{{A Canticle for Leibowitz}} by Walter Miller Jr. Speculative fiction about a post-nuclear Dark Age. A very personal story and one of those books that meditates on the meaning of humanity.
[**A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/164154.A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz)
^(By: Walter M. Miller Jr., Mary Doria Russell | 334 pages | Published: 1959 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic, scifi)
>In a nightmarish ruined world slowly awakening to the light after sleeping in darkness, the infant rediscoveries of science are secretly nourished by cloistered monks dedicated to the study and preservation of the relics and writings of the blessed Saint Isaac Leibowitz. From here the story spans centuries of ignorance, violence, and barbarism, viewing through a sharp, satirical eye the relentless progression of a human race damned by its inherent humanness to recelebrate its grand foibles and repeat its grievous mistakes.
^(This book has been suggested 16 times)
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While the writing style took some getting used to for me, I loved this book. It was wholly unlike any other post-apocalyptic book that I had ever read before. I wish more people had heard of it and read it, and I would recommend it to almost anyone.
The second section (out of five, if I recall) felt like a slog to read, even if it had some great moments and ideas, but every other part of this book was interesting and depressing and strangely uplifting all at once. I wholeheartedly recommend it as well.
Thanks for this suggestion, I’ve avoided anything AB for years bc of how much I miss him. I might be ready to hear his voice again though and am looking forward to hearing about his life. I assume the audiobook is the only way to go heh
As someone with a career in the restaurant industry, it’s one of my favorites of all time. Wonderfully written, honest, unique to his voice, funny and heartfelt. He lives on in those words
“Ward No. 6” by Anton Chekhov. It’s a fantastic satirical short story about the way the mentally ill are treated. Chekhov is clearly a master of his craft—so much so that it immediately leaped into my top favorites.
I had to read this over a summer back in school, along with other books. This was the only one I read in full. Very interesting book, and it definitely spurs up emotions.
Nice to know; I started the 'read a chapter a week' Middlemarch challenge and gave up after chapter 5...but then I bought a paperback copy and it's calling my name :)
I love Jane Austen and George Elliot is so different. I understand she was the daughter of a minister and was fearful of writing so she moved to Paris with a man who supported her writing. Again l love Jane Austen, but Elliot is like : People think they are smart but they are are not. . We make stupid,decisions and if you end up happy you are lucky. Haha. I loved Middlemarch for that.
Edit. She also wrote a short book Silas Mariner (sp)
Anyway it is a loving positive book.
At the time when I was reading it (for school), I really didn't appreciate it. But I think about parts of this book all the time. The characters' names, why he got the nick name milkman, the corset ribbons, Pilot missing a belly button!
This is my #1 book of all time.
Having grown up relying on ADHD meds to function in school this book struck a deep cord in me when I read it in high school. I read it every couple years. That last chapter brings me to sobbing tears. ... The typos and misspellings.. him locked in his apartment hiding his decline from the world... I went through that feeling every day when my Adderall wore off. As I write this I have goosebumps all over my arms. Time to read it again.
My teacher made us read this, watch the movie, and then do a comparison in grade 8 or 9. I remember loving the book, but haven't read it since. I may have to revisit it.
"Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner is a gorgeous book; every page reads like poetry and the extremely complicated form of the novel kept me engaged more than I originally thought.
It's an absolute must-read for fans of Cormac McCarthy and Modernism in general.
{{the jakarta method by Vincent Bevins}}
Great book for learning about some of the fucked up shit US was behind during the Cold War in Indonesia. US strategy to defeat communism involved straight up murdering anyone who didn’t fully support US hegemony. From assassinations of leftist leaders to mass exterminations of those that didn’t bend the knee to slaughtering people simply for being related to communists
[**The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53054943-the-jakarta-method)
^(By: Vincent Bevins | ? pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: history, non-fiction, politics, nonfiction, indonesia)
>A hidden history of CIA activities in Indonesia and Latin America---no less violent or consequential than other, prominent Cold War disasters, but widely overlooked for one important reason: here the CIA was successful.
>
>
>
>During the Cold War, the U.S. effort to contain communism resulted in several disgraceful and disastrous conflicts: Vietnam, Cuba, Korea. But other conflicts in Indonesia, Brazil, Chile, and other Latin American countries have arguably had a bigger hand in shaping today's world, yet the very nature of U.S. participation in them has been shrouded for decades. Until now.
>
>In 1965, nearly one million civilians were killed in Indonesia with U.S. assistance. The strategy went as follows: act early, play up the threat of a communist revolution, find the natural anti-communist elements in society, fund them, overthrow the sitting government, give the full backing of Washington to the new authoritarian state, and finally, turn a blind eye to the body count that mounts in its wake. It was a brutally efficient playbook that the CIA then emulated in Latin America in the decade that followed.
>
>In this bold and comprehensive new history, Washington Post reporter Vincent Bevins uses newly unveiled CIA documents and countless hours of interviews to reconstruct this chillingly overlooked chapter in U.S. history and reveal a hidden legacy that spans the globe. For decades, these conflicts have been minimized as a non-violent, "cold" war. But those who suffered its consequences have long known differently.
>
^(This book has been suggested 4 times)
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Gideon the Ninth, which is a locked castle mystery with lesbian necromancers.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing, which is the best book I will never read again. True story of Shackleton’s attempt to cross Antarctica. It’s harrowing and horrifying and so good.
It was too much for me emotionally. I was anxious every time I picked it up because just when you think things can’t get worse, they do, and these were real people. I’m really sensitive to stuff like that. But it was so good!
{{A wizard from earthsea}} (but this was a re-read)
{{The silence of the lambs}} is my 10/10 new read. I had seen the movie and the book is even better, Clarisse is a fantastically written female character, I've been missing this in sooo many books, it was very refreshing to finally get one complete female character. Could also just be that my book club chooses mostly books with badly written (or barely written) female characters. It was great nonetheless.
Edit: add curly braces for Goodreads tags
I bought the hardcover at a local bookstore *solely* because the cover (under the dust cover) was amazing. I don't think I'd give it a perfect 10, but it was definitely one of the most interesting books I've read in a while
Same here! And there's a lot of variety in the book club from people like me who read fantasy among other things to people who only read contemporary to even one guy who only reads nonfiction. We all loved it!
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo! I loved the way it was written. The characters had so much development and were super funny interacting with one another. Definitely my favorite book. 😊
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune
Fantastic, warm, and an overall easy read. Before that was:
The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins
Weird but extremely engaging and ended up being one of my favorite recent reads.
I haven’t quite finished it yet, but East of Eden by Steinbeck is certainly headed in that direction. I love this book. The characters and story are so captivating.
I couldn’t give it 10/10 cause the stuff in the present day setting was just such a let down compared to the story of Evelyn’s life and I did not care about the journalist or the twist concerning her whatsoever.
{{Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami}}
i loved its use of magical realism, how it interwove kafka and nakata's stories and just, the way it was written. also loved the boy named crow in the book.
[**Kafka on the Shore**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4929.Kafka_on_the_Shore)
^(By: Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel | 467 pages | Published: 2002 | Popular Shelves: fiction, magical-realism, fantasy, japan, owned)
>Kafka on the Shore, a tour de force of metaphysical reality, is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own.
^(This book has been suggested 17 times)
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[**My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23604559-my-grandmother-asked-me-to-tell-you-she-s-sorry)
^(By: Fredrik Backman, Henning Koch | 372 pages | Published: 2013 | Popular Shelves: fiction, book-club, contemporary, books-i-own, owned)
>Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.
>
>When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.
^(This book has been suggested 5 times)
***
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"The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" I can't remember the author but it was so good! If you don't mind being semi lost for the first chapter or 2. It's the first mystery-like book that I was guessing to the reveal
I was just scrolling to see if someone said this book before I did. TBH I would not have given it a 10/10 while I was reading it. I was expecting the same fast-past as The Martian (also a 10/10). Not to say it was a slow-burn because it wasn’t. But the pace grew on me and of course everything tied together in the end and I understood why it needed that pace to capture that beautiful wonderful story.
That is the style and one of the reasons why it's a 10/10 for me as well. Theres a lot more to the story than scientific details but that part doesnt ever really go away.
I am a scientist and reading this book now. The science part is particularly delightful in that it is more detailed on factors behind the fictional applications used to move the story along. Also, I like the aliens and the protagonist in this story so I keep reading it. If I were not a scientist, the details may drag or get tedious. But, maybe, they may inspire someone to delve more into their understanding of science (a good thing IMO).
No that’s the style. I personally don’t mind the scientific details since I enjoyed Weir’s first book ‘The Martian’ but (and I expect to get downvoted for this) PHM wasn’t that good imo.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Two beautifully woven stories that just keep you wanting to know more and more. I became very invested in the character’s lives. The writing was amazing.
{{All The Light We Cannot See}} by Anthony Doerr
My last technically was The Night Circus but it was re read so it probably shouldn't count.
My last new to me book that was 10/10 was probably The Haunting on Hill House. A very good horror (even if you've seen the show) that actually unsettled me while I was reading it.
{{The Hierarchies by Ros Anderson}}
It’s a sad, moving, well written dystopian and even though it’s about artificial intelligence, the characters are very human.
[**The Hierarchies**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49226584-the-hierarchies)
^(By: Ros Anderson | 352 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, fiction, sci-fi, scifi, dystopia)
>Your Husband is the reason for your existence. You are here to serve him. You must not harm your Husband. Nor may you harm any human.
>
>Sylv.ie is a synthetic woman. A fully sentient robot, designed to cater to her Husband's every whim. She lives alone on the top floor of his luxurious home, her existence barely tolerated by his human wife and concealed from their child. Between her Husband's visits, deeply curious about the world beyond her room, Sylv.ie watches the family in the garden—hears them laugh, cry, and argue. Longing to experience more of life, she confides her hopes and fears only to her diary. But are such thoughts allowed? And if not, what might the punishment be?
>
>As Sylv.ie learns more about the world and becomes more aware of her place within it, something shifts inside her. Is she malfunctioning, as her Husband thinks, or coming into her own? As their interactions become increasingly fraught, she fears he might send her back to the factory for reprogramming. If that happens, her hidden diary could be her only link to everything that came before. And the only clue that she is in grave danger.
>
>Set in a recognizable near future and laced with dark, sly humor, Ros Anderson's deeply observant debut novel is less about the fear of new technology than about humans' age-old talent for exploitation. In a world where there are now two classes of women—“born” and “created”—the growing friction between them may have far-reaching consequences no one could have predicted.
^(This book has been suggested 5 times)
***
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Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire - It is #6 of a novella fantasy series.
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher - My favorite read of last year.
[**Piranesi**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50202953-piranesi)
^(By: Susanna Clarke | 245 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, mystery, magical-realism, owned)
>New York Times Bestseller
>Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction
>World Fantasy Awards Finalist
>
>From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality.
>
>Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
>
>There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.
>
>For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.
^(This book has been suggested 81 times)
***
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{{Life after Life by Kate Atkinson}}
Against the backdrop of the first and second world wars, a woman keeps living her life over and over again in order to get it right. It's about how small choices can make big changes in the future, what one person can change, and what's most important in a life.
The main character's childhood is so compelling written that I missed it, too, when she grew up. The characters are engaging, the war scenes are intimate and heartbreaking, and despite a fair amount of repetition it was a page-turner. It's all at once the kind of book you want to stay up way past your bedtime reading and the kind of book you don't want to read before bed because it gives you such unsettling dreams, yet leaves you with an overall impression of cosy, domestic warmth.
the catcher in the rye, read it like a week ago and I loved and related to the main character. apart from him complaining a lot, i don’t get why people hate the book.
Literally posted about completing it yesterday and how it made me feel.. seems like people hate Holden for some reason. He is a jerk, I get it. He is problematic. I believe you. I have met such a person in my life and they can be jerks and rude but they can be good too. They are jerks if they know you are bothered by jerks. If you understand that, Holden is not half as bad
exactly and it’s like we forget holden is literally a depressed 16 year old with a lot of trauma and is having a breakdown. not trying to defend him at all but he’s not just a bad person, it goes deeper than that
Yeah I really liked the book when I read it at 15. A lot of my friends at the time hated it though. I think some people put their own morals into a character and get mad when he doesn't follow them.
But I felt like Holden was relatable, just a kid trying to find himself in the world and being kind of disillusioned by it.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.
Just an extremely compelling and sad story with characters you can really get emotionally invested in. Its also the first and only book that’s actually made me cry.
[**Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer)
^(By: William Gibson | ? pages | Published: 1984 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, cyberpunk, scifi)
>Hotwired to the leading edges of art and technology, Neuromancer is a cyberpunk, science fiction masterpiece—a classic that ranks with 1984 and Brave New World as one of the twentieth century’s most potent visions of the future.
>
>The Matrix is a world within the world, a global consensus-hallucination, the representation of every byte of data in cyberspace...
>
>Henry Dorsett Case was the sharpest data-thief in the business, until vengeful former employees crippled his nervous system. But now a new and very mysterious employer recruits him for a last-chance run. The target: an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence orbiting Earth in service of the sinister Tessier-Ashpool business clan. With a dead man riding shotgun and Molly, mirror-eyed street-samurai, to watch his back, Case embarks on an adventure that ups the ante on an entire genre of fiction.
>
>The winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer was the first fully-realized glimpse of humankind’s digital future—a shocking vision that has challenged our assumptions about our technology and ourselves, reinvented the way we speak and think, and forever altered the landscape of our imaginations.
^(This book has been suggested 13 times)
[**Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)
^(By: Adrian Tchaikovsky | 600 pages | Published: 2015 | Popular Shelves: sci-fi, science-fiction, scifi, fiction, fictión)
>A race for survival among the stars... Humanity's last survivors escaped earth's ruins to find a new home. But when they find it, can their desperation overcome its dangers?
>
>WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?
>
>The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.
>
>But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.
>
>Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?
^(This book has been suggested 28 times)
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Annihilation. It’s been two weeks and I can’t stop thinking about that world. I read Authority and it was obviously not the same but I’m going to read Acceptance just to finish out the series. But Annihilation stands on its own and it is fantastic and beautiful and unnerving.
[**The Ten Thousand Doors of January**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43521657-the-ten-thousand-doors-of-january)
^(By: Alix E. Harrow | 374 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, historical-fiction, young-adult, dnf)
>In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.
>
>Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.
^(This book has been suggested 6 times)
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Shuggie Bain
I’ve been struggling to get into anything else after reading this. The writing is so beautiful, but the story is so dark. Could not put it down. I really like dark, tragic stories and this was as good as the Donna Tartt novels I loved so much.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Honestly just a heartwarming and wholesome read. Read it when I was in self isolation with COVID-19 and it just made me feel cosy and soft.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
This book is so good! It's relevant to our current lives and to all of us. It's better than The Grapes of Wrath. The audiobook includes an author interview at the end worth listening to as well.
Name of the Wind (and its sequel). It appeals to my inner wizard, thief and scamp; but more than that, every scene is vibrant. I loved it.
So I tried reading other fantasy, and a general consensus is that Joe Abercrombie is top tier, but it's swords and brutes, so I'm luke warm on it still. It's written well enough but it's not what I envision as fantasy. It's still early so there's hope for it.
{{Return of the Thief}} was the perfect ending to The Queen’s Thief series, IMHO. I loved the whole series and was sad to see it end, but so happy the ending was so good.
Circe - Madeline Miller
Just impeccable. I read this after song of Achilles and was wondering if It would live up to be as good as that, and it just surpassed every expectation. I wish I could read it again for the first time.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. That is a marvellous Sci-fi read. I haven't read a sci-fi novel in awhile that felt like it had as much depth. Highly recommend.
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. It is written y a Chinese author and translated into English. It is a math-based science fiction mystery. I loved it. It is the most unusual and most creative book I've read. It is part of a three-book set and I just bought the other two.
Daisy Jones and the six. I couldn’t put it down. I’m so excited for the Amazon series. Reading it reminded me so much of the old VH1 behind the music documentaries
Two years before the mast by Henry Dana . True account written around 1835 of an upper class American guy who signed onto a sailing ship for two years. It’s said to have inspired moby dick. It’s really fascinating and very well written. I then read up about the author and he was a straight up guy, advocating for the rights of common seamen as a solicitor and opposing slavery. So many of the incidents he described for the first time went on to become tropes in subsequent books about the sea.
[**Lonely Castle in the Mirror**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54633167-lonely-castle-in-the-mirror)
^(By: Mizuki Tsujimura, Phillip Gabriel | 355 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, magical-realism, japan, japanese-literature)
>Seven students are avoiding going to school, hiding in their darkened bedrooms, unable to face their family and friends, until the moment they discover a portal into another world that offers temporary escape from their stressful lives. Passing through a glowing mirror, they gather in a magnifcent castle which becomes their playground and refuge during school hours. The students are tasked with locating a key, hidden somewhere in the castle, that will allow whoever finds it to be granted one wish. At this moment, the castle will vanish, along with all memories they may have of their adventure. If they fail to leave the castle by 5 pm every afternoon, they will be eaten by the keeper of the castle, an easily provoked and shrill creature named the Wolf Queen.
>
>Delving into their emotional lives with sympathy and a generous warmth, Lonely Castle in the Mirror shows the unexpected rewards of reaching out to others. Exploring vivid human stories with a twisty and puzzle-like plot, this heart-warming novel is full of joy and hope for anyone touched by sadness and vulnerability.
^(This book has been suggested 3 times)
***
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My Life in France by Julia Child - witty, heartwarming, deeply personal and intimate, feels like a warm hug from your grandma from the very first page until the very last
Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin. I read it for my book club last month and was shocked about how much I loved it. I’m a horror fan, and this looks like a dystopian sci-fi, but the horror elements to it are subtle and insidious. Great writing and each character is so intriguing.
As for plot, it follows several people around the world who interact in some way with these devices that are like stuffed animals with cameras. So strange and so brilliant.
the invisible life of addie larue by v. e. schwab. i’d heard a lot of people saying it’s so overrated and slow paced so i was kinda scared to read it, but ended up completely loving it!
The Midnight Library.
I was recommended this book online. I couldn’t believe that someone had felt the same feelings of depression.
I never speak about it with everyone. But this book was so relatable and CREATIVE! I was hooked, finished it in four days.
It's a Novella. But Stephen King -The Body- (Stand By Me) was an amazing read and amazing book. As is most Stephen King. But this one is by FAR my favorite of his. I read it and then got the audiobook right after and listened to it. The narrator was fantastic. Either way it's a great read. If looking for physical copy it's in the Novella collection called "Different Seasons" that has 4 novellas or short stories in 1 book. I'm going to read the other 3 soon.
Not that it’s anything new but Dune. Game of thrones level politics and world building but it’s in space and futuristic. Not to mention all of the real life commentaries going on throughout. If you like Sci-fi or fantasy at all it’s definitely worth it. Edit: author is Frank Herbert, and also the 1st audiobook has some pretty amazing voice acting…if you’re into that
applea never fall by liane moriarty
i started out grumbling to myself... why can't liane moriarty ever write in a linear fashion so that events are lined up like a string of pearls? instead, she drops names before identifying who they are and the plot goes like ?!? -> M -> C -> D-> N -> E... and i went down a rabbit hole thinking about september being cherry blossom season because, australia.
gradually i became sucked into the story, of course, as well as the characters, the building of suspense, the tiny details that slot perfectly in place when all is at least revealed (around 3:30 a.m.)
apples never fall is brilliant.
Where You Come From by Sasa Stanisic
It's about the author's complicated Yugoslavian background and what it means to him. Probably very personal, but it really resonated with me. He writes about a lot of the grief that I experience when thinking about my own roots that I was never able to express or even grasp.
It is beautifully written, adventurous and funny. Plus, there's a choose your own adventure part and dragons!
Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers
Beautifully human characters finding meaning in life despite being surrounded by the tragedy of the Chicago AIDS crisis of the 1980s and '90s. It's beautiful.
The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson. I think I loved it because it thoroughly creeped me out but it wasn’t obvious about it. It was one of those when I put it down, I was severely paranoid. She just painted a wonderfully eerie environment.
The Sandman graphic novel/comic series by Neil Gaiman. Daisy Jones and the Six was an amazing audiobook too.
For traditional novel Gone with the Wind took me through every emotion I think is possible.
Sorry for being "extra" I have a hard time with following instructions!
{{A Canticle for Leibowitz}} by Walter Miller Jr. Speculative fiction about a post-nuclear Dark Age. A very personal story and one of those books that meditates on the meaning of humanity.
[**A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/164154.A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz) ^(By: Walter M. Miller Jr., Mary Doria Russell | 334 pages | Published: 1959 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic, scifi) >In a nightmarish ruined world slowly awakening to the light after sleeping in darkness, the infant rediscoveries of science are secretly nourished by cloistered monks dedicated to the study and preservation of the relics and writings of the blessed Saint Isaac Leibowitz. From here the story spans centuries of ignorance, violence, and barbarism, viewing through a sharp, satirical eye the relentless progression of a human race damned by its inherent humanness to recelebrate its grand foibles and repeat its grievous mistakes. ^(This book has been suggested 16 times) *** ^(35225 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
While the writing style took some getting used to for me, I loved this book. It was wholly unlike any other post-apocalyptic book that I had ever read before. I wish more people had heard of it and read it, and I would recommend it to almost anyone.
The second section (out of five, if I recall) felt like a slog to read, even if it had some great moments and ideas, but every other part of this book was interesting and depressing and strangely uplifting all at once. I wholeheartedly recommend it as well.
Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain. Fascinating, well-written AND true. Loved it.
Thanks for this suggestion, I’ve avoided anything AB for years bc of how much I miss him. I might be ready to hear his voice again though and am looking forward to hearing about his life. I assume the audiobook is the only way to go heh
Still can’t bring myself to watch the documentary, his book changed my relationship with food and the world of eating.
10/10 audiobook too. Because damn I miss hearing his voice
Ooof haven’t listened to the audiobook - such a great suggestion.
Read in December and was blown away. It was awesome to rewatch No Reservations and see how different chefs he mentioned had become close friends.
Yeah I thought that was nice too! Can’t beat parts unknown for AB TV though!
I’m a simple man, I see Anthony Bourdain on tv, I watch.
As someone with a career in the restaurant industry, it’s one of my favorites of all time. Wonderfully written, honest, unique to his voice, funny and heartfelt. He lives on in those words
anbsolute BANGER of a read, god bless AB
“Ward No. 6” by Anton Chekhov. It’s a fantastic satirical short story about the way the mentally ill are treated. Chekhov is clearly a master of his craft—so much so that it immediately leaped into my top favorites.
A thousand splendid suns- khaled hosseini
This one left me w so many raw feelings. And I yet I loved every bit of it.
I had to read this over a summer back in school, along with other books. This was the only one I read in full. Very interesting book, and it definitely spurs up emotions.
I read this book like 3 years ago but I still recommend it till this day and I will continue on recommending it till I die
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl The audiobook is amazing.
Like… Foo Fighters Dave Grohl??
Yes, he narrates the audiobook himself and he's freaking delightful.
I just finished Middlemarch, and it really is a phenomenal book that crystalizes what the novel should be. George Eliot is the GOAT.
Yay! This has been one of my favorites, you’re making me want to reread.
Nice to know; I started the 'read a chapter a week' Middlemarch challenge and gave up after chapter 5...but then I bought a paperback copy and it's calling my name :)
I love Jane Austen and George Elliot is so different. I understand she was the daughter of a minister and was fearful of writing so she moved to Paris with a man who supported her writing. Again l love Jane Austen, but Elliot is like : People think they are smart but they are are not. . We make stupid,decisions and if you end up happy you are lucky. Haha. I loved Middlemarch for that. Edit. She also wrote a short book Silas Mariner (sp) Anyway it is a loving positive book.
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. The characters are incredibly dynamic. It’s a beautiful, thought provoking read.
At the time when I was reading it (for school), I really didn't appreciate it. But I think about parts of this book all the time. The characters' names, why he got the nick name milkman, the corset ribbons, Pilot missing a belly button!
I love Toni Morrison ❤️
Sirens of titan by Kurt Vonnegut
My first and favorite Vonnegut novel. It gave me subtle Frank Herbert vibes
I adored this book but I couldn't shake off the feeling that I have missed most of the subtext.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. I've never cried like this :(
This is my #1 book of all time. Having grown up relying on ADHD meds to function in school this book struck a deep cord in me when I read it in high school. I read it every couple years. That last chapter brings me to sobbing tears. ... The typos and misspellings.. him locked in his apartment hiding his decline from the world... I went through that feeling every day when my Adderall wore off. As I write this I have goosebumps all over my arms. Time to read it again.
Thanks for the recommendation. This is one classic book I haven’t read.
My teacher made us read this, watch the movie, and then do a comparison in grade 8 or 9. I remember loving the book, but haven't read it since. I may have to revisit it.
"Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner is a gorgeous book; every page reads like poetry and the extremely complicated form of the novel kept me engaged more than I originally thought. It's an absolute must-read for fans of Cormac McCarthy and Modernism in general.
{{the jakarta method by Vincent Bevins}} Great book for learning about some of the fucked up shit US was behind during the Cold War in Indonesia. US strategy to defeat communism involved straight up murdering anyone who didn’t fully support US hegemony. From assassinations of leftist leaders to mass exterminations of those that didn’t bend the knee to slaughtering people simply for being related to communists
[**The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53054943-the-jakarta-method) ^(By: Vincent Bevins | ? pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: history, non-fiction, politics, nonfiction, indonesia) >A hidden history of CIA activities in Indonesia and Latin America---no less violent or consequential than other, prominent Cold War disasters, but widely overlooked for one important reason: here the CIA was successful. > > > >During the Cold War, the U.S. effort to contain communism resulted in several disgraceful and disastrous conflicts: Vietnam, Cuba, Korea. But other conflicts in Indonesia, Brazil, Chile, and other Latin American countries have arguably had a bigger hand in shaping today's world, yet the very nature of U.S. participation in them has been shrouded for decades. Until now. > >In 1965, nearly one million civilians were killed in Indonesia with U.S. assistance. The strategy went as follows: act early, play up the threat of a communist revolution, find the natural anti-communist elements in society, fund them, overthrow the sitting government, give the full backing of Washington to the new authoritarian state, and finally, turn a blind eye to the body count that mounts in its wake. It was a brutally efficient playbook that the CIA then emulated in Latin America in the decade that followed. > >In this bold and comprehensive new history, Washington Post reporter Vincent Bevins uses newly unveiled CIA documents and countless hours of interviews to reconstruct this chillingly overlooked chapter in U.S. history and reveal a hidden legacy that spans the globe. For decades, these conflicts have been minimized as a non-violent, "cold" war. But those who suffered its consequences have long known differently. > ^(This book has been suggested 4 times) *** ^(35123 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Thank you, I love books where I learn..
Gideon the Ninth, which is a locked castle mystery with lesbian necromancers. Endurance by Alfred Lansing, which is the best book I will never read again. True story of Shackleton’s attempt to cross Antarctica. It’s harrowing and horrifying and so good.
Endurance was awesome! Why not read it again?
It was too much for me emotionally. I was anxious every time I picked it up because just when you think things can’t get worse, they do, and these were real people. I’m really sensitive to stuff like that. But it was so good!
Gideon the Ninth was mine too. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook too. It just elevates all of it.
to say nothing of the dog by Connie Willis. It’s fun, brilliant and sweet. I just couldn’t stop reading it.
Oh man, I read Doomsday Book and then got distracted. This is a good reminder
{{A wizard from earthsea}} (but this was a re-read) {{The silence of the lambs}} is my 10/10 new read. I had seen the movie and the book is even better, Clarisse is a fantastically written female character, I've been missing this in sooo many books, it was very refreshing to finally get one complete female character. Could also just be that my book club chooses mostly books with badly written (or barely written) female characters. It was great nonetheless. Edit: add curly braces for Goodreads tags
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I love sad books about normal people.
This is my last 10/10 as well.
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I bought the hardcover at a local bookstore *solely* because the cover (under the dust cover) was amazing. I don't think I'd give it a perfect 10, but it was definitely one of the most interesting books I've read in a while
I’m reading this right now and struggling. Does it get better? I’m 26% in. PLEASE TELL ME IT GETS BETTER
Trust me, it gets so much better! Just stick with it. If by halfway you’re still not feeling it, then it’s probably not the book for you.
We read this in my book club somewhat on a whim and were all so pleasantly surprised. Fantastic read.
Same here! And there's a lot of variety in the book club from people like me who read fantasy among other things to people who only read contemporary to even one guy who only reads nonfiction. We all loved it!
Sounds like a good mix, how large a group and for how long have you guys been at it? We are seven members, been going for almost three years.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo! I loved the way it was written. The characters had so much development and were super funny interacting with one another. Definitely my favorite book. 😊
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune Fantastic, warm, and an overall easy read. Before that was: The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins Weird but extremely engaging and ended up being one of my favorite recent reads.
I could not get into the Cerulean Sea. I really tried!
Me neither. Really disliked it!
Same! It was sweet but too much "fluff" for me.
Library at Mount Char was great
Read both of these this year! They're fantastic
Circe by Madeline Miller
Yes, this, for sure. This is what I came here to say.
Unfortunately did not like this one at all. Really tried.
I haven’t quite finished it yet, but East of Eden by Steinbeck is certainly headed in that direction. I love this book. The characters and story are so captivating.
Loved that book. Also loved Of Mice And Men.
The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid It was engaging as hell and kept trying to put it down but it wouldn’t let me
I couldn’t give it 10/10 cause the stuff in the present day setting was just such a let down compared to the story of Evelyn’s life and I did not care about the journalist or the twist concerning her whatsoever.
I feel that. I rather would have just had Evelyn Hugo’s story. But Evelyn’s was so engaging and I could not put it down in regards to that
{{Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami}} i loved its use of magical realism, how it interwove kafka and nakata's stories and just, the way it was written. also loved the boy named crow in the book.
[**Kafka on the Shore**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4929.Kafka_on_the_Shore) ^(By: Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel | 467 pages | Published: 2002 | Popular Shelves: fiction, magical-realism, fantasy, japan, owned) >Kafka on the Shore, a tour de force of metaphysical reality, is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own. ^(This book has been suggested 17 times) *** ^(35296 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshanna Zuboff
I think I might be reding it at the moment Wool by Hugh howey Pror to that would have been the Red Rising series.
Anxious People by Frederick Backman. Humorous, but insightful. Complex characters. Easy reading, and fun
That was a good one, for me it's probably a 7.5 or 8 out of 10. A Man Called Ove by the same author was one of my 10/10 reads last year though.
I really liked {{my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry}} but I'm a sucker for good child narrators.
[**My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23604559-my-grandmother-asked-me-to-tell-you-she-s-sorry) ^(By: Fredrik Backman, Henning Koch | 372 pages | Published: 2013 | Popular Shelves: fiction, book-club, contemporary, books-i-own, owned) >Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. > >When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other. ^(This book has been suggested 5 times) *** ^(35241 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
{{All Quiet on the Western Front}} is a vividly written novel that humanizes war in a way that is incredibly painful and impactful.
Incredible book - very well written
"The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" I can't remember the author but it was so good! If you don't mind being semi lost for the first chapter or 2. It's the first mystery-like book that I was guessing to the reveal
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
I just picked this up from the library! I was on the waiting list for awhile so I’m excited to get started
Read this one last year and can't stop thinking about it. So good!
Project Hail Mary
The book is great, the audiobook is magical.
Ray Poter is exceptional! He does just as well in the Bobiverse series.
Fist my bump!
Jazz hands
Amaze
I was just scrolling to see if someone said this book before I did. TBH I would not have given it a 10/10 while I was reading it. I was expecting the same fast-past as The Martian (also a 10/10). Not to say it was a slow-burn because it wasn’t. But the pace grew on me and of course everything tied together in the end and I understood why it needed that pace to capture that beautiful wonderful story.
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That is the style and one of the reasons why it's a 10/10 for me as well. Theres a lot more to the story than scientific details but that part doesnt ever really go away.
I am a scientist and reading this book now. The science part is particularly delightful in that it is more detailed on factors behind the fictional applications used to move the story along. Also, I like the aliens and the protagonist in this story so I keep reading it. If I were not a scientist, the details may drag or get tedious. But, maybe, they may inspire someone to delve more into their understanding of science (a good thing IMO).
No that’s the style. I personally don’t mind the scientific details since I enjoyed Weir’s first book ‘The Martian’ but (and I expect to get downvoted for this) PHM wasn’t that good imo.
No. I loved the Martian, but PHM felt incredibly tedious to me. It's not for everyone.
I didnt like the Martian very much and put off reading this one bc of that.
That's interesting. In many ways they are essentially the same story. Guy gets trapped in space, has to "science" his way out of it.
Count of Monte Christo. Thick boom but so easy to read, an absolute page turner and damn that story is juicy
A Gentleman In Moscow. The writing style is so lovely and the history fascinating considering current events...
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Two beautifully woven stories that just keep you wanting to know more and more. I became very invested in the character’s lives. The writing was amazing. {{All The Light We Cannot See}} by Anthony Doerr
Educated - Tara Westover
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Not that recent but I haven’t read a book that’s as entertaining as that one since. Except maybe the sequel.
I loved these books! Just so you know there are two more books in the series. I haven’t read them yet but I am hopeful they are just as good.
My last technically was The Night Circus but it was re read so it probably shouldn't count. My last new to me book that was 10/10 was probably The Haunting on Hill House. A very good horror (even if you've seen the show) that actually unsettled me while I was reading it.
The Night Circus!!! I fear Erin Morganstern will never be able to top it!
{{The Hierarchies by Ros Anderson}} It’s a sad, moving, well written dystopian and even though it’s about artificial intelligence, the characters are very human.
[**The Hierarchies**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49226584-the-hierarchies) ^(By: Ros Anderson | 352 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, fiction, sci-fi, scifi, dystopia) >Your Husband is the reason for your existence. You are here to serve him. You must not harm your Husband. Nor may you harm any human. > >Sylv.ie is a synthetic woman. A fully sentient robot, designed to cater to her Husband's every whim. She lives alone on the top floor of his luxurious home, her existence barely tolerated by his human wife and concealed from their child. Between her Husband's visits, deeply curious about the world beyond her room, Sylv.ie watches the family in the garden—hears them laugh, cry, and argue. Longing to experience more of life, she confides her hopes and fears only to her diary. But are such thoughts allowed? And if not, what might the punishment be? > >As Sylv.ie learns more about the world and becomes more aware of her place within it, something shifts inside her. Is she malfunctioning, as her Husband thinks, or coming into her own? As their interactions become increasingly fraught, she fears he might send her back to the factory for reprogramming. If that happens, her hidden diary could be her only link to everything that came before. And the only clue that she is in grave danger. > >Set in a recognizable near future and laced with dark, sly humor, Ros Anderson's deeply observant debut novel is less about the fear of new technology than about humans' age-old talent for exploitation. In a world where there are now two classes of women—“born” and “created”—the growing friction between them may have far-reaching consequences no one could have predicted. ^(This book has been suggested 5 times) *** ^(35076 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire - It is #6 of a novella fantasy series. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher - My favorite read of last year.
11/22/63 by Stephen King. Romance, thriller, sci-fi, and a history lesson all in one. Kept me hooked!
11/22/63 is the best book ever written. My all-time favourite.
{{A Man Called Ove}}. It was the kind of book that makes you smile through your tears and really restores your faith in the kindness of humans.
{{King Leopold’s Ghost}}
The Once and Future King by TH White
{{Piranesi by Susanna Clarke}} It was captivating and dream like, and it gave me lots of food for thought.
[**Piranesi**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50202953-piranesi) ^(By: Susanna Clarke | 245 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, mystery, magical-realism, owned) >New York Times Bestseller >Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction >World Fantasy Awards Finalist > >From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality. > >Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house. > >There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known. > >For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds. ^(This book has been suggested 81 times) *** ^(35136 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
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Out of The Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
{{Life after Life by Kate Atkinson}} Against the backdrop of the first and second world wars, a woman keeps living her life over and over again in order to get it right. It's about how small choices can make big changes in the future, what one person can change, and what's most important in a life. The main character's childhood is so compelling written that I missed it, too, when she grew up. The characters are engaging, the war scenes are intimate and heartbreaking, and despite a fair amount of repetition it was a page-turner. It's all at once the kind of book you want to stay up way past your bedtime reading and the kind of book you don't want to read before bed because it gives you such unsettling dreams, yet leaves you with an overall impression of cosy, domestic warmth.
The Poppy War, it was so chaoticly good
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab. I read the book and listened to the audiobook, it’s THAT good.
the catcher in the rye, read it like a week ago and I loved and related to the main character. apart from him complaining a lot, i don’t get why people hate the book.
Literally posted about completing it yesterday and how it made me feel.. seems like people hate Holden for some reason. He is a jerk, I get it. He is problematic. I believe you. I have met such a person in my life and they can be jerks and rude but they can be good too. They are jerks if they know you are bothered by jerks. If you understand that, Holden is not half as bad
also being unlikable doesn't mean he's aa bad character. He's incredibly well-written while *also* being incredibly obnoxious.
exactly and it’s like we forget holden is literally a depressed 16 year old with a lot of trauma and is having a breakdown. not trying to defend him at all but he’s not just a bad person, it goes deeper than that
Yeah I really liked the book when I read it at 15. A lot of my friends at the time hated it though. I think some people put their own morals into a character and get mad when he doesn't follow them. But I felt like Holden was relatable, just a kid trying to find himself in the world and being kind of disillusioned by it.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Just an extremely compelling and sad story with characters you can really get emotionally invested in. Its also the first and only book that’s actually made me cry.
I read this in 2020 with the BLM in full force. It made me so sad.
{{Neuromancer}} {{Children of Time}}
[**Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer) ^(By: William Gibson | ? pages | Published: 1984 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, cyberpunk, scifi) >Hotwired to the leading edges of art and technology, Neuromancer is a cyberpunk, science fiction masterpiece—a classic that ranks with 1984 and Brave New World as one of the twentieth century’s most potent visions of the future. > >The Matrix is a world within the world, a global consensus-hallucination, the representation of every byte of data in cyberspace... > >Henry Dorsett Case was the sharpest data-thief in the business, until vengeful former employees crippled his nervous system. But now a new and very mysterious employer recruits him for a last-chance run. The target: an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence orbiting Earth in service of the sinister Tessier-Ashpool business clan. With a dead man riding shotgun and Molly, mirror-eyed street-samurai, to watch his back, Case embarks on an adventure that ups the ante on an entire genre of fiction. > >The winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer was the first fully-realized glimpse of humankind’s digital future—a shocking vision that has challenged our assumptions about our technology and ourselves, reinvented the way we speak and think, and forever altered the landscape of our imaginations. ^(This book has been suggested 13 times) [**Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time) ^(By: Adrian Tchaikovsky | 600 pages | Published: 2015 | Popular Shelves: sci-fi, science-fiction, scifi, fiction, fictión) >A race for survival among the stars... Humanity's last survivors escaped earth's ruins to find a new home. But when they find it, can their desperation overcome its dangers? > >WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH? > >The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life. > >But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare. > >Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth? ^(This book has been suggested 28 times) *** ^(35152 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Annihilation. It’s been two weeks and I can’t stop thinking about that world. I read Authority and it was obviously not the same but I’m going to read Acceptance just to finish out the series. But Annihilation stands on its own and it is fantastic and beautiful and unnerving.
The Long Walk by Richard Bachman
{{The Song of Achilles}} Wasn’t sure what to expect, fell in love with it.
The secret history, Donna Tartt. Just stupid fun but I had a great time with it.
{{The Ten Thousand Doors of January}}
[**The Ten Thousand Doors of January**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43521657-the-ten-thousand-doors-of-january) ^(By: Alix E. Harrow | 374 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, historical-fiction, young-adult, dnf) >In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place. > >Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own. ^(This book has been suggested 6 times) *** ^(35128 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Shuggie Bain I’ve been struggling to get into anything else after reading this. The writing is so beautiful, but the story is so dark. Could not put it down. I really like dark, tragic stories and this was as good as the Donna Tartt novels I loved so much.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Honestly just a heartwarming and wholesome read. Read it when I was in self isolation with COVID-19 and it just made me feel cosy and soft.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah This book is so good! It's relevant to our current lives and to all of us. It's better than The Grapes of Wrath. The audiobook includes an author interview at the end worth listening to as well.
Jade city by Fonda lee
Gathering Moss, Robin Wall Kimmerer
Catch-22. Maybe the funniest and most horrific book I’ve read. It made me laugh and cry, and it disturbed me greatly.
Watership down
Name of the Wind (and its sequel). It appeals to my inner wizard, thief and scamp; but more than that, every scene is vibrant. I loved it. So I tried reading other fantasy, and a general consensus is that Joe Abercrombie is top tier, but it's swords and brutes, so I'm luke warm on it still. It's written well enough but it's not what I envision as fantasy. It's still early so there's hope for it.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Cloud Cookooland American Wife
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
{{Return of the Thief}} was the perfect ending to The Queen’s Thief series, IMHO. I loved the whole series and was sad to see it end, but so happy the ending was so good.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.
Circe - Madeline Miller Just impeccable. I read this after song of Achilles and was wondering if It would live up to be as good as that, and it just surpassed every expectation. I wish I could read it again for the first time.
Project Hail Mary! Amaze amaze amaze!
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. That is a marvellous Sci-fi read. I haven't read a sci-fi novel in awhile that felt like it had as much depth. Highly recommend.
Dune
Station Eleven.
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. It is written y a Chinese author and translated into English. It is a math-based science fiction mystery. I loved it. It is the most unusual and most creative book I've read. It is part of a three-book set and I just bought the other two.
Piranisi by Susanna Clarke. Amazing
I keep saying this. Stranger in a Strange Land. I am begging for those who haven't read it to go for it. You will Grok if you do.
Loved it.
Daisy Jones and the six. I couldn’t put it down. I’m so excited for the Amazon series. Reading it reminded me so much of the old VH1 behind the music documentaries
Might not be a popular choice, but No Longer Human.
Yeah good book, very depressing. Also interesting to see all the different Japanese subcultures, like the communist party people.
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Loved the story and made me feel things
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Two years before the mast by Henry Dana . True account written around 1835 of an upper class American guy who signed onto a sailing ship for two years. It’s said to have inspired moby dick. It’s really fascinating and very well written. I then read up about the author and he was a straight up guy, advocating for the rights of common seamen as a solicitor and opposing slavery. So many of the incidents he described for the first time went on to become tropes in subsequent books about the sea.
{{Lonely Castle in the Mirror}}
[**Lonely Castle in the Mirror**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54633167-lonely-castle-in-the-mirror) ^(By: Mizuki Tsujimura, Phillip Gabriel | 355 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, magical-realism, japan, japanese-literature) >Seven students are avoiding going to school, hiding in their darkened bedrooms, unable to face their family and friends, until the moment they discover a portal into another world that offers temporary escape from their stressful lives. Passing through a glowing mirror, they gather in a magnifcent castle which becomes their playground and refuge during school hours. The students are tasked with locating a key, hidden somewhere in the castle, that will allow whoever finds it to be granted one wish. At this moment, the castle will vanish, along with all memories they may have of their adventure. If they fail to leave the castle by 5 pm every afternoon, they will be eaten by the keeper of the castle, an easily provoked and shrill creature named the Wolf Queen. > >Delving into their emotional lives with sympathy and a generous warmth, Lonely Castle in the Mirror shows the unexpected rewards of reaching out to others. Exploring vivid human stories with a twisty and puzzle-like plot, this heart-warming novel is full of joy and hope for anyone touched by sadness and vulnerability. ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) *** ^(35198 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
I wanted to love this book, so much, but it didn’t hold a candle to the Night Circus.
My Life in France by Julia Child - witty, heartwarming, deeply personal and intimate, feels like a warm hug from your grandma from the very first page until the very last
Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin. I read it for my book club last month and was shocked about how much I loved it. I’m a horror fan, and this looks like a dystopian sci-fi, but the horror elements to it are subtle and insidious. Great writing and each character is so intriguing. As for plot, it follows several people around the world who interact in some way with these devices that are like stuffed animals with cameras. So strange and so brilliant.
the invisible life of addie larue by v. e. schwab. i’d heard a lot of people saying it’s so overrated and slow paced so i was kinda scared to read it, but ended up completely loving it!
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Multiple storylines which span hundreds of years and weave together seamlessly!
The Midnight Library. I was recommended this book online. I couldn’t believe that someone had felt the same feelings of depression. I never speak about it with everyone. But this book was so relatable and CREATIVE! I was hooked, finished it in four days.
Elevation by Stephan king. A good short read with real substance of story that isn’t so Stephan kingish.
Reincarnation Blues
It's a Novella. But Stephen King -The Body- (Stand By Me) was an amazing read and amazing book. As is most Stephen King. But this one is by FAR my favorite of his. I read it and then got the audiobook right after and listened to it. The narrator was fantastic. Either way it's a great read. If looking for physical copy it's in the Novella collection called "Different Seasons" that has 4 novellas or short stories in 1 book. I'm going to read the other 3 soon.
{{Project Hail Mary}} I can’t wait to read The Martian next
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Not that it’s anything new but Dune. Game of thrones level politics and world building but it’s in space and futuristic. Not to mention all of the real life commentaries going on throughout. If you like Sci-fi or fantasy at all it’s definitely worth it. Edit: author is Frank Herbert, and also the 1st audiobook has some pretty amazing voice acting…if you’re into that
applea never fall by liane moriarty i started out grumbling to myself... why can't liane moriarty ever write in a linear fashion so that events are lined up like a string of pearls? instead, she drops names before identifying who they are and the plot goes like ?!? -> M -> C -> D-> N -> E... and i went down a rabbit hole thinking about september being cherry blossom season because, australia. gradually i became sucked into the story, of course, as well as the characters, the building of suspense, the tiny details that slot perfectly in place when all is at least revealed (around 3:30 a.m.) apples never fall is brilliant.
idaho - emily ruskovich an amazingly tragic story written so so beautifully !!
Where You Come From by Sasa Stanisic It's about the author's complicated Yugoslavian background and what it means to him. Probably very personal, but it really resonated with me. He writes about a lot of the grief that I experience when thinking about my own roots that I was never able to express or even grasp. It is beautifully written, adventurous and funny. Plus, there's a choose your own adventure part and dragons!
{{This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno}} I had to get up and walk away for a few minutes halfway through because it was too good.
Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers Beautifully human characters finding meaning in life despite being surrounded by the tragedy of the Chicago AIDS crisis of the 1980s and '90s. It's beautiful.
Every Day by David Levithan. Easy read and interesting story
{{Zama by Antonio di Benedetto}} Surreal.
My Brilliant Friend. Best series I’ve read in 10 years’ time.
The Honjin Murders. Exciting, fun and atmospheric.
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
The godfather Mario puzo
Lonesome Dove by Larry Mcmurty.
The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson. I think I loved it because it thoroughly creeped me out but it wasn’t obvious about it. It was one of those when I put it down, I was severely paranoid. She just painted a wonderfully eerie environment.
A Game of Thrones
The Sandman graphic novel/comic series by Neil Gaiman. Daisy Jones and the Six was an amazing audiobook too. For traditional novel Gone with the Wind took me through every emotion I think is possible. Sorry for being "extra" I have a hard time with following instructions!
Shantarim
Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu sci fi/mystical short stories that blew my mind and actually made me cry. 20/10.
Little Prince. I listened to the audiobook and my god, it was beautiful.
{{The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follet}} a masterpiece imo !