Tag Archive: “books”

Books of 2026

Here’s a list of what I’ve been reading this year. This is a pinned post β€” intermittently I update or reorganize it. At the end of the year, I’ll replace this list with a structured table as in my books of 2025 and 2024 posts.

πŸ‘“β˜…TitleAttribution
BZRKRKeanu Reeves
Eloquent JavascriptMarijn Haverbeke
βœ“Beating Hearts & Battle-Axesed. Jay Wolf
βœ“The Burgess Bird Book for ChildrenThornton W. Burgess
β˜…The Geography of NowhereJames Howard Kunstler
What It's Like to Be A BirdDavid Allen Sibley
Black-OwnedChar Adams
β˜…Across the UniverseNatan Last
βœ“β˜…MonstersBarry Windsor-Smith
βœ“Lost Marvels No. 1: Tower of Shadowsed. Michael Dean
All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1)Martha Wells
Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2)Martha Wells
New Edge Sword & Sorcery #6ed. Oliver Brackenbury
β˜…Project Hail MaryAndy Weir
β˜…Termination ShockNeal Stephenson
Rogue Protocol (Murderbot Diaries #3)Martha Wells
The Nature of OaksDoug Tallamy
The Common UncommonBernd Heinrich
Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries #4)Martha Wells
β˜…Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025ed. Nnedi Okorafor & John Joseph Adams
β˜…Network Effect (Murderbot Diaries #5)Martha Wells
βœ“Big MachineVictor LaValle
βœ“Federationsed. John Joseph Adams
Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet #51ed. Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant
EnshittificationCory Doctorow

Posted on Friday, March 6th, 2026. Tags: .

Visualizing Publication Timeline

Here is another visualization of my books of 2025. These plots were created with Publications Timeline, an Observable notebook I’ve written as a tool for plotting the publication dates of a list of books or stories. The notebook has various interactive options, but the key use case is visualizing the distribution of items over time.

This example lists books in reading order (click to enlarge):

This is the same list, sorted by publication date:

Posted on Sunday, January 18th, 2026. Tags: .

Visualizing Books of the Year

My books of 2025 list is complete. In lieu of reviews, here’s an interactive chart to visualize the breakdown. The basic display is a countable bar chart of books by four broad categories. You can split the chart into two or four small multiples by source and/or format. It’s mainly an exercise in creating dynamic charts. Check out the Observable notebook directly for the code and any future updates.

Posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2026. Tags: .

Books of 2024

Here are the books I read in 2024.

In lieu of more thoughtful reflection, I present a table. I have written paragraph-length comments or summaries for about half of these entries, but I want to proofread, revise, and complete those notes before publishing them. I’ll update this post once I do. (Don’t hold your breath; waiting for myself to get around to completing those notes is the only thing that delayed this post until November 2025, when I finally decided to post it as a list sans commentary.)

Format

  • Books are sorted by default in the order I finished reading them. Click column headers to resort according to that data.
  • Annotations: Stars indicate books that struck a chord or simply stuck with me. Stars do not necessarily represent recommendations or even superior reviews.
  • Attribution: this column names the author or editor (for collections or anthologies). In the case of fully illustrated works the illustrated is also named.
  • Category: Books are loosely categorized as novels, nonfiction, collections, or anthologies. I use collection to refer to publications containing multiple works by one author and anthology more specifically to refer to publications containing multiple works by multiple authors. I use those terms here to encompass works like magazines and books of nonfiction essays as well as short stories.
  • Links: Title links go to various sources. In some cases, I like to the author or publisher’s promotional page for the book. In other cases, I link to longer reviews, bibliographic entries, or the text itself. Attribution links for most writers of genre fiction go to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, which blends biography with literary context and opinionated criticism. Otherwise, links to go to the writer’s web site, Wikipedia entry, or whatever reference I can find.

What’s Not Included

  • Short stories, essays, or articles. For simplicity, I’m only keeping track of complete books.
  • Podcasts. I do listen to a lot of short fiction in podcast form, which merits its own post, but I have not [yet] kept track of episodes.
  • Comics. I am including comics in my 2025 list, but I did not track them in 2024.

Books of 2024

#β˜…TitleAttributionCategoryFormatLibraryYear
1Bibliognost: The Lynd Ward IssueDenis CarbonneauAnthologyPrint1976
2AfterglowGristAnthologyPrint2023
3β˜…The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2015Joe Hill & John Joseph AdamsAnthologyPrint2015
4The Tusks of ExtinctionRay NaylerNovelPrintβœ“2024
5A People's Future of the United StatesVictor LaValle & John Joseph AdamsAnthologyPrint2019
6Field Notes on Science & NatureMichael R. CanfieldNonfictionPrint2011
7OrbitalSamantha HarveyNovelPrintβœ“2023
8β˜…Open ThroatHenry HokeNovelPrintβœ“2024
9The Dreams our Stuff is Made OfThomas DischNonfictionPrint1998
10InfomocracyMalka OlderNovelEbook2016
11β˜…Gideon the NinthTamsyn MuirNovelPrintβœ“2019
12Ancillary JusticeAnn LeckieNovelEbook2013
13β˜…The KnightGene WolfeNovelPrintβœ“2004
14Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine #1Isaac Asimov, George H. Scithers, & Gardner DozoisAnthologyPrint1977
15Old Babes in the WoodsMargaret AtwoodCollectionPrint2023
16New Worlds Quarterly #1Michael MoorcockAnthologyPrint1971
17The Riddles of the SphinxAnna SchectmanNonfictionPrintβœ“2024
18The Empress of DreamsTanith LeeCollectionEbook2021
19I Am ProvidenceNick MamatasNovelEbook2016
20The WizardGene WolfeNovelPrintβœ“2004
21Is Math Real?Eugenia ChengNonfictionPrintβœ“2024
22The Book of FlacoDavid GessnerNonfictionPrint2025
23β˜…Titus GroanMervyn PeakeNovelPrint1968
24β˜…A Memory Called EmpireArkady MartineNovelPrint2019
25The NightwatchersAngus Cameron, illustrated by Peter ParnallNonfictionPrint1971
26β˜…Children of TimeAdrian TchaikovskyNovelPrint2015
27β˜…Return of the OspreyDavid GessnerNonfictionPrint2001
28The Three Body ProblemCixin Liu, translated by Ken LiuNovelPrint2014
29β˜…BrasylIan McDonaldNovelPrint2007
30Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet #48Kelly Link & Gavin GrantAnthologyPrint2024
31The Stars My DestinationAlfred BesterNovelPrint1956
32The Book of Barely Imagined BeingsCaspar HendersonNonfictionPrintβœ“2013
33Bones of the EarthMichael SwanwickNovelPrint2002
34Harrow the NinthTamsyn MuirNovelPrintβœ“2020
35The Future of LifeE. O. WilsonNonfictionPrint2002
36Negative GirlLibby CudmoreNovelPrint2024
37Encounters with the ArchdruidJohn McPheeNonfictionPrint1971
38A Literary Field Guide to Southern AppalachiaRose McLarney, Laura-Gray Street, & L. L. GaddyAnthologyPrint2019
39β˜…By Force AloneLavie TidharNovelEbookβœ“2020
40β˜…Some Desperate GloryEmily TeshNovelEbookβœ“2023
41The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and JournalingJohn Muir LawsNonfictionEbookβœ“2016
42The History of Science Fiction: A Graphic Novel AdventureXavier Dollo, illustrated by Djibril Morissette-PhanNonfictionEbookβœ“2020
43β˜…HimGeoff RymanNovelPrintβœ“2023
44β˜…It Can't Happen HereSinclair LewisNovelEbook1935

Posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2025. Tags: , .

Books of 2025

Here are the books I read in 2025. See also my list from 2024 and my visualization of this data.

Table Format

  • Books are sorted in the approximate order I started reading them. (Click column headers to sort according to those properties.)
  • The “Attribution” column identifies the author, editor, illustrator, and/or translator, depending on the category and nature of the work. There may be one or more name.
  • I categorize books containing multiple works by the same author as collections and multiple works by different authors as anthologies. I include complete issues of fiction magazines as anthologies.
  • Links are fairly random and subject to change. I link the author name to their website if active, otherwise to their SFE or Wikipedia entry. Some title links go to reviews, which may be more interesting than other references.
  • β˜… Starred entries indicate highlights I’d like to write more about. In some cases I’ve even scribbled some notes. These aren’t necessarily the “best” books or even my favorites of the year, but it’s a good approximation.
  • 👓 Entries marked with a glasses emoji are still in progress. (Anything I started reading before Christmas 2025 appears on this list, even if I didn’t finish it by year’s end; likewise, anything I started on or after Christmas 2025 will appear on my 2026 list.)

Omissions

  • Individual short stories, podcast episodes, essays, or articles. I’d like to keep track of the best stories I read online or by podcast, but I haven’t yet. Maybe next year.
  • Ongoing or random comics. I check out comics on Hoopla. In some cases I just read one or two sample issues to see if like it. In other cases, I’ll read through back issues and keep up with new issues as they become available – such as with Jim Zub’s various Conan series. I do include a few complete graphic novels in the listing below.

Books of 2025

#β˜…TitleAttributionCategoryFormatLibraryYear
1Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost WorldMichael J. Benton, illustrated by Bob NichollsNonfictionPrint2021
2β˜…New Adventures in Space OperaJonathan StrahanAnthologyPrintβœ“2024
3New Edge Sword & Sorcery #3Oliver BrackenburyAnthologyDigital2024
4New Edge Sword & Sorcery #4Oliver BrackenburyAnthologyDigital2024
5Paper Girls: The Complete StoryBrian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson, and Jared K. FletcherFictionDigitalβœ“2021
6The Player of GamesIain M. BanksFictionPrint1988
7The Profitable ArtistNew York Foundation for the ArtsNonfictionDigitalβœ“2018
8Playing with Pop-UpsHelen HiebertNonfictionDigitalβœ“2014
9Drawn Testimony: My Four Decades as a Courtroom Sketch ArtistJane RosenbergNonfictionPrintβœ“2024
10β˜…The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024Hugh Howey and John Joseph AdamsAnthologyPrint2024
11The Mercy of GodsJames S. A. CoreyFictionPrintβœ“2024
12β˜…A Psalm for the Wild-BuiltBecky ChambersFictionPrintβœ“2021
13β˜…James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice SheldonJulie PhillipsNonfictionPrint2006
14Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet #49Kelly Link and Gavin GrantAnthologyPrint2024
15A Prayer for the Crown-ShyBecky ChambersFictionPrintβœ“2022
16Never Say You Can't SurviveCharlie Jane AndersNonfictionPrintβœ“2021
17Where the Axe is BuriedRay NaylerFictionPrintβœ“2025
18Twelve TreesDaniel LewisNonfictionPrintβœ“2025
19β˜…Suffrage Song: The Haunted History of Gender, Race, and Voting Rights in the USCaitlin CassNonfictionDigitalβœ“2024
20Blacks on John BrownBenjamin QuarlesNonfictionPrintβœ“1972
21β˜…Alpha 6Robert SilverbergAnthologyPrint1976
22β˜…The EternautHΓ©ctor GermΓ‘n Oesterheld, illustrated by Francisco Solano LΓ³pez, translated by E. Rowan Mena and Martin HadisFictionDigitalβœ“1957
23The Kaiju Preservation SocietyJohn ScalziFiction
Print2022
24The Space MerchantsFrederik Pohl and C. M. KornbluthFictionPrint1953
25OsamaLavie TidharFictionDigitalβœ“2012
26Nebula Award Showcase 60Stephen KotowychAnthologyDigitalβœ“2025
27β˜…The Jerry RescueAngela MurphyNonfictionPrint2014
28β˜…Liberation DayGeorge SaundersCollectionPrintβœ“2022
29Las batallas en el desiertoJosΓ© Emilio PachecoFictionPrint1981
30Galactic NorthAlastair ReynoldsCollectionPrint2006
31New Edge Sword & Sorcery #2Oliver BrackenburyAnthologyDigital2023
32There is No Antimemetics Division (v1)Sam HughesFictionPrint2021
33None So BlindJoe HaldemanCollectionPrint1996
34The Devil in a ForestGene WolfeFictionPrintβœ“1976
35The Collapsing EmpireJohn ScalziFictionDigital2017
36Way StationClifford D. SimakFictionDigitalβœ“1963
37Mexican GothicSilvia Moreno-GarciaFictionPrint2020
38πŸ‘“How to Read a BookMortimer J. Adler and Charles Van DorenNonfictionPrint1940
39The Adventures of AlyxJoanna RussCollectionPrint1983
40Infinite Worlds: The Fantastic Visions of Science Fiction ArtVincent Di FateNonfictionPrintβœ“1997
41β˜…NadarNigel GoslingNonfictionPrintβœ“1976
42The City in the Middle of the NightCharlie Jane AndersFictionPrint2019
43β˜…Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet #50Kelly Link and Gavin GrantAnthologyPrint2025
44β˜…The Sword of Welleran and Other StoriesLord DunsanyCollectionDigital1908
45β˜…KrakenChina MiΓ©villeFictionPrint2011
46β˜…The Buffalo Hunter HunterStephen Graham JonesFictionPrintβœ“2025
47New Edge Sword & Sorcery #5Oliver BrackenburyAnthologyDigital2025

Posted on Sunday, January 12th, 2025. Tags: , .

October 2020 Author Sketches

Collage of five author portrait sketches

I recently read a 1954 anthology titled “50 Great Short Stories” edited by Milton Crane. The book was mistitled; “50 Texts Exalting Ennui and Miserable Marriages” would have been more accurate. That said, a few of the stories were memorable! Here are sketches of the authors of half of them.

Clockwise, from top left: Katherine Mansfield, V. S. Pritchett, Ring Lardner, Irwin Shaw, and J. D. Salinger.

I’m drawing authors for Patreon this month. Sign up to claim one (perhaps accompanied by a story synopsis). I’ll probably do a few more from this book, then I look forward to reading something fresh!

Posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2020. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

A Limerick, the Throne of the Crescent Moon, and Places in Fiction

Portrait sketch of Saladin Ahmed

Here’s a limerick about Throne of the Crescent Moon, the debut novel by Saladin Ahmed:

There was a wise man from Dhamsawaat
who lived with a boy who prayed and fought.
The man loved an old whore,
who deplored the ghul war,
and the boy met a girl who was not.

(With apologies to Zamia and Raseed for making light of their story – but I suspect Doctor Makhslood would embrace a harmless bit of impious doggerel!)

I enjoy stories with a strong sense of place.

Examples large and small come to mind: sordid New Crobuzon from China MiΓ©ville’s Perdido Street Station (not to mention the conjoined cities of The City & The City); Green Town, Illinois – distillate of gothic Americana that it is – from Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes; all of the burgeoning desert planet Arrakis from Frank Herbert’s Dune; and even Redwall Abbey from the Brian Jacques series of the same name.

Vivid impressions of these places root them in my memory.

I think that in the Crescent Moon Kingdoms – and especially the big, bustling, central city of Dhamsawaat – Ahmed may have created a similarly memorable setting. The main character Aduolla Makhslood is an expert ghul hunter and affable old fart who is all the more relatable for his relation to the places he inhabits: his favorite tea house, his run-down neighborhood, and his own dear home. So, as with the examples above, Aduolla’s world has become a part of mine.

(Links to related short stories…)

Posted on Saturday, July 20th, 2013. Tags: , , .

Eclipse Online recipe

I made a Calibre recipe for Eclipse Online, a free short fiction magazine edited by Jonathan Strahan and hosted by Night Shade Books.

Eclipse Online book ereader screenshots

Like Strange Horizons, Eclipse Online is published only as a web site. This recipe assembles an ebook from recent posts and stories. Get more details and the script itself at Github.

Update: Sadly, only a month or so after I discovered Eclipse Online and wrote this recipe, the magazine was closed and will no longer be published.

Posted on Friday, March 22nd, 2013. Tags: , , .

Calibre ebook cover art in Slideshow screen savers

The Mac OS X 10.8.3 update is out. Among the variousΒ minor fixes is this item:

Allows the Slideshow screen saver to display photos located in a subfolder

This restores the slideshow behavior from previous versions of Mac OS X; until now, it was inexplicably absent from Mountain Lion (10.8). Missing support for nested folders made it inconvenient to use photo collections organized in folders as the basis for screen savers.

Calibre Welcome Wizard Slideshow Screensavers

Calibre organizes your ebook files, including cover images, in subfolders of a main library folder. So, now you can select your Calibre library folder as the source for a slideshow screen saver. (If you don’t know where your library folder is, you can re-open the Calibre Welcome Wizard to check the location, as pictured at left above.) The screen saver appears to ignore files that aren’t images, so the result is a slideshow of cover art from your ebook library. This works out nicely if, like me, your ebook library contains many magazine issues with great cover art.

Posted on Friday, March 15th, 2013. Tags: , .

Pinboard bookmarks recipe for Calibre

Here is a script for Calibre which which retrieves your unread bookmarks from PinboardΒ and compiles them into an ebook. If you use Pinboard to save long articles to read later, and if you like to read long articles with an ereader instead of with your computer’s web browser, this may be the recipe for you. The script is called Pinboard.recipe and you can get it here:Β github.com/anoved/Pinboard-RecipeΒ (see the Setup section to get started).

This is similar to the Safari Reading List recipe I wrote earlier this year.

Posted on Monday, December 10th, 2012. Tags: , , .