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Reading

The books I’ve read—most of them anyway. I created this list in December of 2021 and my memory only goes back so far; as you scroll down to go back in time, things get foggier and I’ve certainly forgetten what I read 19+ years ago.

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  1. Book cover: Red Rising
    Red Rising, by Pierce Brown
    Book #1 of the Red Rising Saga
    When: Started April 2026
    Rating: to be determined…

    Seven centuries in the future, a rigid caste system divides humanity across colonized worlds. Darrow, a lowborn Red miner, is chosen to infiltrate the elite Gold Academy through an elaborate transformation. Tasked with destroying the Society from within, he must survive brutal trials while maintaining his dangerous cover among the privileged class—discovering that revolution may exact a far higher price than he imagined.

  2. Book cover: There Is No Antimemetics Division
    There Is No Antimemetics Division, by qntm
    When: April 2026
    Rating:

    Marie Quinn directs a secret division tasked with containing anomalies that erase themselves from human memory and perception. As her team battles an increasingly dangerous entity while struggling against memory-altering drugs, Quinn discovers that victory may require the ultimate sacrifice.

  3. Book cover: The Daughters’ War
    The Daughters’ War, by Christopher Buehlman
    Book #2 of the Blacktongue series
    When: March 2026
    Rating:

    Set in the war-torn, goblin-infested years just before The Blacktongue Thief, the goblins have killed most of humanity’s horses and men, enslaved its cities, and burned its fields. Now the daughters take up arms—among them Galva, who defies her family to join the army’s untested new unit, the Raven Knights, accompanied by giant war corvids made with the darkest magics. The road to victory is bloody, and nothing can be taken for granted: not family bonds, not the wisdom of leaders, not even safety from the dangerous birds at their side.

  4. Book cover: The Blacktongue Thief
    The Blacktongue Thief, by Christopher Buehlman
    Book #1 of the Blacktongue series
    When: January 2026 through March 2026
    Rating:

    Kinch Na Shannack, a thief deep in debt to the Takers Guild, attempts to rob a traveler on a forest road—only to discover his mark is Galva, a battle-hardened knight devoted to the death goddess and searching for her missing queen. After his failed robbery, Kinch finds himself bound to Galva’s dangerous quest across a world where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.

  5. Book cover: The Library at Mount Char
    The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins
    When: January 2026
    Rating:

    Carolyn and her eleven siblings possess extraordinary powers learned from their father’s mysterious library, but when their godlike guardian vanishes, dark secrets unravel. As supernatural forces clash and reality itself begins to fracture, Carolyn must navigate a world where her siblings’ abilities—from resurrection to animal communion—become tools in a dangerous game with apocalyptic stakes.

  6. Book cover: Wayward
    Wayward, by Chuck Wendig
    Book #2 of the Wanderers series
    When: November 2025 through January 2026
    Rating:

    Five years after a sleepwalking epidemic and the apocalyptic chain of events that followed, the survivors—sleepwalkers and shepherds alike—gather in the small Colorado town of Ouray to rebuild human society. But the people of Ouray are not the only survivors: forces of cruelty are amassing under a self-proclaimed president, while the most powerful survivor of all—Black Swan, the A.I. that imagined the apocalypse—plots its own vision for the new world.

  7. Book cover: Wanderers
    Wanderers, by Chuck Wendig
    Book #1 of the Wanderers series
    When: October 2025 through November 2025
    Rating:

    When a fifteen-year-old girl inexplicably begins walking toward an unknown destination, she is joined by countless others in an unstoppable journey across America. As these “Walkers” trek forward unresponsive to the world around them, their loved ones—called “Shepherds”—follow in their wake, while society fractures over what this phenomenon means. Amid a deadly fungal plague threatening humanity’s survival, various forces converge on the Flock, each with their own agenda.

  8. Book cover: Waywarden
    Waywarden, by S.A. Harian
    Book #2 of the Briardark series
    When: September 2025
    Rating:

    In the second installment of the Briardark series, three paths diverge as revelations buried within an impossible wilderness come to light. Separated from her team and haunted by grief, Siena Dupont claws her way through the lightless Briardark in search of escape, while Cameron Yarrow ventures into a depraved settlement called The Tooth in pursuit of a ghost from her past. Holden Sharpe refuses to let Siena vanish—even if his amateur rescue mission means confronting the boundaries of reality itself.

  9. Book cover: Briardark
    Briardark, by S.A. Harian
    Book #1 of the Briardark series
    When: September 2025
    Rating:

    For Dr. Siena Dupont and her ambitious team, the Alpenglow glacier expedition is a career-defining opportunity. But thirty miles into the desolate Deadswitch Wilderness, they discover a missing hiker dangling from a tree, their satellite phone fails, and the body vanishes without a trace. The map no longer aligns with the trail, the glacier they came to study has inexplicably melted, and a tunnel within a tree hollow lures Siena toward a hidden cabin and a stranger with a sinister message.

  10. Book cover: Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
    When: August 2025 through September 2025
    Rating:

    When former teacher and biologist Ryland Grace awakens on a mysterious spacecraft with no memory of how he got there, he discovers humanity faces extinction from a catastrophic dimming of the Sun. Forced to undertake a desperate mission to a distant star system, Grace must rely on his scientific ingenuity and an unexpected alliance with an alien engineer to find a solution. As memories return and dangers mount, Grace confronts an impossible choice between saving his own species and sacrificing another.

  11. Book cover: Careless People
    Careless People, by Sarah Wynn-Williams
    When: July 2025 through August 2025
    Rating:

    Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook director of public policy, presents an insider’s account of the company’s internal culture and decision-making during her tenure from 2011 to 2017. The memoir examines Facebook’s responses to major global events, including its role in the Rohingya genocide and its efforts to develop censorship tools for market access in China. Wynn-Williams details allegations of unaddressed workplace misconduct by senior executives and critiques the disconnect between the company’s public commitments and its private practices.

  12. Book cover: Monkey
    Monkey, by Wu Ch'eng-En (translated by Arthur Waley)
    When: June 2025 through July 2025
    Rating:

    When the Buddha commands a pilgrimage to India to retrieve sacred texts, a young monk named Tripitaka embarks on a perilous journey westward alongside Monkey, a former heavenly being, and two other reformed celestial courtiers. Together they encounter bodhisattvas and demons while facing trials that test their resolve, ultimately reaching enlightenment at the Buddha’s palace.

  13. Book cover: System Collapse
    System Collapse, by Martha Wells
    Book #7 of The Murderbot Diaries
    When: May 2025 through June 2025
    Rating:

    Murderbot’s group encounters a separatist colony with alien artifacts, while a competing corporate explorer arrives with its own agenda. The narrative involves diplomatic maneuvering and internal conflict within opposing forces, as Murderbot processes trauma from previous events while continuing to strengthen relationships with its human companions.

  14. Book cover: Fugitive Telemetry
    Fugitive Telemetry, by Martha Wells
    Book #6 of The Murderbot Diaries
    When: Started/finished May 2025
    Rating:

    Murderbot investigates a murder on Preservation Station while restricted from hacking security systems. The investigation reveals a refugee trafficking operation and corporate bounty hunters at work behind the scenes. Forced into traditional detective work, Murderbot uncovers a bot concealing a combat unit beneath its exterior.

  15. Book cover: Network Effect
    Network Effect, by Martha Wells
    Book #5 of The Murderbot Diaries
    When: April 2025 through May 2025
    Rating:

    Murderbot and Mensah’s expedition team are attacked and separated, leading to the discovery of an alien-contaminated colony controlled by a hive mind. As rescue missions and alien artifacts complicate matters, deeper bonds form between Murderbot and its human companions—and Murderbot decides to continue traveling with its AI companion, ART.

  16. Book cover: Exit Strategy
    Exit Strategy, by Martha Wells
    Book #4 of The Murderbot Diaries
    When: March 2025 through March 2025
    Rating:

    Murderbot learns that Dr. Mensah has been abducted by GrayCris and works to rescue her from a corporate hub. Featuring intense action sequences and shifting alliances with Mensah’s team, the novella sees Murderbot suffer serious injuries before finding shelter and purpose with Preservation.

  17. Book cover: Rogue Protocol
    Rogue Protocol, by Martha Wells
    Book #3 of The Murderbot Diaries
    When: February 2025 through March 2025
    Rating:

    Murderbot infiltrates an abandoned terraforming facility to gather evidence against the GrayCris corporation. It must protect a team of researchers from hostile forces while concealing its lack of a governor module—a mission that involves rescue operations and combat against corporate saboteurs.

  18. Book cover: Artificial Condition
    Artificial Condition, by Martha Wells
    Book #2 of The Murderbot Diaries
    When: January 2025 through February 2025
    Rating:

    Murderbot travels to a mining facility where it once malfunctioned, seeking to understand its past. It befriends an AI-controlled research vessel and takes on security work investigating corporate misconduct, exploring its growing connections while uncovering exploitation and corporate crimes.

  19. Book cover: All Systems Red
    All Systems Red, by Martha Wells
    Book #1 of The Murderbot Diaries
    When: January 2025 through January 2025
    Rating:

    A scientific expedition on an alien planet is threatened by dangerous creatures and sabotage. The team’s security unit, Murderbot, has secretly disabled its control module and must protect its human clients while uncovering a conspiracy involving a rival expedition.

  20. Book cover: Last Argument of Kings
    Last Argument of Kings, by Joe Abercrombie
    Book #3 of The First Law series
    When: November 2024 through January 2025
    Rating:

    The trilogy concludes with revelations about hidden identities, magical confrontations, and political maneuvering that determine the fates of kingdoms. As established characters pursue their separate objectives, new power structures emerge across the world.

  21. Book cover: Before They Are Hanged
    Before They Are Hanged, by Joe Abercrombie
    Book #2 of The First Law series
    When: October 2024 through November 2024
    Rating:

    War erupts across two fronts as the Union faces invasion from both the Gurkish Empire in the south and the Northmen in the north. A diverse cast of characters—soldiers, sorcerers, and prisoners of fate—navigate brutal campaigns and personal quests while darker forces manipulate events from behind the scenes. Amid betrayal and failure, the bonds between allies are tested as each faction struggles for survival.

  22. Book cover: The Blade Itself
    The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie
    Book #1 of The First Law series
    When: September 2024 through October 2024
    Rating:

    Three main characters—a Northern warrior, a crippled inquisitor, and a vain nobleman—find their paths converging when a powerful wizard enlists them on a quest involving magical artifacts and looming conflicts between major powers.

  23. Book cover: Rhythm of War
    Rhythm of War, by Brandon Sanderson
    Book #4 of The Stormlight Archive
    When: April 2024 through September 2024
    Rating:

    As war engages Roshar’s kingdoms, Dalinar brokers a high-stakes contest with the enemy god Odium to determine the conflict’s outcome. Meanwhile, Navani discovers how to weaponize different forms of magical light, while Kaladin struggles with despair even as he becomes a beacon of resistance. Across multiple viewpoints, characters in the tower city of Urithiru and beyond must navigate shifting alliances and the shocking revelation that one of their enemies may hold the key to true peace.

  24. Book cover: Oathbringer
    Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson
    Book #3 of The Stormlight Archive
    When: February 2024 through April 2024
    Rating:

    As the Everstorm devastates the world of Roshar, Dalinar Kholin and the Knights Radiant must unite fractured kingdoms against an ancient enemy’s return. With mysterious forces corrupting cities and threatening humanity’s survival, our heroes race to unlock powerful gateways and discover the truth about their world’s past before it’s too late.

  25. Book cover: Words of Radiance
    Words of Radiance, by Brandon Sanderson
    Book #2 of The Stormlight Archive
    When: December 2023 through February 2024
    Rating:

    Kaladin struggles with his newfound powers and his duty to protect a kingdom that despises him, while Shallan discovers dangerous abilities tied to her traumatic past. Dalinar seeks to unite fractured leaders against an approaching cataclysm, and the Parshendi face transformation into a destructive force beyond their control. Together, these characters must uncover the truth about ancient magic and the legendary Knights Radiant before an unstoppable storm reshapes their world.

  26. Book cover: The Way of Kings
    The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
    Book #1 of The Stormlight Archive
    When: September through December 2023
    Rating:

    In a world ravaged by catastrophic storms and threatened by ancient enemies, multiple characters find their destinies intertwined. A slave-branded soldier discovers magical powers, a young scholar uncovers forbidden knowledge, and a disillusioned general begins to question everything he knows. As these seemingly separate lives converge on a war-torn landscape, they may hold the key to humanity’s survival against a returning darkness.

  27. Book cover: Confessor
    Confessor, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #11 of Sword of Truth series
    When: June through July 2023
    Rating:

    Richard Rahl faces his greatest challenge yet as he becomes entangled in a deadly game involving the magical Boxes of Orden. While imprisoned by the Imperial Order and separated from Kahlan—whose memories have been stolen—Richard must navigate treacherous tournaments and uncover the true nature of ancient magic. As dark forces close in on the People’s Palace, Richard discovers that the path to salvation lies not in forbidden knowledge, but in understanding a fundamental truth about power itself.

  28. Book cover: Phantom
    Phantom, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #10 of Sword of Truth series
    When: May through June 2023
    Rating:

    Richard Rahl continues his desperate search for his wife Kahlan, who exists only in his memory due to a powerful spell. As magical corruption threatens the world and the Imperial Order advances on the D’Haran stronghold, Richard must choose between saving one life and protecting an entire realm.

  29. Book cover: Chainfire
    Chainfire, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #9 of Sword of Truth series
    When: March through May 2023
    Rating:

    Richard Rahl awakens from a grave wound to discover his wife Kahlan has vanished—and he alone remembers her existence. As reality itself seems to unravel around him, Richard must uncover the truth behind a powerful spell while being hunted by a mysterious beast. His search for Kahlan and the answers hidden in forgotten places will determine the fate of the D’Haran Empire and its struggle against the Imperial Order.

  30. Book cover: Naked Empire
    Naked Empire, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #8 of Sword of Truth series
    When: January through March 2023
    Rating:

    Richard and Kahlan find themselves drawn into the struggle of a people who refuse to defend themselves against oppression. Poisoned by a desperate man seeking their aid, they must journey into unknown lands where an ancient boundary has fallen and dark forces close in. As Richard discovers troubling truths about his own magic and confronts a mysterious creature spawned by enemy sorcerers, he faces the ultimate question: can a people transcend their deepest beliefs to survive?

  31. Book cover: The Pillars of Creation
    The Pillars of Creation, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #7 of Sword of Truth series
    When: November 2022 through January 2023
    Rating:

    Jennsen Rahl, an ungifted half-sister marked for death since birth, embarks on a dangerous journey to escape those hunting her. As she becomes entangled with the Imperial Order and encounters her mysterious sibling Oba, she is drawn toward the legendary Pillars of Creation. There, she must confront her true nature and face her brother Richard in a battle between dark forces and human integrity.

  32. Book cover: Faith of the Fallen
    Faith of the Fallen, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #6 of Sword of Truth series
    When: September through November 2022
    Rating:

    The Imperial Order wages relentless war against the New World, seeking to enslave humanity under a system of enforced mediocrity. Richard is captured and forced into labor in the enemy capital while Kahlan and Cara rejoin the armies of D’Hara to mount a desperate resistance. As Richard discovers the power of beauty and human spirit to inspire rebellion, the fate of freedom itself hangs in the balance.

  33. Book cover: Soul of the Fire
    Soul of the Fire, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #5 of Sword of Truth series
    When: July through September 2022
    Rating:

    Richard and Kahlan face a crisis when an ancient magical force called the Chimes runs loose, threatening to drain all magic from the world. As they race to find a way to banish this threat, they become entangled in the political turmoil of Anderith, a nation torn between submission to a brutal empire and allegiance to Richard’s D’Haran Empire. With magic failing and enemies closing in, Richard must uncover the connection between the Chimes and an ancient weapon to save both Kahlan and the world itself.

  34. Book cover: Temple of the Winds
    Temple of the Winds, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #4 of Sword of Truth series
    When: April through June 2022
    Rating:

    Emperor Jagang has unleashed a devastating plague through the Temple of the Winds, threatening to consume the entire New World. To stop the mystical contagion, Richard and Kahlan must make heartbreaking sacrifices and navigate a web of prophecy, betrayal, and impossible choices. Richard’s journey into the forbidden temple will test everything he holds dear, while dark forces conspire to tear the lovers apart.

  35. Book cover: Blood of the Fold
    Blood of the Fold, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #3 of Sword of Truth series
    When: March and April 2022
    Rating:

    Richard Rahl, a War Wizard with both additive and subtractive magic, must unite the free kingdoms against the advancing Imperial Order threatening the New World. As he seizes power to consolidate his forces, his beloved Kahlan is captured and taken to the Old World, forcing Richard on a desperate rescue mission that will determine the fate of all free people.

  36. Book cover: Stone of Tears
    Stone of Tears, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #2 of Sword of Truth series
    When: December 2021 through February 2022
    Rating:

    Richard must navigate his newfound magical powers while separated from Kahlan, who commands armies against an advancing enemy force. As Richard trains at the Palace of the Prophets, he discovers he is a rare war wizard with both additive and subtractive magic. Meanwhile, Kahlan fights to protect her homeland and reunite with Richard, leading to devastating consequences that test the limits of their love and magical bonds.

  37. Book cover: Wizard’s First Rule
    Wizard’s First Rule, by Terry Goodkind
    Book #1 of Sword of Truth series
    When: November and December 2021
    Rating:

    Richard Cypher, a young woods guide, discovers his father’s murder and encounters Kahlan Amnell, a woman fleeing assassins. Together they seek out the First Wizard to obtain a magical sword capable of stopping a tyrant from opening dangerous boxes of power before the winter solstice arrives. Their journey across forbidden boundaries will test their courage, reveal hidden truths, and force them to confront enemies both external and within themselves.

  38. Book cover: It
    It, by Stephen King
    When: September and October 2021
    Rating:

    In the town of Derry, Maine, a group of seven outcast children discover they are being hunted by an ancient, shape-shifting entity that awakens every 27 years to feed on their fears. After a harrowing battle, they swear a blood oath to return if the creature ever resurfaces. Twenty-seven years later, as adults, they must confront their childhood nightmare one final time to stop it from claiming more victims.

  39. Book cover: The Three-Body Problem
    The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu
    When: July and August 2021
    Rating:

    During China’s Cultural Revolution, astrophysicist Ye Wenjie contacts an alien civilization from a nearby star system and invites them to Earth. Decades later, as an invasion force approaches, scientists and government officials race to uncover a conspiracy and understand the mysterious alien threat before humanity’s fate is sealed.

  40. Book cover: Age of Empyre
    Age of Empyre, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #6 of The Legends of the First Empire series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    After obtaining the secret to creating dragons, the leader of the Fhrey turns the tide of war once more—but at a terrible price. As Imaly plots to overthrow the fane and the Great War reaches its climax, a mystic and a Keeper become humanity’s only hope, while a fellowship travels through the realm of death itself in this conclusion to the Legends of the First Empire.

  41. Book cover: Age of Death
    Age of Death, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #5 of The Legends of the First Empire series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    Barred by the tower of Avempartha, the western army cannot invade the Fhrey homeland and must seek a way across the Nidwalden River before the fane obtains the secret of dragons. As time runs out for both humanity and the mystic Suri, the only chance for the living rests with the dead, as a fellowship of seven journeys into the afterlife to save a friend.

  42. Book cover: Age of Legend
    Age of Legend, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #4 of The Legends of the First Empire series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    After years of warfare, humanity has gained the upper hand and pushed the Fhrey to the edge of their homeland. Persephone’s plan to use the stalemate to seek peace is destroyed by an unexpected betrayal that leaves a dear friend in peril. With humanity’s only hope resting in the legend of a witch, a forgotten song, and a simple garden door, an unlikely group sets out on a desperate rescue.

  43. Book cover: Age of War
    Age of War, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #3 of The Legends of the First Empire series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    The epic battle between humankind and the cruel godlike beings who once ruled them finally ignites in all its fury. The fragile alliance of humans and renegade Fhrey is tested as never before: Persephone holds the human clans together through iron will and compassion, while the arrogant Fhrey are barely held in check by their leader, Nyphron, who pursues his own nefarious agenda.

  44. Book cover: Age of Swords
    Age of Swords, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #2 of The Legends of the First Empire series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    The human uprising is threatened by powerful enemies from without and bitter rivalries from within. Raithe, the God Killer, may have started the rebellion by killing a Fhrey, but long-standing enmities make it nearly impossible to unite the Rhunes against the common foe. Persephone leads a small band of misfits—including a gifted young seer and a Fhrey sorceress—on a desperate search for aid that takes them into the darkest depths of Elan.

  45. Book cover: Age of Myth
    Age of Myth, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #1 of The Legends of the First Empire series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    For ages, humans have worshiped the Fhrey as gods—invulnerable, magical, and immortal. When a warrior slays one of these seemingly divine beings, the foundations of power shift forever. As the God Killer’s legend spreads, humans and Fhrey alike must confront a new world where the old certainties no longer hold and the cost of defying the gods becomes devastatingly real.

  46. Book cover: The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter
    The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #4 of The Riyria Chronicles series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    When Gabriel Winter’s daughter mysteriously disappears and is presumed dead, the wealthy whiskey baron seeks revenge—and hires the one man he knows can deliver bloody retribution: the notorious Duster. Royce and Hadrian travel to a mysterious old-world city filled with nobles claiming descent from imperial aristocracy on what appears to be a simple job: discover what happened to the missing duchess and, if she lives, bring her home. But nothing is simple in the crowded, mist-filled streets of Rochelle, where more than one ancient legend lurks.

  47. Book cover: The Death of Dulgath
    The Death of Dulgath, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #3 of The Riyria Chronicles series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    Three years after the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and the cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces as rogues-for-hire, the pair are hired to prevent a murder. The last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn—the Countess of Dulgath—is targeted for assassination, and Riyria must venture into a forgotten corner of southern Avryn to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane.

  48. Book cover: The Rose and the Thorn
    The Rose and the Thorn, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #2 of The Riyria Chronicles series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    For more than a year, Royce Melborn has tried to forget Gwen DeLancy, the woman who saved him and his partner Hadrian Blackwater from certain death. Unable to get her out of his mind, the two thieves return to Medford only to find Gwen refuses to see them—the victim of abuse by a powerful noble, she suspects Royce will ignore any danger in his desire for revenge. By turning the thieves away, she hopes to protect them, unaware of what the two are capable of.

  49. Book cover: The Crown Tower
    The Crown Tower, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #1 of The Riyria Chronicles series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for, is paired with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Hired by an old wizard, the unlikely pair must steal a treasure no one can reach: the Crown Tower, the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men.

  50. Book cover: Heir of Novron
    Heir of Novron, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #3 of The Riyria Revelations series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    The New Empire intends to celebrate its victory over the Nationalists with a day that will never be forgotten—on the high holiday of Wintertide, they plan to execute two traitors and force the Empress into a marriage of their own design. But they didn’t account for Royce and Hadrian finally locating the Heir of Novron, or the pair’s desire to wreak havoc on the New Empire’s carefully crafted scheme.

  51. Book cover: Rise of Empire
    Rise of Empire, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #2 of The Riyria Revelations series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    War has come to Melengar, and once more Royce and Hadrian are hired to make a desperate gamble: form an alliance with the Nationalists fighting the Imperialists in the south. Tasked with delivering Princess Arista to the Nationalist Party, Royce has plans of his own—to discover whether an ancient wizard is using Riyria as pawns, and to unravel Hadrian’s hidden past. Meanwhile, the Empress Modina, kept as little more than a prisoner, slowly emerges from her catatonic state through the kindness of an unexpected ally.

  52. Book cover: Theft of Swords
    Theft of Swords, by Michael J. Sullivan
    Book #1 of The Riyria Revelations series
    When: 2020
    Rating:

    Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner Hadrian Blackwater are enterprising thieves who end up running for their lives when they’re framed for the death of the king. Forced to flee, they find themselves caught in a web of larger political conspiracies that threaten everything they hold dear.

  53. Book cover: Swan Song
    Swan Song, by Robert R. McCammon
    When: 2019
    Rating:

    In the aftermath of nuclear war that devastates civilization, humanity undergoes a strange evolution. A young woman named Swan discovers extraordinary powers to revive dead plants, while a demonic shapeshifter pursues a mysterious glass ring that grants visions of hope. As rival factions clash across a frozen wasteland, Swan must confront forces of darkness to determine humanity’s fate.

  54. Book cover: Seveneves
    Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    When the Moon mysteriously shatters, humanity faces annihilation as debris will render Earth uninhabitable within two years. A desperate effort launches thousands into orbit aboard the “Cloud Ark,” where survivors must navigate catastrophic losses and impossible choices to preserve the human species through a severe genetic bottleneck, ultimately reshaping civilization itself.

  55. Book cover: The Republic of Thieves
    The Republic of Thieves, by Scott Lynch
    Book #3 of Gentleman Bastard series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen face their greatest challenge yet when they’re forced into a dangerous political game by the Bondsmagi. Working to rig elections in the city of Karthain, they must navigate treacherous schemes while confronting Sabetha, Locke’s long-lost love who now works for the opposing faction. As the stakes escalate and ancient secrets surface, the trio discovers that the past and present are dangerously intertwined.

  56. Book cover: Red Seas Under Red Skies
    Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch
    Book #2 of Gentleman Bastard series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    Two years after escaping Camorr, con artists Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen have established themselves as professional gamblers in the island city of Tal Verrar. When they’re forced into service by the city’s archon—poisoned and coerced into commanding a ship to rally pirate forces—their scheme spirals into a dangerous game involving rival powers, vengeful mages, and a heist that threatens to unravel everything they’ve built. With only months to live and enemies closing in, Locke and Jean must navigate treachery and deception to survive.

  57. Book cover: The Lies of Locke Lamora
    The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch
    Book #1 of Gentleman Bastard series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    In the Venice-inspired city of Camorr, a gang of elite con artists known as the Gentleman Bastards orchestrates elaborate schemes to swindle the wealthy. When a mysterious criminal called the Grey King begins systematically dismantling the criminal underworld, Locke Lamora and his companions find themselves fighting for survival against an enemy who knows their secrets.

  58. Book cover: Acceptance
    Acceptance, by Jeff VanderMeer
    Book #3 of Southern Reach series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    As the final chapter of the Southern Reach trilogy unfolds across multiple timelines, the mysteries of Area X deepen. A lighthouse keeper’s fateful encounter sets the emergence of an anomalous zone in motion, while a former director confronts her past and a current director ventures into the unknown with a duplicate being. Ultimately, all threads converge as characters grapple with transformation, communication from an alien intelligence, and the terrifying possibility that Area X continues to expand beyond its borders.

  59. Book cover: Authority
    Authority, by Jeff VanderMeer
    Book #2 of Southern Reach series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    John “Control” Rodriguez assumes command of the Southern Reach, a government agency tasked with investigating the enigmatic Area X. As he uncovers evidence of far more expeditions than publicly acknowledged, Control discovers unsettling truths about his predecessor and begins to suspect he is being manipulated from above. When the mysterious biologist from the first expedition reappears, Control must navigate a web of institutional deception and encroaching cosmic anomalies.

  60. Book cover: Annihilation
    Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeer
    Book #1 of Southern Reach series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    Four women venture into Area X, a mysterious coastal zone sealed off from the public for thirty years, as part of the twelfth expedition to study its strange ecosystem. As they explore an unmapped underground structure and encounter bizarre phenomena, the team discovers that previous expeditions have vanished or returned transformed by an inexplicable force. The biologist narrator must uncover the truth about Area X’s nature while grappling with the disturbing realization that humans who enter Area X are gradually transformed into other things.

  61. Book cover: The Hero of Ages
    The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson
    Book #3 of The Mistborn Saga series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    The world crumbles as a destructive force called Ruin breaks free from its ancient prison. Vin and Elend race to uncover the Lord Ruler’s hidden caches and stop Ruin’s plans to destroy everything. As ash falls from the sky and the mists claim more lives, the true identity of the prophesied Hero of Ages is revealed, and one person must make the ultimate sacrifice to save what remains of humanity.

  62. Book cover: The Well of Ascension
    The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson
    Book #2 of The Mistborn Saga series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    A year after the Lord Ruler’s defeat, the newly crowned king Elend Venture struggles to maintain control of Luthadel as three armies lay siege to the city. While Vin fights to protect those she loves, the scholar Sazed investigates an ancient prophecy about a mysterious Well of Ascension—unaware that hidden forces are manipulating events toward a catastrophic end. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, the crew must confront whether the prophecies that guided them were ever true.

  63. Book cover: Mistborn: The Final Empire
    Mistborn: The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson
    Book #1 of The Mistborn Saga series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    In a world of ash and eternal night, a street urchin named Vin discovers she possesses Mistborn powers—the rare ability to burn any metal for magical abilities. Recruited by a crew of thieves led by the charismatic Kelsier, Vin trains to develop her extraordinary powers while infiltrating the nobility. Together, they hatch an ambitious plan to topple the immortal Lord Ruler and his thousand-year tyranny over the oppressed skaa people.

  64. Book cover: The Wise Man’s Fear
    The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
    Book #2 of The Kingkiller Chronicle series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    Kvothe continues his education at the university while navigating dangerous rivalries and pursuing a mysterious woman. Called away to serve a nobleman in a distant city, he discovers plots, encounters magical beings, and uncovers troubling truths about his past. His journey takes him across magical realms and foreign lands as he grows in power and understanding, though questions about his ultimate destiny remain unanswered.

  65. Book cover: The Name of the Wind
    The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss
    Book #1 of The Kingkiller Chronicle series
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    A young man recounts his extraordinary past to a traveling scribe, revealing how he became a legendary figure feared across the realm. Beginning as a member of a traveling troupe, he witnesses his family’s murder by the mythical Chandrian and spends years in poverty before gaining admission to a prestigious university. There, he pursues knowledge of magic and the mysterious power to command the very elements themselves.

  66. Book cover: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
    Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    A fictionalized account of a transformative 1968 motorcycle journey from Minnesota to California, this philosophical novel weaves together practical motorcycle maintenance with deeper explorations of quality, truth, and the relationship between rational and intuitive understanding. Through conversations and personal reflection, the narrator examines the clash between the romantic and the classical worldviews while grappling with his past self—Phaedrus, a former philosophy teacher whose unorthodox ideas led to mental illness and institutional treatment.

  67. Book cover: A Dirty Job
    A Dirty Job, by Christopher Moore
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    Charlie Asher, a modest secondhand store owner in San Francisco, experiences an unexpected transformation when his wife dies shortly after childbirth. Suddenly burdened with a supernatural calling to collect the souls of the dying while protecting them from dark forces, Charlie must navigate this peculiar responsibility alongside single parenthood and his struggling business. As mysterious complications unfold and dangerous entities emerge from the underworld, Charlie discovers that his “dirty job” comes with far greater stakes than he ever imagined.

  68. Book cover: Snow Crash
    Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    In a near-future Los Angeles fragmented into corporate enclaves, hacker Hiro Protagonist and skateboard courier Y.T. uncover a dangerous digital virus that affects both computers and human minds. As they investigate connections between the virus, ancient Sumerian culture, and a powerful media magnate’s sinister plans, they must race to stop a catastrophic plot that could enslave millions.

  69. Book cover: Cloud Atlas
    Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    Six interconnected stories span from the 19th-century South Pacific to a post-apocalyptic future, each narrative nested within the next and interrupted at its climax before resolving in reverse order. Through shifting genres—from historical fiction to science fiction—the novel explores how human nature repeats across centuries, connected by a mysterious birthmark that appears in each protagonist.

  70. Book cover: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
    The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    When Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace expressway, ordinary Earthman Arthur Dent is rescued by his alien friend Ford Prefect and embarks on an absurd cosmic journey. Accompanied by a depressed robot, a two-headed galactic president, and a woman from Earth’s final days, Arthur discovers that his planet was actually a giant supercomputer designed to answer the ultimate question of existence.

  71. Book cover: Watchmen
    Watchmen, by Alan Moore
    When: I don’t remember
    Rating:

    In an alternate 1985 where superheroes emerged decades earlier, a government-sponsored hero’s murder draws retired costumed vigilantes back into action. As they investigate, they uncover a conspiracy that threatens global peace and forces each to confront their own moral compromises. The story explores what happens when masked crime-fighters must answer for their own actions in a world teetering on the brink of nuclear war.