Books I’ve Read

Jump to a year: 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022

All are listed in reverse chronological reading order.

Ratings: 👍 (Enjoyed), 🫳 (Meh), 👎 (Nope), 🚫 (DNF, aka Very nope)

2026

👍 Alchemists of Dawn, by G. S. Valiant
- If I didn’t already know it’s a first novel, I’d not have known it’s a first novel. Really nice work.
👍 The Alchemaster’s Apprentice, by Walter Moers
- Rather dark at times, often wordy, quirky all the way through. I like the Crat.
👍 A Long and Speaking Silence, by Nghi Vo
- A return to form for the series. I enjoyed the look at the early days of Cleric Chih.
👍 The Daughter Who Remains, by Nnedi Okorafor
- Good, but didn’t feel like an end to the trilogy. Story was a bit muddled at the end.
🫳 The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley
- Eh, it was fine.
🫳 The Wonder Engine, by T. Kingfisher
- Too much romance, not nearly enough wonder engine
👍 The Faith of Beasts, by James S.A. Corey
- Didn’t grab me as much as the first in the series, but still pretty good
👍 Clockwork Boys, by T. Kingfisher
🚫 David Mogo, Godhunter, by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
- After 3 nights of reading I wasn’t even at 60 pages yet. It obviously wasn’t catching me at all so I moved on.
👍 Snake-Eater, by T. Kingfisher
- As always, Ursula’s voice is like listening to a friend telling the story (or in this case the wife of a friend)
🚫 Dazzling, by Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ
- Completely failed to grab me, even nearly halfway through the book.
🫳 The Children of Memory, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Next in the Children of Time series. Confusing at times and less enjoyable than previous books in the series.
🚫 Where Rivers Go to Die, by Dilman Dila
- I got to about halfway through and it still hadn’t grabbed me so I cut my losses.
👍 The Gate of the Feral Gods, by Matt Dinniman
👍 The Nameless Land, by Kate Elliott
- Second half of the duology started in The Witch Roads. Not quite as good as the first half but still very good.
🚫 The Spice Gate, by Prashanth Srivatsa
- The protagonist really annoyed me. I didn’t even make it 100 pages in before I couldn’t take it anymore.
👍 The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, by Matt Dinniman
🫳 Godfall, by Van Jensen
- Mysteries & police procedurals aren’t my thing, but it was good for what it was.
👍 The Children of Ruin, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Next in the Children of Time series. A real chonker (>500pp). Really intriguing take on the “alien” thing that’s so common in SF.
👍 The Witch Roads, by Kate Elliott
- I very much enjoyed this one and stayed up too late reading it more often than I should have.
👍 Blood of the Old Kings, by Sung-il Kim; translated by Anton Hur
- An enjoyable read with ideas I’d not come across before. I’m looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.
👍 Saturation Point, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Pleasantly surprised I didn’t see the ending coming.
🚫 Metal from Heaven, by August Clarke
- Made it halfway through before setting it aside. Too predictable, too many words for too little content, too much sex (all not related to the plot).
👍 The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, Vol. 1, curated by Michael Kelly
- More hits than misses in this collection, and all of them interesting.
👍 Alien Clay, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

2025

👍 The Harbors of the Sun, by Martha Wells
- Thus end the Raksura novels.
👍 The Stone Sky, by N. K. Jemisin
🫳 Don’t Sleep with the Dead, by Nghi Vo
- A follow-up novella to The Chosen and the Beautiful. It didn’t do much for me.
👍 The Obelisk Gate, by N. K. Jemisin
👍 A Mouthful of Dust, by Nghi Vo
- I’m always grateful to spend more time with Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant.
👍 The King Must Die, by Kemi Ashing-Giwa
- It didn’t blow me away, and the ending felt rushed and abbreviated, but it was a good story about found family and revolution.
👍 The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin
🫳 The Dreamblood Duology, by N. K. Jemisin
- The first ever Jemisin that I didn’t like very much. Formulaic and predictable, alas.
🚫 Africanfuturism: African Imaginings of Other Times, Spaces, and Worlds, by Kimberly Cleveland
- I’m really interested in the topic but the academic wording was a dreary slog.
👍 Lilith’s Brood, by Octavia E. Butler
- A fascinating story. Also fascinating: there are no queer folks in this future, but there is homophobia and that appears to be OK?
👍 Queen Demon, by Martha Wells
- Good story, but really relies on you remembering details from Witch King. Which I don’t.
👍 Saltcrop, by Yume Kitasei
- A grim vision of the future, through the eyes of sisters.
👍 The Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- A great book that is not for arachnophobes. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
👍 The Edge of Worlds, by Martha Wells
- Closing in on the end of the Raksura series
🚫 Harmattan Season, by Tochi Onyebuchi
- I got 2/3 through before I couldn’t continue. Confusing writing, disjointed plot, little SFF content.
👍 Swordheart, by T. Kingfisher
- I had a truly great time while reading this book and am thrilled she plans more books in this story.
👍 The Ballad of Perilous Graves, by Alex Jennings
- Really imaginative and impressive first novel. Reading it during the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was good timing.
👎 Wild Basketry, by Ruby Taylor
- Heavy on the woo, light on the practical. Very glad I didn’t buy this one.
👍 The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge, by Abraham Flexner
- Not critical enough of scientific responsibility, but still very good all these years later.
👍 Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik
- An interesting update of the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale. I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
👍 Splinter in the Sky, by Kemi Ashing-Giwa
- Really enjoyed! An impressive piece of work for a first novel.
🫳 Gryphon King by Sara Omer
- Not my bag. Slow & I did not like the main character at all.
👍 A Sorceress Comes to Call, by T. Kingfisher
- Deserves all the awards
👍 Days of Shattered Faith, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- I’m really enjoying this series and pleased to learn there are two more on the way.
🚫 Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peake
- Seriously, mate, just get to the bloody point.
👍 The Birthday of the World and Other Stories, by Ursula K. Le Guin
👍 The Tusks of Extinction, by Ray Nayler
👍 Wicked Problems: How to Engineer a Better World, by Guru Madhavan
🫳 The Chosen and the Beautiful, by Nghi Vo
🚫 The Alchemists Council, by Cynthea Masson
👍 The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik
👍 Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
👍 The Siren Depths, by Martha Wells
👍 One Way Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor
👍 The Inheritance Trilogy Omnibus, by NK Jemisin (reread)
👍 The Last Graduate, by Naomi Novik
🚫 Navola, by Paolo Bacigalupi
👍 The Martian Contingency, by Mary Robinette Kowal
👍 Fiasco: A History of Hollywood’s Iconic Flops, by James Robert Parish
👍 At the Found of Creation, by Tobi Ogundiran
👍 In the Shadow of the Fall, by Tobi Ogundiran
👍 The Bones Beneath My Skin, by TJ Klune
👍 A Deadly Education, by Naomi Novik
🫳 The Parliament, by Aimee Pokwatka
🫳 The Keeper’s Six, by Kate Elliott
👍 The River of Silver, by S. A. Chakraborty
👍 House of Open Wounds, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
👎 Goddess of the River, by Vaishnavi Patel
🫳 Digging Deeper: How Archaeology Words, by Eric H. Cline
👍 Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor
👍 Cloud Roads, by Martha Wells
🫳 The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work, by Simone Stolzoff
🚫 Someone You Can Build a Nest In, by John Wiswell
🫳 On Bullshit, by Harry G. Frankfurt
🫳 Hand Spinning Cotton, by Olive and Harry Linder, Updated by Joan S. Ruane
👍 City of Last Chances, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
👍 The Serpent Sea, by Martha Wells
🚫 The City Inside, by Samit Basu
👍 The Wings upon Her Back, by Samantha Mills

2024

👍 The Empire of Gold, by S. A. Chakraborty
🫳 The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder by Robert L. Sutton and Huggy Rao
👍 The Kingdom of Copper, by S. A. Chakraborty
👍 The City in Glass, by Nghi Vo
👍 Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke
🫳 Somewhere Beyond the Sea, by TJ Klune
👍 The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, by Garth Nix
👍 The Sinister Booksellers of Bath, by Garth Nix
👎 Blackheart Man, by Nalo Hopkinson
🫳 How Git Works, by Julia Evans
👍 Mend It!, by Maureen Goldsworthy
🫳 Spinning with a Drop Spindle, by Christine Thresh
🫳 The Craft of Handspinning, by Eileen Chadwick
👍 The Mythic Dream, by various authors
👍 The Mercy of Gods, by James S. A. Corey
👍 The City of Brass, by S. A. Chakraborty
👍 She Who Knows, by Nnedi Okorafor
👍 The Book of Ile-Rien, by Martha Wells
👍 The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark
🫳 Black Shield Maiden, by Willow Smith and Jess Hendel
👍 Translation State, by Author: Ann Leckie
🫳 Forged by Blood, by Ehigbor Okosun
🚫 The Daughters of Izdihar, by Hadeer Elsbai
👍 The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport, by Samit Basu
👍 The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, by Michael D. Watkins
🫳 Rakesfall, by Vajra Chandrasekera
🚫 The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the 21st Century’s Greatest Dilemma, by Mustafa Suleyman with Michael Bhaskar
👍 Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction, by Xueting Christine Ni (translator and editor)
🚫 Technocapitalism: The Rise of the New Robber Barons and the Fight for the Common Good, by Loretta Napoleoni
🫳 Lost Ark Dreaming, by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
🫳 Jelly Roll Blues: Censored Songs & Hidden Histories, by Elijah Wald
👍 I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons, by Peter S. Beagle
🚫 The Water Outlaws, by SL Huang
🫳 Ink Blood Sister Scribe, by Emma Törzs
👍 The Brides of High Hill, by Nghi Vo
👍 Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh
👍 Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo
🫳 You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime: And Other Lessons from the Food Industry for Creating a More Sustainable Company, by Maisie Ganzler
👎 Kinning, by Nisi Shawl
👍 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty
🫳 On Parchment: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age, by Bruce Holsinger
👍 Mammoths at the Gates, by Nghi Vo
👍 The Deep Sky, by Yume Kitasei
🫳 Dead Country, by Max Gladstone
👍 Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman
🫳 Son of the Storm, by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
👍 The Saint of Bright Doors, by Vajra Chandrasekera
👍 Koji Alchemy: Rediscovering the Magic of Mild-Based Fermentation, by Rich Shih and Jeremy Umansky
👍 The Iliad, by Emily Wilson (translator)
👍 How Logic Works: A User’s Guide, by Hans Halvorson
👍 Getting Things Done: the art of stress-free productivity, by David Allen
👍 Miso, Tempeh, Natto, & Other Tasty Ferments: A Step-by-Step Guide to Fermenting Grains and Beans, by Kirsten K Shockey and Christopher Shockey
👍 Successful Independent Consulting: Relationships that Focus on Mutual Benefit, by Johanna Rothman
👍 A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
👍 Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food that Isn’t Food, by Chris van Tulleken
🫳 Seed to Harvest, by Octavia E. Butler
👍 System Collapse, by Martha Wells
👍 Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, From Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee, by Bee Wilson
🫳 The Bright and Breaking Sea, byChloe Neill
🫳 How to Write a Grant: Become a Grant Writing Unicorn, by Meredith Noble
👍 Wild Seed, by Octavia E. Butler

2023

🚫 The Bloodprint, by Ausma Zenahat Khan
👍 The Sewing Machine Master Guide: From Basic to Expert, by Clifford L. Blodget
👍 Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers
🫳 Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, by Wole Talabi
👍 Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures, by The National Museum of African American History and Culture, Kevin Strait, Kinshasha Holman Conwill
👎 The Core of an Onion: Peeling the Rarest Common Food—Featuring More Than 100 Historical Recipes, by Mark Kurlansky
👍 The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, by Brandon Sanderson
👍 A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers
👍 The World We Make, by N. K. Jemisin
👍 The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers
👍 The City We Became, by N. K. Jemisin
🚫 The Sin in the Steel, by Ryan Van Loan
🫳 Riot Baby, by Tochi Onyebuchi
🚫 Graveyard of the Pacific: Shipwreck & Survival on Americas Deadliest Waterway, by Randall Sullivan
🫳 The Expert System’s Brother, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
👍 The Black God’s Drums, by P. Djèlí Clark
🚫 Material: Making and the Art of Transformation, by Nick Kary
🫳 Hacking Diversity: The Politics of Inclusion in Open Technology Cultures, by Christina Dunbar-Hester
🫳 The Affinity Bridge, by George Mann
👍 Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman’s Trashy Journey to Zero Waste, by Eve O. Schaub
👍 Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer, by Garth Nix
👍 In the Lives of Puppets, by TJ Klune
👍 Thinking in Systems, by Donella H. Meadows
👍 Feeding Each Other: Shaping Change in Food Systems through Relationship, by Nicole Civita and Michelle Auerbach
👍 Our Fermented Lives, A History: How Fermented Foods Have Shapes Cultures and Communities, by Julia Skinner
👍 The Witch King, by Martha Wells
👍 The Battle Drum, by Saara El-Arifi
👍 Once Upon a Tome: the misadventures of a rare bookseller, by Oliver Darkshire
👍 The Final Strife, by Saara El-Arifi
👍 Danger and Other Unknown Risks, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson
👍 The Grace of Kings, by Ken Liu
🫳 The Sword of Midras, by Tracy Hickman and Richard Garriott
👍 The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu, by Dan Jurafsky
👍 Digger Unearthed: The Complete Tenth Anniversary Collection, Limited Edition, by Ursula Vernon
👍 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: An Anthology of Magical Tales, Jack Zipes
👍 Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss—and the Myths and Realities of Dieting, by Gina Kolata
👍 Noor, by Nnedi Okorafor
👍 Set Phasers on Stun, and other true tales of design, technology, and human error (second edition), by Steven Casey
🫳 How to Slay a Dragon: A Fantasy Hero’s Guide to the Real Middle Ages, by Cait Stevenson
🫳 The Seed Detective: Uncovering the secret histories of remarkable vegetables, by Adam Alexander
🫳 So You Want to be a Wizard - New Millennium Edition, by Diane Duane
👍 Move the Body, Heal the Mind, by Jennifer Heisz, Phd
👎 Spiderlight, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

2022

Incomplete list (didn’t start tracking until November)

To Be Taught If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers
The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister’s Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine, by Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris
Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann Hari
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, by Dan Harris, Jeff Warren, Carlye Adler
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, by Becky Chambers
The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative, by Stephen Denning
A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers
The Spare Man, by Mary Robinette Kowal
Shady Characters, by Keith Houston
The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djèlí Clark
The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, by Jonathan Gottschall
Make It Clear: Speak and Write to Persuade and Inform, by Patrick Henry Winston