Fiction

Books

• ★ The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (8-book series)

  Series starts strong, though the most recent books were just OK. Waiting on the final five books to be written.

• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

• Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky

  Hard sci-fi with some interesting ideas for an alien ecosystem. Pairs well with Parasite Rex

• Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

• ★ Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (8-book series)

  Fast-paced, fun young adult sci-fi series

• Polostan by Neal Stephenson

  Stephenson’s books always take a while to get going, and this is just Book 1 so still too early to really judge

• La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

  I embarked on this (silly) goal to read ten Spanish-language books in 2023, but stupidly picked this 555-page monster with plenty of challenging Castilian vocabulary as my first book. Unsurprisingly, my reading speed in Spanish is far slower than English, and I discovered how much of my love of books is due to reading quickly. I kept on pausing this book to read other quick (English language) reads, so it took me about a year and half to finish this. I enjoyed the book, though my Spanish isn’t quite at the level to fully appreciate the quality of the writing.

• Extinction by Douglas Preston

  Interesting premise, but not a fan of the writing style and drags a bit

• ★ Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

  Modern retelling of David Copperfield set in Appalachia

• Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

  This won the Hugo in 2023. It’s … fine. Easy read but not particularly memorable.

• The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey

  First book in the new series by the authors of The Expanse, shows promise.

• Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (3-book series)

  The first and second books are interesting takes on foreign intelligence. The third book is skippable.

• Seeds by Peter Cawdron (2-book series)

• ★ Babel by R. F. Kuang

  Historical fiction that tickles my wannabe language nerd heart.

• The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

  Had to force myself to finish this, I don’t know why this was nominated for a Hugo. There are some interesting ideas, but in the end this is a detective story where the main character is an unlikable Space Karen that uses her money to bully everyone around her.

• The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (8-book series)

• Upgrade by Blake Crouch

  Another plot-driven sci-fi popcorn read with a familiar story line

• The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

  Popcorn read that is pretty much what you expect from the title. Enjoyable read, but I’m surprised it was nominated for the Hugo.

• Bobiverse by Dennis E. Taylor (4-book series)

  Bob’s consciousness is uploaded into a spaceship’s, which heads out to explore the universe. Casual, style reminiscent of The Martian. Final book in the series completely skippable.

• Cheela by Robert L. Forward (2-book series)

  The evolution and biology of a vastly different form of life living on a neutron star. Some interesting ideas, but should have been half the length. Written in the 80s and showing it’s age.

• The Player of Games by Iain Banks

• Firefall by Peter Watts (3-book series)

  Quick series with some interesting ideas (human hive minds, vampires in space).

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

  Came very highly recommended, many likened it to Ready Player One, which isn’t a great comparison. Though both books lean heavily into nostalgic video games, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow the book is really about relationships, romantic and platonic. Not a bad read, but didn’t live up to the hype for me.

• Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (8-book series)

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

  I do not get the hype

• The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski (8-book series)

  I haven’t played the games or watched the show, but the books are enjoyable enough if you like the genre.

• Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

• Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby

• The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee (3-book series)

• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

  I have no idea how this has a 4.2 on Goodreads or how I managed to finish it.

• ★ CIRCE by Madeline Miller

  Fun, modern take on the backstory of characters from Greek Mythology

• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

• Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

• ★ The Expanse by James S. A. Corey (16-book series)

  Space antics with realistic physics. Quality dips midway through, but first few books are great. I haven’t watched the show yet.

• Xenogenesis by Octavia E. Butler (3-book series)

• This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King

• ★ Version Control by Dexter Palmer

  Not for everyone, but I enjoyed this more than I expected. Nominally about time travel, but the evolution and permutations of adult friendships resonated with me.

• ★ Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

• ★ And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

• ★ The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

• ★ Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

• Recursion by Blake Crouch

• Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

  Some interesting ideas, but a bit of a slog

• ★ Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

  After the disappointing Artemis, Andy Weir is back with a read that recaptures the nerdy fun of The Martian

• Exhalation by Ted Chiang

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2-book series)

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

• The Interdependency by John Scalzi (3-book series)

• The Long Winter by A. G. Riddle (3-book series)

• The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

• Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott

• Lightbringer by Brent Weeks (5-book series)

• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

• Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson

  Classic Stephenson: Interesting ideas, but drags at times.

• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (14-book series)

• Zones of Thought by Vernor Vinge (2-book series)

• The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin (3-book series)

• Artemis by Andy Weir

• Diaspora by Greg Egan

• ★ The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland

• The Passage by Justin Cronin

• The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton (3-book series)

• ★ Remembrance of Earth’s Past by Cixin Liu (3-book series)

• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré

• Hounded by Kevin Hearne

• The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

• ★ Replay by Ken Grimwood

• ★ The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

• Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

• Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton (2-book series)

• Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown (3-book series)

• The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

• Nexus by Ramez Naam (3-book series)

• Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

• The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

• Armada by Ernest Cline

• Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

• Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

• Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge

• Neuromancer by William Gibson

• The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

• The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (2-book series)

• House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

• Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

• Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

• Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie (2-book series)

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

• The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

• ★ Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds

• ★ Lock In by John Scalzi

• ★ Redshirts by John Scalzi

• Earth Abides by George Rippey Stewart

• ★ Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

• The Circle by Dave Eggers

• ★ Old Man's War by John Scalzi

• Daemon by Daniel Suarez (2-book series)

• ★★ The Martian by Andy Weir

• Silo by Hugh Howey (3-book series)

• The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss (2-book series)

• Reamde by Neal Stephenson

• Anathem by Neal Stephenson

• World War Z by Max Brooks

• Feersum Endjinn by Iain Banks

• Sword & Citadel by Gene Wolfe (2-book series)

• Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons (2-book series)

• ★ Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

• ★ Ringworld by Larry Niven

• ★ Accelerando by Charles Stross

• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

• All Clear by Connie Willis (2-book series)

• Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson (3-book series)

• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

• A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin (5-book series)

• Consider Phlebas by Iain Banks

• Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer

• Solaris by Stanisław Lem

• The Uplift War by David Brin

• World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold (3-book series)

• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

• ★ A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

• A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

• The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Guevara

• ★ The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

• The Night Gardener by George P. Pelecanos

• Perfume by Patrick Suskind

  Portuguese translation

• Jennifer Government by Max Barry

• Present Value by Sabin Willett

• Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee

• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (4-book series)

• ★ Ensaio sobre a cegueira by José Saramago

• Ensaio sobre a lucidez by José Saramago

• Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

• Wicked by Gregory Maguire

• The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

• Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut

• ★ One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

• ★ The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

• Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

• ★ Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow

• Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow

• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

  The movie translated this very well, no particular reason to read it if you've seen it

• Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

• ★ The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

• Paradise by Toni Morrison

• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

• ★ The Godfather by Mario Puzo

  Portuguese translation

• The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux

• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

• ★ Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

• The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams

• Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen Jay Gould

• ★ Dune by Frank Herbert

• ★★ The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

• Number One Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

• Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

• Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

• A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

• ★★ Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

• Microserfs by Douglas Coupland

• Towing Jehovah by James Morrow

• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

• Exegesis by Astro Teller

• The Stranger by Albert Camus

• Watership Down by Richard Adams

• White Noise by Don DeLillo

• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

  Barely finished this, not sure how I was convinced it was worth reading (it is not).

• Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

• The Time Machine by Herbert George Wells

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

• ★ 1984 by George Orwell

• Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

• Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut

• ★ East of Eden by John Steinbeck

• ★ Ender's Saga by Orson Scott Card (4-book series)

• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

• ★ Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

• ★ Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

• Jason Bourne by Robert Ludlum (3-book series)

• ★ Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (2-book series)

• Terminal Man by Michael Crichton

• Congo by Michael Crichton

• Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

• The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

• Timeline by Michael Crichton

• Needful Things by Stephen King

Tags

• Fantasy

• Science Fiction