#Mister World 2024 fan favorites

[artisticrendezvous]

I know it's a bit delayed, but here's my 2024 book roundup!

I read a total of 105 books, which was double my goal of 52! I averaged roughly 2 books/week.

My Top 10 Fiction Books of 2024 (in no order):

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree A coffeeshop au-inspired fantasy book that makes for a cozy, heartwarming read with a dash of action and mystery. Great for those who like D&D/rpgs, slice of life, and a little bit of romance.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judi I. Lin (Book of Tea #1) A fantasy novel inspired by East Asian culture revolving around a competition to find the best shennong-shi-- masters of the ancient and magical art of tea making. There's magic, mystery, bloody court politics, and a dash of romance.

Feed by Mira Grant (Newsflesh #1) My favorite book/series of 2024. The Newsflesh series has amazing world building and a unique twist on a post zombie-apocalyptic world. You can tell she puts a lot of research into her writing, which really makes the story seem more realistic and believable for me. She includes some interesting moral/ethical questions and quandaries in her writing, but they're wrapped up in the writing and make sense with the story. I ended up buying The Rising: The Newsflesh Trilogy and Rise: A Newsflesh Collection for my bookshelf, and I reread the series twice in 2024.

Wold War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks This book is nothing like the movie. If you ever read one zombie book in your life, I'd recommend it be this one. It's incredibly well written and has a really good narrative through the "accounts" throughout the book. It's more like a history than a horror book, 10/10 recommend.

Mister Magic by Kiersten White A mystery thriller about a group of former child stars reuniting to discuss the mysterious and sudden ending of their show, and in the process uncover dark secrets. A really unique horror book that I really enjoyed.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See An immersive historical fiction novel based on the true story of female physician Tan Yunxian in 15th-century China. It's a strong story about womanhood, resilience, and medicine and is beautifully written.

The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu A very fascinating retelling of the story of Aladdin, set in a fantasy/sci-fi world on a distant planet. It has amazing world building and character development, and even though it's a retelling it is super unique and a story of its own. If you like fantasy and/or science fiction, you'll really enjoy this book.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #1) A science fiction story told from the perspective of a Company-supplied security android who refers to itself as "Murderbot." It's a relatively short book and has some fast pacing, but is part of a multi-book series. It makes for a nice, quick read to pass the time if you're a science fiction fan.

A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel A retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology. Technically this book is considered a YA fantasy part of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint; HOWEVER, I must warn it actually deals with a lot more adult/mature themes that I would not recommend this for young readers. It's dark, it's realistic, and it's beautiful. It's a story of resilience and questions who gets to determine who is a monster.

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix This is my "hear me out" book of 2024. Grady Hendrix has a lot of amazing horror stories, but this one is definitely not the best. It's weird and quirky, but I really enjoyed it. It's about a haunted Ikea-adjacent store and each chapter has an accompanying furniture diagram based on the chapter. It's a strange mix of comical and horrifying, and I loved it.

My Top Nonfiction Books of 2024 (in no order):

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, and in this book the author argues that we are currently in the sixth. A really insightful look into how we as humans have changed the world, beyond the basic ideas of deforestation and global warming. Very informative.

The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston

I love Richard Preston's non-fiction writing. He writes about epidemiology in a way that I can understand and makes it into a compelling narrative. The descriptions are matter of the fact with no frills, so it's not for those with a weak stomach, but if you're interested in virology/epidemiology, Richard Preston is the guy for you. I also read The Demon the Freezer and Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come in 2024.

The Last Elephants compiled by Colin Bell and Don Pinnock If we're unable to protect the largest land mammals on Earth, what chance do we have to protect the smaller species are go extinct every day? This book discusses the struggles and achievements in the conservation of elephants and discusses the small and large scale efforts needed in conservation efforts. Includes some amazing photographs of elephants as accompaniment.

The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murders by Douglas Preston If you like Indian Jones, you'll probably enjoy this book. Except the stories in this book are all true! A fun mix of adventures featuring buried treasure, enigmatic murders, lost tombs, strange crimes, and other interesting tales. A fun non-fiction read.

[duckmeat13]

Just realized I should probably give some credit to the art I’m using for my profile and banner, they’re from two recent comics I’ve read that imo are dreadfully underrated.

First, my profile picture - it’s the variant cover of Martian Manhunter (2019) (alternatively called Martian Manhunter: Identity), written by Steve Orlando with pencils by Riley Rossmo. This particular variant is drawn by Joshua Middleton. This series takes a really complex dive into one of the Justice League’s most mysterious characters with some incredible art and a high-concept sci-fi take on the Martians that I feel is really immersive and great take on what a Martian society could actually look like. The mystery Jonn Jonzz and his human partner have to solve also has some great layers to it and really plays with our expectations on who he actually is.

Easy recommendation if you’re a fan of Tom King’s Mister Miracle or Supergirl runs (also incredibly good!!!!)

Second, my banner is a two page spread from chapter 1 of a manga I picked up for its art style alone, then got sucked into the rest of it. It’s name is GACHIAKUTA, and it’s written and drawn by Kei Urana, with additional graffiti art by Ando Hideyoshi. It’s also published by Weekly Shonen Magazine, kind of the more mature, bigger brother to Shonen Jump. I’d call this manga pure, unadulterated eye candy, but that would discount the sheer power behind all of its art. Like, holy shit. This is easily one of my favorite looking manga in an extremely long time. The story (or at least as far as I was through it) follows a young boy sent into an underground, garbage dump hellscape full of other people who were rejected by the society on the surface. Almost all of the main characters have the ability to turn their most prized possession, whether that’s an umbrella, pair of scissors, or garden hose, into a deadly weapon called a ‘Jinki’. This makes for some incredibly creative fights involving clashes between people’s unconventional weapons and abilities, compounded with the street punk aesthetic of the comic’s world gives it this unmistakable identity.

At the moment, it’s only available online if you want to read it in English, but the translators are incredibly dedicated and really appreciate this work for what it is. It’s also getting an official English release on January 16, 2024, which I’m buying faster than you can blink.