many more wonderful titles on this year’s list.  (You can find the annotated version of the list here.)

*denotes top 10 books

1. All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby. (Flatiron, an imprint of Macmillan, 2023)*
2. Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance by Paulette Jiles.(William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2023)*
3. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul. (Henry Holt and Co., an imprint of Macmillan, 2023)
4. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. (Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2023)*
5. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. (Red Tower, an imprint of Macmillan, 2023)
6. A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon. (Lake Union Publishing, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, 2023)
7. Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier. (Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2023)
8. Go as a River by Shelley Read. (Spiegel & Grau, 2023)*
9. Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea. (Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette, 2023)
10.  Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. (St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan, 2023)
11.  Horse by Geraldine Brooks. (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2022)*
12.  Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs. (William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2023)
13.  Maame by Jessica George. (St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan, 2023)
14.  Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon. (William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2023)
15.  Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright. (Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2023)*
16.  No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister. (St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan, 2023)*
17.  The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon. (Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2023)
18.  The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger. (Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2023)*
19.  Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. (Random House, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2023)
20.   Spite House by Johnny Compton. (Tor Nightfire, an imprint of Macmillan, 2023)
21.  Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. (Tor, an imprint of Macmillan, 2023)
22.  Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb. (Knopf/Anchor, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2023)*
23.  Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2023)*
24.  Whalefall by Daniel Kraus. (MTV Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2023)
25.  Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. (William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2023)
26.  Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. (Forever, an imprint of Hachette, 2023)

Collection Development Statement
The Lariat List is not designed to support any particular curriculum. Librarians are not required or expected to purchase every book on the list. Due to the diversity in age range and topics, librarians should follow their local collection development policies and guidelines when considering which titles to purchase for their library.