#Emily reads Murderbot

[catalogercas]

Murderbot: It's not like I lost a limb or anything *continues to sulk about all its missing drones, which, considering how Murderbot used all its drones, could realistically be considered a limb*

Murderbot: 3 offered me some of its drones, but that's not the same, and I can't just take stuff from 3.

Murderbot: I wish this other SecUnit that I'm currently disabling had drones I could steal. That, somehow, wouldn't be the same as taking them from 3.

[rjalker]

Martha Wells likes making the villains blonde haired and blue eyed and thinks that means the rest of the writing can't possibly be racist even when she's using so many racist tropes.

edit: she immediately followed up the description of the villain as being blond and blue eyed by contrasting him with one of the brown heroes by saying that the brown guy looks like he could do a full day's worth of manual labor without suffering

Martha Wells. Are you serious.

[cultivating-wildflowers]

"And I don't know that 'panic' is quite the word. More like...'terminal ennui'." I decided to look up "ennui" later. There are words you encounter all your life without knowing what they mean.

Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel

[beamorgan]

Favourite Reads of the Year

I will not be ranking these, because that would hurt my heart. Buckle up folks, there are a lot of amazing books out there

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

I know, I KNOW, I'm late to the party but omg this whole series is just as good as people say!!! I know I said I wouldn't be ranking, but if I was these would be fighting for the top spot. I have already relistened to all the audiobooks. I anticipate rereading them literally every year from now on. I would die for Murderbot, which it would think is a stupid thing for a human to do when there is a SecUnit right there. [adult, scifi]

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Sequel to last year's fav Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, this follows a bullheaded academic trying find the magical door that will let her faerie boyfriend back into his faerie kingdom. Chaos ensues in the Alps. It's fabulous, and the author's approach to using folklore is very similar to my own writing, which I love and also get imposter syndrome about. 10/10 recommend [adult, historical fantasy]

Model Home by Solomon Rivers

Would you like to be repeatedly punched in the gut? Look no further than this story of racism and child abuse in a Texas McMansion, with gorgeous prose and a genderqueer protagonist and the laundry list of content warnings you can expect with the genre. It hurt so good. [adult, contemporary gothic horror]

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

This love affair between a baseball play and a sports reporter was recced to me by the lovely @colubrina and boy was it worth the two-day binge it inspired! Romance can be very hit-or-miss for me, but this knocked it out of the park (please enjoy my pun). I didn't even have to know anything about baseball to love it! [adult, historical (1960s) romance]

The Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir

Another tumblr fav, FOR A REASON. Gideon is hilarious. Harrow is an absolute mess. Nona is BABY, my beloved. (Camilla and Palamedes have my whole entire heart). Also, the audiobook narrator is fantastic. In the words of the author, the buns are also fried chicken. [adult, sci fantasy]

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

This one is @elodieunderglass's fault. Historical buffoonery on boats. The main characters are ridiculous. The sailing jargon is incomprehensible. It's great. [adult, historical fiction]

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

This is a gorgeous memoir of an interracial adoptee trying to make contact with her birth family while pregnant with her own child. It grapples thoughtfully with reconnecting to a lost culture, the complexities of family history, and the social and legal barriers adoptees face to learning about themselves. [adult, memoir]

Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

I devour everything Charles writes, so I was EXCITED for this mystery. She made it very clear on social media "It's not a kissing book!!" (it's kinda still a kissing book). She wrote a stonking book, as usual, with an underdog protagonist revisiting the murder that happened during his toxic time at Oxford university. [adult, historical mystery]

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

My favourite literary fiction read of the year, this meditation on Iranian diaspora identity is written by a poet and you can tell. I would suck the prose up through a straw if I could. The protagonist is an addict and also quite suicidal. It was fun :) [adult, literary fiction]

She Who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan

and the sequel, He Who Drowned the World. I don't even know how to sell this, all I want to do is flail incoherently about how amazing it is. IT'S AMAZING. JUST READ IT. (wait I know: this satisfied the part of me that was obsessed with Mulan as a kid) [adult, historical fantasy]

A Little Trickery by Roseanna Pike

The voicey-est book I've ever read. I screenshot like every other page. It follows an orphaned girl trying to survive in Tudor England through various means, such as faking a miracle in the church where her gay best friend is priest. [adult, historical fiction]

At the End of the River Styx by Michelle Kulwiki

My friend wrote a book! It made me cry!!! They were delighted with this!!! Please give this to any teenager in your life who needs to see thoughtful representation of grief and depression and boys in love. [YA, contemporary fantasy]

[oblivionsdream]

Do you have any book recommendations?

I read a book you talked about and it was really good so I might need more also I love your art ❤️

Oh I always have book recommendations and I will always happily gush about books! I dunno what kind of books you enjoy so I'm just going to list some I enjoy :)

-Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

-Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

-If We Were Villains by M.L Rio

-Vicious by V.E Schwab

-Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

-Circe by Madeline Miller

-Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

-A Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

-Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

-The Tarot Sequence by K.D Edward's

-Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

-A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

-The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

-Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

-The Green Creek series by TJ Klune

-The Reanimators Heart by Kara Jorgensen

-Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

-Heaven Official's Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

-Winters Orbit/Oceans Echo by Everina Maxwell

-Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

-We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinsons

-The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

-Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer

-This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

-Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhou

-Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

-A Dowry of Blood by S.T Gibson

-The King of Infinite Space by Lyndsay Faye

-Babel by R.F Huang

-Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

I'm sorry my list got so long. I hope you enjoy them! And thank you!!

[traeumenvonbuechern]

Which books would the Hallowoods characters read?

Happy HFTH season 4 day! I'm so excited for the new episodes, and I want to celebrate by recommending some books I think some of the main characters would love.

Diggory Graves - Unwieldy Creatures

I have a feeling that Diggory might be interested in a nonbinary Frankenstein retelling...

Percy Reed - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

A transmasc protagonist, ghosts, a t4t love story - Percy would relate to this book so much.

Nikignik - This Is How You Lose the Time War

Even aside from the whole Bigolas Dickolas thing, I think Nikignik would really love this book. It's an epic, complicated, super emotional love story, written in a way that almost feels like poetry - I have a feeling that Nikignik would like that.

Lady Ethel Mallory - Lady Susan

It's short, it's funny, it's a classic, it's from the perspective of the villain and said villain uses the title "lady"? Lady Ethel would love this book.

Riot Maidstone - Gideon the Ninth

It's about a butch lesbian with a sword. That alone would probably convince Riot to read it, but I think she would love the story, too.

Olivier Song - Infinity Alchemist

This book is about an alchemist who is rejected by the magic school he tried so hard to get into, and one of the love interests is genderfluid - Olivier might relate to it a little too much.

Clara Martin - The Grimoire of Grave Fates

It's a murder mystery set at a magic school that moves around the world, and it's told from 18 (!) different perspectives. I think Clara would love reading about all these different types of magic and trying to solve the mystery.

Polly - Good Omens

Polly reminds me so much of Crowley sometimes - to quote this post, they're both "demons sent on a celestial audit of earth and catching more feelings than they signed up for" - so Polly would probably either love or hate Good Omens, no in-between.

Yaretzi - The Salt Grows Heavy

I can't really explain why I think Yaretzi would like this book, but she would. Something about the main character being a murderous mermaid, probably.

Mort - All Systems Red

Mort would definitely want to be friends with Murderbot.

Hector Mendoza and Jonah Duckworth - Silver in the Wood

This is my go-to "Read this if you like Our Flag Means Death" book because the main characters remind me a lot of Stede and Ed, but the book also reminds me so much of Hector and Jonah, especially with the magical sentient forest setting.

Zelda Duckworth - The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher

This book is about a 83-year-old Chosen One who has to save the world armed with nothing but gumption and knitting needles - I think Zelda would enjoy that.

Mx. Morrell - What Moves the Dead

I think a fungal horror book with a nonbinary protagonist would be perfect for Mx. Morrell.

Danielle O'Hara - Pet

Pet is about a trans girl who has to reconsider everything she's been taught and save her friend with the help of a terrifying creature - everyone should read this book, but I think Danielle would especially like it.

Book titles:

Diggory Graves: Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai

Percy Reed: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Nikignik: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Lady Ethel Mallory: Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Riot Maidstone: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Olivier Song: Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender

Clara Martin: The Grimoire of Grave Fates, edited by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen

Polly: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Yaretzi: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Mort: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Hector Mendoza and Jonah Duckworth: Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

Zelda Duckworth: The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson

Mx. Morrell: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Danielle O'Hara: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

[displayheartcode]

hi! do you have books recs similar to six of crows?

yes, yes i do!

do you want to read SFF stories about making rich people miserable?

scavenge the stars by tara sim (ya, duology)

little thieves by margaret owen (ya, trilogy)

the drowned woods by emily lloyd-jones (ya, stand-alone)

book of night by holly black (adult, duology)

black water sister by zen cho (adult, stand-alone)

do you want to read SFF stories about a plucky group of people doing the right thing - teeth gritted and all?

murderbot by martha wells (adult, series)

the scholomance by naomi novik (adult, trilogy)

ninth house by leigh bardugo (adult, trilogy)

we shall be monsters by tara sim (ya, series)

foul days by genoveva dimova (adult, duology)

do you want to read SFF books about angry teenagers taking matters in their own hands because the adults - and institutions and the system - have failed them?

now entering addamsville by francesca zappia (ya, stand-alone)

the hazel wood by melissa albert (ya, duology)

bad witch burning by jessica lewis (ya, stand-alone)

the rise of kyoshi by fc yee (ya, duology)

legendborn by tracy deonn (ya, series)

wrath becomes her by aden polydoros (ya, stand-alone)

the spirit bares its teeth by andrew joseph white (ya, stand-alone)

the diviners by libba bray (ya, series)

shadowshaper by daniel josé older (ya, trilogy)

lore by alexandra bracken (ya, stand-alone)

lockwood and co by jonathan stroud (middle grade, series)

hope this, helps, anon!

(people are free to add to this list)

[augustinajosefina]

A request

Please suggest books to me! Preferably in the glove kink/lesbian space atrocities, urban fantasy or dark academia genres but I'll happily try any SF/fantasy at least once.

So far I've read and loved:

Before 2023

The Imperial Radch (Ancillary Justice/Sword/Mercy) - Ann Leckie

Jean le Flambeur (The Quantum Thief/The Fractal Prince/The Causal Angel) - Hannu Rajaniemi

The Windup Girl/The Water Knife - Paolo Bagicalupi

Memory of Water/The City of Woven Streets - Emmi Itäranta

2023

The Locked Tomb (Gideon/Harrow/Nona the Ninth) - Tamsyn Muir

The Masquerade (Traitor/Monster/Tyrant Baru Cormorant) - Seth Dickinson

Teixcalaan series (A Memory Called Empire/A Desolation Called Peace) - Arkady Martine

Machineries of Empire (Ninefox Gambit/Raven Stratagem/Revenant Gun/Hexarchate Stories) - Yoon Ha Lee

The Murderbot Diaries (All Systems Red to System Collapse) - Martha Wells

The Broken Earth (The Fifth Season/The Obelisk Gate/The Stone Sky) - N. K. Jemisin

Klara And The Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

Xuya universe (The Citadel of Weeping Pearls/The Tea Master and the Detective/Seven of Infinities plus short stories) - Aliette de Bodard

This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The Goblin Emperor/The Witness for the Dead/Grief of Stones - Katherine Addison

Some Desperate Glory - Emily Tesh

2024

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V. E. Schwab

The Craft Sequence (Three Parts Dead/Two Serpents Rise/Full Fathom Five/Last First Snow/Four Roads Cross/Ruin of Angels) - Max Gladstone

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - R. F. Kuang

Dead Country - Max Gladstone

Hands of the Emperor - Victoria Goddard

Read and liked:

The Moonday Letters - Emmi Itäranta

Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

Great Cities (The City We Became/The World We Make) - N. K. Jemisin

Autonomous - Annalee Newitz

Dead Djinn universe (A Master of Djinn/The Haunting of Tram Car 015/A Dead Djinn in Cairo/The Angel of Khan el-Khalili) - P. Djèlí Clark

Even Though I Knew the End - C. L. Polk

Station Eternity - Mur Lafferty

The Mythic Dream - Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe

Shades of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic/A Gathering of Shadows/A Conjuring of Light/Fragile Threads of Power) - V. E. Schwab

The Luminous Dead - Caitlin Starling

Last Exit - Max Gladstone

The Stars Are Legion - Kameron Hurley

Ninth House/Hell Bent - Leigh Bardugo

Machine - Elizabeth Bear

Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield

She Is A Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran

Sisters of the Revolution - Jeff & Ann Vandermeer

Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel

Nettle & Bone - T. Kingfisher

Monstrilio - Gerardo Samano Córdova

Was uncertain about:

Light From Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki

The Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi

Paladin's Grace - T. Kingfisher

The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune

In the Vanishers Palace - Aliette de Bodard

Uprooted - Naomi Novik

What Moves The Dead - T. Kingfisher

All The Birds In The Sky - Charlie Jane Anders

And read and disliked:

To Be Taught, if Fortunate - Becky Chambers

A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

The Calculating Stars - Mary Robinette Kowal

The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson

How High We Go in the Dark - Sequoia Nagamatsu

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

The Passage - Justin Cronin

In Ascension - Martin MacInnes

(My pride insists I add that I have, in fact, read other books as well. Just to be clear.)

[books-coffee-and-the-woods]

re: 2023 new releases. hope you're ready for a long message because there were a lot.

hot new releases/things that were relatively popular

He Who Drowned The World, Shelley Parker Chan (Chinese mythological historical, very gay, very stabby a la Baru Cormorant. Book 2 of 2. A particular favorite of mine from this year)

Witch King, Martha Wells (New fantasy book by author of murderbot fame. I didn't actually click with this one but I'd be remiss to leave it off)

House With Good Bones, T Kingfisher (Southern gothic rose horror by the very talented Ursula Vernon)

Translation State, Ann Leckie (high sf alien horror regency romance. Wheeeeee. I had a lot of fun reading this. You can read it as a standalone, but you get deeper context if you've read the ancillary justice series, also highly recommended)

Will of the Many, James Islington (futuristic roman empire aesthetic rigged murder school. Not precisely good but appallingly catchy, I read all six hundred pages in pretty much one sitting. If you liked red rising you'll like this, if you hated red rising you will Not)

OH YEAH THE ACTUAL NEW MURDEBOT NOVEL (System Collapse)

A Power Unbound, Freya Marske (book 3 of 3, magic alt edwardian romances with murder. This is more romance proper but it's about equal with the action plot and Marske is very good. I don't think you've read these so you'd have to start at book 1)

Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh (The book that absolutely knocked my socks off, my pick for the best sff release of the year. I forget if I've already told you about this one)

Starling House, Alix Harrow (Southern gothic house drama. Similar feel to Ninth House or The Book of Night)

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Shannon Chakraborty (Divorced lady pirate adventure-drama a la Arabian Nights.)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Heather Fawcett (Charming, heavily fairy tale trope themed, vaguely reminiscent of the Lady Trent books)

more obscure new releases from this year that I thought were cool, but not in the Hot New Reads You Can't Miss Because Everyone's Read Them category

Under Fortunate Stars, Ren Hutchings (sf timey wimey space shenanigans with aliens. Immensely cool premise.)

Small Miracles, Olivia Atwater (fallen angel sent to tempt a too good mortal. Extremely charming)

The King Is Dead, Naomi Libicki (vaguely persian flavored fealty romance, very heavy to the fealty. Original, thorny, and intriguing)

The Deep Sky, Yume Kitasei (What if we terribly traumatized everyone going on a generation ship by making them go to viciously competitive boarding school together and then act surprised when a murder mystery occurs. Heads up that it's more interested in the human drama than the SF worldbuilding)

The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (early modern fantasy world anti-imperialism fever dream narrated by a cult survivor. Brilliantly written, spectacularly original, one of the best books I read this year)

Things for 2024, content warning for being (obviously) things I haven't read and thus without quality control

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, P Djeli Clark

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan

Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel

The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo

Exordia, Seth Dickinson

A Sorceress Comes To Call, T Kingfisher

Running Close To The Wind, Alexandra Rowland

Wow tumblr just lets me keep writing words. I didn't think they let me have this many in asks. Oh, and pro tip-- keep an eye out for tordotcom's most anticipated upcoming books for the first six months of 2024. They should be publishing it within the next week or so and I always add masses of books to my tbr from there.

oh holy crap, thanks!! I'll have to check these out!

thoughts on a few of em:

He Who Drowned The World - still have to read She Who Became the Sun lol but hopefully I'll get to em next year!

Witch King - Martha Wells has been recced by like All my sci-fi mutuals now lmao I REALLY gotta get into her!

House With Good Bones - THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY ON MY SHELF!! I just didn't fucking read it this year whoops. Very excited for new Kingfisher

Starling House - I was on the fence about this one since I really didn't like Once and Future Witches, but those comparisons give me hope! I'll add it to the library list!

Some Desperate Glory and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries are 2/3 of the books published in 2023 that I actually managed to read (the 3rd is The Woman in Me lmao), I can't remember if you recc'd Some Desperate Glory, but it was SOOOOOOOO GOOD OMFG

Small Miracles - my aunt has been trying to convince me to read Atwater for quite a while, I'll have to give this one a try!

The Saint of Bright Doors - I have this one on hold!! Saw a post for it a week or so ago and it sounds absolutely delightful!

The Familiar - SO SO EXCITED for this one! I hope Bardugo is maybe...slowly....extricating herself from the Grishaverse and going to write more books not related to it... (not that they're all bad, I loved the Six of Crows duology, I'm just not into it anymore and I reeeealllly like her adult books lol)

Running Close To The Wind - oh yay new Rowland! I still haven't read her last book (the one with the guy on the cover who looked EXACTLY like my boss to the point where it became an Office Meme that [Boss] Is A Gay Romance Cover Model, still meaning to get a UK version of it but haven't yet) but I'll have to look this one up!

[acotars]

books read in 2024

⋆ ⭒˚.⋆ january ⋆.˚⭒ ⋆

one dark window (the shepherd king #1) by rachel gillig

the murder on the links (hercule poirot #2) by agatha christie

pageboy by elliot page

house of sky and breath (crescent city #2) by sarah j. maas

rogue protocol (the murderbot diaries #3) by martha wells

cult classic by sloane crosley

malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid

the beauty of your face by sahar mustafah

exit strategy (the murderbot diaries #4) by martha wells

animal farm by george orwell

everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily austin

carrie soto is back by taylor jenkins reid

a court this cruel & lovely (kingdom of lies #1) by stacia stark

the rules do not apply by ariel levy

poirot investigates (hercule poirot #3) by agatha christie

yellowface by rebecca f kuang

every heart a doorway (wayward children #1) by seanan mcguire

house of flame and shadow (crescent city #3) by sarah j. maas

read: 18

* · ✦ · * february * · ✦ · *

beautyland by marie-helene bertino

bride by ali hazelwood

network effect (the murderbot diaries #5) by martha wells

fugitive telemetry (the murderbot diaries #6) by martha wells

faebound (faebound #1) by saara el-arifi

the raven boys (the raven cycle #1) by maggie stiefvater **

read: 6

.✦.· *. march .*· .✦.

interesting facts about space by emily austin

penance by eliza clark

the book that no one wanted to read by richard ayoade

pride and prejudice by jane austen

unlikeable female characters: the women pop culture wants you to hate by anna bogutskaya

the shame by makenna goodman

greta & valdin by rebecca k. reilly

read: 7

✷ · ✶ · ✧ april ✧ · ✶ · ✷

this spells love by kate robb

out on a limb by hannah bonam-young

gwen & art are not in love by lex croucher

a lady's guide to scandal by sophie irwin

the friendship study by ruby barrett

the boyfriend candidate by ashley winstead

the pumpkin spice cafe by laurie gilmore

business or pleasure by rachel lynn solomon

how to end a love story by yulin kuang

this could be us (skyland #2) by kennedy ryan

the honeymoon crashers (the unhoneymooners #1.5) by christina lauren

we could have been friends, my father and i by raja shehadeh

how to stop time by matt haig

how to fake it in hollywood by ava wilder

with love from cold world by alicia thompson

funny story by emily henry

love radio by ebony ladelle

old flames and new fortunes by sarah hogle

just for the summer by abby jimenez

don't want you like a best friend by emma r. alban

love interest by clare gilmore

the exception to the rule (the improbable meet-cute #1) by christina lauren

worst wingman ever (the improbable meet-cute #2) by abby jimenez

with any luck (the improbable meet-cute #5) by ashley poston

last call at the local by sara grunder ruiz

happily never after by lynn painter

the ex talk by rachel lynn solomon

i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston

the love wager by lynn painter

morning glory milking farm by c.m. nacosta

will they or won't they by ava wilder

read: 31

.　° * ☆ may ☆ * °　.

when the sky fell on splendor by emily henry

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong

blizzard by marie vingtras

bright young women by jessica knoll

the age of magical overthinking: notes on modern irrationality by amanda montell

the flatshare by beth o'leary **

read: 6

⋆ ˚.⋆ june ⋆.˚ ⋆

not in love by ali hazelwood

the way of kings (the stormlight archive #1) by brandon sanderson

words of radiance (the stormlight archive #2) by brandon sanderson

read: 3

. · ☆ . july . ☆ · .

edgedancer (the stormlight archive #2.5) by brandon sanderson

blue iris: poems and essays by mary oliver

woman, eating by claire kohda

oathbringer (the stormlight archive #3) by brandon sanderson

a novel love story by ashley poston

chlorine by jade song

how to read now by elain castillo

please stop trying to leave me by alana saab

beautifully broken life by catherine cowles

the god of the woods by liz moore

edgedancer (the stormlight archive #3.5) by brandon sanderson

the dead and the dark by courtney gould

a most agreeable murder by julia seales

the murder of roger ackroyd (hercule poirot #4) by agatha christie

read: 14

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁august ݁. ⊹ ₊ ݁.

the bluest eye by toni morrison

more, please: on food, fat, bingeing, longing, and the lust for "enough" by emma specter

the ministry of time by kaliane bradley

system collapse (the murderbot diaries #7) by martha wells

emily wilde's encycolpedia of fairies (emily wilde #1) by heather fawcett

emily wilde's map of the other lands (emily wilde #2) by heather fawcett

catalina by karla cornejo villavicencio

roadside picnic by arkady strugatsky and boris strugatsky

read: 8

·.★ ° ·. ✶ september ✶ .· ° ★.·

the most by jessica anthony

rhythm of war (the stormlight archive #4) by brandon sanderson

we were the universe by kimberly king parsons

read: 3

.• ★ ₊ ݁. • october • . ݁₊ ★ •.

creation lake by rachel kushner

small rain by garth greenwell

spells for forgetting by adrienne young

normal people by sally rooney

there there by tommy orange

read: 5

.·　✶ november ✶　·.

:(

read: 0

· ⊹ * · december · * ⊹ ·

two can play by ali hazelwood

happy medium by sarah adler

read: 2

⋆ ˚. ⋆ ✶ reading goal: 103/100 ✶ ⋆ .˚ ⋆

add me on goodreads !

[secretlystephaniebrown]

any sci-fi book recs? i’m a big sci-if enjoyer but it’s hard to find good sci-fi books through goodreads/amazon, so i figured i’d ask a fellow murderbot enjoyer!

Absolutely!

My favorite sci-fi this year absolutely has to be Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. A fantastic examination of space-opera, fascism, and growth. Check the triggers, it's rough, but I absolutely adore that book.

Other favorite sci-fi:

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The Martian by Andy Weir

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisen (waffled on whether this one is fantasy or sci-fi but I love it a lot so I'll rec it anyways)

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

World War Z by Max Brooks (zombie novel, only dubiously sci-fi, but I enjoyed it. Also: listen to the audio book. Absolutely worth it.)

Older stuff that I read a while ago but were very formative to my love of sci-fi

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

The White Mountains by John Christopher

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

[stinkybrowndogs]

On the last audiobook on my current to read list, and i am looking for more recs!

Here is what ive read and enjoyed this last several months:

Fiction

- Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time series and dogs of war

- project hail mary and the martian by andy weir (finally read them... space books of all time)

- a short walk through a wide world by douglas westerbeke

- recurssion and dark matter by blake crouch (situations so fucked up its entertaining)

- the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna (very sweet similar vibes to house on the cerulean sea)

- martha wells murderbot series

- the pull of the stars by emma donoghue

- station Eleven by emily st john mandel (altered my brain chemestry)

- remarkably bright creatures by shelby van pelt (i loved this one. It was so sweet and funky)

- basically all of T.J. Klune and T. Kingfishers works

- becky chambers monk and robot series

Nonfiction

-just mercy by brian stevenson

- empire of pain by patrick radden keefe

- every tools a hammer by adam savage (highly reccomend for practical creative advice)

- jesus and john wayne by kristen kobes du mez

- braiding sweetgrass by robin wall kimmerer

- hood feminism by mikki kendall

- im glad my mom died by jeanette mcCurdy

Theres more im happy to share but these were my faves and any book suggestions are welcome!

I have a few that i cant get as audiobooks from libby, so they r on my waitlist for when i have $

My current wishlist:

-breathing fire by jaime lowe

- the rise and fall of dinosaurs by steve brusatte (also the rise and reign of mammals)

- the quiet damage by jesselyn cook

- everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily austin

- paleofantasy by marlene zuk

- finna by nino cipri

- star splitter by matthew j kirby

Anyway. Books.

[lilareviewsbooks]

Short SFF Books!

I know getting into SFF can be difficult because of the sheer size of series and books in the genres. So here’s a couple of speculative fiction picks that don’t require that much time to read :)

I’ve also made a part two for this, so check that out if you’d like some more short SFF!

This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

209 pages

sapphic rep

standalone

This one is a classic when it comes to short sci-fis (thank you, Bigolas Dickolas), and that’s definitely for a reason! This Is How You Lose The Time War is a story in an incredibly unique format that will, to be honest, probably emotionally devastate you in some way or another. 

Time War follows Red and Blue, two agents working for opposite sides of, you know it, a time war. Their job is to travel through time to change the odds for their respective “agencies”. But, of course, they can’t resist leaving each other messages along in the way - in the most unique manners possible.

This queer novella will take your breath away. It will lead you through multiple timelines, split into two perspectives, Red and Blue, with a beautiful, lyrical writing style, which will make you so invested in our two main characters. The author duo treats us to these fantastical, vivid settings, which are sparkling with potencial and leave you wanting to dive deeper.

Silver In The Wood, by Emily Tesh

112 pages

achillean rep

duology

This is part of the Greenhollow Duology, but can absolutely be read as a standalone. It’s also one of my all time favorites! Silver In The Wood follows Tobias, a groundskeeper who lives deep in the woods. When Henry Silver moves into the house Tobias watches, things change - there’s something in the woods, and Tobias might just have to introduce Henry to it. 

It’s been a while since I read this, but I haven’t forgotten about it. I’m always thinking about this book. The vibes are simply immaculate, and so cozy. It will literally make you feel like you’re in the woods. The character work is excellent, and focuses on older protagonists, which is always a treat. The romance is well-constructed and the second book is completely optional, taking place almost as a side-quest for the main couple. 

I wish there were so many more of these, but unfortunately there are only two. But damn, are they great! Highly recommend, Silver In The Wood and its sequel, Drowned Country!

The Singing Hills Cycle, by Nghi Vo

100 to 128 pages 

non-binary and sapphic rep

series

The Singing Hills Cycle is a good one to recommend, because it’s very low-commitment. You can pick whichever one of the three books (there’s soon to be a fourth!!) draws your interest, you can start with that one, and then go from there. The series follows Chih, a wandering cleric, from the Wandering Hills Abbey, which is preoccupied with keeping records of the history of this China-inspired kingdom. Chih goes around the territory with his talking bird Almost Brilliant, collecting stories.

This series is beautiful! Every book contains in it a beautiful exploration of folklore, and bite-sized story that will always warm your heart. Chih is a wonderful character around which to revolve this story, and their commitment to keeping records and history flows off the page - which is hella important, let’s record our history, folks! The side characters that show up on a book-by-book basis are always the best, and their dialogue is always the best part.

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook - I did so for the last installment,  Into The Riverlands, and it was amazing! Just a 2 hour listen, if that sells ya!

The Murderbot Diaries, starting with All Systems Red, by Martha Wells

144 to 256 pages

queer rep of all kinds! yay!

series

The Murderbot Diaries is for those of us looking for a bigger committment. The series currently has 7 books, one of which is a full-length novel. However, you can read the first book as a standalone and decide if you’d like to continue on following Murderbot’s adventures! Most of the books are 150 - 200 pages long, and so are a pretty quick read!

This is perfect if you enjoy a snarky narration style and a compelling protagonist who’s trying to figure out how they fit into the world. Murderbot, our main character and narrator, is a SecUnit, that is, a security android, that must accompany a scientific expedition to a distant planet, to keep the explorers safe. But Murderbot has hacked its security mode, and enjoys watching TV shows and chilling by itself. But when the mission starts to go wrong, it might need to perk up and start - oh, no! - interacting with the humans.

Although I haven’t read the whole series yet, - I’m waiting for the mood to come over me, okay! - I have the first three books under my belt, and I’m so excited to continue. Murderbot has this spark and this snark which is just so entertaining to read, and so this book will have you laughing and rooting for it as it tries to figure out how to fit in in human society. Such a compelling character, and I’m happy there’s a lot of content out there for me to consume.

The Emperor’s Soul, by Brandon Sanderson

192 pages

no gay rep :(

standalone

The Emperor’s Soul is a part of Mr. Sanderson’s Elantris universe, but can be read as a standalone without knowing anything else about this world. It’s a bit of a different rec - Mr. Sanderson’s writing style is - and I mean this in the politest way possible - dry as fuck, and definitely not for everyone. But there’s something here I think is worth your time.

The magic system here is so unique and so fascinating. The Emperor’s Soul follows Shai, a Forger, who can copy objects flawlessly by re-writing their history. But, suddenly, she’s enlisted to do the impossible - Forge the Emperor.

I would give this one a try, even if it’s not like all the others one I recommended. It’s a good read, and Mr. Sanderson is, like it or not, a classic fantasy writer that’s a must-read for most fantasy fans. And, for me, this and then Mistborn were perfect stepping in points for his fiction.

I have so many of these, guys. Like, literally, so many. So, let me know if you want more of these - I’ll write up another post! And if you’d more specific recs, feel free to drop an ask :) 

Also, check out my SFF books with queer-normal worlds list, if you’re looking for more gay stuff!

[nonelvis]

2024 Hugos Best Novel nominees

(x-posted from Dreamwidth)

Am I gonna have time to read everything in all the main literature categories before voting begins? Very definitely not! But I did get through 5.1 of the novel nominees and have a few opinions.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi, S.A. Chakraborty I devoured Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy, so I figured that her latest novel, this one about a retired pirate queen now living a quiet, pious life until she’s pulled in for One Last Job, would be up my alley. As ever, Chakraborty’s writing is breezy, fun, and hugely compelling. Sometimes you don’t need books to be deep and complicated; you just need a rollicking story with piracy and the spirit world and a truly evil antagonist. One of my top picks simply because I had such a blast reading it.

Starter Villain, John Scalzi This was fine. Laugh-out-loud funny anytime the dolphins were involved, but mostly it felt like it would have made a tighter novella than a novel, and it was already a pretty short novel. Also, only one major female (human) character in the entire book? C’mon, buddy, you know better than this.

Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh I think I may have simply read my lifetime quota of military fiction, even YA milfic with an intriguing plot element that means we get to revisit previous decisions and see the characters grow in ways they definitely wouldn’t have otherwise. Those elements are the reason I enjoyed this book more than I expected, but it’s still very middle-of-the-pack for me.

The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera It took me a chapter or two to really grab me, but man, did this grab me. Chandrasekera’s lyrical prose and strong world-building and characterization drew a full and sharp picture of Fetter, child of a religious leader, raised by a mother whose life that leader destroyed, and tasked with carrying out her revenge. This is the most beautifully written of the six books, IMO, and it's also a top contender.

Witch-King, Martha Wells I got three or four chapters into this and DNF’d. I find Wells’ prose wholly emotionless, and it just doesn’t work for me. Sorry, Murderbot friends.

Translation State, Ann Leckie I feel like I knew long ago Leckie was working on another book set in the Imperial Radch universe but must have forgotten, because as soon as I opened this up and realized that it was going to involve that universe -- and more critically, the Presger -- I was hooked. There are three primary narrators, each skillfully drawn in just a few pages, and I had a very hard time putting this down. Drags a bit at the end, but I'm still considering it for the #1 slot.

So, if you've been counting, that's, uh, three novels I can't choose between for the first slot. There's every chance my vote will change before the deadline passes, but right now, this is where things stand:

The Saint of Bright Doors

Translation State

The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi

Some Desperate Glory

Starter Villain

Witch-King

[kitausu]

I read 14 books in May!

Worth Reading:

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

Not Worth It:

Say Uncle by MD Gregory (not bad, I've just read better)

Problems by Brea Alepou

Professor Daddy by Nora Phoenix (this one legit made me angry)

[thelonelybrilliance]

thelonelybrilliance's 2024 Reads

Total Books Read: 132 (Original Goal: 120) Total Pages Read: 35,000 Average Book Length: 255 Pages Longest Book Read: IT, Stephen King Most Books Read in a Month: 16 (October) First-Time Reads: 83

FICTION (new to me)

Favorite Novel: Light Bringer, Pierce Brown

Runners-up: Network Effect, Martha Wells; The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle; Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury

Favorite Novella: Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan

Favorite Short Story: So Much Cooking, Naomi Kritzer

Favorite Series: The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells

Least Favorite Fiction: Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë; Hope Ablaze, Sarah Mughal Rana; Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman, E.W. Hornung; Mistress Pat, L.M. Montgomery

Least Favorite Series: The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe

NON-FICTION & POETRY (new to me)

Favorite Memoir: A Heart That Works, Rob Delaney

Runners-up: The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion; A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis, Just Kids, Patti Smith; A Natural Woman, Carole King

Favorite Essay Collection: Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions, Valeria Luiselli

Runners-up: Winter Hours, Mary Oliver

Favorite Non-Fiction Investigative/Journalistic/Academic: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, John Carreyrou

Runners-up: Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, Ronan Farrow; Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History, Richard Thompson Ford

Least Favorite Non-Fiction: How to Dress: Secret Styling Tips from a Fashion Insider, Alexandra Fullerton

Favorite Poetry: I Know Your Kind: Poems, William Brewer; Enough Rope, Dorothy Parker

Least Favorite Poetry: Woman Without Shame: Poems, Sandra Cisneros

REREADS (by author)

Favorites

J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit: or There and Back Again & The Lord of the Rings)

Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, & Mansfield Park)

Megan Whalen Turner (Queen's Thief series, including Moira's Pen)

Pierce Brown (Morning Star)

Eloise Jarvis McGraw (Mara, Daughter of the Nile)

Constance Savery (Enemy Brothers)

C.S. Lewis (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)

Elizabeth George Speare (The Witch of Blackbird Pond)

Betty Smith (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)

Joan Aiken (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase)

Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows)

Louise Glück (complete works)

Richard Siken (Crush)

Least Favorites

Baronness Emmuska Orczy (Eldorado: More Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel)