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Many of you, like me, have probably woken up this morning dreading the annual ordeal of braving the crowds of desperate shoppers in order to finish the gift shopping you meant to do weeks ago but didn’t get around to. Don’t fret, we’re here to help. If, again like me, your loved ones enjoy reading, why not dip into this list of the ten best novels published in 2024. It’s a stellar selection of prize winners and page turners selected by our expert panel and
curated by our dedicated arts editors. There’s something for everyone here.
Or maybe your family’s tastes run more to music? We’ve got you covered. Here’s our list of the ten best albums of 2024. And if you’re reading this Santa, I fancy Crowded House and The Cure for my stocking this year, although if you want to surprise me, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at any of them. There’s a dram and a mince pie in it for you, of course.
If you want to read about life and Christmas for people in medieval England, then the “Paston letters”, correspondence between members of a family of minor Norfolk gentry between 1422 and 1509, are well worth a look. The year 1459, for instance, was a sad one for the family, as a wealthy benefactor had just died. Letters reveal how the family that year held a muted Christmas celebration, with no “harp nor lute playing, nor singing, nor any loud pastime”.
If you have found yourself remarking at how rarely you find yourself paying for stuff with cash, you’ll be interested in this piece about Sweden, which is a lot further along the road to becoming a cashless society, and how that has actually exacerbated inequality. Also highly recommended: this article about the notion that organ transplants can cause personality changes. And, to return to our festive theme, have you ever wondered where the little donkey in the nativity story first came from? Or the mythical difficult innkeeper for that matter.
From our friends and colleagues in The Conversation’s global network, why air travel tends to make us so cranky, why yoga could be the secret to longevity, and a fascinating study of Kenya’s “wailing warriors”.
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Manjeet Ridon, De Montfort University; Alice Kelly, University of Warwick; Ankhi Mukherjee, University of Oxford; Debra Benita Shaw, University of East London; Edward Sugden, King's College London; Emily Zobel Marshall, Leeds Beckett University; Jane McBride, University of Galway; Orlaith Darling, University College Dublin; Sarah Annes Brown, Anglia Ruskin University; Scarlett Baron, UCL
These are the ten books that made the most lasting impression on our expert reviewers
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Our top ten albums of 2024.
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Alastair Gordon, De Montfort University; George Reid, Kingston University; Glenn Fosbraey, University of Winchester; Julia Toppin, University of Westminster; Katherine Schofield, King's College London; Lillian Hingley, University of Oxford; Mykaell Riley, University of Westminster; Neil Cocks, University of Reading; Paul Stephen Adey, Nottingham Trent University; Stephen Ryan, University of Limerick
From Charli XCX’s global domination with Brat to Kendrick Lamar’s rap game-changing GNX, these are the best albums of 2024 according to our academic experts.
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A medieval feast, circa 1290-1300.
British Library
Diane Watt, University of Surrey
Margaret Paston’s reference to playing cards in her letter to her husband on Christmas Eve 1459 is the earliest recorded reference to the activity in England.
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Moa Petersén, Lund University; Lena Halldenius, Lund University
Contactless is king in Sweden, but people who do not have access to the technology are left behind.
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PixelDarkroom/Shutterstock
Chris Greenough, Edge Hill University
Many of the most loved parts of the Christmas story are unbiblical
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Philip Murphy, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Prince Andrew is an ideal target but to focus solely on him is to overlook serious flaws elsewhere.
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Fay Bound Alberti, King's College London
The idea that hearts carry feelings and memories is nothing new.
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Milad Haghani, UNSW Sydney
Instances of “air rage” are more common now than before the pandemic. What is it about air travel that cam bring out the worst in us?
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Holger Cramer, University of Tübingen
Yoga is shown to benefit mental health, reduce risk of age-related diseases and even protect cognitive function.
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Mary Wanjiku Kihuha, Pan Africa Christian University
Women’s emotions are celebrated when it comes to the spiritual battlefield – but these expressions aren’t welcomed in leadership.
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