I’ll start first: (bear in mind I usually listen to audiobooks)
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir |A guy finds himself stranded in space aboard an international space vessel where he has to remember who he is.
- The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater |A true story about how hanging with the wrong crowd can have life-altering consequences
- The Animorphs series by KJ Applegate |Young adult series in which a group of kids find an alien, get the powers to morph shape into animals, as well as uncover an alien takeover conspiracy (Plus, detailed depictions of how grotesque those transformations are!)
- Saga by Brian K. Vaughn & Fiona Staples (Comic, ongoing) |Following the story of Hazel, a baby born from an ex-soldier and an enemy combatant, Saga shows how gowing up and raising a kid in a wartorn universe can have highs and lows.
Edit: added pipes for better separation
Finally reading it to understand the memes and I’m thoroughly dune pilled
First book?
Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational by Michael Shermer
‘The first Fifteen Lives of Harry August’ was pretty good.
Besides that, ‘The Waiting’ by Michael Connelly, but he’s my favorite author, so I’ll recommend almost each of his books.
Just finished World War Z again. It hits so much different post-pandemic.
For those that see “zombie book” or worse, just saw the movie, the book is written as an ‘after the infestation’ chronicle interviewing people from across the world and society, exploring the beginning moments, the panics, long term survival, and the cleanup. I view it as a modern “War of the Worlds” in that book shows what society react view from the “all-threat”, which at that era was worried about a larger more powerful enemy coming in vs in 2006 the societal fear of an “all-threat” was infestation whether societal to plague and the reactions of the people in it.
The author took inspiration from a WW2 book using actual accounts before, during, and after the war.
It (WWZ) really is fantastic. And the audiobook version with an all star cast is as well.
I finally started Infinite Jest, and it’s SLOOOOW going for me. I have three bookmarks.
I have been reading Don Quijote de la Mancha in its native Spanish because I’m able to.
I’m Starting To Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin. It’s an excellent thriller, with a great exploration of how Internet rumors can spill over into the real world
The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott by Zoe Thorogood.
I’ll just steal the description from Amazon "Billie Scott is an artist.
Her debut gallery exhibition opens in a few months.
Within a fortnight she’ll be completely blind.
Zoe Thorogood’s first graphic novel is a story about what it’s like to get something you want, have it immediately taken away from you and then how you put it all back together again. Set in a world of people down on their luck from Middlesbrough to London, it’s a graphic novel that speaks of post-austerity Britain and the problems facing those left behind."
The art is great, the characters feel real, and the issues with it are minor. I read it for a book club and loved reading this and discussing it
Sundown Towns, a book about the history of American racism, specifically the number of towns that had signs up warning black citizens not to be there after sundown. Spoiler: it was pretty much most of the towns. All over. It’s a sobering read, not a pick-me-up.
I’m currently listening to For We Are Many, the 2nd book in the Bobiverse series by Dennis E Taylor. I’d previously read them all, but the newest is currently only an audible exclusive, so I downloaded a copy and listened to it and loved it and am now listening to the rest of the series. Basic plot: a modern guy gets a service to freeze his brain upon death. He then does and is awoken and turned into a self replicating space probe and Earth goes into nuclear war and the probe tries to help where it can and explores. It’s a really good and fun read.
I’m also re-working my way through the Anne Rice Vampire series. Haven’t read them in a couple decades and wanted to get re-acquainted. currently on book 4. it’s crazy what you retain and what gets dropped after many years.
I’ve found some of the random $1 for a 9 e-book set books that Amazon offers haven’t been bad.
You mentioned Animorphs and thats one that I’ve got to give a re-read at some point. I get partway through another read through every couple of years. I’d love it if Katherine Applegate could re-work the series as an adult series. It’s so good.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi was also a great read earlier this year. Absolutely love Scalzi. Basic Plot: Poor guy inherits his Uncles evil villain organization and tries to navigate his way through the shenanigans that ensue.
Oh hey,glad you posted. I was wondering whether I wanted to get the newest book in Bobiverse because the original trilogy felt a good “end” to the story, the fourth I was “eh” on, not terrible but not amazing imo.
Also been eying Starter Villain.
Audiobooks are how I survive at work.
Currently listening to the new book and it’s really good. Highly recommended. Less “stuck” in one place
haha, I love that I could help!
I’m typically listening to podcasts all day, myself to keep my sanity. I might add audiobooks to the rotation now though.
For the Bobiverse, I didn’t know it was originally a trilogy and book 4 was already out when I started, so I went in with a completely different lens. Overall I liked the 4th. For me though, once I get invested in a series, I’m generally happy to keep getting more unless it goes off the rails (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter being an example of one I really liked that went sideways). Overall though, I liked book 4 myself, it felt like a decent continuation of the story and felt like a bridge that was needed to continue the universe into the future.
Starter Villain wasn’t my favorite Scalzi, but I definitely liked it and it felt like a fresh concept and like most Scalzi, it’s enjoyable from start to finish. IIRC I read it in no more than 2 settings.
If you haven’t Read Kaiju Preservation Society, I would wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s not amazing literature, but, god damn was it a fun ride! It felt a bit like Redshirts, if you liked that one.
Look up Theft of Fire by Devon Ericson.
“The Terror” by Dan Simmons. I already watched the show and enjoyed it, so I picked up the book and am only a few chapters in, but I’m liking it a good bit. There seems to be a good bit of historical facts thrown in, which I personally enjoy.
For those unfamiliar, it is based on the real life Franklin Expedition that disappeared while searching for a way to traverse the Northwest Passage in the Canadian arctic. The story follows the known facts regarding the fates of the expedition crew members, but it tells a paranormal horror story to fill in the blanks.
Just finished The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Her imagery is beautiful and you can feel her talent. It’s a an autobiographical roman à clef of her struggling with bipolar disorder/depression. And the only book she wore before taking her life when the love of her life left her for another woman.
Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds
Orbital, by Samantha Harvey. It’s just won the Booker prize so I thought I’d check it out. It’s set on the space station, and is basically the astronauts on board thinking. I can’t believe how beautiful it is, how gripping.
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. So fascinating. https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/entangled-life
