My reading list from 2019 (and late 2018)
Haruki Murakami "Killing Commendatore"
Typical Murakami.
Overall very pleasant read.
Ursula K. Le Guin: "Gifts" w "Always Coming Home"
Typical UKL (very good!).
PS. "Always coming home" was published in Poland as an anthology containing, "Gifts", "Voices", "Powers", "Always Coming Home" and "Changing planes";
Ursula K. Le Guin: "Changing Planes" w "Always Coming Home"
Atypical UKL (still very good). Contains descriptions of different "planes", my favourite plane is one where people gradually talk less when they get older, and go totally silent after puberty.
This book is also has some anti-capitalistic motifs.
Overall low stress due to episodic nature, contains some violence, some bloody history of particular planes.
"The Fifth Season" N. K. Jemisin
"The Obelisk Gate" N. K. Jemisin
"The Stone Sky" N. K. Jemisin
Very nice sci-fi/fantasy series, that breaks with most of common fantasy tropes.
Content Warning: This is book is heavy, sometimes sad, and contains accurate descriptions of various hardships. It literally starts with someone starting an armageddon, which will kill all humanity (and most certainly destroy current civilisation).
High stress books, that are totally not relaxing.
"Dawn" Octavia E. Butler
"Adulthood Rites" Octavia E. Butler
"Imago" Octavia E. Butler
Very good sci-fi series.
Content Warning: Can contain triggers concerning, consent, coercion, psychological violence, drugging.
High stress books, that are totally not relaxing.
"The long way to small angry planet" Becky Chambers
"A closed and common orbit" Becky Chambers
"Record of a spaceborn few" Becky Chambers
Very nice sci-fi series.
Very relaxing read, overally about growing up, becoming well adjusted and fighting own past traumas, but well things mostly end well for everybody.
Total fluff
"Trail of Lightning" Rebecca Roanhorse
Urban fantasy in post-apocalyptic world where Navajo beliefs are true (kinda, sorta like Shadowrun). Not a nice read though, consecutive chapters were barely stitched together.
Content warning: Contains a lot of violence (very graphic and personal!) some past recollections of psychological violence, and deals with bad relationship trauma.
"The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O." Neal Stephenson
Mediocre Stephenson (still decent book though).
Fast read. Low stress. No specific content warnings (some violence, but kinda, sorta, unreal)
"Seveneves" Neal Stephenson
Very good sci-fi --- great Stephenson. Very hard sci-fi, with very accurate orbital mechanics, and sensible protocols of handling nuclear contamination in space.
Content warning: Moderate stress. Contains descriptions of various hardships in space, a lot of characters will die (some in unpleasant ways!).
"Fluff" Natalia Osińska
Very nice coming-of-age young adult fiction about relationship with neuroatypical person.
Very nice, very low stress.
Sorry, this appears to be only in Polish.
Content warning: Descriptions of abusive parenting.
"Weapons of Math Destruction" Cathy O'Neil
Very nice book about risks of using data science, showing how data science might make choices based on wealth and race.
"Temper" Nicky Drayden
Urban fantasy in a nice fresh world.
Tropes:
- Sibling relations;
- Injustice and systematic discrimination;
- Religious / Secular tensions;
- Nature of virtue;
"The Raven Tower" Anne Leckie
Fantasy in an atypical world.
Highly recommended.
"A Memory Called Empire" Arkady Martine
Very nice political space-opera.
Highly recommended.