The City We Became is a fast-paced, imaginative, super fun urban fantasy set in New York City. As a person who lives here, I ate it up. I can’t wait to see where the series goes.

The Sentence is a moving novel about the pandemic and the protests of June 2020, told through a formerly incarcerated bookseller’s eyes. Reading it felt like poking a fresh wound, but this book is excellent.

Our Country Friends is a wild romp of a novel; a cultural-examination-through-dramedy with a ton of voice and character. It was a little too soon for me to relive 2020, but I respect what this book did.

Even Greater Mistakes is a wide-reaching collection of stories that will have something for everyone. Anders is just so good at cutting to the heart of our humanity with bravery and compassion.

His Dark Materials is such a fun, imaginative story that still feels super modern and relevant, even with (because of?) its timeless message and classic feel. I can’t believe I had never read it!

Noor is a quick but exciting, hard sci-fi novel that offers some really great commentary on ableism, privacy, and environmentalism. Not my favorite Okorafor, but a good one!

The Bone Shard Emperor was a great sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter. There was quite a bit of worldbuilding in the beginning, but the ending was really good. I can’t wait to read the last one!

Alien Stories is a resonant, haunting little collection. Every story made an impression on me, and I was so impressed with Osondu’s imaginative, precise craft.

The Ghost Variations is a fun and smart set of 100 flash fiction ghost stories. I read a few each day in October and loved it. Brockmeier has created something really creative here.

I was lukewarm on Gideon the Ninth, and unfortunately I wasn’t a huge fan of Harrow either. The ending was good — but you spend the whole book not just curious, but deeply lost and confused. I didn’t find it much fun.

Hell of a Book is a really creative, really affecting novel that’s as funny as it is devastating. One heck of a ride, it will surprise you and move you.

Network Effect was my favorite Murderbot story so far. I think the full-novel length gives it space to appeal to those who don’t always gravitate toward hard sci-fi.

A Spindle Splintered is a really fun, really creative quick read. It’s not quite a retelling, but people who love retellings will love this. I’m excited to read more of these Fractured Fables!

Intimacies is a sharp, taut novel that was very different from what I expected based on the synopsis. It’s much more about tension, power, and character than events or plot.

The Book of Magic is a really great conclusion to the Practical Magic series. I think fans of the Owens family are going to love it.

Bewilderment is a gorgeously written, heartbreaking, highly consumable novel. I didn’t think it was perfect, but I definitely did enjoy it.

The Souvenir Museum is a collection of solid stories. Unfortunately, not many of them grabbed me, but I did like the fact that many of the stories were linked.