What We’re Reading: Writers and Readers on the Books They Enjoyed in December | Books

Nicolas Dinan, author

I enjoyed Pretention: Why It Matters by Dan Fox. I am a guilty user of the word pretentious, which the book methodically chastises over its hundred and something pages. Art advances because people aspire to things they are not (I certainly feel that as a writer). It’s also a word with deeply classist roots, compounded by the fact that its meaning is often unclear. Instead of saying pretentious, I now think of other words that more accurately describe why I don’t like something, like tasteless, poorly written, or ugly.

I hadn’t really thought about “climate fiction” as a genre until this year, but like many others at the moment, I loved Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Private Rites by Julia Armfield was also one of my favorite reads of 2024 – damp, sad and scary. What more could you ask for!

Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan is published by Doubleday (£16.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy from Guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

---

Anne, Guardian reader

I recently read A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel and it is one of the best books I have ever read. Having previously been put off by its length (800 pages) and subject (French history), I finally decided to start and then found that I couldn’t put it down. A must-read for all Mantel admirers and all those who love to learn and be captivated.

---

Eromo Egbejule, Guardian writer

On a recent trip through the cities of Port Harcourt and Warri in southern Nigeria, I had the pleasure of reading the brilliantly researched Fireflies on the Lagoon by British Nigerian author Tunde Leye whose niche is historical fiction.

This is a lush account of how a mix of strong characters helped shape the course of the 19th century in Lagos, Badagry, Abeokuta and Dahomey, neighboring cities that are now in Nigeria and Benin .

I also read Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space: A Literary Mixtape, a collection of short stories by Rwandan-born Namibian author Rémy Ngamije.

The captivating read sparks nostalgia with its familiar yet literary unconventional musical arrangements of Sides A and B on a world of cassettes that has since been swallowed up by streaming. On the first side, we follow the stumbling dreams of Rambo, an ambitious young artist from Windhoek, the Namibian capital, who must circumvent tragedy to realize his dreams. The second side is an anthology of stories about everything from heartbreak to Namibian independence and teenage mischief.

ignore previous newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

And I picked up Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions by Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi after it was recommended to me – a debut novel about three women and the revolving ghost of a fourth, beginning with a riot over Jollof in a Nigerian boarding school.

---

Matt, Guardian reader

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner exemplifies the author’s ability to weave a rich, textured narrative. The novel examines the uneasy coexistence of nature and human intervention, reflecting Kushner’s interest in how power and ambition reshape landscapes, both external and internal. The prose is lyrical, precise and witty; its characters are deeply flawed but deeply human. I found the subtle critique of the discontent of modernity particularly striking. The lake, a product of human engineering, becomes a metaphor for the fragility of control and the unintended consequences of progress. Yet Kushner resists easy moralizing and instead offers a nuanced exploration of the tensions between creation and destruction, permanence and impermanence.