Thought I’d share a list of some of the books I’ve read and loved in the last year or so, as well as books on the horizon.
Recently Read:
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet; by Becky Chambers:
Do you like reading about a ragtag group coming together and becoming a family? Did you like Firefly? Of course, you did. And Becky Chambers’, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, is a quintessential found family story, in a purely space opera setting. It’s so much damn fun and the characters are so well fleshed out…we understand the bond of the crew and their loyalty to one another. Pick this one up.
The Goblin Emperor; by Katherine Addison:
The Goblin Emperor is like nothing I have read before. At its core, it is a story of palace intrigue and political moves, which we’ve seen before. But it’s the dedication to the minutia of Maia’s day to day tasks as Emperor, the careful thought into every single detail, that define this novel. As someone who often hates when books get bogged down in descriptive details, I have to admit I scanned through some of the denser descriptive passages, but it’s a credit how well it’s done and how central it is to the story Addison is telling that I ultimately enjoyed the book and was thrilled I read it.
The other great part about this novel is that Maia is fundamentally good. There are other good characters, just as there are flawed characters seeking their own interest, but Maia is the definition of a ruler you can cheer for. And he is a reformer at heart. By the end of the novel how he treats his staff, those around him and those ostensibly viewed as less by society has clearly made an impact on many. There is an incredibly touching seen at the end that brought some tears to my eyes. The scene is neither cheap, nor manipulative…it is fully earned by all the thought and care Addison put into Maia and the world around him.
Cheers to this one, which is unique in so many ways.
All Systems Red; by Martha Wells:
Fast, fun and a laughingly good time.
Currently Reading:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue; by V.E. Schwab
This one has been hard to put down so far. Beautifully written. It’s so internal, which generally isn’t my favorite kind of writing, but Schwab presents it masterfully.
On the TBR stack:
A Desolation Called Peace; by Martine Arkady
Iron Truth, by S.A. Tholin
Eclipse; by Herman Steuernagel
A Radical Act of Free Magic; by H.G. Parry
Jade War; by Fonda Lee
