I don’t know if roaring is the word I would use for the last 6 years, but there has definitely been some screaming. AI is one step closer to becoming our global overlord; It can be difficult talking about frozen water in America without causing some confusion about immigration (and vice versa); Greenland and Canada are a little more frosty towards the U.S. (with good reason); And here, among the other things that always seem to be happening, are the 6th Annual Book Awards.

Awards

Best Fiction: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
While Brando-Sando’s books haven’t historically made the same impression on me as they have on some of his more dedicated fans, I must give credit where it’s due and say he knocked it out of the park with this one. Inspired by The Princess Bride and written in a voice reminiscent of Discworld, it’s easily one of my favorite books. I loved the story and the setting; I loved the characters; I loved the humor; I really just had a great time and would very much recommend it. My singular gripe is that I wish the arc of one of the minor villains wrapped up in a more satisfying way. Otherwise, just fabulous. 10/10

Runner-up: The Will of the Many by James Islington
Another great book, though quite different from Tress. This was more reminiscent of the Red Rising series, with an underdog protagonist fighting against an oppressive regime of elites from the inside. There are kids vying for power and prestige in an island competition of wit and skill and cunning; there’s brutality and betrayal and triumphing against the odds; There’s intrigue and mystery surrounding ancient civilizations and technologies. It’s got it all, and it was very well done. The second book recently came out and it’s definitely on the reading list for this year. 9.5/10

Most Disappointing: I Heard There Was a Secret Chord by Daniel Levitin
With the book marketed as an exploration of the psychology and neuroscience of music and how it affects human health, I was jazzed to dive in. Unfortunately, Levitin was a little more concerned about how many names he could drop than about making a coherent, accurate, readable account. The narrative is all over the place, jumping from one anecdote to another with no warning, and with no regard for the title of the chapter. Many of the claims he makes are questionable at best, and some blatantly contradict earlier statements, really eroding his credibility. Among all the bragging there are some interesting tidbits, and he does do a good job of balancing scientific rigor with the emotional, magical feeling that music can produce. Overall, however, it just isn’t a good book, and I’ve avoided any others by him, no matter how enticing the titles. 4/10

Runner-up: Our Moon by Rebecca Boyle
I admittedly don’t know that much about the moon, physically, culturally, mythologically, historically, etc. And while Boyle seems to know quite a bit about the moon itself, it seems she doesn’t know as much as she thinks she does about things related to the moon. I found the beginning of the book very interesting, learning about the Metonic cycle, or how the moon has affected and does affect life. After the first few chapters, though, it went downhill. It started when she made claims about the moon and women’s menstrual cycles that are largely unsupported by science, continued through a number of historically inaccurate statements and gross mis-quotes or misattributions, and ended with a clear bias against religion and the Medieval period. 5/10

Nerdiest: Love Triangle by Matt Parker
Contrary to what the title suggests, this book is not about an over-dramatic teenage girl who has to decide between two over-dramatic teenage boys. It’s about triangles, and why we should love them, mathematically speaking. It wasn’t a perfect love letter to triangles, with much of the book straying from triangles into more general geometry, and with a disappointing insufficiency of visuals, but it was still interesting and fun to learn about geometric applications in the real world. 8/10

Best Book Ruined by its Sequel: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
This trilogy/series/world is often mentioned as one of the greatest fantasies ever written, so when I was looking for more fiction to read I landed rather naturally here (this is the first book of a trilogy, which itself is contained in a world with something like 16 books total). It was intriguing and well-written, if sometimes quite slow. The books are certainly more character-driven than plot-driven, which isn’t really my normal fare, but I got through it and enjoyed my time with it. 9/10
Unfortunately, when I dived into the second book (Royal Assassin) the weaknesses of the first were only amplified and I very quickly found it a slog to get through. It felt as though the main character learned nothing from his previous (mis)adventures, and the story itself was full of misery and suffering, causing my reading experience to be the same. I don’t know if I’ll ever attempt the third book. 5/10

Best Star Wars: Dark Force Rising by Timthoy Zahn
This is the second book of a trilogy written back in the 90s, and while the first book was still quite good, it acted more to set up the story, letting this book shine. Thrawn, the main antagonist, is one of my favorite Star Wars characters, and has been adapted into canon in recent works based on his first appearance in these books. He’s cunning and intelligent and ruthless, and it was awesome seeing him pitted against the main protagonists of the original movies. It was also awesome seeing those protagonists again, especially Luke Skywalker as a more fully realized Jedi. It did have some pacing issues, especially with the secondary protagonist who I didn’t like at all, but I still had a great time reading it. 9/10

Most Insightful: Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
Another slam dunk by Oliver Burkeman. I previously read his book Time Management for Mortals, which I also found very insightful, so I knew I’d have to read this next book, and it didn’t disappoint! It’s well organized: each chapter is short enough to be read quickly, but digested over a day, and it has good flow between chapters. The content itself resonated strongly with me, such as the idea that we will never achieve full control of life, or that life will never be free from problems, but we can work so that our problems are “more interesting and absorbing”. I could go on, but suffice it to say I think this book is excellent and highly recommend it. 10/10

Runner-up: Sacred Struggle by Melissa Inouye
Not far behind Meditations, this book was insightful largely because the author had such different experiences than I, and lived such a different life. I loved learning about her experiences in different countries and different cultures, and how the same religion can be practiced so differently while still maintaining its core identity. I also really appreciated her perspective as an Asian woman with cancer, and how she has experienced the same culture in the same country differently than myself, who is neither a woman nor Asian. There were certainly some opinions I don’t share, but I liked the way she explained and elaborated her beliefs, and the interesting insights those still brought. Overall, a great book. 9/10

Most Educational: Factfulness by Hans Rosling (and his kids)
This is one of those books that reveals a world different than that depicted in media, and that challenges preconceptions at every turn. His starting premise is that the world is doing much better generally than we tend to think, and that when people are given a quiz about the global state of such things as women’s education, extreme poverty, and infant vaccination rates, the strong majority believe the opposite of what is true. He never discounts the negative things that are happening in the world, but he does interrogate the many ways we are prone to misinterpret the data we see and the pictures we are presented. The book really resonated with me, and I feel he did an excellent job with his examples and presentation. 10/10

Runner-up: How to Survive History
One of the more fun and light-hearted books I read this year! Each chapter takes a disaster from history (or pre-history) and explores how one might be able to survive. Highlights include outrunning a T-Rex, the geophysics of the Chicxulub impact (the one that killed the dinosaurs), and pirate organization and government. It was less overtly funny than I expected, relying more on subtle humor, and more heavily researched than I expected (not that I expected no research), but it struck a nice balance between informative and engaging. A great read if you’re into this sort of thing. 9.5/10

I Didn’t Disappoint My Wife This Time: Circe by Madeline Miller
I previously tried reading The Song of Achilles, also by Madeline Miller and also recommended by my wife, but I didn’t even get halfway before bouncing off, much to my wife’s chagrin. This book, however, was excellent. I think it helped that I knew less about Circe’s mythical origins than Achilles’s, but I think I also just liked this story better. Miller’s prose is also beautiful and poetic, which matches nicely with the setting and subjects. The plot itself started slowly, meandering through Circe’s childhood and upbringing, but it quickly gained momentum and I enjoyed it more and more the further I read. It finished strong with a very satisfying, very well-earned ending. 9/10

Most Intriguing New Author: Ursula Le Guin
I read two of her books this year: The Left Hand of Darkness and A Wizard of Earthsea, which are often touted as two of her very best (and two of the very best), and while I liked them both well enough, neither made much of an impact on me. The reason she’s so intriguing though, is the effect her writing has on me: the stories are fine, and the characters are adequate, but something in the words, or the way she weaves them, just grabs me and I find myself pulled further and further into a story I don’t care much about. It’s a strange phenomenon that I haven’t really experienced before.

Best Animal Book: How Far the Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler
This book was part bestiary, part memoir, relating the lives of various sea creatures to the author’s own. It was well-written, with beautiful prose and insightful connections, and I enjoyed it even though I didn’t always necessarily agree with what the author was saying or the connections they were making. The author is also non-binary, so it was interesting seeing a perspective and experience so different from my own. 8/10

Runner-up: Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz
This one wins runner-up not necessarily because it was a good book, but because the other animal books I read were so bad. To be fair, I did still like this one just fine, but it was a bit boring and some of the information seemed out-of-date (it was written in 2009, and the author was feeding her dog grapes and raisins as she wrote it, which is a big no-no now). But it was better than Pests by Bethany Brookshire and Vanishing Treasures by Katherine Rundell. 7/10

Bonus Round: Books I DNF:
– How Birds Fly by Peter Cavanagh – I loved this book, because I like birds and the science of flight. Unfortunately, it’s just long and not conducive to long bouts of focused reading (at least for me), so it was due back at the library before I could finish it. I’m definitely interested in getting it again though.
– The Horse by Timothy Winegard – This was supposed to be a book about how horses have affected history through the years, and I was quite excited after reading the first chapter. It turns out that first chapter was the high point, only to be followed by chapter after chapter of tangentially-related things (e.g. groceries), but not about horses themselves and their role in history. It also has a very dubious notes/references section, with poor organization and a troubling reluctance to link specific claims to specific sources. It also also continually references/recommends the book Sapiens, which I cannot abide.
– Eve by Cat Bohannon – I hesitate to include this one, because I’m not sure I gave it enough of a fair shake. It started with some questionable claims and statements about evolution that turned me off of it pretty quickly, but I think I already had one foot out the door.
– Metaphors we live by by George Lakoff – Another book that was fascinating, describing and giving examples of how metaphor is not just a literary device we sometimes choose to use when writing, but a core aspect of language itself, used constantly and subconsciously. Unfortunately it, too, is dense and not conducive to long bouts of focused reading, and came due before I could finish it. I am also very interested in getting this one again.

And there you have it, more ramblings about books I’ve read (or not read, as the case may be). As always, please send me your recommendations for books I should read, especially this year as I try to branch out a little more and try books /i wouldn’t normally pick for myself.

Shockingly, it’s already been a quarter century since the world ended with Y2K, and we’re halfway through the Roaring-ish 20s. It’s been an eventful year: my wife and I got a dog who is just great (after being just awful for the first couple weeks); I didn’t get fired from my big boy job (miraculously); My parents went to Vietnam to get away from their annoying children, and only get back in 2026 (with the unfortunate side effect that they will miss their grandchildren, the only good thing any of their children have ever done); and I read one more book this year than I did last year (take that, Past Me). That means it’s time for me to once again prattle, prate, and wax verbose about the books I’ve read. Welcome to the 5th Annual Book Awards.

Awards

Best Sci-Fi: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
One of my favorite tropes in science fiction is when the science isn’t just physics and engineering, but life sciences as well (and not just “wow cyborgs and artificial intelligence!”), and this book really delivered there. It was almost entirely based in biological and evolutionary science, and the author did a stellar job with his world- and society-building in that light, balancing realism and pragmatism with creativity and imagination. It got a little slow sometimes, mainly when focusing on the human characters, but it still has one of the more original premises I’ve seen in sci-fi, and I loved it. 9/10

Most Disappointing: Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
Now I will complain too much. Michael Crichton will always be one of my favorite authors, and I’ll probably never tire of reading/re-reading some of his books (like Jurassic Park, which I read again this year). Unfortunately, Eruption is not one of those books. The initial premise is great: “apocalyptic volcano” is an easy hook for me, and I was ready for some classic action: racing against lava flows and dodging fire and brimstone falling from the sky. In reality, most of the book was spent driving back and forth around Hawaii talking about volcanos, with occasional teasers about what was coming (“it’s gonna be a big one!”). When it did finally get to the eruption, the narcissistic, irresponsible billionaires (required by law in every Crichton story) didn’t even get a satisfying “on-screen” death, while several innocent people got boiled alive, burned alive, etc. It perhaps wasn’t as bad as I’m making it out to be, and it still had some fun moments, but it was just not what I wanted from a new Crichton book. And the ending was just the worst. 5/10

Runner-up: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
This award might be a little harsh for this book, but because Ed Yong also wrote An Immense World (one of my favorite books ever), I had very high hopes. It was still a good book, with a lot of interesting information about microbes (like how some squids purposely cultivate certain bioluminescent bacteria for use in their camouflage, or how certain parasitoid wasps have viral DNA that they use to dampen the immune systems of caterpillars), but it was a bit unfocused at times, while, paradoxically, also being too narrow in scope. A worthwhile read, but one that pales in comparison to his masterpiece. 8/10

Nerdiest: How Charts Lie by Alberto Cairo
I like charts, and graphs, and infographics, and all other kinds of data visualizations, so naturally this book caught my eye. It was an engaging, though not laborious, read about all the ways data visualizations can be (and have been) manipulated to serve a particular narrative, ideology, or position. Each of the myriad examples used was taken from an actual publication, showing that data manipulation is not a theoretical exercise, but a constant reality in nearly everything we consume. It really was fascinating. My one gripe is that it felt as though Cairo cut each section too short, showing precisely how and why a chart or set of charts was deceptive, but not correcting the deception itself. Still though, a great book. 9/10

Dark Horse: Crossings by Ben Goldfarb
As suggested by the award title, I really did not expect to like this book as much as I did, but it was fabulous. It’s all about roads and how they affect life, from the biggest mammals to the smallest insects. It’s one of those things that is so mundane you don’t register its impact until someone points it out to you. Goldfarb did just that, and he did a great job, making it an engaging read with emotional stakes, arguing the need for change and improvement while still acknowledging the importance and necessity of roads in general. 9.5/10

Best History: The Wager by David Grann
This one took a little while to get into, but after the character introductions and the setting of the stage, it took off. The shipwreck and subsequent isolation and survival was riveting, and the escape and rescue were equally mind-boggling. It’s hard to really imagine what it’s like to be in that situation, but Grann’s portrayal was effective and seemed quite balanced, given the later conflicting accounts that would be given of these events. It was also interesting seeing the ways this story influenced future works, like Lord of the Flies and Herman Melville’s stories. Overall, a great read. 9/10

Runner-up Tie: Carthage Must be Destroyed by Richard Miles and Empires of the Sea by Roger Crowley
Both of these books were quite fascinating, with Carthage focusing, weirdly, on Carthage and Empires focusing on the mediterranean world during the height-ish of the Ottoman empire. I wasn’t super familiar with either of these topics very much, but I love Roman history and I love the early/middle Middle Ages, so both books taught me a lot that my formal education seemed to have missed (my favorite type of history book). Carthage was a bit long sometimes, and Empires was a bit map-less and limited in scope, but they were still great and I’m glad I read them. 8.5/10

Best “It’s About Time I Read This Book”: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
I’ve had a couple false starts with this before, not because it was bad, but because I was a little intimidated and unmotivated. But this year I decided to finally sit down and get through it, after years of hearing how great it is if you like Tolkien. And I liked it! It is difficult if you’re expecting a fully narrative experience, but I was ready for more of a mythology/history and that’s just what it is. Tolkien’s world really is amazing, and I enjoyed finally understanding all the history of Middle Earth before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. My favorite story was that of Beren and Luthien, but they were all pretty great. 9/10

Runner-up: Snuff by Terry Pratchett
One of the last Discworld books Pratchett wrote before passing away, Snuff was a fitting conclusion to some of the main story threads woven through the Discworld setting, and I really enjoyed it. I wasn’t immediately taken by it, I think because I wasn’t quite in the mood when I started, but after I was able to focus, I really got going. Sam Vimes is one of my favorite characters in fiction, with a great portrayal of both the light and the darkness in people, and how we choose which side we give into. The ending was a bit long and untidy, but I liked everything that happened, so I won’t complain too much. 8.5/10

Most Eye-Opening: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
I am not an avid follower of famed comedian Trevor Noah, nor do I know much about Apartheid or other South African culture and history, so this book was astounding. Noah did a great job striking a balance between his own experiences with Apartheid and racism, and its general effects on the people of South Africa as a whole. He is a great storyteller, simultaneously keeping things light and humorous while also not shying away from the malevolence and brutality he and others feared and experienced. Truly a great book. 9.5/10

I Disappoint My Wife: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
My wife is a big Maas-head and has read all her books so far (I think). She really thought I would like Throne of Glass, so I caved and read it this year because I’m a good husband. Unfortunately, to my wife’s chagrin, I was very underwhelmed. It has a promising premise, with an almost Battle Royale-type competition taking place over a few weeks to see who will become the king’s assassin, but the majority of the book is spent skipping over most of the competitive events in favor of furtive glances, people quivering, and non-fatal heart palpitations. There was some good mystery and action, but the ending was almost literally Deus ex Machina. My wife assures me the series gets better after the 3rd book, but that’s a lot to get through before getting good, so we’ll see if I come back to it. Fortunately, she’s used to disappointment. 6.5/10

I Disappoint My Coworker: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
This is the start of the legendary, critically acclaimed Expanse series, and the inspiration for the critically acclaimed Expanse TV series, and boy did it just not deliver. I’d seen these books recommended up and down the internet, and my coworker loves these books and urged me to read them, so I gave it a shot. Half of the characters were interesting, and I enjoyed when the story was told from their perspective, but when it switched to the other main character it was a slog. When the two perspectives finally merged, the slog won out and I trudged through to the ending. When I finished, I just googled the plot for the rest of the series because I really didn’t want to keep reading it. 6/10

Best New Author: Natalie Haynes
Haynes is a lover and purveyor of classical mythology, which immediately caught my attention. Her books are mostly explorations or retellings of myths with a focus on the women involved. I read Pandora’s Jar – Women in Greek Myth and Divine Might – Goddesses in Greek Myth, both non-fiction discussions of women who are often sidelined, vilified, or demonized (sometimes literally) in favor of the big strong men. I really liked both of them, and I appreciated the new perspective, including the idea that sometimes the myths were only twisted later by pearl-clutching Victorian men who couldn’t stand to see positive examples of powerful women. There were some assertions that I found difficult to believe, but Haynes did a good job in both books of explaining and distinguishing her own theories, feelings, and opinions from those of other experts in the field.

Least Best New Author: Alistaire Reynolds
Reynolds was mentioned in many of the discussions I’d seen concerning great Sci-fi authors, so I decided to try him out, reading both Pushing Ice and House of Suns (apparently two of his best, most accessible books). Pushing Ice was definitely the better of the two, with a great set-up that included mysterious ancient alien technology, but both books suffered from blasé characters and an extremely unsatisfying 3rd act. Reynolds seems to love the idea of relativistic travel, time dilation, and galactic time scales, which did lead to some astonishing twists and turns, but he relied too heavily on those mechanics, and in the end they couldn’t make up for his lack of real plot and characters. They were so close to greatness that every time I see his books in the library I almost get excited to read another one before I remember how little return there is after hundreds of pages of investment.

Best Shakespeare: The Tempest
A surprisingly easy-to-understand Shakespeare read, which made it even more enjoyable than it already was. While it is technically a comedy, it had a greater range of emotion than some of Shakespeare’s other works; there was plenty of humor, but also sadness, regret, anger, etc. all woven really well together. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can easily see myself re-reading it soon. 9.5/10

Runner-up: King Lear
I actually didn’t know much about this play before I read it, and even though it’s one of Shakespeare’s big tragedies, it always seemed overshadowed by the likes of Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. Which is a shame, because I really liked this one. The Fool was my favorite character, and I loved the way madness and wisdom were woven throughout the story through different characters. It was a bit harder to understand than The Tempest, but there were a lot of fabulous lines and speeches. Overall, an excellent play. 9/10

Bonus Round: Books I DNF:
– The Passion Paradox by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness – Ended up not being in the mood apparently, but I’m willing to revisit it in the future.
– What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman – Too much talking about how they study owls and not enough about owls.
– The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan – Not in the mood at the time for a long history book, but I’m willing to revisit it.
– How not to be Wrong by Jordan Ellenberg – After a great start, it got a bit dense and repetitive, especially since I’m not as much of a math guy as I used to be, no matter how much I think I am.
– Ancillary justice by Ann Lecke – Extremely, disappointingly boring; almost nothing happened in the 250-ish pages I read. Somehow it won almost every sci-fi award though, so maybe it’s just me.
– Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller – Another in which I disappoint my wife; she loves this book. To me it was a bland and unnecessary backstory meant to make an already-interesting story more interesting.

And that’s another Book Awards for the… books…. As always, let me know your thoughts on my thoughts, or any of these books, or anything at all. I’m trying to read more recommended books this year, so if there are any you think I would like, please throw them my way! (figuratively, not literally)