Gordy Clark

Books I've Read

Almost every book I've read in the last 7-8 years. The notes are here to remind me what the book was and they are not necessarially reviews or endorsements.

Gordy Clark 1 min read
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Prologue

This list was originally a Google Sheet, sorted alphabetically by author. It is now generated from that sheet directly: the CSV is the source of truth, and the page below renders it three ways. Sort it by author surname, by title, or by genre — the whole list is already on the page, so switching is instant and nothing is fetched.

Currently reading:

  • Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
  • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

Quick Stats

Nicer charts will come later as I get the software to work

  • Total Books: 396
  • Distinct Authors: 269
  • Most Popular Author: 11 books by Sandon Branderson AKA the Brando Sando AKA Bransand Donson AKA Brandon Sanderson
  • Distinct Genres: 14
  • Top Three Genres: Literature (107 titles), Science Fiction (90 titles), and Nonfiction (53 titles)
Sort by

396 books

A

  • Eisenhorn OmnibusAbnett, DanWH40KInquisitor Eisenhorn does w40k inquisitor things. Subpar mystery, nice atmosphere
  • First and OnlyAbnett, DanWH40KW40K but about the normal human soldiers, not space marines. a fun romp
  • Horus RisingAbnett, DanWH40KW40K Space marine Horus Heresy pt 1
  • Prospero BurnsAbnett, DanWH40KA thousand sons but from the POV of the Space Wolves Awooooooooo
  • The Happiness AdvantageAchor, ShawnNonfictionInformative book on how pursuing happiness benefits your entire life
  • Prediction machines: the simple ecopnomics of Artificial IntelligenceAgrawal, Ajay et alNonfictionGreat recource about adopting AI into business and the things to consider thereof
  • FascismAlbright, MadelineNonfictionGood information about the rising trend of fascism in the world today
  • UnsongAlexander, ScottFantasyAlt history, angels are real and the names of God cause strange things to happen
  • The Weight of Our SkyAlkaf, HannaHistorical FictionMalaysian race riots of 1969 from the perspective of a little girl with OCD. VERY GOOD OCD portrayal
  • The Art of the ConAmore, Anthony MNonfictionArt cons, forgeries and thefts. Interesting read!
  • Roboute Guilliman: Lord of UltramarAnnandale, DavidWH40KThe Ultramarines take some world or smth, all about Rowboat Girlyman
  • Our Wives Under the SeaArmfield, JuliaHorrorDeep sea explorer comes back wrong to her wife, turns into a deep sea fish
  • MosquitolandArnold, DavidLiteratureMim the goblin teenager goes on an adventure to rescue her mom
  • The Caves of SteelAsimov, IssiacScience FictionSci-fi murder mystery
  • Foundation TrilogyAsimov, IssiacScience FictionWonderful triliogy with a very detailed universe. Books read like an intersteller poker game, with plans on plans on plans
  • i, RobotAsimov, IssiacScience FictionAmazing collection of short stories about the robot takeover
  • Phule's CompanyAsprin, RobertScience FictionCaptain Phule turns a bad company of soldiers into a proper force through self-esteem and a lot of money
  • BunnyAwad, MonaLiteratureMean Girls explode rabbits into frankenstein boyfriends

B

  • The Windup GirlBacigalupi, PaoloScience FictionCalorie exec in climate-starved Thailand falls in love with a robot prostitute during a coup
  • On the calculation of volumeBalle, SolvejLiteratureA woman is stuck in a time loop on 18th of November. She tries to fight it, but loses. It's a metaphor for the death of your spouse.
  • Consider PhlebasBanks, Iain MScience FictionShapeshifing special agent goes in pursuit of an AI escaped to a dead world
  • The Player of GamesBanks, Ian MScience FictionDude wins a chess tourney and overthrows an empire. Also 3 genders.
  • American Fairy TalesBaum, Frank LFolkloreModern fairy tales, have good stories that are more fun than standard ancient myths.
  • ArcBaxter, StephenScience FictionEnder's Game but kids are explorers and the author is only _slightly_ less of a pervert
  • Manifold: TimeBaxter, StephenScience Fictionsentient squids & time fuckery
  • RaftBaxter, StephenScience FictionElysium but the good ending and with space whales
  • Halo: CryptumBear, GregScience FictionHalo forerunner series 1
  • Halo: PrimordiumBear, GregScience FictionHalo forerunner series 2
  • TimescapeBenford, GregoryScience FictionUsing iridium to talk to the past to stop global warming
  • Girl DinnerBlake, OliviaLight LitSorority girls are actually cannibals?
  • The ExorcistBlatty, William PeterHorrorRegan! The demon girl! A wonderful ghost story
  • 2666Bolano, RobertLiteratureSomewhat Murikami like tale of people in Mexico exposing murders and gangs, but getting locked up and life happens
  • Fahrenheit 451Bradbury, RayScience FictionDystopian, anti-literary society at its best (worst?)
  • The Illustrated ManBradbury, RayShort StoriesFavorites were The Veldt and Marionettes Inc
  • The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant TechnologiesBrynjolfsoson, Erik and McAfee, AndrewNonfictionEconomic study on how increasing automation will change to future economy
  • At HomeBryson, BillNonfictionQuaint history of the home, homiliness, and why we have the rooms that we do
  • I'm a stranger here myselfBryson, BillNonfictionA collection of delightful essays on living in America
  • Harmless Like YouBuchanan, Rowan HisyaoLiteratureYuki is a harmless wannabe artist who maries (and leaves) her harmless husband Edison
  • The Curse of ChalionBujold, Lois McMasterScience FictionEntertaining trash fantasy novel
  • Miles ErrantBujold, Lois McMasterScience FictionSpace Opera with some really dark torture scenes. Weird clone family drama, too
  • A Clockwork OrangeBurgess, AnthonyLiteratureWonderfully crafted dystopian novel
  • Death MasksButcher, JimLight LitDresden & Michael vs evil demons and shroud of Turin
  • Fool's MoonButcher, JimLight LitDresden & wolf friends vs evil werewolf
  • Grave PerilButcher, JimLight LitDresden vs spoopy ghosts
  • Storm FrontButcher, JimLight LitDetective Harry Dresden vs evil weather wizard
  • Summer KnightButcher, JimLight LitDresden & Michael vs mean vampires and fairies
  • BloodchildButler, OctaviaShort StoriesSuper dark, gritty, realistic stories about humans and aliens
  • Clay's ArkButler, OctaviaScience FictionWeird, man... More character study than scifi. 5/10
  • Parable of the SowerButler, OctaviaScience FictionPost-apocalyptic moses girl starts a new religion called Earthseed
  • Xenogenisis TrilogyButler, OctaviaScience FictionAliens give humanity a second chance in exchange for their children. Nice world-building and weird aliens

C

  • The StrangerCamu, AlbertLiteratureGood intro to existantialism, goes well with Vonnegurt
  • The StrangerCamus, AlbertLiteratureFrench wretch murders someone for fun, dies because living is too much work
  • Ender's GameCard, Orson ScottScience FictionIncredible Sci-Fi about a military academy to train kids to fight aliens
  • Ender's ShadowCard, Orson ScottScience FictionEnder's Game from another POV, and is its own incredible story
  • How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleCarnagie, DaleNonfictionBasic advice: if you're genuinely interested in other people, other people will like you
  • What We Talk About When We Talk About LoveCarver, RaymondShort StoriesGreat collection of short stories that are incredibly human and extremely relatable. Read aloud with friends.
  • Beware of ChickenCasualfarmerLight LitMary sue self insert pastoral Minecraft fanfic
  • A Lost LadyCather, WillaLiteratureFun little read about life in the midwest during and after the depression
  • A Closed and Common OrbitChambers, BeckyScience FictionSame universe as other works, great themes about choosing one's own family
  • The Galaxy, and the Ground WithinChambers, BeckyScience FictionCanterbury tales but with more aliens
  • The Long Way to a Small, Angry PlanetChambers, BeckyScience FictionFinally a sci-fi book with weird, non-humanoid aliens!
  • Record of a Spaceborn FewChambers, BeckyScience FictionLife in the Exodan space stations
  • The Perks of Being a WallflowerChbosky, StephenTeen TrashA big, jumbled heap of all the contravertial issues of 1999 that fails to have any meaningful plot or characters
  • Stories of your life and othersChiang, TedShort StoriesWonderful short stories, themes about free will, time travel
  • Algorithms to Live ByChristian, Brian and Griffiths, TomNonfictionGreat intersection of computer science, ethics, and self-help. 37% optimal stopping
  • And then there were noneChristie, AgathaThriller10 people on an island getting killed one by one
  • Rainbow SixClancey, TomThrillerReads like a COD game, but incredibly detailed with interesting military stratigies
  • The haunting of tram car 015Clark, P DjeliFantasyEgyptian detectives out a ghost from a tram car
  • Childhood's EndClarke, Arthur CScience FictionGreat golden-age sci-fi about Aliens invading Earth
  • Rendezvous with RamaClarke, Arthur CScience FictionOne of the most interesting premises for a Sci-Fi book I've encountered
  • PiranesiClarke, SusannaLiteratureGuy is trapped in an infinitely large house full of statues.
  • The AlchemistCoelho, PauloLiteraturePreachy parable about listening to your heart and following your dreams. Like Ishmael but less trees more Jesus
  • What's Left? How Liberals lost their wayCohen, NickNonfictionVery good analysis of the changes of the liberal left in Engliand and the West in the early 2000's
  • Heart of DarknessConrad, JosephLiteratureInteresting read, its reputation preceeds it, and I'm sure it was terrifying by 1890's standards.
  • Abaddon's GateCorey, James S AScience FictionSolar system gateway is built, humans gotta explore it
  • Babylon's AshesCorey, James S AScience FictionRise of the free navy, Duarte fucks off to his own planet
  • Caliban's WarCorey, James S AScience FictionMore protomolecule BS starring Holden and that detective
  • Cibola BurnCorey, James S AScience FictionI think this is the one with the colony planet vs corpos
  • Leviathan FallsCorey, James S AScience FictionDuarte becomes an agent of one of the WH40K chaos gods but is killed somehow idk
  • Leviathan WakesCorey, James S AScience FictionJames Holden and friends start a solar system conflict
  • Nemisis GamesCorey, James S AScience FictionCrew members take personal time while that kid drops rocks
  • Persepolis RisingCorey, James S AScience FictionDuarte is back with his weirdo Rome planet, takes Medina station
  • Tiamet's WrathCorey, James S AScience FictionOld-ass Holden and Naiomi do resistance things, Dr Okoye learns about alien stuff
  • Galaxy in FlamesCounter, BenWH40Kpt 3 of W40K Horus Heresy
  • The Culture CodeCoyle, DanielNonfictionVulnrability creates team cooperation and company culture
  • AirframeCrichton, MichaelThrillerAirplane manufacturer investigates a lethal turbulance incident among a hostile union and media
  • The Andromeda StrainCrichton, MichaelThrillerRiviting medical thriller, great plot and storytelling
  • Jurassic ParkCrichton, MichaelThrillerOpen Door > Get On Floor > Walk Your Favourite Dinosaur
  • The Terminal ManCrichton, MichaelThrillerA computer hacker man goes on a rampage!
  • Dark Matter (Crouch)Crouch, BlakeScience FictionTravel between parallel universes to find your best self, literally
  • RecursionCrouch, BlakeScience FictionWoman creates a chair that lets you go back into time via memories and change things. Generic time travel thriller
  • Blue GoldCussler, CliveLight LitMary-sue, self-insert 007 fanfiction for racist boomers

D

  • House of LeavesDanielewski, Mark ZHorrorOne of the scariest books I've read, will challenge your perceptions of reality
  • Tom's CrossingDanielewski, Mark ZLiteratureTwo kids and a ghost save two horses through a mountain pass
  • Halo Hunters in the DarkDavid, PeterScience FictionMore Halo soldiers going pew pew pew
  • Zero KDeLillo, DonScience FictionA billionare old man buys cyropreservation services for him and his wife in a strange Central Asian bunker
  • The Master of MankindDembski-Bowden, AaronWH40KThe Emperor is losing the war in the webway
  • Ragnar BlackmaneDembski-Bowden, AaronScience FictionBlackmane does more than just kill things, but he also kills a lot of things lmao
  • UbikDick, Phillip KScience FictionUbik! It's what plants crave!
  • Down and Out in the Magic KingdomDoctorow, CoryScience FictionJulius is part of the Ad-hocracy administrating Disney World in a post-death society
  • All the Light We Cannot SeeDoerr, AnthonyLiteratureBeautful story about a blind girl in WWII France and a cursed diamond
  • 50 Years of Data ScienceDonoho, DavidNonfictionData Science is better than statistics,smd professors
  • The IdiotDostoyevsky, FydorLiteraturePoor Prince Muishkin; he did nothing wrong but be honest
  • The Count of Monte CristoDumas, AlexanderLiteratureThe OG revenge story. Edmund Dantes FTW!
  • RebeccaDuMaurier, DaphneLiteratureLast night I dreamt of Manderley again

E

  • Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about RaceEddo-Lodge, ReniNonfictionDeep review of systemic racism and the barriers to conversations it poses
  • The Candy HouseEgan, JenniferLiteratureBasically a sequal to goon squad
  • Manhattan BeachEgan, JenniferLiteratureAnna the diving girl! Dives to the bottom of the bay on a journey to find her dad
  • A Visit From the Goon SquadEgan, JenniferLiteratureGreat book about growing old, characters are great and human. See also Faulkner's As I Lay Dying
  • This is How You Lose the Time Warel-Mohtar, AmalLight LitTwo secret time agents fall in love like in The Notebook
  • Axiom's endEllis, LindsayScience FictionSpace race happens a lot earlier because aliens
  • FreshwaterEmezi, AkwaekeLiteratureAfrican girl with Gods inside her learns to embrace the madness
  • A Sunny Place for Shady PeopleEnriquez, MarianaShort StoriesThe BEST kind of ghost stories, coming at you from Argentina
  • Malazan 1: Gardens of the MoonErikson, StevenFantasyMalazan empire attempts to siege Dahrujistan and you, the reader, are clueless
  • Malazan 2: Deadhouse GatesErikson, StevenFantasyColtaine's chain of dogs
  • Malazan 3: Memories of IceErikson, StevenFantasySiege of Capustan rise of Treach/Trake the tiger of summer, end of the bridgeburners
  • Malazan 4: House of ChainsErikson, StevenFantasyKarsa Orblong becomes the knight of house chains
  • Malazan 5: Midnight TidesErikson, StevenFantasyLetheri and Tiste Edur brothers mirror each other. Bug the divine manservant.
  • Malazan 6: The BonehuntersErikson, StevenFantasyBack in the Seven Cities, Y'Ghatan burns and Tavore becomes her own
  • Malazan 7: Reaper's GateErikson, StevenFantasyFall of letheras. Bonehunters guerilla war. Karsa duels the emperor. Icarium glowers then does weird magic shit

F

  • As I Lay DyingFaulkner, WilliamLiteratureIncredible narrative structure. Great story about familial disfunction told from different, dishonest POVs
  • Light in AugustFaulkner, WilliamLiteratureWonderfully flawed characters play out this tale of southern racist charm
  • Tender is the NightFitzgerald, F ScottRomanceFirst part is an incredible romance, second part is a great murder-thriller
  • GoldfingerFleming, IanLight LitWow I never realized how much of a misogynistic alcoholic James Bond is
  • The Spy Who Loved MeFleming, IanThrillerJames Bond stops by a motel in update NY to do 'drines and rescue a bimbo from insurance fraud
  • Sharp ObjectsFlynn, GillianThrillerJournalist girl who cuts herself covers a murder story in her hometown and discovers family issues
  • Halo New BloodForbeck, MattLight LitHalo soldiers go pew pew pew
  • Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless FutureFord, MartinNonfictionStudy on the social impacts of an increasingly automated economy
  • We are all completely beside ourselvesFowler, Karen JoyLiteratureA girl was raised alongside a chimp as part of her psychologist father's experiment
  • The CollectorFowles, JohnThrillerA young man wins the lottery, buys a farmhouse in the British countryside, and kidnaps a woman to lock in his basement
  • The MagusFowles, JohnLiteratureShutter Island x the great gatsby

G

  • Lessons in ChemistryGarmus, BonnieLiteratureElizabeth Zott supper at six
  • In a Dark Place: The Story of a True HauntingGarton, RayHorrorGhost stories, when they pretend to be real, are soooo dull
  • Burning ChromeGibson, WilliamShort StoriesShort sci fi stories. Fav are fragments of a holographic rose, the winter market
  • Count ZeroGibson, WilliamScience FictionArt buyer helps an old rich man die. Also corporate kidnap job goes wrong
  • Mona Lisa OverdriveGibson, WilliamScience FictionGibson has an incredible sci-fi dystopian universe. Dark, Cynical, and full of mystery.
  • NeuromancerGibson, WilliamScience FictionRogue AI, interbred future families, and alcoholic anti-heroes. Standard cyberpunk fare, but Gibson invented it.
  • BlinkGladwell, MalcolmNonfictionInstincts are powerful and first impressions can be crafted
  • When a Crocodile Eats the SunGodwin, PeterNonfictionMemiors of growing up in Zimbabwe and lamenting at how things have worsened since
  • Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneGottlieb, LoriAutobiographyA therapist goes to therapy to talk about the theraputic process (and get therapy)
  • Give and TakeGrant, AdamNonfictionGreat approach to relationships, networking, and lifetime happiness
  • The Faults in Our StarsGreen, JohnTeen TrashIncredibly effective if it's your first Green novel.
  • Looking For AlaskaGreen, JohnTeen TrashCatcher in the Rye but with shittier, modern characters and the same plotline as all of Green's other books
  • Swallowing MercuryGreg, WiolettaAutobiographyMemories of growing up a poor girl in 1980's Poland

H

  • The Invisible HotelHam, Yeji YLiteratureBathtub full of bones
  • Moth SmokeHamid, MohsinLiteratureFight club but in Pakistan and with more self-destruction and less likable characters
  • The thin manHammet, DashiellThrillerI drank whenever the detective or his wife did; I don't remember the ending
  • Great at WorkHansen, MortenNonfictionProductivity and teamwork in the corporate landscape
  • OrbitalHarvey, SamanthaLiteratureLove letter to the astronauts on the ISS. Great description of disorienting timelessness
  • The Blind OwlHedayat, SadeghLiteratureDusty and horny Iraqi man sleeps with a dead(?) body
  • Starship TroopersHeinlein, Robert AScience FictionGreat political commentary on war from an alien-killing epic
  • Stranger in a Strange LandHeinlein, Robert AScience FictionMary Sue Martian confirms chauvanism
  • Catch-22Heller, JosephLiteratureOne of my favourite anti-war novels. Love you, Snowden!
  • The old man and the seaHemmingway, EarnestLiteratureOld guy catches a big fish but sharks ate it up oh nooooo
  • DuneHerbert, FrankFantasyIncredibly sci-fi fantasy novel comprable with LOTR but with giant sand worms
  • HiroshimaHersey, JohnNonfictionShows you just how fucked up stuff gets when you drop an atomic bomb on a city
  • Beneath the WheelHesse, HermannLiteratureHandbook for the tortured intellectual, who is too smart for his own good
  • SiddharthaHesse, HermannLiteratureGood philosophy, nice Buddhist story to reflect on
  • October Sky (Rocket Boys)Hickam, HomerAutobiographyLight, wholesome story about country boys building rockets and winning the science fair
  • The Talented Mr RipleyHighsmith, PatriciaThrillerFucking awful
  • Heart Shaped BoxHill, JoeHorrorNice little ghost story with Rock & Roll & Motorcycles.
  • NOS4A2Hill, JoeHorrorCreative and disturbing horror
  • The Sun Does ShineHinton, Anthony RayAutobiographyStory of an innocent man who spent 30 years on Alabama's death row
  • A Thousand Splendid SunsHosseini, KhaledLiteratureFun little read, good for putting a nice damper on your happy mood. Child abuse warning.
  • Shell ShakerHowe, LeAnneLiteratureA multigeneration Chocktaw murder mystery investigation
  • To LiveHua, YuLiteratureFamous Chinese novel of an idiot starving his way through the cultural revolutions
  • A High Wind Rises in JamaicaHughes, RichardLiteratureKids get captured by pirates and immediately forget that it's a bad thing
  • The Hunchback of Notre DameHugo, VictorLiteratureFuckin everybody in this book is a terrible person except Esmerelda and her goat. Great story though
  • Les MisHugo, VictorLiteratureWonderful book with amazing themes and better characters

I

  • A Prayer for Owen MeanyIrving, JohnLiteratureIncredible book about God's plans for a tiny New-England boy and his friend John.
  • The World According to GarpIrving, JohnLiteratureCrazy characters and a wild ride throughout
  • We'll Prescribe You A CatIshida, SyouLight LitCats dressing as humans dispense cats as psychotherapy
  • The Buried GiantIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureWonderful story, great pacing. The mysteries and importance of memories (and dragons)
  • Klara and The SunIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureKlara is a very observative robot who becomes a real girl
  • Never Let Me GoIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureIf The Faults in Our Stars took place in the same world as House of the Scorpion. Good, sad read.
  • The Remains of the DayIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureAn old Butler goes on a road trip and thinks about dignity

J

  • The Haunting of Hill HouseJackson, ShirleyHorrorElenor and rich guilded era friends investigate a haunted house
  • The Fifth SeasonJemisin, N KScience FictionRock magic 1
  • The Obelisk GateJemisin, N KScience FictionRock magic 2
  • The Stone SkyJemisin, N KScience Fictionrock Magic 3
  • The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The WindowJonasson, JonasLight LitReads like a Wes Anderson film. Very quirky and fun read.

K

  • When Breath Becomes AirKalanithi, PaulAutobiographyPaul is a neurosurgeon who dies from cancer while writing this book
  • Hellbound HeartsKane, PaulShort StoriesKinky pinhead demons
  • The VegetarianKang, HanLiteratureHuman beings are meant to be plants
  • All my Friends are SuperherosKaufman, AndrewShort StoriesFun little read, quick feel-good romance with quirky characters.
  • Breasts and EggsKawakami, MiekoLiteratureWoman wants to get preggo but dislikes sex (and men) therefore sperm donor
  • Dharma BumsKerouac, JackLiteratureMade me yearn for the Pacific-Northwest and 1950's American Buddhism
  • On The RoadKerouac, JackLiteratureGreat mood-piece from the beatnik generation
  • Flowers for AlgernonKeys, DanielLiteratureVery sad but intriguing and hearbreaking novel
  • The Pheonix ProjectKim, GeneNonfictionThe Fountainhead tells the story of DevOps
  • MiseryKing, StephenHorrorAAAAHHHH!
  • The ShiningKing, StephenHorrorGreat, scary horror!
  • Space Wolf TrilogyKing, WilliamScience FictionRagnar Blackmane is Wolf Lord of the space wolves doing wolf things. Awooooo~~
  • Something New Under the SunKleeman, AlexandraScience FictionClimate fiction, Patrick Hamelin goes to hollywood and gets weird dementia from the wat-r
  • We used to live hereKliewer, MarcusHorrorA redditor wrote a haunted house story
  • Terms of EnlistmentKloos, MarkoLight LitSpace marine romp with women characters that doesn't make a big deal about having women in space
  • The life changing magic of tidying upKondo, MarieNonfictionTeaches the KonMari method of tidying up- quite useful!
  • Into Thin AirKrakauer, JonNonfictionMemior of author's experience on a tragic journey up Mt. Everest
  • Under the Banner of HeavenKrakauer, JonNonfictionCrazy Mormon listens to God's call to kill his brother's wife and baby. Book asks, "why?"
  • BabelKuang, RFLiteratureLanguage translation Harry Potter pulls a racially-motivated Les Mis
  • The Unbearable Lightness of BeingKundera, MilanLiteratureBeautiful philosophy of life, love, and time.
  • Gods Without MenKunzru, HariLiteratureKnock-off Murakami tries to write one of the sub-plots of Infinite Jest
  • Shadow DiversKurson, RobertHistorical FictionDeep-water scuba divers seek trasure and history

L

  • EnduranceLansing, AlfredHistorical FictionThe incredible story of Shackleton's arctic voyage, shipwreck, and survival
  • The Devil in the White CityLarson, EricNonfictionRiviting and horrifying tale of world's fair and first serial killer
  • In the Garden of BeastsLarson, EricNonfictionGreat recounting of ambassador to pre-WW2 Germany's life in the 3rd reich. Scary modern parallels.
  • Issiac's StormLarson, EricHistorical FictionFun little read, great storytelling
  • The Girl with the Dragon TattooLarsson, StiegThrillerDetective novel with relatable characters and horribly morbid antagonists. Chile abuse warning.
  • The Spy who came in from the Coldle Carre, JohnThrillerA double-agent double-crosses to catch other double-agents. But it the whole thing a setup?
  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spyle Carre, JohnThrillerDouble double agent spy novel. A bit confusing
  • The Farthest Shorele Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed goes for a long boat ride to save the dragons
  • The Lathe of Heavenle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionGuy's dreams come true, but he gets manipulated by a mean dream-doctor
  • The Left Hand of Darknessle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionStrange Androgynous humans on an icy planet are convinced to join the galactic union
  • Rocanon's Worldle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionEarly Haimish cycle, Rocanon discovers the secrets of telepathy on a medieval world with flying beasts
  • Tehanule Guin, Ursula KFantasySome dumb kid comes across Ged and the tomb girl but the kid is actually a dragon. Best earthsea IMO
  • The Tombs of Atuanle Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed goes tomb raiding and frees the head priestess
  • A Wizard of Earthseale Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed/Sparrowhawk rises, goes to not-hogwarts, and summons a deamon
  • Dallergut Dream Department StoreLee, MiyeLight LitYoung spirit girl gets a job at the dream department store selling actual dreams
  • Return to the Dallergut Dream Department StoreLee, MiyeLight LitIt's the first book, but more!
  • A madman dreams of Turing machinesLevin, JannaHistorical FictionTuring and Gödel live parallel, tragic lives
  • The Basics of Bitcoins and BlockchainsLewis, AntonyNonfictionGood overview & understanding of bitcoin, blockchain, etherium, and DeFi
  • The Big ShortLewis, MichaelNonfictionHedge funds betting on the 2008 financial crisis
  • Get In TroubleLink, KellyShort StoriesVery fun and interesting short stories, incredibly human characters with small but meaningful plotlines.
  • The Dark ForestLiu CixinScience FictionMy favorite of the series. Swordbreaker ftw!
  • Death's EndLiu CixinScience FictionPart of the most interesting science fiction series I've ever read
  • Three Body ProblemLiu CixinScience FictionSome of the most original and creative science fiction I've ever read
  • Apollo 13Lovell, JimThrillerRiviting space thriller written by the guy who lived through it
  • Sleeping Freshmen Never LieLubar, DavidLight LitLight coming-of-age story about high school freshman kid
  • The Desert of StarsLumpkin, John JScience FictionPhysics-based ship-to-ground combat with fun human-interest stories. Startship troopers meets James S A Corey
  • Through Struggle, The StarsLumpkin, John JScience FictionPhysics-based ship to ship space combat by the designer of Terra Invicta

M

  • Bird BoxMalerman, JoshThriller"Scary" story about meme zombie virus and a preggo lady. Okay
  • The Subtle are of not giving a FuckManson, MarkNonfictionSelf-help type book about control and responsibility
  • The Tunnels of Cu ChiMarigold, Tom and Penycate, JohnNonfictionAmazing stories from people who lived and fought in Vietnames tunnels
  • Love in the Time of CholeraMarquez, Gabriel GarciaLiteratureFlorentino Aritzia wants to fuck old people. And young people, too.
  • One Hundered Years of SolitudeMarquez, Gabriel GarciaLiteratureAmazing tale of multi-generational family, magical realism at its best
  • Life of PiMartel, YannLiteratureRiviting survival tale of a boy and his tiger
  • Swan SongMcCammond, RobertScience FictionPost-apocalyptic nuclear winter gives one girl magic powers of plant growth
  • Blood MeridianMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureViolent, bloody, wild wild west
  • No Country for Old MenMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureExtremely violent and savage, the theme is hard to discover under all the blood and death
  • The RoadMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureI'm not crying, you're crying.... Somebody get me a comma, please.
  • UnderlakeMcCoy, ErinLiteratureBioshock but it's in a lake and there are evangelicals and communists living underwater
  • Secrets to Winning at Office PoliticsMcIntyre, Marie GNonfictionActual good advice on working in corporacracy
  • I'll be gone in the darkMcNamara, MichelleNonfictionAuthor investigates a serial rapist/murderer in LA in the 80's, solves the case too!
  • The Crimson KingMcNeill, GrahamWH40KAll the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Magnus together again
  • False GodsMcNeill, GrahamWH40KMore W40K space marines, not a big fan of McNiel's prose, it's quite droll
  • The Outcast DeadMcNeill, GrahamWH40KLoyal space marines from traitor leigons team up
  • A Thousand SonsMcNeill, GrahamWH40KStart of the fall of Magnus the read and the Thousand Sons chapter
  • Thinking in Systems: A PrimerMeadows, Donella HNonfictionDesigning software and human processes from a systems perspective. Good stuff!
  • TwilightMeyer, StephanieTeen TrashI've eaten sandwiches with more personality than Bella
  • Song of AchillesMiller, MadelineLiteratureAchilles / Patrocles yaoi fanfic
  • A Canticle for LeibowitzMiller, WalterScience FictionJesuits but in the fallout universe but written in the 1950's
  • StrangeMistry, RohintonHistorical FictionThe story of a family of poor Undesirables during India's constitutional crisis years
  • Bone ClocksMitchell, DavidFantasySoul carnivors vs Horology and poor Holly Sykes caught in the middle
  • Cloud AtlasMitchell, DavidLiteratureIncredible book, great characters and themes.
  • GhostwrittenMitchell, DavidLiteratureLess-good Goon Squad, short stories in the same universe. Remember chinese mountain tea shop woman
  • Slade HouseMitchell, DavidShort StoriesShort stories from the Soul Carnivors' world
  • The Art of InvisibilityMitnick, KevinNonfictionParanoid white-hat ex-con teaches you how to hide from the FBI online
  • Lies of SilenceMoore, BrianThrillerA fun romp about the IRA getting even and blowing up cars outside hotels
  • Practical deamonkeepingMoore, ChristopherLight LitGoblin-mode demon grants wishes in a NorCal town
  • Altered CarbonMorgan, RobertScience FictionKovachs investigates a murder in an era when people live on flash drives
  • Tatami GalaxyMorimi, TomihikoLiteratureThe wretch, an unnmed student, is tied to Ozu no matter what club he joins
  • Rental Person Who Does NothingMorimoto, ShojiAutobiographyPeople send this Japanese dude twitter DMs and he just shows up and does nothing
  • The Bluest EyeMorrison, TonyLiteratureReally sad novel about growing up black in racist America. Child abuse warning
  • HomeMorrison, TonyLiteratureOffers a concerning view of the black community and how racist America affects it
  • Death in her handsMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureOld lady dies in the woods
  • LapvonaMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureDeformed Malek loves killing his brothers, and everyone in the village sucks
  • My Year of Rest and RelaxtionMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureA rich girl tries to sleep away an entire year, and mostly succeeds without consequences
  • Island of a thousand mirrorsMunaweera, NayomiHistorical FictionThe Sri Lankan civil war from the perspective of girls on either side of the conflict
  • 1Q84Murakami, HarukiLiteratureMurakami is a dirty old man. Child abuse warning.
  • Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the WorldMurakami, HarukiLiteratureMore fun Murakami with all the expected craziness
  • Kafka on the ShoreMurakami, HarukiLiteratureKind of pointless, with a winding meandering story that feels like it should mean something but doesn't.
  • Wind-up Bird ChronicleMurakami, HarukiLiteratureGreat book, wonderfully modern and pointless. One of those stories where everything happens but nothing is achieved.
  • Convenience Store WomanMurata, SayakaLight LitShe wants to work at a convenience store. So she do.

N

  • LolitaNabokov, VladimirLiteratureThe prose is absolutely beautiful; the topic is absolutely revolting
  • UltramarineNavarro, MarietteLiteraturetwenty freighter crewmen go swimming, twenty one climb back on board
  • Last DaysNevill, AdamHorrorDocumentary director gets hired to make a documentary about a doomsday cult, but things get spooky
  • RingworldNiven, LarryScience Fiction3 unlucky people and Teela Brown journey to the Ringworld
  • Logan's RunNolan, William F & Johnson, George ClaytonScience FictionNo one over 21 is allowed to live, but Logan, the ex-DS man, thinks he can outrun his fate

O

  • Master and CommanderO'Brian, PatrickHistorical FictionCap'n Jack and his mighty fine crew, they sailed across the ocean blue!
  • To Be a MachineO'Connell, MarkNonfictionA look at the 2010's transhumanist movement of people who want to live forever
  • Wise BloodO'Conner, FlanneryLiteratureFeatures one of the weirdest and most oddball characters I've ever met
  • The Third PolicemanO'Nolan, BrianLiteratureA basement-dwelling scholar helps kill a man then spends his time in a special purgetory-hell. Very confusing
  • Running in the FamilyOndaatje, MichaelNonfictionMemior about the author's grandparents' time as gentry in Sri Lanka during the roaring 20's and onward
  • There ThereOrange, TommyLiteratureWhile a sad American Indian story, it manages to not lose itself in tragedy and tells a gripping story
  • 1984Orwell, GeorgeScience FictionOne of the progenitors of dystopian fiction and has always been at war with Ocenia.
  • Animal FarmOrwell, GeorgeLiteratureFour legs good, two legs better!
  • Where the Crawdads SingOwens, DeliaLiteratureMary Sue swamp girl becomes naturist scientist girl boss

P

  • Dark Matter (Paver)Paver, MichelleHorrorBritish boy goes on an expedition to Svalbard, meets a ghosty friend
  • We are SatelitesPinsker, SaraScience FictionEveryone and their kids gets a chip in their head, but maaaaybe it's not a good idea??
  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenancePirsig, RobertNonfictionChautauqua on Quality and also the guy's son Chris
  • The Bell JarPlath, SylviaAutobiographyEsther Greenwood is one of the best female protagonists ever written
  • Bel CantoPratchett, AnneRomanceBest case of Stockholm Syndrome you'll have all year
  • CommonwealthPratchett, AnneLiteratureAuthors writing about authors is narscisistic af
  • The Color of MagicPratchett, TerryFantasyLittle gnome in a camera painting pictures (the color is Octarine, btw)
  • Equal RitesPratchett, TerryFantasyDiskworld grants wizard womens' sufferage
  • That old ace in the holeProulx, AnnieLiteratureBob Dollar is a vehicle for Proulx to tell us all about the TX/OK Panhandle's history
  • The Amber SpyglassPullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary
  • The Golden CompassPullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary
  • The Subtle KnifePullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary

R

  • Atlas ShruggedRand, AynLiteratureInteresting read about how great capitalism is and how much socialism sucks for the rich
  • The EmployeesRavn, OlgaScience FictionHR interviews human (and neo-human) employees about alient objects
  • Starting StrengthRippetoe, MarkNonfiction101 on barbell training
  • The Calculating StarsRobinette, Mary KowalScience FictionDue to meteor impact in the 1950's, humans need to leave Earth ASAP
  • Green MarsRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionMid-year mars settlement and terraforming, space communism. Hiroko is my problematic fave
  • The Ministry for the futureRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionUN like agency tries to save the world from climate change after a heat wave disaster in India
  • Red MarsRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionHumans colonize mars & their early settlements up to a failed violent revolution
  • Carve the MarkRoth, VeronicaTeen TrashIf the main character lovers turn out to be brother-sister, it's basically Star Wars
  • The Name of The WindRothfuss, PatrickFantasyMary Sue Harry Potter
  • The God of Small ThingsRoy, ArundhatiLiteratureChild Abuse Warning
  • The Happiness ProjectRubin, GretchenNonfictionStory of one author's quest to be happier over a year
  • The SparrowRussell, Mary DoriaScience FictionHow far will God go to punish the faithful? Jesuits are the first to make contact with Aliens
  • How to Argue With a RacistRutherford, AdamNonfictionTip: Find common ground and work from there

S

  • Madhouse at the End of the EarthSancton, JulianNonfictionThe Belgica did the first antarctic wintering and it drove everybody mad
  • DawnshardSanderson, BrandonFantasyRysn and her pet go on a sailing adventure
  • EdgedancerSanderson, BrandonFantasyLift and Herald Nalan face off over an orphanage
  • The Hero of AgesSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • Mistborn: The Final EmpireSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • OathbringerSanderson, BrandonFantasyDalinar comes into his own as Bondsmith; Kaladin matures, Shallan has an identity crisis, Jasneh is badass
  • Rhythm of WarSanderson, BrandonFantasyUritheriu gets invaded! Shallan and Adolin stuck in Shadesmar
  • Tress of the Emerald SeaSanderson, BrandonFantasyPhantom tollbooth about a practical pirate heroine
  • The Way of KingsSanderson, BrandonFantasySword of the rings, book 1: Shardswords and shardplates fuuuuuuck I want more
  • The Well of AscensionSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • Wind and TruthSanderson, BrandonFantasyThe thrilling finale, Kaladin and Szeth buddy cop movie, Dalainar stars in a clip show
  • Words of RadianceSanderson, BrandonFantasyThe parshendi awaken, Kaladin gets over his ego, Shallan comes into her powers, Dalinar embraces the knights radiant
  • The Witcher HeptogySapkowski, AndrzejFantasyGeralt and Ciri adventures! Featuring Yennifer and other people with strange names
  • BlindnessSaramago, JoseLiteratureA plague of blindness sweeps the world, then passes
  • Lincoln in the BardoSaunderson, GeorgeLiteratureShort, quaint read. Rather philosophical and intimate
  • Zero Zero ZeroSaviano, RobertNonfictionCocaine is a worldwide industry and capitalism's #1 problematic fave
  • Lock InScalzi, JohnScience FictionMystery thriller about human vegetables that control robots
  • Starter VillainScalzi, JohnThrillerCharlie takes over his uncle's secret volcano lair (and evil plots) to become a temporary villian
  • Like Switch: an ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People OverSchafer, Jack and Karlins, MarvinNonfictionPossible a worse title than Carnagie. Great advice, love the eyebrow twitch
  • The Lovely BonesSebold, AliceLiteratureFun little read about how the world will carry on without you. Child abuse warning.
  • The Killer AngelsShaara, MichaelHistorical FictionThe battle of Gettysburg, told well with many perspectives from all sides
  • The Digital ApeShadbolt, NigelNonfictionHow to reconcile technology with human biology
  • Is there no place on earth for me?Sheehan, SusanNonfictionLife of Sylvia Frumpkin, a schizophrenic in the New York mental health system in the 1970's and 80's
  • Designing BotsShevat, AmirNonfictionTechnical work crap
  • I Remember YouSigurdardottir, YrsaHorrorIn Iceland a little ghost boy wants to be reunited with his parents
  • EndymionSimmons, DanScience FictionI don't even remember what happened in this one TBH
  • Fall of HyperionSimmons, DanScience FictionSpace Canterbury tales pt 2: electric Boogaloo. Getting back to normal SF series
  • HyperionSimmons, DanScience FictionSpace Canterbury tales
  • The TerrorSimmons, DanHorrorHorrifying at times but not scary. Ship stuck in the arctic, hunted by some creature
  • A Tree Grows in BrooklynSmith, BettyLiteratureFrancie is a poor Irish girl who reads too much. Story of a poor Brooklyn family at turn of the century
  • This Weightless WorldSoto, AdamLiteratureAn ensemble of characters are affected differntly by first contact
  • And I don't want to live this life anymoreSpungen, DeborahNonfictionA memior about her daughter, who was killed in a very high-profile murder in the 90's
  • Station ElevenSt. John Mandel, EmilyLiteratureA post-apocalyptic acting troupe proves mere survival to be insufficient. Wacky premise, meh book
  • Halo: Contact HarvistStaten, JosephScience FictionHalo soldiers go pew pew pew
  • Angel of ReposeStegner, WallaceLiteratureSuesan Ward is a wet blanket and the wind beneath Oliver's wings. Or, was.
  • East of EdenSteinbeck, JohnLiteratureAbsolutely epic. Great characters and themes, re-read!
  • CryptonomiconStephenson, NeilThrillerCode-breaking thriller. Adds tons of historic WWII detail into the modern day story
  • QuicksilverStephenson, NeilFantasyEnlightenment Yaoi harem fanfiction with occasional vagabond pirate interludes.
  • Snow CrashStephenson, NeilScience FictionA fun read, but lacked substance-- a literary action movie.
  • ZodiacStephenson, NeilThrillerNice light thriller featuring boats and dumping in Boston harbor.
  • The Agony and the EcstasyStone, IrvingHistorical FictionIncredibe book on the life and art of Michaelangelo, pretty much a 750-page love letter to marble
  • Ghost StoryStraub, PeterHorrorOkay ghost story. Old men haunted by ghosts of the past
  • AccelerandoStross, CharlesScience FictionCarousel of Progress following the world's first IRL streamer, his children, and his cat aineko
  • This Divided IslandSubramanian, SamanthHistorical FictionAccount of the Sri Lankan civil war.
  • Sweet Bean PasteSukegawa, DurianLight LitOld lady with leoparsy teaches an ex-con to make Japanese sweets
  • The Buried DaggerSwallow, JamesWH40KEvents leading up to the siege of Terra
  • Flight of the EisensteinSwallow, JamesScience Fictionpt 4 of Horus heresy, not as much fun as the others

T

  • The Black SwanTaleb, Nassim NicholasNonfictionAbout the rare events that change everything. Extremistan and Mediocrastan
  • The Joy Luck ClubTan, AmyLiteratureStories of Chinese refugees and their inability to connect with their kids
  • The GoldfinchTartt, DonnaLiteratureGod bless Boris. Wonderful story about art theft and growing up
  • The Secret HistoryTartt, DonnaLiteratureOwen Meany but literally every character is worse
  • The Fellowship of the RingTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • The HobbitTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • The Return of the KingTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • The Two TowersTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • Anna KareninaTolstoy, LeoLiteratureKitty & Levin OTP 4 ever, everyone else can piss off. Good characters, but about 200 pages too long.
  • Halo Kilo 6 TrilogyTraviss, KarenScience FictionSpec ops Halo soldiers sell wepons to both sides in an alien war
  • The Adventures of Huckelberry FinnTwain, MarkLiteratureThere's a reason it's a classic

V

  • AnnhiliationVandermeer, JeffHorrorIf SCP wikia had a novella
  • AuthorityVandermeer, JeffHorrorSequel to Annhiliation, kind of dull. There's a third book, but I never finished it because dullness
  • Rainbow's EndVinge, VernerScience FictionRobert Wu gets althezimers cured so hard he's a teenager again, but he can't write poems any more.
  • A Fire Upon the DeepVinge, VernorScience FictionA blight starts taking over the galaxy, two kids and hive mind dog-packs gotta save 'em
  • Breakfast of ChampionsVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life in America can be
  • Cat's CradleVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life on Earth can be
  • Player PianoVonnegurt, KurtScience FictionDystopia novel about machines replacing humans at work. Good read
  • Slaughterhouse FiveVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life can be.
  • Unfamiliar FishesVowell, SarahNonfictionMissionary takeover of Hawaii

W

  • ComplexityWaldorp, M MitchellNonfictionOcean's 11 of academics founds the scientific study of complex systems
  • Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and DreamsWalker, MatthewNonfictionGoddamnit get some sleep, now!
  • So Far GoneWalter, JessLiteratureGranpa Kinnick tried to resue his grandkids from alt-right nutjobs
  • The MartianWeir, AndrewScience FictionVery good, scientific survival story. Robinson Crusoe on Mars, space thriller.
  • Project Hail MaryWeir, AndrewScience FictionThe Martian but on the moon
  • The IntuitionistWhitehead, ColsonLiteratureThis book is about elevators, but also not.
  • The Picture of Dorian GreyWilde, OscarLiteratureFun little read, wasn't a big fan of the characters
  • ExactlyWinchester, SimonNonfictionHistory of precision engineering
  • Hot WaterWodehouse, PGLight LitGeft doesn't want to become the American Ambassador to France
  • Joy in the MorningWoodhouse, P. G.Light LitHilarious pastoral screwball comedy. Reminded me of twelfth night
  • Black BoyWright, RichardAutobiographyIndicative of the Harlem Renaissance, great book to get an idea of segregated America

Y

  • Diary of a voidYagi, EmiLiteratureJapanese woman pretends to be preggo to get out of work lmao
  • KitchenYoshimoto, BananaLiteratureTwo short stories about losing people you love
  • ButterYuzuki, AsakoLiteratureA journalist learns to cook while interviewing a serial killer lady

Z

  • Trust factor: The science of creating high-performance companiesZak, Paul JNonfictionInstitutional trust is important not only in government, but in companies and leadership groups
  • WeZamyatin, YevgenyScience FictionDystopian story that inspired a genre. I'll take a pink check, please!
  • The Age of Surveilance CapitalismZuboff, ShoshanaNonfictionAn in-depth study of how capitalism forces companies to choose between ethics and staying competitive

396 books

#

  • The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The WindowJonasson, JonasLight LitReads like a Wes Anderson film. Very quirky and fun read.
  • 1984Orwell, GeorgeScience FictionOne of the progenitors of dystopian fiction and has always been at war with Ocenia.
  • 1Q84Murakami, HarukiLiteratureMurakami is a dirty old man. Child abuse warning.
  • 2666Bolano, RobertLiteratureSomewhat Murikami like tale of people in Mexico exposing murders and gangs, but getting locked up and life happens
  • 50 Years of Data ScienceDonoho, DavidNonfictionData Science is better than statistics,smd professors

A

  • Abaddon's GateCorey, James S AScience FictionSolar system gateway is built, humans gotta explore it
  • AccelerandoStross, CharlesScience FictionCarousel of Progress following the world's first IRL streamer, his children, and his cat aineko
  • The Adventures of Huckelberry FinnTwain, MarkLiteratureThere's a reason it's a classic
  • The Age of Surveilance CapitalismZuboff, ShoshanaNonfictionAn in-depth study of how capitalism forces companies to choose between ethics and staying competitive
  • The Agony and the EcstasyStone, IrvingHistorical FictionIncredibe book on the life and art of Michaelangelo, pretty much a 750-page love letter to marble
  • AirframeCrichton, MichaelThrillerAirplane manufacturer investigates a lethal turbulance incident among a hostile union and media
  • The AlchemistCoelho, PauloLiteraturePreachy parable about listening to your heart and following your dreams. Like Ishmael but less trees more Jesus
  • Algorithms to Live ByChristian, Brian and Griffiths, TomNonfictionGreat intersection of computer science, ethics, and self-help. 37% optimal stopping
  • All my Friends are SuperherosKaufman, AndrewShort StoriesFun little read, quick feel-good romance with quirky characters.
  • All the Light We Cannot SeeDoerr, AnthonyLiteratureBeautful story about a blind girl in WWII France and a cursed diamond
  • Altered CarbonMorgan, RobertScience FictionKovachs investigates a murder in an era when people live on flash drives
  • The Amber SpyglassPullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary
  • American Fairy TalesBaum, Frank LFolkloreModern fairy tales, have good stories that are more fun than standard ancient myths.
  • And I don't want to live this life anymoreSpungen, DeborahNonfictionA memior about her daughter, who was killed in a very high-profile murder in the 90's
  • And then there were noneChristie, AgathaThriller10 people on an island getting killed one by one
  • The Andromeda StrainCrichton, MichaelThrillerRiviting medical thriller, great plot and storytelling
  • Angel of ReposeStegner, WallaceLiteratureSuesan Ward is a wet blanket and the wind beneath Oliver's wings. Or, was.
  • Animal FarmOrwell, GeorgeLiteratureFour legs good, two legs better!
  • Anna KareninaTolstoy, LeoLiteratureKitty & Levin OTP 4 ever, everyone else can piss off. Good characters, but about 200 pages too long.
  • AnnhiliationVandermeer, JeffHorrorIf SCP wikia had a novella
  • Apollo 13Lovell, JimThrillerRiviting space thriller written by the guy who lived through it
  • ArcBaxter, StephenScience FictionEnder's Game but kids are explorers and the author is only _slightly_ less of a pervert
  • The Art of InvisibilityMitnick, KevinNonfictionParanoid white-hat ex-con teaches you how to hide from the FBI online
  • The Art of the ConAmore, Anthony MNonfictionArt cons, forgeries and thefts. Interesting read!
  • As I Lay DyingFaulkner, WilliamLiteratureIncredible narrative structure. Great story about familial disfunction told from different, dishonest POVs
  • At HomeBryson, BillNonfictionQuaint history of the home, homiliness, and why we have the rooms that we do
  • Atlas ShruggedRand, AynLiteratureInteresting read about how great capitalism is and how much socialism sucks for the rich
  • AuthorityVandermeer, JeffHorrorSequel to Annhiliation, kind of dull. There's a third book, but I never finished it because dullness
  • Axiom's endEllis, LindsayScience FictionSpace race happens a lot earlier because aliens

B

  • BabelKuang, RFLiteratureLanguage translation Harry Potter pulls a racially-motivated Les Mis
  • Babylon's AshesCorey, James S AScience FictionRise of the free navy, Duarte fucks off to his own planet
  • The Basics of Bitcoins and BlockchainsLewis, AntonyNonfictionGood overview & understanding of bitcoin, blockchain, etherium, and DeFi
  • Bel CantoPratchett, AnneRomanceBest case of Stockholm Syndrome you'll have all year
  • The Bell JarPlath, SylviaAutobiographyEsther Greenwood is one of the best female protagonists ever written
  • Beneath the WheelHesse, HermannLiteratureHandbook for the tortured intellectual, who is too smart for his own good
  • Beware of ChickenCasualfarmerLight LitMary sue self insert pastoral Minecraft fanfic
  • The Big ShortLewis, MichaelNonfictionHedge funds betting on the 2008 financial crisis
  • Bird BoxMalerman, JoshThriller"Scary" story about meme zombie virus and a preggo lady. Okay
  • Black BoyWright, RichardAutobiographyIndicative of the Harlem Renaissance, great book to get an idea of segregated America
  • The Black SwanTaleb, Nassim NicholasNonfictionAbout the rare events that change everything. Extremistan and Mediocrastan
  • The Blind OwlHedayat, SadeghLiteratureDusty and horny Iraqi man sleeps with a dead(?) body
  • BlindnessSaramago, JoseLiteratureA plague of blindness sweeps the world, then passes
  • BlinkGladwell, MalcolmNonfictionInstincts are powerful and first impressions can be crafted
  • Blood MeridianMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureViolent, bloody, wild wild west
  • BloodchildButler, OctaviaShort StoriesSuper dark, gritty, realistic stories about humans and aliens
  • Blue GoldCussler, CliveLight LitMary-sue, self-insert 007 fanfiction for racist boomers
  • The Bluest EyeMorrison, TonyLiteratureReally sad novel about growing up black in racist America. Child abuse warning
  • Bone ClocksMitchell, DavidFantasySoul carnivors vs Horology and poor Holly Sykes caught in the middle
  • Breakfast of ChampionsVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life in America can be
  • Breasts and EggsKawakami, MiekoLiteratureWoman wants to get preggo but dislikes sex (and men) therefore sperm donor
  • BunnyAwad, MonaLiteratureMean Girls explode rabbits into frankenstein boyfriends
  • The Buried DaggerSwallow, JamesWH40KEvents leading up to the siege of Terra
  • The Buried GiantIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureWonderful story, great pacing. The mysteries and importance of memories (and dragons)
  • Burning ChromeGibson, WilliamShort StoriesShort sci fi stories. Fav are fragments of a holographic rose, the winter market
  • ButterYuzuki, AsakoLiteratureA journalist learns to cook while interviewing a serial killer lady

C

  • The Calculating StarsRobinette, Mary KowalScience FictionDue to meteor impact in the 1950's, humans need to leave Earth ASAP
  • Caliban's WarCorey, James S AScience FictionMore protomolecule BS starring Holden and that detective
  • The Candy HouseEgan, JenniferLiteratureBasically a sequal to goon squad
  • A Canticle for LeibowitzMiller, WalterScience FictionJesuits but in the fallout universe but written in the 1950's
  • Carve the MarkRoth, VeronicaTeen TrashIf the main character lovers turn out to be brother-sister, it's basically Star Wars
  • Cat's CradleVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life on Earth can be
  • Catch-22Heller, JosephLiteratureOne of my favourite anti-war novels. Love you, Snowden!
  • The Caves of SteelAsimov, IssiacScience FictionSci-fi murder mystery
  • Childhood's EndClarke, Arthur CScience FictionGreat golden-age sci-fi about Aliens invading Earth
  • Cibola BurnCorey, James S AScience FictionI think this is the one with the colony planet vs corpos
  • Clay's ArkButler, OctaviaScience FictionWeird, man... More character study than scifi. 5/10
  • A Clockwork OrangeBurgess, AnthonyLiteratureWonderfully crafted dystopian novel
  • A Closed and Common OrbitChambers, BeckyScience FictionSame universe as other works, great themes about choosing one's own family
  • Cloud AtlasMitchell, DavidLiteratureIncredible book, great characters and themes.
  • The CollectorFowles, JohnThrillerA young man wins the lottery, buys a farmhouse in the British countryside, and kidnaps a woman to lock in his basement
  • The Color of MagicPratchett, TerryFantasyLittle gnome in a camera painting pictures (the color is Octarine, btw)
  • CommonwealthPratchett, AnneLiteratureAuthors writing about authors is narscisistic af
  • ComplexityWaldorp, M MitchellNonfictionOcean's 11 of academics founds the scientific study of complex systems
  • Consider PhlebasBanks, Iain MScience FictionShapeshifing special agent goes in pursuit of an AI escaped to a dead world
  • Convenience Store WomanMurata, SayakaLight LitShe wants to work at a convenience store. So she do.
  • The Count of Monte CristoDumas, AlexanderLiteratureThe OG revenge story. Edmund Dantes FTW!
  • Count ZeroGibson, WilliamScience FictionArt buyer helps an old rich man die. Also corporate kidnap job goes wrong
  • The Crimson KingMcNeill, GrahamWH40KAll the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Magnus together again
  • CryptonomiconStephenson, NeilThrillerCode-breaking thriller. Adds tons of historic WWII detail into the modern day story
  • The Culture CodeCoyle, DanielNonfictionVulnrability creates team cooperation and company culture
  • The Curse of ChalionBujold, Lois McMasterScience FictionEntertaining trash fantasy novel

D

  • Dallergut Dream Department StoreLee, MiyeLight LitYoung spirit girl gets a job at the dream department store selling actual dreams
  • The Dark ForestLiu CixinScience FictionMy favorite of the series. Swordbreaker ftw!
  • Dark Matter (Crouch)Crouch, BlakeScience FictionTravel between parallel universes to find your best self, literally
  • Dark Matter (Paver)Paver, MichelleHorrorBritish boy goes on an expedition to Svalbard, meets a ghosty friend
  • DawnshardSanderson, BrandonFantasyRysn and her pet go on a sailing adventure
  • Death in her handsMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureOld lady dies in the woods
  • Death MasksButcher, JimLight LitDresden & Michael vs evil demons and shroud of Turin
  • Death's EndLiu CixinScience FictionPart of the most interesting science fiction series I've ever read
  • The Desert of StarsLumpkin, John JScience FictionPhysics-based ship-to-ground combat with fun human-interest stories. Startship troopers meets James S A Corey
  • Designing BotsShevat, AmirNonfictionTechnical work crap
  • The Devil in the White CityLarson, EricNonfictionRiviting and horrifying tale of world's fair and first serial killer
  • Dharma BumsKerouac, JackLiteratureMade me yearn for the Pacific-Northwest and 1950's American Buddhism
  • Diary of a voidYagi, EmiLiteratureJapanese woman pretends to be preggo to get out of work lmao
  • The Digital ApeShadbolt, NigelNonfictionHow to reconcile technology with human biology
  • Down and Out in the Magic KingdomDoctorow, CoryScience FictionJulius is part of the Ad-hocracy administrating Disney World in a post-death society
  • DuneHerbert, FrankFantasyIncredibly sci-fi fantasy novel comprable with LOTR but with giant sand worms

E

  • East of EdenSteinbeck, JohnLiteratureAbsolutely epic. Great characters and themes, re-read!
  • EdgedancerSanderson, BrandonFantasyLift and Herald Nalan face off over an orphanage
  • Eisenhorn OmnibusAbnett, DanWH40KInquisitor Eisenhorn does w40k inquisitor things. Subpar mystery, nice atmosphere
  • The EmployeesRavn, OlgaScience FictionHR interviews human (and neo-human) employees about alient objects
  • Ender's GameCard, Orson ScottScience FictionIncredible Sci-Fi about a military academy to train kids to fight aliens
  • Ender's ShadowCard, Orson ScottScience FictionEnder's Game from another POV, and is its own incredible story
  • EnduranceLansing, AlfredHistorical FictionThe incredible story of Shackleton's arctic voyage, shipwreck, and survival
  • EndymionSimmons, DanScience FictionI don't even remember what happened in this one TBH
  • Equal RitesPratchett, TerryFantasyDiskworld grants wizard womens' sufferage
  • ExactlyWinchester, SimonNonfictionHistory of precision engineering
  • The ExorcistBlatty, William PeterHorrorRegan! The demon girl! A wonderful ghost story

F

  • Fahrenheit 451Bradbury, RayScience FictionDystopian, anti-literary society at its best (worst?)
  • Fall of HyperionSimmons, DanScience FictionSpace Canterbury tales pt 2: electric Boogaloo. Getting back to normal SF series
  • False GodsMcNeill, GrahamWH40KMore W40K space marines, not a big fan of McNiel's prose, it's quite droll
  • The Farthest Shorele Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed goes for a long boat ride to save the dragons
  • FascismAlbright, MadelineNonfictionGood information about the rising trend of fascism in the world today
  • The Faults in Our StarsGreen, JohnTeen TrashIncredibly effective if it's your first Green novel.
  • The Fellowship of the RingTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • The Fifth SeasonJemisin, N KScience FictionRock magic 1
  • A Fire Upon the DeepVinge, VernorScience FictionA blight starts taking over the galaxy, two kids and hive mind dog-packs gotta save 'em
  • First and OnlyAbnett, DanWH40KW40K but about the normal human soldiers, not space marines. a fun romp
  • Flight of the EisensteinSwallow, JamesScience Fictionpt 4 of Horus heresy, not as much fun as the others
  • Flowers for AlgernonKeys, DanielLiteratureVery sad but intriguing and hearbreaking novel
  • Fool's MoonButcher, JimLight LitDresden & wolf friends vs evil werewolf
  • Foundation TrilogyAsimov, IssiacScience FictionWonderful triliogy with a very detailed universe. Books read like an intersteller poker game, with plans on plans on plans
  • FreshwaterEmezi, AkwaekeLiteratureAfrican girl with Gods inside her learns to embrace the madness

G

  • Galaxy in FlamesCounter, BenWH40Kpt 3 of W40K Horus Heresy
  • The Galaxy, and the Ground WithinChambers, BeckyScience FictionCanterbury tales but with more aliens
  • Get In TroubleLink, KellyShort StoriesVery fun and interesting short stories, incredibly human characters with small but meaningful plotlines.
  • Ghost StoryStraub, PeterHorrorOkay ghost story. Old men haunted by ghosts of the past
  • GhostwrittenMitchell, DavidLiteratureLess-good Goon Squad, short stories in the same universe. Remember chinese mountain tea shop woman
  • Girl DinnerBlake, OliviaLight LitSorority girls are actually cannibals?
  • The Girl with the Dragon TattooLarsson, StiegThrillerDetective novel with relatable characters and horribly morbid antagonists. Chile abuse warning.
  • Give and TakeGrant, AdamNonfictionGreat approach to relationships, networking, and lifetime happiness
  • The God of Small ThingsRoy, ArundhatiLiteratureChild Abuse Warning
  • Gods Without MenKunzru, HariLiteratureKnock-off Murakami tries to write one of the sub-plots of Infinite Jest
  • The Golden CompassPullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary
  • The GoldfinchTartt, DonnaLiteratureGod bless Boris. Wonderful story about art theft and growing up
  • GoldfingerFleming, IanLight LitWow I never realized how much of a misogynistic alcoholic James Bond is
  • Grave PerilButcher, JimLight LitDresden vs spoopy ghosts
  • Great at WorkHansen, MortenNonfictionProductivity and teamwork in the corporate landscape
  • Green MarsRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionMid-year mars settlement and terraforming, space communism. Hiroko is my problematic fave

H

  • Halo Hunters in the DarkDavid, PeterScience FictionMore Halo soldiers going pew pew pew
  • Halo Kilo 6 TrilogyTraviss, KarenScience FictionSpec ops Halo soldiers sell wepons to both sides in an alien war
  • Halo New BloodForbeck, MattLight LitHalo soldiers go pew pew pew
  • Halo: Contact HarvistStaten, JosephScience FictionHalo soldiers go pew pew pew
  • Halo: CryptumBear, GregScience FictionHalo forerunner series 1
  • Halo: PrimordiumBear, GregScience FictionHalo forerunner series 2
  • The Happiness AdvantageAchor, ShawnNonfictionInformative book on how pursuing happiness benefits your entire life
  • The Happiness ProjectRubin, GretchenNonfictionStory of one author's quest to be happier over a year
  • Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the WorldMurakami, HarukiLiteratureMore fun Murakami with all the expected craziness
  • Harmless Like YouBuchanan, Rowan HisyaoLiteratureYuki is a harmless wannabe artist who maries (and leaves) her harmless husband Edison
  • The Haunting of Hill HouseJackson, ShirleyHorrorElenor and rich guilded era friends investigate a haunted house
  • The haunting of tram car 015Clark, P DjeliFantasyEgyptian detectives out a ghost from a tram car
  • Heart of DarknessConrad, JosephLiteratureInteresting read, its reputation preceeds it, and I'm sure it was terrifying by 1890's standards.
  • Heart Shaped BoxHill, JoeHorrorNice little ghost story with Rock & Roll & Motorcycles.
  • Hellbound HeartsKane, PaulShort StoriesKinky pinhead demons
  • The Hero of AgesSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • A High Wind Rises in JamaicaHughes, RichardLiteratureKids get captured by pirates and immediately forget that it's a bad thing
  • HiroshimaHersey, JohnNonfictionShows you just how fucked up stuff gets when you drop an atomic bomb on a city
  • The HobbitTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • HomeMorrison, TonyLiteratureOffers a concerning view of the black community and how racist America affects it
  • Horus RisingAbnett, DanWH40KW40K Space marine Horus Heresy pt 1
  • Hot WaterWodehouse, PGLight LitGeft doesn't want to become the American Ambassador to France
  • House of LeavesDanielewski, Mark ZHorrorOne of the scariest books I've read, will challenge your perceptions of reality
  • How to Argue With a RacistRutherford, AdamNonfictionTip: Find common ground and work from there
  • How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleCarnagie, DaleNonfictionBasic advice: if you're genuinely interested in other people, other people will like you
  • The Hunchback of Notre DameHugo, VictorLiteratureFuckin everybody in this book is a terrible person except Esmerelda and her goat. Great story though
  • HyperionSimmons, DanScience FictionSpace Canterbury tales

I

  • I Remember YouSigurdardottir, YrsaHorrorIn Iceland a little ghost boy wants to be reunited with his parents
  • I'll be gone in the darkMcNamara, MichelleNonfictionAuthor investigates a serial rapist/murderer in LA in the 80's, solves the case too!
  • I'm a stranger here myselfBryson, BillNonfictionA collection of delightful essays on living in America
  • i, RobotAsimov, IssiacScience FictionAmazing collection of short stories about the robot takeover
  • The IdiotDostoyevsky, FydorLiteraturePoor Prince Muishkin; he did nothing wrong but be honest
  • The Illustrated ManBradbury, RayShort StoriesFavorites were The Veldt and Marionettes Inc
  • In a Dark Place: The Story of a True HauntingGarton, RayHorrorGhost stories, when they pretend to be real, are soooo dull
  • In the Garden of BeastsLarson, EricNonfictionGreat recounting of ambassador to pre-WW2 Germany's life in the 3rd reich. Scary modern parallels.
  • Into Thin AirKrakauer, JonNonfictionMemior of author's experience on a tragic journey up Mt. Everest
  • The IntuitionistWhitehead, ColsonLiteratureThis book is about elevators, but also not.
  • The Invisible HotelHam, Yeji YLiteratureBathtub full of bones
  • Is there no place on earth for me?Sheehan, SusanNonfictionLife of Sylvia Frumpkin, a schizophrenic in the New York mental health system in the 1970's and 80's
  • Island of a thousand mirrorsMunaweera, NayomiHistorical FictionThe Sri Lankan civil war from the perspective of girls on either side of the conflict
  • Issiac's StormLarson, EricHistorical FictionFun little read, great storytelling

J

  • Joy in the MorningWoodhouse, P. G.Light LitHilarious pastoral screwball comedy. Reminded me of twelfth night
  • The Joy Luck ClubTan, AmyLiteratureStories of Chinese refugees and their inability to connect with their kids
  • Jurassic ParkCrichton, MichaelThrillerOpen Door > Get On Floor > Walk Your Favourite Dinosaur

K

  • Kafka on the ShoreMurakami, HarukiLiteratureKind of pointless, with a winding meandering story that feels like it should mean something but doesn't.
  • The Killer AngelsShaara, MichaelHistorical FictionThe battle of Gettysburg, told well with many perspectives from all sides
  • KitchenYoshimoto, BananaLiteratureTwo short stories about losing people you love
  • Klara and The SunIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureKlara is a very observative robot who becomes a real girl

L

  • LapvonaMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureDeformed Malek loves killing his brothers, and everyone in the village sucks
  • Last DaysNevill, AdamHorrorDocumentary director gets hired to make a documentary about a doomsday cult, but things get spooky
  • The Lathe of Heavenle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionGuy's dreams come true, but he gets manipulated by a mean dream-doctor
  • The Left Hand of Darknessle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionStrange Androgynous humans on an icy planet are convinced to join the galactic union
  • Les MisHugo, VictorLiteratureWonderful book with amazing themes and better characters
  • Lessons in ChemistryGarmus, BonnieLiteratureElizabeth Zott supper at six
  • Leviathan FallsCorey, James S AScience FictionDuarte becomes an agent of one of the WH40K chaos gods but is killed somehow idk
  • Leviathan WakesCorey, James S AScience FictionJames Holden and friends start a solar system conflict
  • Lies of SilenceMoore, BrianThrillerA fun romp about the IRA getting even and blowing up cars outside hotels
  • The life changing magic of tidying upKondo, MarieNonfictionTeaches the KonMari method of tidying up- quite useful!
  • Life of PiMartel, YannLiteratureRiviting survival tale of a boy and his tiger
  • Light in AugustFaulkner, WilliamLiteratureWonderfully flawed characters play out this tale of southern racist charm
  • Like Switch: an ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People OverSchafer, Jack and Karlins, MarvinNonfictionPossible a worse title than Carnagie. Great advice, love the eyebrow twitch
  • Lincoln in the BardoSaunderson, GeorgeLiteratureShort, quaint read. Rather philosophical and intimate
  • Lock InScalzi, JohnScience FictionMystery thriller about human vegetables that control robots
  • Logan's RunNolan, William F & Johnson, George ClaytonScience FictionNo one over 21 is allowed to live, but Logan, the ex-DS man, thinks he can outrun his fate
  • LolitaNabokov, VladimirLiteratureThe prose is absolutely beautiful; the topic is absolutely revolting
  • The Long Way to a Small, Angry PlanetChambers, BeckyScience FictionFinally a sci-fi book with weird, non-humanoid aliens!
  • Looking For AlaskaGreen, JohnTeen TrashCatcher in the Rye but with shittier, modern characters and the same plotline as all of Green's other books
  • A Lost LadyCather, WillaLiteratureFun little read about life in the midwest during and after the depression
  • Love in the Time of CholeraMarquez, Gabriel GarciaLiteratureFlorentino Aritzia wants to fuck old people. And young people, too.
  • The Lovely BonesSebold, AliceLiteratureFun little read about how the world will carry on without you. Child abuse warning.

M

  • Madhouse at the End of the EarthSancton, JulianNonfictionThe Belgica did the first antarctic wintering and it drove everybody mad
  • A madman dreams of Turing machinesLevin, JannaHistorical FictionTuring and Gödel live parallel, tragic lives
  • The MagusFowles, JohnLiteratureShutter Island x the great gatsby
  • Malazan 1: Gardens of the MoonErikson, StevenFantasyMalazan empire attempts to siege Dahrujistan and you, the reader, are clueless
  • Malazan 2: Deadhouse GatesErikson, StevenFantasyColtaine's chain of dogs
  • Malazan 3: Memories of IceErikson, StevenFantasySiege of Capustan rise of Treach/Trake the tiger of summer, end of the bridgeburners
  • Malazan 4: House of ChainsErikson, StevenFantasyKarsa Orblong becomes the knight of house chains
  • Malazan 5: Midnight TidesErikson, StevenFantasyLetheri and Tiste Edur brothers mirror each other. Bug the divine manservant.
  • Malazan 6: The BonehuntersErikson, StevenFantasyBack in the Seven Cities, Y'Ghatan burns and Tavore becomes her own
  • Malazan 7: Reaper's GateErikson, StevenFantasyFall of letheras. Bonehunters guerilla war. Karsa duels the emperor. Icarium glowers then does weird magic shit
  • Manhattan BeachEgan, JenniferLiteratureAnna the diving girl! Dives to the bottom of the bay on a journey to find her dad
  • Manifold: TimeBaxter, StephenScience Fictionsentient squids & time fuckery
  • The MartianWeir, AndrewScience FictionVery good, scientific survival story. Robinson Crusoe on Mars, space thriller.
  • Master and CommanderO'Brian, PatrickHistorical FictionCap'n Jack and his mighty fine crew, they sailed across the ocean blue!
  • The Master of MankindDembski-Bowden, AaronWH40KThe Emperor is losing the war in the webway
  • Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneGottlieb, LoriAutobiographyA therapist goes to therapy to talk about the theraputic process (and get therapy)
  • Miles ErrantBujold, Lois McMasterScience FictionSpace Opera with some really dark torture scenes. Weird clone family drama, too
  • The Ministry for the futureRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionUN like agency tries to save the world from climate change after a heat wave disaster in India
  • MiseryKing, StephenHorrorAAAAHHHH!
  • Mistborn: The Final EmpireSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • Mona Lisa OverdriveGibson, WilliamScience FictionGibson has an incredible sci-fi dystopian universe. Dark, Cynical, and full of mystery.
  • MosquitolandArnold, DavidLiteratureMim the goblin teenager goes on an adventure to rescue her mom
  • Moth SmokeHamid, MohsinLiteratureFight club but in Pakistan and with more self-destruction and less likable characters
  • My Year of Rest and RelaxtionMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureA rich girl tries to sleep away an entire year, and mostly succeeds without consequences

N

  • The Name of The WindRothfuss, PatrickFantasyMary Sue Harry Potter
  • Nemisis GamesCorey, James S AScience FictionCrew members take personal time while that kid drops rocks
  • NeuromancerGibson, WilliamScience FictionRogue AI, interbred future families, and alcoholic anti-heroes. Standard cyberpunk fare, but Gibson invented it.
  • Never Let Me GoIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureIf The Faults in Our Stars took place in the same world as House of the Scorpion. Good, sad read.
  • No Country for Old MenMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureExtremely violent and savage, the theme is hard to discover under all the blood and death
  • NOS4A2Hill, JoeHorrorCreative and disturbing horror

O

  • OathbringerSanderson, BrandonFantasyDalinar comes into his own as Bondsmith; Kaladin matures, Shallan has an identity crisis, Jasneh is badass
  • The Obelisk GateJemisin, N KScience FictionRock magic 2
  • October Sky (Rocket Boys)Hickam, HomerAutobiographyLight, wholesome story about country boys building rockets and winning the science fair
  • The old man and the seaHemmingway, EarnestLiteratureOld guy catches a big fish but sharks ate it up oh nooooo
  • On the calculation of volumeBalle, SolvejLiteratureA woman is stuck in a time loop on 18th of November. She tries to fight it, but loses. It's a metaphor for the death of your spouse.
  • On The RoadKerouac, JackLiteratureGreat mood-piece from the beatnik generation
  • One Hundered Years of SolitudeMarquez, Gabriel GarciaLiteratureAmazing tale of multi-generational family, magical realism at its best
  • OrbitalHarvey, SamanthaLiteratureLove letter to the astronauts on the ISS. Great description of disorienting timelessness
  • Our Wives Under the SeaArmfield, JuliaHorrorDeep sea explorer comes back wrong to her wife, turns into a deep sea fish
  • The Outcast DeadMcNeill, GrahamWH40KLoyal space marines from traitor leigons team up

P

  • Parable of the SowerButler, OctaviaScience FictionPost-apocalyptic moses girl starts a new religion called Earthseed
  • The Perks of Being a WallflowerChbosky, StephenTeen TrashA big, jumbled heap of all the contravertial issues of 1999 that fails to have any meaningful plot or characters
  • Persepolis RisingCorey, James S AScience FictionDuarte is back with his weirdo Rome planet, takes Medina station
  • The Pheonix ProjectKim, GeneNonfictionThe Fountainhead tells the story of DevOps
  • Phule's CompanyAsprin, RobertScience FictionCaptain Phule turns a bad company of soldiers into a proper force through self-esteem and a lot of money
  • The Picture of Dorian GreyWilde, OscarLiteratureFun little read, wasn't a big fan of the characters
  • PiranesiClarke, SusannaLiteratureGuy is trapped in an infinitely large house full of statues.
  • The Player of GamesBanks, Ian MScience FictionDude wins a chess tourney and overthrows an empire. Also 3 genders.
  • Player PianoVonnegurt, KurtScience FictionDystopia novel about machines replacing humans at work. Good read
  • Practical deamonkeepingMoore, ChristopherLight LitGoblin-mode demon grants wishes in a NorCal town
  • A Prayer for Owen MeanyIrving, JohnLiteratureIncredible book about God's plans for a tiny New-England boy and his friend John.
  • Prediction machines: the simple ecopnomics of Artificial IntelligenceAgrawal, Ajay et alNonfictionGreat recource about adopting AI into business and the things to consider thereof
  • Project Hail MaryWeir, AndrewScience FictionThe Martian but on the moon
  • Prospero BurnsAbnett, DanWH40KA thousand sons but from the POV of the Space Wolves Awooooooooo

Q

  • QuicksilverStephenson, NeilFantasyEnlightenment Yaoi harem fanfiction with occasional vagabond pirate interludes.

R

  • RaftBaxter, StephenScience FictionElysium but the good ending and with space whales
  • Ragnar BlackmaneDembski-Bowden, AaronScience FictionBlackmane does more than just kill things, but he also kills a lot of things lmao
  • Rainbow SixClancey, TomThrillerReads like a COD game, but incredibly detailed with interesting military stratigies
  • Rainbow's EndVinge, VernerScience FictionRobert Wu gets althezimers cured so hard he's a teenager again, but he can't write poems any more.
  • RebeccaDuMaurier, DaphneLiteratureLast night I dreamt of Manderley again
  • Record of a Spaceborn FewChambers, BeckyScience FictionLife in the Exodan space stations
  • RecursionCrouch, BlakeScience FictionWoman creates a chair that lets you go back into time via memories and change things. Generic time travel thriller
  • Red MarsRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionHumans colonize mars & their early settlements up to a failed violent revolution
  • The Remains of the DayIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureAn old Butler goes on a road trip and thinks about dignity
  • Rendezvous with RamaClarke, Arthur CScience FictionOne of the most interesting premises for a Sci-Fi book I've encountered
  • Rental Person Who Does NothingMorimoto, ShojiAutobiographyPeople send this Japanese dude twitter DMs and he just shows up and does nothing
  • The Return of the KingTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • Return to the Dallergut Dream Department StoreLee, MiyeLight LitIt's the first book, but more!
  • Rhythm of WarSanderson, BrandonFantasyUritheriu gets invaded! Shallan and Adolin stuck in Shadesmar
  • RingworldNiven, LarryScience Fiction3 unlucky people and Teela Brown journey to the Ringworld
  • Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless FutureFord, MartinNonfictionStudy on the social impacts of an increasingly automated economy
  • The RoadMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureI'm not crying, you're crying.... Somebody get me a comma, please.
  • Roboute Guilliman: Lord of UltramarAnnandale, DavidWH40KThe Ultramarines take some world or smth, all about Rowboat Girlyman
  • Rocanon's Worldle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionEarly Haimish cycle, Rocanon discovers the secrets of telepathy on a medieval world with flying beasts
  • Running in the FamilyOndaatje, MichaelNonfictionMemior about the author's grandparents' time as gentry in Sri Lanka during the roaring 20's and onward

S

  • The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant TechnologiesBrynjolfsoson, Erik and McAfee, AndrewNonfictionEconomic study on how increasing automation will change to future economy
  • The Secret HistoryTartt, DonnaLiteratureOwen Meany but literally every character is worse
  • Secrets to Winning at Office PoliticsMcIntyre, Marie GNonfictionActual good advice on working in corporacracy
  • Shadow DiversKurson, RobertHistorical FictionDeep-water scuba divers seek trasure and history
  • Sharp ObjectsFlynn, GillianThrillerJournalist girl who cuts herself covers a murder story in her hometown and discovers family issues
  • Shell ShakerHowe, LeAnneLiteratureA multigeneration Chocktaw murder mystery investigation
  • The ShiningKing, StephenHorrorGreat, scary horror!
  • SiddharthaHesse, HermannLiteratureGood philosophy, nice Buddhist story to reflect on
  • Slade HouseMitchell, DavidShort StoriesShort stories from the Soul Carnivors' world
  • Slaughterhouse FiveVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life can be.
  • Sleeping Freshmen Never LieLubar, DavidLight LitLight coming-of-age story about high school freshman kid
  • Snow CrashStephenson, NeilScience FictionA fun read, but lacked substance-- a literary action movie.
  • So Far GoneWalter, JessLiteratureGranpa Kinnick tried to resue his grandkids from alt-right nutjobs
  • Something New Under the SunKleeman, AlexandraScience FictionClimate fiction, Patrick Hamelin goes to hollywood and gets weird dementia from the wat-r
  • Song of AchillesMiller, MadelineLiteratureAchilles / Patrocles yaoi fanfic
  • Space Wolf TrilogyKing, WilliamScience FictionRagnar Blackmane is Wolf Lord of the space wolves doing wolf things. Awooooo~~
  • The SparrowRussell, Mary DoriaScience FictionHow far will God go to punish the faithful? Jesuits are the first to make contact with Aliens
  • The Spy who came in from the Coldle Carre, JohnThrillerA double-agent double-crosses to catch other double-agents. But it the whole thing a setup?
  • The Spy Who Loved MeFleming, IanThrillerJames Bond stops by a motel in update NY to do 'drines and rescue a bimbo from insurance fraud
  • Starship TroopersHeinlein, Robert AScience FictionGreat political commentary on war from an alien-killing epic
  • Starter VillainScalzi, JohnThrillerCharlie takes over his uncle's secret volcano lair (and evil plots) to become a temporary villian
  • Starting StrengthRippetoe, MarkNonfiction101 on barbell training
  • Station ElevenSt. John Mandel, EmilyLiteratureA post-apocalyptic acting troupe proves mere survival to be insufficient. Wacky premise, meh book
  • The Stone SkyJemisin, N KScience Fictionrock Magic 3
  • Stories of your life and othersChiang, TedShort StoriesWonderful short stories, themes about free will, time travel
  • Storm FrontButcher, JimLight LitDetective Harry Dresden vs evil weather wizard
  • StrangeMistry, RohintonHistorical FictionThe story of a family of poor Undesirables during India's constitutional crisis years
  • The StrangerCamu, AlbertLiteratureGood intro to existantialism, goes well with Vonnegurt
  • The StrangerCamus, AlbertLiteratureFrench wretch murders someone for fun, dies because living is too much work
  • Stranger in a Strange LandHeinlein, Robert AScience FictionMary Sue Martian confirms chauvanism
  • The Subtle are of not giving a FuckManson, MarkNonfictionSelf-help type book about control and responsibility
  • The Subtle KnifePullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary
  • Summer KnightButcher, JimLight LitDresden & Michael vs mean vampires and fairies
  • The Sun Does ShineHinton, Anthony RayAutobiographyStory of an innocent man who spent 30 years on Alabama's death row
  • A Sunny Place for Shady PeopleEnriquez, MarianaShort StoriesThe BEST kind of ghost stories, coming at you from Argentina
  • Swallowing MercuryGreg, WiolettaAutobiographyMemories of growing up a poor girl in 1980's Poland
  • Swan SongMcCammond, RobertScience FictionPost-apocalyptic nuclear winter gives one girl magic powers of plant growth
  • Sweet Bean PasteSukegawa, DurianLight LitOld lady with leoparsy teaches an ex-con to make Japanese sweets

T

  • The Talented Mr RipleyHighsmith, PatriciaThrillerFucking awful
  • Tatami GalaxyMorimi, TomihikoLiteratureThe wretch, an unnmed student, is tied to Ozu no matter what club he joins
  • Tehanule Guin, Ursula KFantasySome dumb kid comes across Ged and the tomb girl but the kid is actually a dragon. Best earthsea IMO
  • Tender is the NightFitzgerald, F ScottRomanceFirst part is an incredible romance, second part is a great murder-thriller
  • The Terminal ManCrichton, MichaelThrillerA computer hacker man goes on a rampage!
  • Terms of EnlistmentKloos, MarkoLight LitSpace marine romp with women characters that doesn't make a big deal about having women in space
  • The TerrorSimmons, DanHorrorHorrifying at times but not scary. Ship stuck in the arctic, hunted by some creature
  • That old ace in the holeProulx, AnnieLiteratureBob Dollar is a vehicle for Proulx to tell us all about the TX/OK Panhandle's history
  • There ThereOrange, TommyLiteratureWhile a sad American Indian story, it manages to not lose itself in tragedy and tells a gripping story
  • The thin manHammet, DashiellThrillerI drank whenever the detective or his wife did; I don't remember the ending
  • Thinking in Systems: A PrimerMeadows, Donella HNonfictionDesigning software and human processes from a systems perspective. Good stuff!
  • The Third PolicemanO'Nolan, BrianLiteratureA basement-dwelling scholar helps kill a man then spends his time in a special purgetory-hell. Very confusing
  • This Divided IslandSubramanian, SamanthHistorical FictionAccount of the Sri Lankan civil war.
  • This is How You Lose the Time Warel-Mohtar, AmalLight LitTwo secret time agents fall in love like in The Notebook
  • This Weightless WorldSoto, AdamLiteratureAn ensemble of characters are affected differntly by first contact
  • A Thousand SonsMcNeill, GrahamWH40KStart of the fall of Magnus the read and the Thousand Sons chapter
  • A Thousand Splendid SunsHosseini, KhaledLiteratureFun little read, good for putting a nice damper on your happy mood. Child abuse warning.
  • Three Body ProblemLiu CixinScience FictionSome of the most original and creative science fiction I've ever read
  • Through Struggle, The StarsLumpkin, John JScience FictionPhysics-based ship to ship space combat by the designer of Terra Invicta
  • Tiamet's WrathCorey, James S AScience FictionOld-ass Holden and Naiomi do resistance things, Dr Okoye learns about alien stuff
  • TimescapeBenford, GregoryScience FictionUsing iridium to talk to the past to stop global warming
  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spyle Carre, JohnThrillerDouble double agent spy novel. A bit confusing
  • To Be a MachineO'Connell, MarkNonfictionA look at the 2010's transhumanist movement of people who want to live forever
  • To LiveHua, YuLiteratureFamous Chinese novel of an idiot starving his way through the cultural revolutions
  • Tom's CrossingDanielewski, Mark ZLiteratureTwo kids and a ghost save two horses through a mountain pass
  • The Tombs of Atuanle Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed goes tomb raiding and frees the head priestess
  • A Tree Grows in BrooklynSmith, BettyLiteratureFrancie is a poor Irish girl who reads too much. Story of a poor Brooklyn family at turn of the century
  • Tress of the Emerald SeaSanderson, BrandonFantasyPhantom tollbooth about a practical pirate heroine
  • Trust factor: The science of creating high-performance companiesZak, Paul JNonfictionInstitutional trust is important not only in government, but in companies and leadership groups
  • The Tunnels of Cu ChiMarigold, Tom and Penycate, JohnNonfictionAmazing stories from people who lived and fought in Vietnames tunnels
  • TwilightMeyer, StephanieTeen TrashI've eaten sandwiches with more personality than Bella
  • The Two TowersTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it

U

  • UbikDick, Phillip KScience FictionUbik! It's what plants crave!
  • UltramarineNavarro, MarietteLiteraturetwenty freighter crewmen go swimming, twenty one climb back on board
  • The Unbearable Lightness of BeingKundera, MilanLiteratureBeautiful philosophy of life, love, and time.
  • Under the Banner of HeavenKrakauer, JonNonfictionCrazy Mormon listens to God's call to kill his brother's wife and baby. Book asks, "why?"
  • UnderlakeMcCoy, ErinLiteratureBioshock but it's in a lake and there are evangelicals and communists living underwater
  • Unfamiliar FishesVowell, SarahNonfictionMissionary takeover of Hawaii
  • UnsongAlexander, ScottFantasyAlt history, angels are real and the names of God cause strange things to happen

V

  • The VegetarianKang, HanLiteratureHuman beings are meant to be plants
  • A Visit From the Goon SquadEgan, JenniferLiteratureGreat book about growing old, characters are great and human. See also Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

W

  • The Way of KingsSanderson, BrandonFantasySword of the rings, book 1: Shardswords and shardplates fuuuuuuck I want more
  • WeZamyatin, YevgenyScience FictionDystopian story that inspired a genre. I'll take a pink check, please!
  • We are all completely beside ourselvesFowler, Karen JoyLiteratureA girl was raised alongside a chimp as part of her psychologist father's experiment
  • We are SatelitesPinsker, SaraScience FictionEveryone and their kids gets a chip in their head, but maaaaybe it's not a good idea??
  • We used to live hereKliewer, MarcusHorrorA redditor wrote a haunted house story
  • We'll Prescribe You A CatIshida, SyouLight LitCats dressing as humans dispense cats as psychotherapy
  • The Weight of Our SkyAlkaf, HannaHistorical FictionMalaysian race riots of 1969 from the perspective of a little girl with OCD. VERY GOOD OCD portrayal
  • The Well of AscensionSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • What We Talk About When We Talk About LoveCarver, RaymondShort StoriesGreat collection of short stories that are incredibly human and extremely relatable. Read aloud with friends.
  • What's Left? How Liberals lost their wayCohen, NickNonfictionVery good analysis of the changes of the liberal left in Engliand and the West in the early 2000's
  • When a Crocodile Eats the SunGodwin, PeterNonfictionMemiors of growing up in Zimbabwe and lamenting at how things have worsened since
  • When Breath Becomes AirKalanithi, PaulAutobiographyPaul is a neurosurgeon who dies from cancer while writing this book
  • Where the Crawdads SingOwens, DeliaLiteratureMary Sue swamp girl becomes naturist scientist girl boss
  • Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about RaceEddo-Lodge, ReniNonfictionDeep review of systemic racism and the barriers to conversations it poses
  • Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and DreamsWalker, MatthewNonfictionGoddamnit get some sleep, now!
  • Wind and TruthSanderson, BrandonFantasyThe thrilling finale, Kaladin and Szeth buddy cop movie, Dalainar stars in a clip show
  • Wind-up Bird ChronicleMurakami, HarukiLiteratureGreat book, wonderfully modern and pointless. One of those stories where everything happens but nothing is achieved.
  • The Windup GirlBacigalupi, PaoloScience FictionCalorie exec in climate-starved Thailand falls in love with a robot prostitute during a coup
  • Wise BloodO'Conner, FlanneryLiteratureFeatures one of the weirdest and most oddball characters I've ever met
  • The Witcher HeptogySapkowski, AndrzejFantasyGeralt and Ciri adventures! Featuring Yennifer and other people with strange names
  • A Wizard of Earthseale Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed/Sparrowhawk rises, goes to not-hogwarts, and summons a deamon
  • Words of RadianceSanderson, BrandonFantasyThe parshendi awaken, Kaladin gets over his ego, Shallan comes into her powers, Dalinar embraces the knights radiant
  • The World According to GarpIrving, JohnLiteratureCrazy characters and a wild ride throughout

X

  • Xenogenisis TrilogyButler, OctaviaScience FictionAliens give humanity a second chance in exchange for their children. Nice world-building and weird aliens

Z

  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenancePirsig, RobertNonfictionChautauqua on Quality and also the guy's son Chris
  • Zero KDeLillo, DonScience FictionA billionare old man buys cyropreservation services for him and his wife in a strange Central Asian bunker
  • Zero Zero ZeroSaviano, RobertNonfictionCocaine is a worldwide industry and capitalism's #1 problematic fave
  • ZodiacStephenson, NeilThrillerNice light thriller featuring boats and dumping in Boston harbor.

396 books

Autobiography

  • Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneGottlieb, LoriAutobiographyA therapist goes to therapy to talk about the theraputic process (and get therapy)
  • Swallowing MercuryGreg, WiolettaAutobiographyMemories of growing up a poor girl in 1980's Poland
  • October Sky (Rocket Boys)Hickam, HomerAutobiographyLight, wholesome story about country boys building rockets and winning the science fair
  • The Sun Does ShineHinton, Anthony RayAutobiographyStory of an innocent man who spent 30 years on Alabama's death row
  • When Breath Becomes AirKalanithi, PaulAutobiographyPaul is a neurosurgeon who dies from cancer while writing this book
  • Rental Person Who Does NothingMorimoto, ShojiAutobiographyPeople send this Japanese dude twitter DMs and he just shows up and does nothing
  • The Bell JarPlath, SylviaAutobiographyEsther Greenwood is one of the best female protagonists ever written
  • Black BoyWright, RichardAutobiographyIndicative of the Harlem Renaissance, great book to get an idea of segregated America

Fantasy

  • UnsongAlexander, ScottFantasyAlt history, angels are real and the names of God cause strange things to happen
  • The haunting of tram car 015Clark, P DjeliFantasyEgyptian detectives out a ghost from a tram car
  • Malazan 1: Gardens of the MoonErikson, StevenFantasyMalazan empire attempts to siege Dahrujistan and you, the reader, are clueless
  • Malazan 2: Deadhouse GatesErikson, StevenFantasyColtaine's chain of dogs
  • Malazan 3: Memories of IceErikson, StevenFantasySiege of Capustan rise of Treach/Trake the tiger of summer, end of the bridgeburners
  • Malazan 4: House of ChainsErikson, StevenFantasyKarsa Orblong becomes the knight of house chains
  • Malazan 5: Midnight TidesErikson, StevenFantasyLetheri and Tiste Edur brothers mirror each other. Bug the divine manservant.
  • Malazan 6: The BonehuntersErikson, StevenFantasyBack in the Seven Cities, Y'Ghatan burns and Tavore becomes her own
  • Malazan 7: Reaper's GateErikson, StevenFantasyFall of letheras. Bonehunters guerilla war. Karsa duels the emperor. Icarium glowers then does weird magic shit
  • DuneHerbert, FrankFantasyIncredibly sci-fi fantasy novel comprable with LOTR but with giant sand worms
  • The Farthest Shorele Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed goes for a long boat ride to save the dragons
  • Tehanule Guin, Ursula KFantasySome dumb kid comes across Ged and the tomb girl but the kid is actually a dragon. Best earthsea IMO
  • The Tombs of Atuanle Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed goes tomb raiding and frees the head priestess
  • A Wizard of Earthseale Guin, Ursula KFantasyGed/Sparrowhawk rises, goes to not-hogwarts, and summons a deamon
  • Bone ClocksMitchell, DavidFantasySoul carnivors vs Horology and poor Holly Sykes caught in the middle
  • The Color of MagicPratchett, TerryFantasyLittle gnome in a camera painting pictures (the color is Octarine, btw)
  • Equal RitesPratchett, TerryFantasyDiskworld grants wizard womens' sufferage
  • The Amber SpyglassPullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary
  • The Golden CompassPullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary
  • The Subtle KnifePullman, PhillipFantasyWonderful fantasy series about the hubris of man and giant, armored polar bears. Great social commentary
  • The Name of The WindRothfuss, PatrickFantasyMary Sue Harry Potter
  • DawnshardSanderson, BrandonFantasyRysn and her pet go on a sailing adventure
  • EdgedancerSanderson, BrandonFantasyLift and Herald Nalan face off over an orphanage
  • The Hero of AgesSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • Mistborn: The Final EmpireSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • OathbringerSanderson, BrandonFantasyDalinar comes into his own as Bondsmith; Kaladin matures, Shallan has an identity crisis, Jasneh is badass
  • Rhythm of WarSanderson, BrandonFantasyUritheriu gets invaded! Shallan and Adolin stuck in Shadesmar
  • Tress of the Emerald SeaSanderson, BrandonFantasyPhantom tollbooth about a practical pirate heroine
  • The Way of KingsSanderson, BrandonFantasySword of the rings, book 1: Shardswords and shardplates fuuuuuuck I want more
  • The Well of AscensionSanderson, BrandonFantasyGood worldbuilding and magics. MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, but the story is good nontheless
  • Wind and TruthSanderson, BrandonFantasyThe thrilling finale, Kaladin and Szeth buddy cop movie, Dalainar stars in a clip show
  • Words of RadianceSanderson, BrandonFantasyThe parshendi awaken, Kaladin gets over his ego, Shallan comes into her powers, Dalinar embraces the knights radiant
  • The Witcher HeptogySapkowski, AndrzejFantasyGeralt and Ciri adventures! Featuring Yennifer and other people with strange names
  • QuicksilverStephenson, NeilFantasyEnlightenment Yaoi harem fanfiction with occasional vagabond pirate interludes.
  • The Fellowship of the RingTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • The HobbitTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • The Return of the KingTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it
  • The Two TowersTolkien, J R RFantasyDifinitive work of the genre, great read if you can get through it

Folklore

  • American Fairy TalesBaum, Frank LFolkloreModern fairy tales, have good stories that are more fun than standard ancient myths.

Historical Fiction

  • The Weight of Our SkyAlkaf, HannaHistorical FictionMalaysian race riots of 1969 from the perspective of a little girl with OCD. VERY GOOD OCD portrayal
  • Shadow DiversKurson, RobertHistorical FictionDeep-water scuba divers seek trasure and history
  • EnduranceLansing, AlfredHistorical FictionThe incredible story of Shackleton's arctic voyage, shipwreck, and survival
  • Issiac's StormLarson, EricHistorical FictionFun little read, great storytelling
  • A madman dreams of Turing machinesLevin, JannaHistorical FictionTuring and Gödel live parallel, tragic lives
  • StrangeMistry, RohintonHistorical FictionThe story of a family of poor Undesirables during India's constitutional crisis years
  • Island of a thousand mirrorsMunaweera, NayomiHistorical FictionThe Sri Lankan civil war from the perspective of girls on either side of the conflict
  • Master and CommanderO'Brian, PatrickHistorical FictionCap'n Jack and his mighty fine crew, they sailed across the ocean blue!
  • The Killer AngelsShaara, MichaelHistorical FictionThe battle of Gettysburg, told well with many perspectives from all sides
  • The Agony and the EcstasyStone, IrvingHistorical FictionIncredibe book on the life and art of Michaelangelo, pretty much a 750-page love letter to marble
  • This Divided IslandSubramanian, SamanthHistorical FictionAccount of the Sri Lankan civil war.

Horror

  • Our Wives Under the SeaArmfield, JuliaHorrorDeep sea explorer comes back wrong to her wife, turns into a deep sea fish
  • The ExorcistBlatty, William PeterHorrorRegan! The demon girl! A wonderful ghost story
  • House of LeavesDanielewski, Mark ZHorrorOne of the scariest books I've read, will challenge your perceptions of reality
  • In a Dark Place: The Story of a True HauntingGarton, RayHorrorGhost stories, when they pretend to be real, are soooo dull
  • Heart Shaped BoxHill, JoeHorrorNice little ghost story with Rock & Roll & Motorcycles.
  • NOS4A2Hill, JoeHorrorCreative and disturbing horror
  • The Haunting of Hill HouseJackson, ShirleyHorrorElenor and rich guilded era friends investigate a haunted house
  • MiseryKing, StephenHorrorAAAAHHHH!
  • The ShiningKing, StephenHorrorGreat, scary horror!
  • We used to live hereKliewer, MarcusHorrorA redditor wrote a haunted house story
  • Last DaysNevill, AdamHorrorDocumentary director gets hired to make a documentary about a doomsday cult, but things get spooky
  • Dark Matter (Paver)Paver, MichelleHorrorBritish boy goes on an expedition to Svalbard, meets a ghosty friend
  • I Remember YouSigurdardottir, YrsaHorrorIn Iceland a little ghost boy wants to be reunited with his parents
  • The TerrorSimmons, DanHorrorHorrifying at times but not scary. Ship stuck in the arctic, hunted by some creature
  • Ghost StoryStraub, PeterHorrorOkay ghost story. Old men haunted by ghosts of the past
  • AnnhiliationVandermeer, JeffHorrorIf SCP wikia had a novella
  • AuthorityVandermeer, JeffHorrorSequel to Annhiliation, kind of dull. There's a third book, but I never finished it because dullness

Light Lit

  • Girl DinnerBlake, OliviaLight LitSorority girls are actually cannibals?
  • Death MasksButcher, JimLight LitDresden & Michael vs evil demons and shroud of Turin
  • Fool's MoonButcher, JimLight LitDresden & wolf friends vs evil werewolf
  • Grave PerilButcher, JimLight LitDresden vs spoopy ghosts
  • Storm FrontButcher, JimLight LitDetective Harry Dresden vs evil weather wizard
  • Summer KnightButcher, JimLight LitDresden & Michael vs mean vampires and fairies
  • Beware of ChickenCasualfarmerLight LitMary sue self insert pastoral Minecraft fanfic
  • Blue GoldCussler, CliveLight LitMary-sue, self-insert 007 fanfiction for racist boomers
  • This is How You Lose the Time Warel-Mohtar, AmalLight LitTwo secret time agents fall in love like in The Notebook
  • GoldfingerFleming, IanLight LitWow I never realized how much of a misogynistic alcoholic James Bond is
  • Halo New BloodForbeck, MattLight LitHalo soldiers go pew pew pew
  • We'll Prescribe You A CatIshida, SyouLight LitCats dressing as humans dispense cats as psychotherapy
  • The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The WindowJonasson, JonasLight LitReads like a Wes Anderson film. Very quirky and fun read.
  • Terms of EnlistmentKloos, MarkoLight LitSpace marine romp with women characters that doesn't make a big deal about having women in space
  • Dallergut Dream Department StoreLee, MiyeLight LitYoung spirit girl gets a job at the dream department store selling actual dreams
  • Return to the Dallergut Dream Department StoreLee, MiyeLight LitIt's the first book, but more!
  • Sleeping Freshmen Never LieLubar, DavidLight LitLight coming-of-age story about high school freshman kid
  • Practical deamonkeepingMoore, ChristopherLight LitGoblin-mode demon grants wishes in a NorCal town
  • Convenience Store WomanMurata, SayakaLight LitShe wants to work at a convenience store. So she do.
  • Sweet Bean PasteSukegawa, DurianLight LitOld lady with leoparsy teaches an ex-con to make Japanese sweets
  • Hot WaterWodehouse, PGLight LitGeft doesn't want to become the American Ambassador to France
  • Joy in the MorningWoodhouse, P. G.Light LitHilarious pastoral screwball comedy. Reminded me of twelfth night

Literature

  • MosquitolandArnold, DavidLiteratureMim the goblin teenager goes on an adventure to rescue her mom
  • BunnyAwad, MonaLiteratureMean Girls explode rabbits into frankenstein boyfriends
  • On the calculation of volumeBalle, SolvejLiteratureA woman is stuck in a time loop on 18th of November. She tries to fight it, but loses. It's a metaphor for the death of your spouse.
  • 2666Bolano, RobertLiteratureSomewhat Murikami like tale of people in Mexico exposing murders and gangs, but getting locked up and life happens
  • Harmless Like YouBuchanan, Rowan HisyaoLiteratureYuki is a harmless wannabe artist who maries (and leaves) her harmless husband Edison
  • A Clockwork OrangeBurgess, AnthonyLiteratureWonderfully crafted dystopian novel
  • The StrangerCamu, AlbertLiteratureGood intro to existantialism, goes well with Vonnegurt
  • The StrangerCamus, AlbertLiteratureFrench wretch murders someone for fun, dies because living is too much work
  • A Lost LadyCather, WillaLiteratureFun little read about life in the midwest during and after the depression
  • PiranesiClarke, SusannaLiteratureGuy is trapped in an infinitely large house full of statues.
  • The AlchemistCoelho, PauloLiteraturePreachy parable about listening to your heart and following your dreams. Like Ishmael but less trees more Jesus
  • Heart of DarknessConrad, JosephLiteratureInteresting read, its reputation preceeds it, and I'm sure it was terrifying by 1890's standards.
  • Tom's CrossingDanielewski, Mark ZLiteratureTwo kids and a ghost save two horses through a mountain pass
  • All the Light We Cannot SeeDoerr, AnthonyLiteratureBeautful story about a blind girl in WWII France and a cursed diamond
  • The IdiotDostoyevsky, FydorLiteraturePoor Prince Muishkin; he did nothing wrong but be honest
  • The Count of Monte CristoDumas, AlexanderLiteratureThe OG revenge story. Edmund Dantes FTW!
  • RebeccaDuMaurier, DaphneLiteratureLast night I dreamt of Manderley again
  • The Candy HouseEgan, JenniferLiteratureBasically a sequal to goon squad
  • Manhattan BeachEgan, JenniferLiteratureAnna the diving girl! Dives to the bottom of the bay on a journey to find her dad
  • A Visit From the Goon SquadEgan, JenniferLiteratureGreat book about growing old, characters are great and human. See also Faulkner's As I Lay Dying
  • FreshwaterEmezi, AkwaekeLiteratureAfrican girl with Gods inside her learns to embrace the madness
  • As I Lay DyingFaulkner, WilliamLiteratureIncredible narrative structure. Great story about familial disfunction told from different, dishonest POVs
  • Light in AugustFaulkner, WilliamLiteratureWonderfully flawed characters play out this tale of southern racist charm
  • We are all completely beside ourselvesFowler, Karen JoyLiteratureA girl was raised alongside a chimp as part of her psychologist father's experiment
  • The MagusFowles, JohnLiteratureShutter Island x the great gatsby
  • Lessons in ChemistryGarmus, BonnieLiteratureElizabeth Zott supper at six
  • The Invisible HotelHam, Yeji YLiteratureBathtub full of bones
  • Moth SmokeHamid, MohsinLiteratureFight club but in Pakistan and with more self-destruction and less likable characters
  • OrbitalHarvey, SamanthaLiteratureLove letter to the astronauts on the ISS. Great description of disorienting timelessness
  • The Blind OwlHedayat, SadeghLiteratureDusty and horny Iraqi man sleeps with a dead(?) body
  • Catch-22Heller, JosephLiteratureOne of my favourite anti-war novels. Love you, Snowden!
  • The old man and the seaHemmingway, EarnestLiteratureOld guy catches a big fish but sharks ate it up oh nooooo
  • Beneath the WheelHesse, HermannLiteratureHandbook for the tortured intellectual, who is too smart for his own good
  • SiddharthaHesse, HermannLiteratureGood philosophy, nice Buddhist story to reflect on
  • A Thousand Splendid SunsHosseini, KhaledLiteratureFun little read, good for putting a nice damper on your happy mood. Child abuse warning.
  • Shell ShakerHowe, LeAnneLiteratureA multigeneration Chocktaw murder mystery investigation
  • To LiveHua, YuLiteratureFamous Chinese novel of an idiot starving his way through the cultural revolutions
  • A High Wind Rises in JamaicaHughes, RichardLiteratureKids get captured by pirates and immediately forget that it's a bad thing
  • The Hunchback of Notre DameHugo, VictorLiteratureFuckin everybody in this book is a terrible person except Esmerelda and her goat. Great story though
  • Les MisHugo, VictorLiteratureWonderful book with amazing themes and better characters
  • A Prayer for Owen MeanyIrving, JohnLiteratureIncredible book about God's plans for a tiny New-England boy and his friend John.
  • The World According to GarpIrving, JohnLiteratureCrazy characters and a wild ride throughout
  • The Buried GiantIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureWonderful story, great pacing. The mysteries and importance of memories (and dragons)
  • Klara and The SunIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureKlara is a very observative robot who becomes a real girl
  • Never Let Me GoIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureIf The Faults in Our Stars took place in the same world as House of the Scorpion. Good, sad read.
  • The Remains of the DayIshiguro, KazuoLiteratureAn old Butler goes on a road trip and thinks about dignity
  • The VegetarianKang, HanLiteratureHuman beings are meant to be plants
  • Breasts and EggsKawakami, MiekoLiteratureWoman wants to get preggo but dislikes sex (and men) therefore sperm donor
  • Dharma BumsKerouac, JackLiteratureMade me yearn for the Pacific-Northwest and 1950's American Buddhism
  • On The RoadKerouac, JackLiteratureGreat mood-piece from the beatnik generation
  • Flowers for AlgernonKeys, DanielLiteratureVery sad but intriguing and hearbreaking novel
  • BabelKuang, RFLiteratureLanguage translation Harry Potter pulls a racially-motivated Les Mis
  • The Unbearable Lightness of BeingKundera, MilanLiteratureBeautiful philosophy of life, love, and time.
  • Gods Without MenKunzru, HariLiteratureKnock-off Murakami tries to write one of the sub-plots of Infinite Jest
  • Love in the Time of CholeraMarquez, Gabriel GarciaLiteratureFlorentino Aritzia wants to fuck old people. And young people, too.
  • One Hundered Years of SolitudeMarquez, Gabriel GarciaLiteratureAmazing tale of multi-generational family, magical realism at its best
  • Life of PiMartel, YannLiteratureRiviting survival tale of a boy and his tiger
  • Blood MeridianMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureViolent, bloody, wild wild west
  • No Country for Old MenMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureExtremely violent and savage, the theme is hard to discover under all the blood and death
  • The RoadMcCarthy, CormacLiteratureI'm not crying, you're crying.... Somebody get me a comma, please.
  • UnderlakeMcCoy, ErinLiteratureBioshock but it's in a lake and there are evangelicals and communists living underwater
  • Song of AchillesMiller, MadelineLiteratureAchilles / Patrocles yaoi fanfic
  • Cloud AtlasMitchell, DavidLiteratureIncredible book, great characters and themes.
  • GhostwrittenMitchell, DavidLiteratureLess-good Goon Squad, short stories in the same universe. Remember chinese mountain tea shop woman
  • Tatami GalaxyMorimi, TomihikoLiteratureThe wretch, an unnmed student, is tied to Ozu no matter what club he joins
  • The Bluest EyeMorrison, TonyLiteratureReally sad novel about growing up black in racist America. Child abuse warning
  • HomeMorrison, TonyLiteratureOffers a concerning view of the black community and how racist America affects it
  • Death in her handsMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureOld lady dies in the woods
  • LapvonaMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureDeformed Malek loves killing his brothers, and everyone in the village sucks
  • My Year of Rest and RelaxtionMoshfegh, OttessaLiteratureA rich girl tries to sleep away an entire year, and mostly succeeds without consequences
  • 1Q84Murakami, HarukiLiteratureMurakami is a dirty old man. Child abuse warning.
  • Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the WorldMurakami, HarukiLiteratureMore fun Murakami with all the expected craziness
  • Kafka on the ShoreMurakami, HarukiLiteratureKind of pointless, with a winding meandering story that feels like it should mean something but doesn't.
  • Wind-up Bird ChronicleMurakami, HarukiLiteratureGreat book, wonderfully modern and pointless. One of those stories where everything happens but nothing is achieved.
  • LolitaNabokov, VladimirLiteratureThe prose is absolutely beautiful; the topic is absolutely revolting
  • UltramarineNavarro, MarietteLiteraturetwenty freighter crewmen go swimming, twenty one climb back on board
  • Wise BloodO'Conner, FlanneryLiteratureFeatures one of the weirdest and most oddball characters I've ever met
  • The Third PolicemanO'Nolan, BrianLiteratureA basement-dwelling scholar helps kill a man then spends his time in a special purgetory-hell. Very confusing
  • There ThereOrange, TommyLiteratureWhile a sad American Indian story, it manages to not lose itself in tragedy and tells a gripping story
  • Animal FarmOrwell, GeorgeLiteratureFour legs good, two legs better!
  • Where the Crawdads SingOwens, DeliaLiteratureMary Sue swamp girl becomes naturist scientist girl boss
  • CommonwealthPratchett, AnneLiteratureAuthors writing about authors is narscisistic af
  • That old ace in the holeProulx, AnnieLiteratureBob Dollar is a vehicle for Proulx to tell us all about the TX/OK Panhandle's history
  • Atlas ShruggedRand, AynLiteratureInteresting read about how great capitalism is and how much socialism sucks for the rich
  • The God of Small ThingsRoy, ArundhatiLiteratureChild Abuse Warning
  • BlindnessSaramago, JoseLiteratureA plague of blindness sweeps the world, then passes
  • Lincoln in the BardoSaunderson, GeorgeLiteratureShort, quaint read. Rather philosophical and intimate
  • The Lovely BonesSebold, AliceLiteratureFun little read about how the world will carry on without you. Child abuse warning.
  • A Tree Grows in BrooklynSmith, BettyLiteratureFrancie is a poor Irish girl who reads too much. Story of a poor Brooklyn family at turn of the century
  • This Weightless WorldSoto, AdamLiteratureAn ensemble of characters are affected differntly by first contact
  • Station ElevenSt. John Mandel, EmilyLiteratureA post-apocalyptic acting troupe proves mere survival to be insufficient. Wacky premise, meh book
  • Angel of ReposeStegner, WallaceLiteratureSuesan Ward is a wet blanket and the wind beneath Oliver's wings. Or, was.
  • East of EdenSteinbeck, JohnLiteratureAbsolutely epic. Great characters and themes, re-read!
  • The Joy Luck ClubTan, AmyLiteratureStories of Chinese refugees and their inability to connect with their kids
  • The GoldfinchTartt, DonnaLiteratureGod bless Boris. Wonderful story about art theft and growing up
  • The Secret HistoryTartt, DonnaLiteratureOwen Meany but literally every character is worse
  • Anna KareninaTolstoy, LeoLiteratureKitty & Levin OTP 4 ever, everyone else can piss off. Good characters, but about 200 pages too long.
  • The Adventures of Huckelberry FinnTwain, MarkLiteratureThere's a reason it's a classic
  • Breakfast of ChampionsVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life in America can be
  • Cat's CradleVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life on Earth can be
  • Slaughterhouse FiveVonnegurt, KurtLiteratureAbsolutely wonderful novel about how silly life can be.
  • So Far GoneWalter, JessLiteratureGranpa Kinnick tried to resue his grandkids from alt-right nutjobs
  • The IntuitionistWhitehead, ColsonLiteratureThis book is about elevators, but also not.
  • The Picture of Dorian GreyWilde, OscarLiteratureFun little read, wasn't a big fan of the characters
  • Diary of a voidYagi, EmiLiteratureJapanese woman pretends to be preggo to get out of work lmao
  • KitchenYoshimoto, BananaLiteratureTwo short stories about losing people you love
  • ButterYuzuki, AsakoLiteratureA journalist learns to cook while interviewing a serial killer lady

Nonfiction

  • The Happiness AdvantageAchor, ShawnNonfictionInformative book on how pursuing happiness benefits your entire life
  • Prediction machines: the simple ecopnomics of Artificial IntelligenceAgrawal, Ajay et alNonfictionGreat recource about adopting AI into business and the things to consider thereof
  • FascismAlbright, MadelineNonfictionGood information about the rising trend of fascism in the world today
  • The Art of the ConAmore, Anthony MNonfictionArt cons, forgeries and thefts. Interesting read!
  • The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant TechnologiesBrynjolfsoson, Erik and McAfee, AndrewNonfictionEconomic study on how increasing automation will change to future economy
  • At HomeBryson, BillNonfictionQuaint history of the home, homiliness, and why we have the rooms that we do
  • I'm a stranger here myselfBryson, BillNonfictionA collection of delightful essays on living in America
  • How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleCarnagie, DaleNonfictionBasic advice: if you're genuinely interested in other people, other people will like you
  • Algorithms to Live ByChristian, Brian and Griffiths, TomNonfictionGreat intersection of computer science, ethics, and self-help. 37% optimal stopping
  • What's Left? How Liberals lost their wayCohen, NickNonfictionVery good analysis of the changes of the liberal left in Engliand and the West in the early 2000's
  • The Culture CodeCoyle, DanielNonfictionVulnrability creates team cooperation and company culture
  • 50 Years of Data ScienceDonoho, DavidNonfictionData Science is better than statistics,smd professors
  • Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about RaceEddo-Lodge, ReniNonfictionDeep review of systemic racism and the barriers to conversations it poses
  • Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless FutureFord, MartinNonfictionStudy on the social impacts of an increasingly automated economy
  • BlinkGladwell, MalcolmNonfictionInstincts are powerful and first impressions can be crafted
  • When a Crocodile Eats the SunGodwin, PeterNonfictionMemiors of growing up in Zimbabwe and lamenting at how things have worsened since
  • Give and TakeGrant, AdamNonfictionGreat approach to relationships, networking, and lifetime happiness
  • Great at WorkHansen, MortenNonfictionProductivity and teamwork in the corporate landscape
  • HiroshimaHersey, JohnNonfictionShows you just how fucked up stuff gets when you drop an atomic bomb on a city
  • The Pheonix ProjectKim, GeneNonfictionThe Fountainhead tells the story of DevOps
  • The life changing magic of tidying upKondo, MarieNonfictionTeaches the KonMari method of tidying up- quite useful!
  • Into Thin AirKrakauer, JonNonfictionMemior of author's experience on a tragic journey up Mt. Everest
  • Under the Banner of HeavenKrakauer, JonNonfictionCrazy Mormon listens to God's call to kill his brother's wife and baby. Book asks, "why?"
  • The Devil in the White CityLarson, EricNonfictionRiviting and horrifying tale of world's fair and first serial killer
  • In the Garden of BeastsLarson, EricNonfictionGreat recounting of ambassador to pre-WW2 Germany's life in the 3rd reich. Scary modern parallels.
  • The Basics of Bitcoins and BlockchainsLewis, AntonyNonfictionGood overview & understanding of bitcoin, blockchain, etherium, and DeFi
  • The Big ShortLewis, MichaelNonfictionHedge funds betting on the 2008 financial crisis
  • The Subtle are of not giving a FuckManson, MarkNonfictionSelf-help type book about control and responsibility
  • The Tunnels of Cu ChiMarigold, Tom and Penycate, JohnNonfictionAmazing stories from people who lived and fought in Vietnames tunnels
  • Secrets to Winning at Office PoliticsMcIntyre, Marie GNonfictionActual good advice on working in corporacracy
  • I'll be gone in the darkMcNamara, MichelleNonfictionAuthor investigates a serial rapist/murderer in LA in the 80's, solves the case too!
  • Thinking in Systems: A PrimerMeadows, Donella HNonfictionDesigning software and human processes from a systems perspective. Good stuff!
  • The Art of InvisibilityMitnick, KevinNonfictionParanoid white-hat ex-con teaches you how to hide from the FBI online
  • To Be a MachineO'Connell, MarkNonfictionA look at the 2010's transhumanist movement of people who want to live forever
  • Running in the FamilyOndaatje, MichaelNonfictionMemior about the author's grandparents' time as gentry in Sri Lanka during the roaring 20's and onward
  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenancePirsig, RobertNonfictionChautauqua on Quality and also the guy's son Chris
  • Starting StrengthRippetoe, MarkNonfiction101 on barbell training
  • The Happiness ProjectRubin, GretchenNonfictionStory of one author's quest to be happier over a year
  • How to Argue With a RacistRutherford, AdamNonfictionTip: Find common ground and work from there
  • Madhouse at the End of the EarthSancton, JulianNonfictionThe Belgica did the first antarctic wintering and it drove everybody mad
  • Zero Zero ZeroSaviano, RobertNonfictionCocaine is a worldwide industry and capitalism's #1 problematic fave
  • Like Switch: an ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People OverSchafer, Jack and Karlins, MarvinNonfictionPossible a worse title than Carnagie. Great advice, love the eyebrow twitch
  • The Digital ApeShadbolt, NigelNonfictionHow to reconcile technology with human biology
  • Is there no place on earth for me?Sheehan, SusanNonfictionLife of Sylvia Frumpkin, a schizophrenic in the New York mental health system in the 1970's and 80's
  • Designing BotsShevat, AmirNonfictionTechnical work crap
  • And I don't want to live this life anymoreSpungen, DeborahNonfictionA memior about her daughter, who was killed in a very high-profile murder in the 90's
  • The Black SwanTaleb, Nassim NicholasNonfictionAbout the rare events that change everything. Extremistan and Mediocrastan
  • Unfamiliar FishesVowell, SarahNonfictionMissionary takeover of Hawaii
  • ComplexityWaldorp, M MitchellNonfictionOcean's 11 of academics founds the scientific study of complex systems
  • Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and DreamsWalker, MatthewNonfictionGoddamnit get some sleep, now!
  • ExactlyWinchester, SimonNonfictionHistory of precision engineering
  • Trust factor: The science of creating high-performance companiesZak, Paul JNonfictionInstitutional trust is important not only in government, but in companies and leadership groups
  • The Age of Surveilance CapitalismZuboff, ShoshanaNonfictionAn in-depth study of how capitalism forces companies to choose between ethics and staying competitive

Romance

  • Tender is the NightFitzgerald, F ScottRomanceFirst part is an incredible romance, second part is a great murder-thriller
  • Bel CantoPratchett, AnneRomanceBest case of Stockholm Syndrome you'll have all year

Science Fiction

  • The Caves of SteelAsimov, IssiacScience FictionSci-fi murder mystery
  • Foundation TrilogyAsimov, IssiacScience FictionWonderful triliogy with a very detailed universe. Books read like an intersteller poker game, with plans on plans on plans
  • i, RobotAsimov, IssiacScience FictionAmazing collection of short stories about the robot takeover
  • Phule's CompanyAsprin, RobertScience FictionCaptain Phule turns a bad company of soldiers into a proper force through self-esteem and a lot of money
  • The Windup GirlBacigalupi, PaoloScience FictionCalorie exec in climate-starved Thailand falls in love with a robot prostitute during a coup
  • Consider PhlebasBanks, Iain MScience FictionShapeshifing special agent goes in pursuit of an AI escaped to a dead world
  • The Player of GamesBanks, Ian MScience FictionDude wins a chess tourney and overthrows an empire. Also 3 genders.
  • ArcBaxter, StephenScience FictionEnder's Game but kids are explorers and the author is only _slightly_ less of a pervert
  • Manifold: TimeBaxter, StephenScience Fictionsentient squids & time fuckery
  • RaftBaxter, StephenScience FictionElysium but the good ending and with space whales
  • Halo: CryptumBear, GregScience FictionHalo forerunner series 1
  • Halo: PrimordiumBear, GregScience FictionHalo forerunner series 2
  • TimescapeBenford, GregoryScience FictionUsing iridium to talk to the past to stop global warming
  • Fahrenheit 451Bradbury, RayScience FictionDystopian, anti-literary society at its best (worst?)
  • The Curse of ChalionBujold, Lois McMasterScience FictionEntertaining trash fantasy novel
  • Miles ErrantBujold, Lois McMasterScience FictionSpace Opera with some really dark torture scenes. Weird clone family drama, too
  • Clay's ArkButler, OctaviaScience FictionWeird, man... More character study than scifi. 5/10
  • Parable of the SowerButler, OctaviaScience FictionPost-apocalyptic moses girl starts a new religion called Earthseed
  • Xenogenisis TrilogyButler, OctaviaScience FictionAliens give humanity a second chance in exchange for their children. Nice world-building and weird aliens
  • Ender's GameCard, Orson ScottScience FictionIncredible Sci-Fi about a military academy to train kids to fight aliens
  • Ender's ShadowCard, Orson ScottScience FictionEnder's Game from another POV, and is its own incredible story
  • A Closed and Common OrbitChambers, BeckyScience FictionSame universe as other works, great themes about choosing one's own family
  • The Galaxy, and the Ground WithinChambers, BeckyScience FictionCanterbury tales but with more aliens
  • The Long Way to a Small, Angry PlanetChambers, BeckyScience FictionFinally a sci-fi book with weird, non-humanoid aliens!
  • Record of a Spaceborn FewChambers, BeckyScience FictionLife in the Exodan space stations
  • Childhood's EndClarke, Arthur CScience FictionGreat golden-age sci-fi about Aliens invading Earth
  • Rendezvous with RamaClarke, Arthur CScience FictionOne of the most interesting premises for a Sci-Fi book I've encountered
  • Abaddon's GateCorey, James S AScience FictionSolar system gateway is built, humans gotta explore it
  • Babylon's AshesCorey, James S AScience FictionRise of the free navy, Duarte fucks off to his own planet
  • Caliban's WarCorey, James S AScience FictionMore protomolecule BS starring Holden and that detective
  • Cibola BurnCorey, James S AScience FictionI think this is the one with the colony planet vs corpos
  • Leviathan FallsCorey, James S AScience FictionDuarte becomes an agent of one of the WH40K chaos gods but is killed somehow idk
  • Leviathan WakesCorey, James S AScience FictionJames Holden and friends start a solar system conflict
  • Nemisis GamesCorey, James S AScience FictionCrew members take personal time while that kid drops rocks
  • Persepolis RisingCorey, James S AScience FictionDuarte is back with his weirdo Rome planet, takes Medina station
  • Tiamet's WrathCorey, James S AScience FictionOld-ass Holden and Naiomi do resistance things, Dr Okoye learns about alien stuff
  • Dark Matter (Crouch)Crouch, BlakeScience FictionTravel between parallel universes to find your best self, literally
  • RecursionCrouch, BlakeScience FictionWoman creates a chair that lets you go back into time via memories and change things. Generic time travel thriller
  • Halo Hunters in the DarkDavid, PeterScience FictionMore Halo soldiers going pew pew pew
  • Zero KDeLillo, DonScience FictionA billionare old man buys cyropreservation services for him and his wife in a strange Central Asian bunker
  • Ragnar BlackmaneDembski-Bowden, AaronScience FictionBlackmane does more than just kill things, but he also kills a lot of things lmao
  • UbikDick, Phillip KScience FictionUbik! It's what plants crave!
  • Down and Out in the Magic KingdomDoctorow, CoryScience FictionJulius is part of the Ad-hocracy administrating Disney World in a post-death society
  • Axiom's endEllis, LindsayScience FictionSpace race happens a lot earlier because aliens
  • Count ZeroGibson, WilliamScience FictionArt buyer helps an old rich man die. Also corporate kidnap job goes wrong
  • Mona Lisa OverdriveGibson, WilliamScience FictionGibson has an incredible sci-fi dystopian universe. Dark, Cynical, and full of mystery.
  • NeuromancerGibson, WilliamScience FictionRogue AI, interbred future families, and alcoholic anti-heroes. Standard cyberpunk fare, but Gibson invented it.
  • Starship TroopersHeinlein, Robert AScience FictionGreat political commentary on war from an alien-killing epic
  • Stranger in a Strange LandHeinlein, Robert AScience FictionMary Sue Martian confirms chauvanism
  • The Fifth SeasonJemisin, N KScience FictionRock magic 1
  • The Obelisk GateJemisin, N KScience FictionRock magic 2
  • The Stone SkyJemisin, N KScience Fictionrock Magic 3
  • Space Wolf TrilogyKing, WilliamScience FictionRagnar Blackmane is Wolf Lord of the space wolves doing wolf things. Awooooo~~
  • Something New Under the SunKleeman, AlexandraScience FictionClimate fiction, Patrick Hamelin goes to hollywood and gets weird dementia from the wat-r
  • The Lathe of Heavenle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionGuy's dreams come true, but he gets manipulated by a mean dream-doctor
  • The Left Hand of Darknessle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionStrange Androgynous humans on an icy planet are convinced to join the galactic union
  • Rocanon's Worldle Guin, Ursula KScience FictionEarly Haimish cycle, Rocanon discovers the secrets of telepathy on a medieval world with flying beasts
  • The Dark ForestLiu CixinScience FictionMy favorite of the series. Swordbreaker ftw!
  • Death's EndLiu CixinScience FictionPart of the most interesting science fiction series I've ever read
  • Three Body ProblemLiu CixinScience FictionSome of the most original and creative science fiction I've ever read
  • The Desert of StarsLumpkin, John JScience FictionPhysics-based ship-to-ground combat with fun human-interest stories. Startship troopers meets James S A Corey
  • Through Struggle, The StarsLumpkin, John JScience FictionPhysics-based ship to ship space combat by the designer of Terra Invicta
  • Swan SongMcCammond, RobertScience FictionPost-apocalyptic nuclear winter gives one girl magic powers of plant growth
  • A Canticle for LeibowitzMiller, WalterScience FictionJesuits but in the fallout universe but written in the 1950's
  • Altered CarbonMorgan, RobertScience FictionKovachs investigates a murder in an era when people live on flash drives
  • RingworldNiven, LarryScience Fiction3 unlucky people and Teela Brown journey to the Ringworld
  • Logan's RunNolan, William F & Johnson, George ClaytonScience FictionNo one over 21 is allowed to live, but Logan, the ex-DS man, thinks he can outrun his fate
  • 1984Orwell, GeorgeScience FictionOne of the progenitors of dystopian fiction and has always been at war with Ocenia.
  • We are SatelitesPinsker, SaraScience FictionEveryone and their kids gets a chip in their head, but maaaaybe it's not a good idea??
  • The EmployeesRavn, OlgaScience FictionHR interviews human (and neo-human) employees about alient objects
  • The Calculating StarsRobinette, Mary KowalScience FictionDue to meteor impact in the 1950's, humans need to leave Earth ASAP
  • Green MarsRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionMid-year mars settlement and terraforming, space communism. Hiroko is my problematic fave
  • The Ministry for the futureRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionUN like agency tries to save the world from climate change after a heat wave disaster in India
  • Red MarsRobinson, Kim StanleyScience FictionHumans colonize mars & their early settlements up to a failed violent revolution
  • The SparrowRussell, Mary DoriaScience FictionHow far will God go to punish the faithful? Jesuits are the first to make contact with Aliens
  • Lock InScalzi, JohnScience FictionMystery thriller about human vegetables that control robots
  • EndymionSimmons, DanScience FictionI don't even remember what happened in this one TBH
  • Fall of HyperionSimmons, DanScience FictionSpace Canterbury tales pt 2: electric Boogaloo. Getting back to normal SF series
  • HyperionSimmons, DanScience FictionSpace Canterbury tales
  • Halo: Contact HarvistStaten, JosephScience FictionHalo soldiers go pew pew pew
  • Snow CrashStephenson, NeilScience FictionA fun read, but lacked substance-- a literary action movie.
  • AccelerandoStross, CharlesScience FictionCarousel of Progress following the world's first IRL streamer, his children, and his cat aineko
  • Flight of the EisensteinSwallow, JamesScience Fictionpt 4 of Horus heresy, not as much fun as the others
  • Halo Kilo 6 TrilogyTraviss, KarenScience FictionSpec ops Halo soldiers sell wepons to both sides in an alien war
  • Rainbow's EndVinge, VernerScience FictionRobert Wu gets althezimers cured so hard he's a teenager again, but he can't write poems any more.
  • A Fire Upon the DeepVinge, VernorScience FictionA blight starts taking over the galaxy, two kids and hive mind dog-packs gotta save 'em
  • Player PianoVonnegurt, KurtScience FictionDystopia novel about machines replacing humans at work. Good read
  • The MartianWeir, AndrewScience FictionVery good, scientific survival story. Robinson Crusoe on Mars, space thriller.
  • Project Hail MaryWeir, AndrewScience FictionThe Martian but on the moon
  • WeZamyatin, YevgenyScience FictionDystopian story that inspired a genre. I'll take a pink check, please!

Short Stories

  • The Illustrated ManBradbury, RayShort StoriesFavorites were The Veldt and Marionettes Inc
  • BloodchildButler, OctaviaShort StoriesSuper dark, gritty, realistic stories about humans and aliens
  • What We Talk About When We Talk About LoveCarver, RaymondShort StoriesGreat collection of short stories that are incredibly human and extremely relatable. Read aloud with friends.
  • Stories of your life and othersChiang, TedShort StoriesWonderful short stories, themes about free will, time travel
  • A Sunny Place for Shady PeopleEnriquez, MarianaShort StoriesThe BEST kind of ghost stories, coming at you from Argentina
  • Burning ChromeGibson, WilliamShort StoriesShort sci fi stories. Fav are fragments of a holographic rose, the winter market
  • Hellbound HeartsKane, PaulShort StoriesKinky pinhead demons
  • All my Friends are SuperherosKaufman, AndrewShort StoriesFun little read, quick feel-good romance with quirky characters.
  • Get In TroubleLink, KellyShort StoriesVery fun and interesting short stories, incredibly human characters with small but meaningful plotlines.
  • Slade HouseMitchell, DavidShort StoriesShort stories from the Soul Carnivors' world

Teen Trash

  • The Perks of Being a WallflowerChbosky, StephenTeen TrashA big, jumbled heap of all the contravertial issues of 1999 that fails to have any meaningful plot or characters
  • The Faults in Our StarsGreen, JohnTeen TrashIncredibly effective if it's your first Green novel.
  • Looking For AlaskaGreen, JohnTeen TrashCatcher in the Rye but with shittier, modern characters and the same plotline as all of Green's other books
  • TwilightMeyer, StephanieTeen TrashI've eaten sandwiches with more personality than Bella
  • Carve the MarkRoth, VeronicaTeen TrashIf the main character lovers turn out to be brother-sister, it's basically Star Wars

Thriller

  • And then there were noneChristie, AgathaThriller10 people on an island getting killed one by one
  • Rainbow SixClancey, TomThrillerReads like a COD game, but incredibly detailed with interesting military stratigies
  • AirframeCrichton, MichaelThrillerAirplane manufacturer investigates a lethal turbulance incident among a hostile union and media
  • The Andromeda StrainCrichton, MichaelThrillerRiviting medical thriller, great plot and storytelling
  • Jurassic ParkCrichton, MichaelThrillerOpen Door > Get On Floor > Walk Your Favourite Dinosaur
  • The Terminal ManCrichton, MichaelThrillerA computer hacker man goes on a rampage!
  • The Spy Who Loved MeFleming, IanThrillerJames Bond stops by a motel in update NY to do 'drines and rescue a bimbo from insurance fraud
  • Sharp ObjectsFlynn, GillianThrillerJournalist girl who cuts herself covers a murder story in her hometown and discovers family issues
  • The CollectorFowles, JohnThrillerA young man wins the lottery, buys a farmhouse in the British countryside, and kidnaps a woman to lock in his basement
  • The thin manHammet, DashiellThrillerI drank whenever the detective or his wife did; I don't remember the ending
  • The Talented Mr RipleyHighsmith, PatriciaThrillerFucking awful
  • The Girl with the Dragon TattooLarsson, StiegThrillerDetective novel with relatable characters and horribly morbid antagonists. Chile abuse warning.
  • The Spy who came in from the Coldle Carre, JohnThrillerA double-agent double-crosses to catch other double-agents. But it the whole thing a setup?
  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spyle Carre, JohnThrillerDouble double agent spy novel. A bit confusing
  • Apollo 13Lovell, JimThrillerRiviting space thriller written by the guy who lived through it
  • Bird BoxMalerman, JoshThriller"Scary" story about meme zombie virus and a preggo lady. Okay
  • Lies of SilenceMoore, BrianThrillerA fun romp about the IRA getting even and blowing up cars outside hotels
  • Starter VillainScalzi, JohnThrillerCharlie takes over his uncle's secret volcano lair (and evil plots) to become a temporary villian
  • CryptonomiconStephenson, NeilThrillerCode-breaking thriller. Adds tons of historic WWII detail into the modern day story
  • ZodiacStephenson, NeilThrillerNice light thriller featuring boats and dumping in Boston harbor.

WH40K

  • Eisenhorn OmnibusAbnett, DanWH40KInquisitor Eisenhorn does w40k inquisitor things. Subpar mystery, nice atmosphere
  • First and OnlyAbnett, DanWH40KW40K but about the normal human soldiers, not space marines. a fun romp
  • Horus RisingAbnett, DanWH40KW40K Space marine Horus Heresy pt 1
  • Prospero BurnsAbnett, DanWH40KA thousand sons but from the POV of the Space Wolves Awooooooooo
  • Roboute Guilliman: Lord of UltramarAnnandale, DavidWH40KThe Ultramarines take some world or smth, all about Rowboat Girlyman
  • Galaxy in FlamesCounter, BenWH40Kpt 3 of W40K Horus Heresy
  • The Master of MankindDembski-Bowden, AaronWH40KThe Emperor is losing the war in the webway
  • The Crimson KingMcNeill, GrahamWH40KAll the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Magnus together again
  • False GodsMcNeill, GrahamWH40KMore W40K space marines, not a big fan of McNiel's prose, it's quite droll
  • The Outcast DeadMcNeill, GrahamWH40KLoyal space marines from traitor leigons team up
  • A Thousand SonsMcNeill, GrahamWH40KStart of the fall of Magnus the read and the Thousand Sons chapter
  • The Buried DaggerSwallow, JamesWH40KEvents leading up to the siege of Terra

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