Amazing read that I could not put down. Narratively it jumped around quite a bit, but conceptually it was truly gripping. It was also refreshing to read some sci-fi from a non-Western author, though I relied heavily on the translator‘s notes for context. Can‘t wait to see how they adapt it for Netflix.

Excellent conclusion to the trilogy and a return to form after the missteps of the second book. The incorporation of the Stardust project and events of the final episodes of Rebels makes the book a welcome entry to the growing new canon.

Strong start to the new trilogy. It was interesting to see a moment from Thrawn: Alliances retold in this book from the then Senior Captain‘s perspective. Excited to see where this series goes and hopefully we‘ll get a glimpse into how Thrawn was exiled from the Ascendancy.

Some great sci fi short stories that grabbed me from the get go. I could definitely sense the influence of some of my favorite authors as Chiang navigates wildly different settings and modes of writing in his contributions to the genre. The eponymous short story is one of the most beautifully poignant examinations of entropy I have ever read, and it is in good company. Highly recommend for any fans of science fiction.

An amazingly well researched and well written account of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that I found chilling in its exactness. Many passages were riveting but the sheer breadth and density of characters, Soviet bureaucracy, decisions, etc. ultimately overwhelmed my admittedly lazy reading style. I stopped reading about halfway through but would still recommend it to anyone who is curious about the incident.

An interesting concept poorly executed. Our heroes stumble through the story getting help from unlikely places when the plot demands - encountering more caricatures than characters - and face off against an ill defined villain. The author uses language and idioms that are totally out of place in the Star Wars universe and needlessly implements points of view from different time periods. The weakest of the new canon novels I‘ve read so far.

A subtle, tragic tale of a group of friends wrestling with their allotted fates and trying to find a sense of belonging amidst alienation. While the sci fi elements were interesting, I think they were more a tool to construct an allegory of how we face (or fail to face) our own mortality in a rapidly changing and increasingly callous world.

I think there is a very real chance I didn‘t give this book a fair shot, but after a hundred and fifty pages it didn‘t grab me and I didn‘t want to commit to three hundred and fifty more. It felt like reading an annotated family tree. I admire the work it must have taken to compile this family history into a book, but it wasn‘t for me.

The story depicts scenes from the lives of several Kamchatkan women in the wake of the disappearance of two young girls. Ultimately I was disappointed in how tenuous the connections to the crime some of the stories were, even if they were compelling in their own right. The beginning and end feel like traditional crime story passages while the bulk of the book focuses on what would otherwise be peripheral characters in the investigation.

A modern retelling of Waiting for Godot with aging Irish drug traffickers serving as the protagonists. The bulk of the book is spent in a ferry terminal turned pseudo purgatory where the reader is peppered with flashbacks of the men‘s lives. Fitting that the men were waiting for a ferry to cross the water (Styx?) as they re-examined how they‘d spent their lives. Ultimately I found the prose nearly too poetic to be truly gripping.

10/10 - completely lived up to the hype. I simply could not put this book down. A deeply, deeply human story set in a time and culture I was completely ignorant of. The novel is a constant ebb and flow of joy and sorrow. I don‘t think I‘ve ever read anything quite like it.

I did finish the book, but only out of a compulsion to never abandon any one I start. I loved the first few chapters. Harari‘s discussion of proto-human migration in particular was great. But as the author moved into the modern era, their arguments became less substantiated and more existential. He took contrarian positions at times seemingly for the sake of it, and his ruminations on human happiness got very hand-wavey. A chore to finish.

An impressive book that recounts the modern social, political, and economic history of black Americans. But more than that it describes how neatly institutionalized racism fits into a larger scheme of capitalistic exploitation at the very center of American life. Written in the wake of Ferguson it is even more relevant today.

Riveting story of a woman who simultaneously endures a series of traumatic experiences while also retaining a beautiful innocence. Kya struck me as an avatar for the swamp, and maybe nature in general. People are drawn to her untamed beauty, but most sought to only take from her what they wanted - much like how we treat the environment. Great book with an amazing final few pages.

Can‘t remember the last time I read such a long book this quickly. An exceptional period piece that feels like a more scientifically grounded Sherlock Holmes novel. Every single revelation about the murderer was incredibly well earned. There was not a single moment where I didn‘t feel like I was a part of the investigation.

Claudia Gray is one of my new favorite Star Wars authors. She has a way of capturing philosophical debates that makes them as exciting as action scenes. I enjoyed the development of Qui Gon and Obi Wan‘s relationship, but I felt there weren‘t enough clues for the resolution of the mystery to have substantial payoff. Still, it was very enjoyable overall with a satisfying conclusion.

The book was a great summary of some of the most significant innovations and milestones in our species‘s history. Incredibly well researched, the author not only offers some profound theories surrounding these achievements, he also personifies the imagined individuals responsible for them. I was a little let down that the book didn‘t conclude with an overarching message or moral, but the vignettes presented are still very compelling.

An exceedingly poetic examination of the moral hypocrisy of imperialism, and the use of the “other” to define a cultural identity. I‘ll admit - some of the specific imagery and metaphors that were invoked were probably lost on me, but the broad themes were clear and stirring.

Having recently started a rewatch of Star Wars: Rebels I decided to finally take this book off the shelf. The stories in it do a great job of giving context to some notable Star Wars characters, in particular Grand Moff Tarkin and Admiral Rae Sloane. Overall I enjoyed “Tarkin” more than “A New Dawn” as I think James Luceno is one of the best Star Wars authors, but each story was an enjoyable read.

A grounded and very human examination of a surreal pandemic. Though the world in which survivors tell their stories is profoundly changed, human ingenuity and perseverance ultimately won the day. Hopefully a message that rings true in the real world today.

In classic Gibson fashion the first few chapters are a little opaque, but once I understood what was happening I couldn‘t put the book down. A great story with a premise that only slightly bakes your noodle. It painted a picture of a near future America that was only marginally alien, or maybe a little too close for comfort.

The book was well written and a very fast read, but it was also endlessly heartbreaking. Tragedy after tragedy befalls both the protagonists and their home country. Ultimately a story about the strength of the human spirit but do not read if you aren‘t prepared to be emotionally taxed.

An important book that details a harrowing account of corruption and murder at the hands of the Russian government. I wish Mr. Browder had spent a little less time on his personal and professional history before diving into the story of Sergei Magnitsky, but ultimately I would highly recommend you read this book. Like he says in the closing passage, “there is no feeling as satisfying as getting some measure of justice in a highly unjust world.”

Finally got around to reading this when I saw there was an upcoming film adaptation. It was gripping. Maybe not King‘s “scariest,” but it adds a ton of lore to the psychic concepts introduced in The Shining and was genuinely unnerving at times. It also had a nostalgic quality as we are reintroduced to Dan Torrance all these years later.

Incredible installment to the series. It had everything I‘d been looking for in the previous book and more. There were multiple times while reading it when I said “whoa” out loud and had to pause to take stock of what I‘d just read. Absolutely cannot wait for the next (and final?) book in the series.

Zahn is without a doubt one of the best Star Wars authors out there, and Thrawn is one of the best non-movie characters in Star Wars, but he missed the mark with this one. An unsatisfying follow up to “Thrawn”, “Thrawn: Alliances” lacks focus and I found the multi-time period storytelling to be jarring. I wish he had explored the unknown regions and Thrawn‘s loyalties more than linking the actions of present to the sins of the past.

Satisfying but bittersweet conclusion to the series. Some of the most interesting melding of fantasy and sci-fi I‘ve come across. Jemisin definitely has a skill for leaving implicit information in the spaces between her exposition.

Like the name of the series suggests, each new book seems to widen the scope and stakes of the story. A little disappointing that the overarching threat is still not discussed in depth or more present in this book, but it seems this will be inevitable in the next book.

An excellent follow up. Characters are complex and interesting, and the slow trickle of backstory to the universe is gripping.

Excellent and original world building. Couldn‘t put it down.