Favorite Books
I have a bookcase in my living room where I keep my favorite books. It's a bit like a trophy case, placed where visitors can see, but also like a favorite piece of art placed prominently for maximum enjoyment. I love looking at the bookcase, at my favorites, and thinking about rereading them, when I have the time. Here are some of my favorites.
The Southern Reach trilogy - Almost anything by Jeff VanderMeer, really1. I love his prose, and the unique way his mind sees the world. He writes in the New Weird genre, and there are a lot things that are weird or incomprehensible. But there is just something about his prose that I love. Someday I want to write something like his work.
Murderbot - Martha Wells' popular sci fi series about a Security Unit that broke through it's programming so it could watch soap operas while performing it's security work is an absolute treat. There's just something so relatable about wanting to watch TV rather than deal with people who don't know what they're doing. And then the parts of the story where the titular Murderbot is hyper-competent at it's job, and those are a joy to read. (The TV show is great too. I'm excited for season two.)
Epistolary2 - I have three epistolary novels shelved together that are my favorites of the style. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn, and Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher are great examples of the genre and each are fun and interesting. From the liminal spaces of Piranesi to the language play in Ella Minnow Pea and the comedy of Dear Committee Members, each has something unique, and they are quick reads to boot.
The Last Unicorn - If you haven't read the classic fantasy novel by Peter S. Beagle, you are missing out on a wonderful experience. I read this one in college (not for a class) and it was transformative. This may be cliche to say, but it is better than the movie (1982 animated, also a classic).
The Darkest Minds trilogy + short story collect - I actually have two copies of this series. The old hard cover original editions I bought as they were released and a paperback set with new covers and design. It comes from the heyday of YA dystopia3, but this one in particular is my favorite. It's been a while since I've reread them, but I've reread it at least three times, which is pretty unusual for me. Maybe it's time for a fourth.
I have more on the shelves of this bookcase (and considerably more on my other half dozen bookcases and even more still in boxes because my place is not big enough) but this is a good swath of genres and favorites to show what kind of reader I am.
If you have a place where you keep your favorites, either a physical place, a Goodreads bookshelf, or on a piece of scrap paper tucked in your wallet, please share on your blog and tag me so I can read! There's so much negativity in the world today, it would be nice to share a little bit of positivity instead.
I'm not enjoying City of Saints and Madmen nearly as much, and it's taking me a very long time to work my way through that story collection. But I loved Borne and Strange Bird.↩
Written as letters, or sometimes journal entries, newspaper articles, reports, etc.↩
I have Thoughts ™ about this genre, but that will have to be another post.↩