Reading list
A list of what I’m reading and my opinions and all that.
2024
Title | Author | Thoughts |
---|---|---|
Macarons | by Pierre Hermé | 72 macarons per batch, here we gooo |
Paradise-1 | by David Wellington | |
The Teller of Small Fortunes | by Julie Leong | Lovely! |
Absolution | by Jeff Vandermeer | First two parts kicked butt, third part dragged |
Lake of Souls | by Ann Leckie | Hits and misses for me (like any short story collection) |
Making Design Theory | by Johan Redström | |
Somewhere Beyond the Sea | by TJ Klune | A good conclusion, but as much as I appreciate the story and the ideas, I started to find the “positivity” tedious |
An Academy for Liars | by Alexis Henderson | Found myself wanting |
The Magician’s Land | by Lev Grossman | Pleasantly concluded |
The Magician King | by Lev Grossman | Surprisingly different from book one, and just as enjoyable |
These Deathless Shores | by P. H. Low | Takes a warm friendly story and makes it very much not so—characters grated on me but the underlying was super compelling |
The Bright Sword | by Lev Grossman | I really enjoyed this but it felt like it petered out somehow |
A Sorceress Comes to Call | by T. Kingfisher | Wonderful storytelling with a fairy-tale-esque slant |
Eruption | by Michael Crichton & James Patterson | Books I don’t like are usually just “not for me” but this book is trash |
The Mercy of Gods | by James S. A. Corey | Absolutely loved this |
Winter, or a Town Near Palgrave | by André Alexis | Great short, surreal kick |
Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend | by MJ Wassmer | Felt popcorny, good quick read |
Duma Key | by Stephen King | One of his legitimately creepy stories |
The Stardust Grail | by Yume Kitasei | Different! |
Service Model | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | I loved this—the characters were brilliant |
The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands | by Sarah Brooks | Somehow brilliantly original and terrifically derivative and I enjoyed it a lot |
How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive | by Craig DiLouie | I wanted to like this but ehh—quite liked the feeling of immersion in filmmaking though |
The Bound Worlds | by Megan O’Keefe | Great conclusion to the series |
Something Rotten | by Jasper Fforde | |
You Like it Darker | by Stephen King | Adored it |
The Book of Joan | by Lidia Yuknavitch | Honestly found this really hard to read even if well written |
Oryx and Crake | by Margaret Atwood | Fascinating, with some tough blunt subject matter |
The Magicians | by Lev Grossman | Unexpected self-aware adult Hogwartsy |
The Book that Broke the World | by Mark Lawrence | Was disappointed by this honestly, surprised |
The Well of Lost Plots | by Jasper Fforde | Coming into itself |
Ghost Station | by S. A. Barnes | Enjoyed |
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking | by T. Kingfisher | Easy fun read |
Alchemy | by Rory Sutherland | This book brought back some of the energy and excitement I had around brand and design |
Lost In a Good Book | by Jasper Fforde | Love the use of footnotes as an actual meta storytelling aspect |
The Eyre Affair | by Jasper Fforde | Silly, in the right way right now |
Shades of Grey | by Jasper Fforde | Literally read this and “Red Side Story” in the wrong order |
Black River Orchard | by Chuck Wendig | So many ways to describe eating apples |
Defiant | by Brandon Sanderson | This world is turning into a popcorn read basically which isn’t a bad thing |
Red Side Story | by Jasper Fforde | Unexpectedly loved this—the voice works perfectly |
Abandon | by Blake Crouch | Basically good, liked the setting |
On Bullshit | by Harry G. Frankfurt | |
Saevus Corax Gets Away With Murder | by K. J. Parker | Satisfyingly bloviating |
The Book of Lost Things | by John Connolly | Not whatsoever a lighthearted read |
The House in the Cerulean Sea | by T.J. Klune | Lovely |
The Midnight Bargain | by C. L. Polk | Enjoyable, not subtle |
Among the Living | by Tim Lebbon | Feels vaguely like it was written with the goal of being turned into a show |
The Tainted Cup | by Robert Jackson Bennett | Love the narrow lens in a broader snippet of a fantastical world |
Exordia | by Seth Dickinson | Kind of a wild ride that keeps going, but wouldn’t necessarily read again |
Fevre Dream | by George R. R. Martin | a) Yes I too was startled this exists and b) it’s great |
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store | by Keigo Higashino | I’m super curious how the voice is in the original language |
Shubeik Lubeik | by Deena Mohamed | Absolutely adored this graphic novel |
The Haunting of Hill House | by Shirley Jackson | |
Sword Catcher | by Cassandra Clare | Enjoyed the characters in this one |
Legion | by Brandon Sanderson | Meh |
Operation Angus | by Terry Fallis | Really like seeing Canadian politics here |
Saevus Corax Captures the Castle | by K. J. Parker | Rambly in all the right ways |
2023
Title | Author | Thoughts |
---|---|---|
Age of Ash | by Daniel Abraham | |
Nettle & Bone | by T. Kingfisher | Really enjoyed, perfectly fairy-tale-esque |
Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead | by K. J. Parker | Hilarious, but ending fell flat |
Sign Here | by Claudia Lux | Takes a great premise and sees it through with a great character-driven plot |
This is How You Lose the Time War | by Amal el-Mohtar & Max Gladstone | |
System Collapse | by Martha Wells | I love the depth of universe behind the very solid first-person characterization |
The Storyteller’s Death | by Ann Dávila Cardinal | Explores Puerto Rico in a way I haven’t experienced before |
The Dead Take the A Train | by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey | |
The Sunlit Man | by Brandon Sanderson | |
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter | by Brandon Sanderson | Sanderson’s really had some fun with this collection |
The Fractured Dark | by Megan O’Keefe | |
The Blighted Stars | by Megan O’Keefe | Really enjoyed this blend of epic sci-fi and characterization |
The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England | by Brandon Sanderson | |
Prophet | by Sin Blaché & Helen MacDonald | Almost feels like this was written to be a movie |
The Vanished Birds | by Simon Jimenez | |
Starter Villain | by John Scalzi | I can just picture Scalzi chortling to himself while writing this |
Never | by Ken Follett | Probably going to abandon this |
Holly | by Stephen King | Less “crunchy,” whatever that means |
Children of Memory | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | Took a while to get into, but compelling |
Looking Glass Sound | by Catriona Ward | They went for it with the exploratory storytelling mechanisms |
Ascension | by Nicholas Binge | One-day romp of a read—enjoyed the techniques |
The Invention of Sound | by Chuck Palahniuk | Thought this was Wendig not Palahniuk until halfway through |
Dust | by Hugh Howey | |
Shift | by Hugh Howey | |
Wool | by Hugh Howey | I loved this |
Time Shelter | by Georgi Gospodinov | |
The Road | by Cormac McCarthy | Bit of a tough read on a few axes |
Dogsbody | by Diana Wynne Jones | Children’s book recommended by Gaiman I believe |
The End of All Things | by John Scalzi | |
The Human Division | by John Scalzi | It took me so long to figure out it’s “Human Divide” not “Human Department” |
Yellowface | by R. F. Kuang | Brutal compelling—unlike “Babel,” made and kept its promises |
Zoe’s Tale | by John Scalzi | |
The Last Colony | by John Scalzi | |
The Ghost Brigades | by John Scalzi | Apparently “Old Man’s War” is my summer re-read series |
The God of Endings | by Jacqueline Holland | Beyond the story, I loved this book’s style and pacing |
The Relentless Moon | by Mary Robinette Kowal | I love how much this series challenges a range of topics |
Old Man’s War | by John Scalzi | Re-read, such fun |
The Fated Sky | by Mary Robinette Kowal | |
The Calculating Stars | by Mary Robinette Kowal | |
The Lives of Puppets | by TJ Clune | I think the author was going for something that got cut short—the acknowledgement section is rather startling |
Steering the Craft | by Ursula K. Le Guin | Just lovely |
The Book that Wouldn’t Burn | by Mark Lawrence | Enjoyed the first bit so much, but then it turned into an overflowing soufflé |
Winter in Sokcho | by Elisa Shua Dusapin | Great voice, but not quite for me |
Putting the Fact in Fantasy | by Dan Koboldt | |
City of Last Chances | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | |
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel | by Jessica Brody | |
Reaper Man | by Terry Pratchett | |
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi | by Shannon Chakraborty | One of my favourites of the last couple years—and real clever storytelling techniques |
The Coral Bones | by E. J. Swift | |
Men at Arms | by Terry Pratchett | |
Guards! Guards! | by Terry Pratchett | |
The Art of Description | by Mark Doty | |
Mort | by Terry Pratchett | I love how Pratchett plays with typography as part of the novel, like poetry |
Sourcery | by Terry Pratchett | |
Nation | by Terry Pratchett | |
Wonderbook | by Jeff VanderMeer | Super interesting format, great content on writing |
The View from the Cheap Seats | by Neil Gaiman | Such a range, widely felt |
A Slip of the Keyboard | by Terry Pratchett | |
The Immortality Thief | by Taran Hunt | |
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe | by Alex White | |
Record of a Spaceborn Few | by Becky Chambers | |
Family Lexicon | by Natalia Ginzburg | Very powerful writing, particularly one scene around creativity post-WW2 |
A Closed and Common Orbit | by Becky Chambers | |
The Trial | by Franz Kafka | I’ve decided I can’t stand Kafka |
Hell Bent | by Leigh Bardugo | |
Fugitive Telemetry | by Martha Wells | Really enjoyed the indication that Murderbot’s way of being is just them, not a SecUnit thing |
Network Effect | by Martha Wells | Comfortable popcorn reading at this point |
The Sound on the Page | by Ben Yagoda | Starting to include the nonfiction reads in this list too |
Exit Strategy | by Martha Wells | |
Rogue Protocol | by Martha Wells | |
City of Miracles | by Robert Jackson Bennett | |
Artificial Condition | by Martha Wells | |
All Systems Red | by Martha Wells | |
The Measure | by Nikki Erlick | |
Tress of the Emerald Sea | by Brandon Sanderson | Adored this book, adored the deaf character and their parallel-to-me adaptations |
Chaos Vector | by Megan E. O’Keefe | |
The Man in the High Castle | by Philip K. Dick | Good plot, great alt history, horrible characterization and ending |
The Illustrated Man | by Ray Bradbury | |
City of Blades | by Robert Jackson Bennett | Really enjoyed having a different PoV character from the first book |
Echopraxia | by Peter Watts | Didn’t finish |
Blindsight | by Peter Watts | Not for me—I found it very “down” |
City of Stairs | by Robert Jackson Bennett | Occasionally I discover an author I didn’t know and oh look so many books to read! |
Beyond the Burn Line | by Paul McAuley | |
Locklands | by Robert Jackson Bennett | This is a different book than others in the series, but I enjoyed it |
Shorefall | by Robert Jackson Bennett |
2022
Title | Author | Thoughts |
---|---|---|
Foundryside | by Robert Jackson Bennett | Hit all the notes I wanted in the moment |
The Mountain in the Sea | by Ray Nayler | |
Leech | by Hiron Ennes | This clicked in all kinds of ways |
Wayward | by Chuck Wendig | |
The Expert System’s Brother | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | |
Defending Elysium | by Brandon Sanderson | |
The Fisherman | by John Langan | I enjoyed the fractal nature of it |
The Atlas Paradox | by Olivie Blake | |
The Creeper | by A. M. Shine | |
The Spare Man | by Mary Robinette Kowal | My cocktail ingredients shopping list |
Thistlefoot | by GennaRose Nethercott | |
From the Wreck | by Jane Rawson | |
The Golden Enclaves | by Naomi Novik | Nice job tying the trilogy together |
Ballad for Sophie | by Filipe Melo | Gorgeous graphic novel with exceptional story |
End of the World House | by Adrienne Celt | |
Dead Silence | by S. A. Barnes | Actually dang spooky |
How High We Go in the Dark | by Sequoia Nagamatsu | Great book, horribly sad |
A Half-Built Garden | by Ruthanna Emrys | Wasn’t really for me |
Fairy Tale | by Stephen King | Has an Ending |
Babel | by R. F. Kuang | Made promises and then didn’t hold to them |
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy | by Becky Chambers | |
A Psalm for the Wild-Built | by Becky Chambers | Loved it |
Eversion | by Alastair Reynolds | Fascinating read, well-knit together |
Klara and the Sun | by Kazuo Ishiguro | Fascinating read |
On Writing | by Stephen King | |
Under the Whispering Door | by TJ Klune | |
A Discovery of Witches | by Deborah Harkness | Abandoned; I feel this book comes dangerously close to glorifying abusive behaviours |
Under Fortunate Stars | by Ren Hutchings | Neat concept well executed |
The Night Circus | by Erin Morgenstern | Really enjoyed the prose |
Jack Four | by Neal Asher | I didn’t actually like this, felt like reading a video game |
Ordinary Monsters | by J. M. Miro | |
Mordew | by Alex Pheby | Feels wildly all over the place, wouldn’t read again |
Hummingbird Salamander | by Jeff Vandermeer | Didn’t finish for some reason |
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words | by Eddie Robson | |
Inhibitor Phase | by Alastair Reynolds | |
The Bone Orchard | by Sara A. Mueller | I went into this with no idea what to expect and I was surprised by how unique it feels |
Stringers | by Chris Panatier | Very popcorny, but would’t read again |
Eyes of the Void | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | |
Until the Last of Me | by Sylvain Neuvel | |
Gallant | by V. E. Schwab | |
Last Exit | by Max Gladstone | |
Ogres | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | |
The Shadow People | by Graham Masterton | Went too far into gruesome for me, abandoned |
Sea of Tranquility | by Emily St. John Mandel | |
The Watchers | by A. M. Shine | I enjoyed this a lot |
The Atlas Six | by Olivie Blake | |
The Cartographers | by Peng Shepherd | |
The Kaiju Preservation Society | by John Scalzi | |
The Silent Patient | by Alex Michaelides | |
Devil House | by John Darnielle | |
The Long Earth | by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter | |
Termination Shock | by Neal Stephenson | |
The Two of Swords: Part Three | by K.J. Parker | |
The Two of Swords: Part Two | by K.J. Parker |
2021
Title | Author | Thoughts |
---|---|---|
Stories of Your Life and Others | by Ted Chiang | Very tasty bits of short sci fi |
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language | by Gretchen McCulloch | This book is incredible and helps me level up how I communicate remotely |
Leviathan Falls | by James S. A. Corey | I didn’t finish this and I’m not sure why |
The Two of Swords: Part One | by K.J. Parker | The setting is GoT-ish but the tone is more like subtly like Hitchhiker's Guide |
Elder Race | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | Did not realize it was a short story, majorly bummed out to accidentally run into the end |
Cytonic | by Brandon Sanderson | I love the process of an AI learning emotions |
The Apollo Murders | by Chris Hadfield | Not fair to be both an astronaut AND an author |
The Lost Pianos of Siberia | by Sophy Roberts | |
The Unfinished Land | by Greg Bear | |
Utopia Avenue | by David Mitchell | Kinda fell off of it |
Tears of the Truffle-Pig | by Fernando A. Flores | |
The Last Graduate | by Naomi Novik | Should not be as sticky as it is and yet |
The Scavenger Door | by Suzanne Palmer | Aw yeah |
The Exiled Fleet | by J. S. Dewes | |
The Hunt for Red October | by Tom Clancy | Keeps moving forward, all men only men |
The Art of Logic | by Eugenia Cheng | Actively made me better at thinking |
Clear and Present Danger | by Tom Clancy | |
Billy Summers | by Stephen King | I would do naughty things to be able to write characters like King |
The Great Mistake | by Jonathan Lee | |
A History of What Comes Next | by Sylvain Neuvel | |
The Library of the Dead | by T. L. Huchu | Not really about the library of the dead |
The Big Short | by Michael Lewis | History repeats |
Black Sun | by Rebecca Roanhorse | New level of squeamish in some scenes |
Later | by Stephen King | |
Turn the Ship Around! | by L. David Marquet | Love that he digs into his method failing as well as thriving |
The Last Watch | by J.S. Dewes | Compelling idea, good characterization in points of views |
The Hidden Palace | by Helene Wecker | Fascinating followup to The Golem and the Djinni |
A Master of Djinn | by P. Daeli Clark | Fell off, never got back to it |
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow | by Natasha Pulley | Like a totally different book from the first, not satisfying |
Project Hail Mary | by Andy Weir | COMMUNICATION |
The Lost Apothecary | by Sara Penner | |
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue | by V. E. Schwab | The best cover |
The Mask of Mirrors | by M. A. Carrick | Fell off, didn't finish |
A Memory Called Empire | by Arkady Martine | |
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street | by Natasha Pulley | Compelling |
The Forever War | by Joe Haldeman | |
The Starless Sea | by Erin Morgenster | Beautiful writing |
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars | by Christopher Paolini | |
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet | by Becky Chambers | Pleasant read, optimistic |
Velocity Weapon | by Megan E. O'Keefe | |
Seveneves | by Neal Stephenson | |
Beowulf | by Maria Dahvana Headley | Bro! |
Bone Silence | by Alastair Reynolds | |
Revenger | by ALastair Reynolds | |
Rhythm of War | by Brandon Sanderson | |
Org Design for Design Orgs | by Merholz & Skinner | |
Radical Candor | by Kim Scott | Good ideas, often used as an excuse to be a jerk |
Mismatch | by Kat Holmes | Wonderful read around inclusive design |
Post-Truth | by Matthew D'Ancona | |
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist | by Adrian Tomine | Lovely graphic novel |
How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It | by K. J. Parker | |
Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City | by K. J. Parker | Fun and quick |
A Peculiar Peril | by Jeff Vandermeer | Honestly, I have trouble getting into Vandermeer after his original trilogy |
A History of the World in Twelve Maps | by Jerry Brotton | |
Finder | by Suzanne Palmer | Aw yea |
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | by Philip K. Dick | Finally got to it |
Sixteenth Watch | by Myke Cole | |
The Doors of Eden | by Adrian Tchaikovsky |
2020
Title | Author | Thoughts |
---|---|---|
Early Risers | by Jasper Fforde | |
The Hollow Ones | by Guillemo del Toro & Chuck Hogan | |
Upheaval | by Jared Diamond | |
Great North Road | by Peter F. Hamilton | |
Bird by Bird | by Anne Lamott | I like this a lot |
Kingdom of Copper | by S. A. Chakraborty | I love this cultural mythology |
The Empire of Gold | by S. A. Chakraborty | I love this cultural mythology |
Dead Astronauts | by Jeff Vandermeer | Fell off |
Fuzzy Nation | by John Scalzi | Dunno what I expected, wasn't that, loved it |
Why I'm No Longer Talking About Race | by Reni Eddo-Lodge | |
Take Off Your Pants: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing | by Libbie Hawker | Excellent read to procrastinate writing |
The Ten Thousand Doors of January | by Alix E. Harrow | Lovely, bought a copy for my mom after |
A Deadly Education | by Naomi Novik | Popcorn |
The Light Brigade | by Kameron Hurley | |
The Migration | by Helen Marshall | |
Shards of Earth | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | Meh, doesn't live up to the rest of the author's work |
If It Bleeds | by Stephen King | Don't usually like novellas, but these struck a chord |
The Last Astronaut | by David Wellington | |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | by Douglas Adams | Must read every year |
Cage of Souls | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | |
The City We Became | by N. K. Jemisin | Fell off |
The Priory of the Orange Tree | by Samantha Shannon | |
Driving the Deep | by Suzanne Palmer | |
The Escapement | by K. J. Parker | |
Evil for Evil | by K. J. Parker | Interesting how I can't decide who's the good characters |
Devices and Desires | by K. J. Parker | Nice prose |
The Library of the Unwritten | by A. J. Hackwith | |
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat | by Oliver Sacks | |
The Hidden Life of Trees | by Peter Wohlleben | |
Through the Language Glass | by Guy Deutscher | |
The Last Emperox | by John Scalzi | |
Salvation | by Peter F. Hamilton | |
Gravity | by Tess Gerritsen | |
Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behaviour | by Leonard Mlodinow | |
The Lies of Locke Lamora | by Scott Lynch | |
The Book Thief | by Merkus Zusak | |
The Anatomy of a Story | by John Truby | |
The Buried Giant | by Kazuo Ishiguro | |
Ninth House | by Leigh Bardugo | Best cover |
Wanderers | by Chuck Wendig | Aw yeah kickin off a pandemic |
Hogfather | by Terry Pratchett | |
Good Strategy Bad Strategy | by Richard Rumelt | |
Children of Ruin | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | |
Children of Time | by Adrian Tchaikovsky | |
The Terror | by Dan Simmons | |
Skyward | by Brandon Sanderson | |
Supernova Era | by Cixin Liu | |
The Quantum Magician | by Derek Künsken | |
Starsight | by Brandon Sanderson | |
The Testaments | by Maraget Atwood | |
The Da Vinci Code | by Dan Brown | |
Angels and Demons | by Dan Brown | |
The Institute | by Stephen King | |
The Silent Patient | by Alex Michaelides | |
The Memory Police | by Yōko Ogawa | |
First Cosmic Velocity | by Zach Powers | |
A Gentleman in Moscow | by Amor Towles | Really enjoyed this |
… | by |
Struck through books are those I abandoned—which I’m trying to let myself do when a book isn’t right for me at that moment. Missing thoughts are just me not remembering exactly what I thought at the time.