Books You Need In Your Life

I don't do a lot of lists, but a topic is a topic, amiright? Anyhow, these are books that I've read or listened to this year that I've really enjoyed. I read others that were well written but just didn't quite do it for me -- those aren't on this list. (And since I have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, I've also started a whole lot that weren't well written or even particularly coherent. Don't subscribe to KU if you're one of those people that absolutely must read all books to the last page. It will take you down like a hungry lion attacking a tired gazelle.)

This still isn't a comprehensive list of the books I loved since I don't keep track and I can't figure out how to make goodreads work for me. Expect random additions in the blog entries for days to come.

A lot of these probably came out before this year, but all that matters is that I read them this year. They're all in print anyhow and that is the important thing.

Science Fiction / Fantasy
I read some great stuff this year. Seriously, if you enjoy SF/F at all you've probably already ingested these, but just in case:

• The Murderbot Diaries (starting with All Systems Red) by Martha Wells. Go read this immediately. You will thank me. Really. I expect you to come back and write a comment on this post thanking me.
• Dominion of the Fallen (starting with The House of Shattered Wings) by Aliette de Bodard. What if all the world religions were real? This is a Paris of fallen angels and Annamite dragons and people just trying to make it through the day.
• The Broken Earth Trilogy (starting with The Fifth Season) by N.K. Jemisin. Three books, three Hugos, and the reason is that these books are just amazing. She also has a collection of short stories that I'm currently in the middle of called How Long 'til Black Future Month? and it's making me reconsider my decision to not read as much short fiction.
• All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. I'm only halfway through this, but even if she doesn't stick the landing (which I'm not worried about), the language in this book would make it worth reading. There's a large gnarled tree root that is described as especially "grumpy". 
• The Calculating Stars / The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal. Alternate universe in which the east coast is wiped out by a meteor and there's a race to get into space before the planet is uninhabitable. It's a space race novel with actual people and realistic conflicts.

Romance
Different people like different things and that's all good. Personally I will stop reading any book where things happen without the character's consent. Also, if I find myself side-eyeing all the character's choices, or wondering how they've managed to reach adulthood without knowing how any of the world works... nope. If those parameters match yours, here are some authors and books you might want to check out:  

• The Comfortable Courtesan trilogy (starting with The Comfortable Courtesan: Being Memoirs by Clorinda Cathcart (that has been a Lady of the Town these several years)) by L.A. Hall.  These were a fun read.
• Anything by Talia Hibbert. Perhaps start with The Princess Trap. Just read and enjoy.
• Anything by Courtney Milan. The Suffragette Scandal was one of my favorites. I'd started avoiding historical romances in the past few years, but I'm glad I was talked into trying these.

Memoirs

• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Both funny and serious, it covers a lot of information about Apartheid that I had never learned in school, and it's just generally a fascinating book. For this one I'd really recommend the audio version because Trevor Noah reads it. 

Does anyone have any mysteries or thrillers they'd like to recommend? I've found nothing that has come out recently that has really grabbed me.

And finally, here's the big dog who found the only sunny spot in the house...

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It's Holidailies time!