By Zoë W.
I read a lot this year. As of writing this, I’m at 95 books and hoping to hit 100 by New Year’s! I have read books in over twenty genres by dozens of different authors. Yes, short books and audiobooks have helped a lot with this volume! Within all of that, there have been a few duds and a lot of stars. These are the books I loved the most from January to June.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Genre: adult high fantasy
Available as a physical book at Main
The Priory of the Orange Tree was the first book I finished this year (on January 1st, no less), and it’s still one of my favorites. This epic fantasy novel masterfully explores religious and cultural divides in a diverse, gorgeous world inspired by history, mythology, and dragon lore from Western Europe, East Asia, and North Africa. I can’t wait to return to this world with the prequel next year.
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
Genre: adult historical fantasy
Available as a physical book at Main and Southside and as an ebook through Hoopla
I would love to talk more about this book right now, but it is published by HarperCollins and the HarperCollins union is on strike and asking reviewers to refrain from publishing any reviews of their books at this time.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Genre: adult science fiction
Available as a physical book at all three branches and as an ebook through Libby/Overdrive
If you enjoy short books, time travel, or enemies-to-lovers romance, This Is How You Lose the Time War is THE book. Blue and Red are operatives on opposite sides of a war in the distant future, and as they travel through different versions of the past trying to thwart each other, they find themselves falling in love.
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Genre: adult science fiction
Available as a physical book at Southside and as an ebook through Hoopla
I love Rivers Solomon’s work. Their prose is gorgeous. Their approach to character development is unique and kind of magical. An Unkindness of Ghosts is their debut, a science fiction novel about race, gender, community, and mother/child relationships set on a spaceship modeled after the antebellum South.
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Genre: adult science fiction
Available as a physical book at Main and La Farge and as an ebook through Libby/Overdrive
Young transgender violinist Katrina Nguyen becomes entangled in her violin teacher’s deal with Hell in Ryka Aoki’s stunningly strange debut that also features aliens, a doughnut shop, dates to Olive Garden, and debates about the validity of video game music.
Honorable Mention: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Genre: adult contemporary
Available as a physical book at Main and Southside
Detransition, Baby is a fascinating look at gender, womanhood, and motherhood through the complicated relationships between pregnant cis woman Katrina, trans woman Reese, and detransitioned person Amy/Ames. This book is messy and complicated and at times philosophical, and it made me think a lot about gender, family, and community.
Booked Solid in Santa Fe 