Password-protected posts contain heavy spoilers and are there to prevent accidental spoiling. They can each individually be accessed with the password "SPOILME(#of the post)". That means if the post is numbered #0000, the password is SPOILME0000 - SPOILME all in caps, no space in between.
Enter at your own risk. And have fun!
Welcome to the Monthly Wrap Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight to share our monthly wrap-up posts that summarizes our month in books, our favorite books of the month, what we did on our blogs, and anything noteworthy we want to share.
August 2026 Wrap Up
August went by faster than I expected. The good and fun thing is that there were a lot of summer events, and we were busy with musical fests, night markets, and other exciting local stuff. The not so good thing is that I didn’t read as much as I normally do, but I guess that’s okay.
My August 2026 TBR Intentions
Second month in a row I failed on these books! I won’t give up on them but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to them in September either! I seem to be on a series kick and I’ve already started my next one – The Memoirs of Lady Trent.
I only really focused on the one series this month, the Bobiverse Series, but it was a really good series and I’m excited about the next one which is supposed to be coming out on September 10, 2026.
September 2026 TBR Intentions
I’ve already started reading the Lady Trent series so that’s probably going to be my focus this month, plus the sixth book in the Bobiverse series!
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan
The Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan
In The Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan
Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan
The Infinite Extent by Dennis E. Taylor
How was your month in August? What were your most memorable bookish moments? I hope you have a wonderful September with lots of great books!
Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it’s a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street.
Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he’ll be switched off, and they’ll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty.
The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad – very mad.
The Reason
I love space opera series and heard so many good things about this one.
The Quotes
“Point is, that’s when I really realized that I don’t think like most people. I’m fine with solitude. In fact, I get antsy when I’m around people for too long a period without respite.”
“People’s capacity for turning dogmatic stupidity into political movements never ceased to amaze me. We’ve knocked off 99.9% of the human race and somehow the crazies still manage to survive. It just defies the odds.”
“Since I doubt, I think; since I think, I exist.”
“Belly laughs are one of the best things about being sentient, and you should never miss a chance for one.”
“At one time, we thought that the way life came together was almost completely random, only needing an energy gradient to get going. But as we’ve moved into the information age, we’ve come to realize that life is more about information than energy. Fire has most of the characteristics of life. It eats, it grows, it reproduces. But fire retains no information. It doesn’t learn; it doesn’t adapt. The five millionth fire started by lightning will behave just like the first. But the five hundredth bacterial division will not be like the first one, especially if there is environmental pressure. That’s DNA. And RNA. That’s life. …”
The Narrator(s)
Ray Porter. He is just amazing!
My Thoughts
Book 1 – We Are Legion (We Are Bob) For the reading challenge(s): 2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #34: Inspired by the top-grossing movie the year you were born)
I loved how interesting it got right off the bat; I love original Bob’s character and I thought it was interesting to see him navigate through the early days with his FAITH handlers. It did get a little confusing for me later when we started getting duplicates of Bob, but I like that each of them had distinctive characteristics that made them stand out from each other. It still took me a while to figure out who was doing what, but by the end of the book, I was invested in each of the Bobs’ missions and everything that they were doing. I was particularly invested in Archimedes and the rest of the Deltans and I also like the storyline with Riker dealing with the actual Earthlings and getting them to safety. It’s a little scary to see how difficult it is dealing wih all the different leaders of Earth, especially because I’m sure they’re probably worse in real life.
Book 2 – For We Are Many Towards the end of Book 1, we see Mario discover a mysterious phenomena in a planet he was exploring and we find out more about them here. “The Others” are scary, but still not the worse threat the Bobs have to deal with in this book. I love that we see more of Archimedes and the Deltans and how they evolve, albeit with Bob’s interference, but it’s not fun to see conflicts that happen through fear and misunderstanding. The stakes are higher in this book, and we have so many things happen; some devastating, some satisfying, some bittersweet, but all so incredible to a well-written book. I wasn’t sure where the stories were going to go when I started Book 2, but I honestly love that we follow most of the missions long-term and we continue to see them through. Of course, new challenges keep popping up even as the Bobs are still handling the initial ones. I love it!
Book 3 – All These Worlds Writing this after having just finished this book, I feel like it might have originally been meant as the final book in the series. Of course, I already knew I had more books to look forward, but there was a tone to the ending of the book that made me think it was goodbye. It was so sad and bittersweet, but very apt to the overall theme of the book in a way. It explored a lot more on the afterlife and beliefs about the afterlife, how our religious and ethical beliefs shape us and our attitude towards others who don’t share the same opinions. It was very interesting to watch the characters navigate that, as well as the bigotry and prejudices that come with it. The storyline with Bridget and Howard, and Bridget’s children, was the most compelling for me, especially with how messy family matters got.
Book 4 – Heaven’s River This might be my favorite book in the series so far. So I mentioned how it felt like the previous book might have originally been meant as the final book in the series because of the tone of the ending. This book feels like it was the start of something new, a new era of ideas for the Bobiverse. Everything escalates, the plot thickens with the Bobs and the Starfleet and Skippies replicants. The main plot of this book is with finding and rescuing Bender, but I love how there’s this whole setup behind the scenes with the replicants and I’m anticipating all the issues the Bobs will have to face with them in the next books. I also love the main plot itself, I thought Bender’s rescue was very thrilling. I love how vivid the world of Heaven’s River was, and I found Bob’s adventure with living with the Quinlans, as a Quinlan, so fascinating. I’m excited for more!
Book 5 – Not Till We Are Lost What I loved about the Heaven’s River is that while there were other Bobs’ stories being told throughout the book, it felt like there was a main plot and story surrounding the Quinlan, which helped to anchor me and keep me focused. In this book we are back to a more dispersed storytelling and it was harder to stay focused. I still enjoy the series and I love how the Bobs are evolving, with the Skippies and Starfleet becoming their own “people” apart from the earlier versions of Bobs. I did enjoy the exploration of the reason for the Fermi Paradox, and in fact, I love the exploration of all the different possibilities the Bobs are presented with. I love Theresa’s storyline and how there’s a Quiniverse happening! The Bobs need more people who are different from them but who are able to work with them and give them different ideas and perspectives. The next book is supposed to be coming out next week and I’m ready!
Book 6 – The Infinite Extent Coming soon!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this series? Would you read this series? Did you like it or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Book Series I Want to Catch Up On
My TBR haunts me, it really does. And the series are the scariest because one book leads to another and another and another… Yet, they’re also the best because it’s very likely that if you like one, you’ll like the next. Sometimes I never want a series to end but alas, these are the first world reader problems I face every day. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else has listed and inevitably adding a few new series to my TBR from seeing your lists! 😅
Top Ten Book Series I Want to Finish
The Memoirs of Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan – I read the first book in 2014, more than ten years ago! I remember loving it at the time but I haven’t continued the rest of the series and I don’t know why. I need to start over!
The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien – I have the full audiobook series narrated by Andy Serkis and I was so excited to listen to them, but the first night I did, Serkis’ scary Gollum voice woke me up in the middle of the night and I haven’t dared to read it to bed since. I’ll have to try again while I’m awake in the daytime.
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King – Technically, I read the first book a long time ago and didn’t like it at the time, but I’ve changed my mind about Stephen King recently and I’m doing a personal Stephen King reading challenge, so I’m going to have to come back to this.
Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder – This has been on my TBR forever, it’s embarrassing at this point.
Maddaddam series by Margaret Atwood – I read Oryx & Crake a couple of years ago but never got around to the rest of the series. I’ve forgotten enough that I’ll need to reread the first book again before moving on to the others.
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells – I read and loved the first six books of The Murderbot Diaries, but two more have been released and I haven’t read those! I’ll also need to reread the first six before reading the latest two!
Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor – I am currently in the middle of this series! I have just finished the first two and am on the third. Hoping to finish this one up until the latest book instead of leaving it for years and having to reread again later.
The Saint of Steel series by T. Kingfisher – I just bought the full series on audio and I am excited to dive into them right after I finish the Bobiverse! Fingers crossed!
The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater – I’m on the fence with this one. I just finished The Raven Boys a couple of months ago but I’m not sure I like it and I’m not sure if I want to finish the rest of the series…but I already bought the whole set so I feel like I should.
Spellshop series by Sarah Beth Durst – I read The Spellshop not long ago and loved it, but apparently there are already two more new books in the series already released and another one coming out next year! I need to catch up!
Have you read any of these series? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these series?
A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl.
All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. As a fan of Earth television and culture, he figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there’s a complication.
Even though the settlers were promised they’d be left in peace, Earth’s government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Corporation is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying their own AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their own homes?
The game is called Operation Bounce House.
Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who’ve paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.
“Don’t pass your responsibilities on to others unless absolutely necessary. Do not take on the responsibilities of others unless doing so is an act of kindness.”
“Miserable people are fond of laying blame on someone else for their problems.”
“It is the one thing I admire about humans the most: the ability to compartmentalize.”
The Narrator(s)
Travis Baldree. Jeff Hays. I don’t know what it is because so many people have said they enjoy Travis Baldree as a narrator but I have a hard time with his narration. I’ve listened to one of his Legends & Lattes books that he narrates and I enjoyed the story but I can’t pinpoint what it is about his voice that grates on me. Jeff Hays’ parts were great for me though!
My Thoughts
I got so lucky with this audiobook because I thought I was going to have to wait ages for it but it was available as a skip-the-line loan and I immediately jumped on it! It’s no Dungeon Crawler Carl, but it was still really good and I enjoyed it very much. I also think I might’ve enjoyed it more if it was narrated by someone else, I honestly don’t know why I have a problem with Baldree’s narration.
The story itself has all the elements of everything I love in the DCC series; found family – which everyone knows I love, a motley crew of very different people coming together to fight for something they were thrust into, help from somewhat artificial intelligent beings who have abilities the MCs don’t, unreasonable enemies who want ridiculous things… It’s a recipe for a great book with a great plot and great characters!
It has also made me nostalgic for the DCC world and Jeff Hays’ narration, and I’m still debating about the best time to dive back into rereading the series before starting on Book 8! Just a few days left! I might just read Book 8 immediately and then start over after!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Jeff Winston was 43 and trapped in a tepid marriage and a dead-end job, waiting for that time when he could be truly happy, when he died.
And when he woke and he was 18 again, with all his memories of the next 25 years intact. He could live his life again, avoiding the mistakes, making money from his knowledge of the future, seeking happiness.
Until he dies at 43 and wakes up back in college again…
“Only the products of your work will disappear. The struggle, the devotion you put into your endeavors … That’s where the value truly lies, and will remain: within you.”
“Each lifetime had been different, as each choice is always different, unpredictable in its outcome or effect. Yet those choices had to be made, Jeff thought. He’d learned to accept the potential losses, in the hope that they would be outweighed by the gains. The only certain failure, he knew, and the most grievous, would be never to risk at all.”
“All life includes loss. It’s taken me many, many years to learn to deal with that, and I don’t expect I’ll ever be fully resigned to it. But that doesn’t mean we have to turn away from the world, or stop striving for the best that we can do and be. We owe that much to ourselves, at least, and we deserve whatever measure of good may come of it.”
The Narrator(s)
William Dufris. It was okay, no complaints.
My Thoughts
I tried reading this book some years ago and DNF’d at about 20% in, and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up again if it wasn’t because my bookclub chose this for our March BOTM. I decided to try again, and I’m so glad I did because it got more and more interesting the deeper I got into it. It got me thinking a lot, and asking a lot of questions about how I would live my own life/lives if I had to live it over and over again. I would definitely memorize all the lottery numbers, that’s a given! But once money is taken care of, what would I do of importance?
It’s so interesting to see how the author navigates this thought experiment with Jeff and Pamela and the choices they make each time they relive their lives. I don’t feel like we get any real answers in the end, but I think that’s sort of the point, we never really ever get a real answer to the meaning of life. This book made me think, but it also made me feel deeply. I imagine that even though they were able to relive their lives, there must be some grief for everything they lose each time they do. I’m glad I tried again because this was a great book and I think it will be one I’ll likely reread.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.
What Tom doesn’t tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They’re the universe’s largest and most dangerous panda and they’re in trouble.
It’s not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that’s found its way to the alternate world. Others have, too–and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.
I’ve been loving John Scalzi’s works and impulsively bought a couple of his books on audio.
The Quotes
“It was stupidly perfect how all my problems were suddenly solved with the strategic application of money.”
“There is a certain type of person who feels like they must be armed at every moment of the day or else the world will come for them in some way. Back home, this is very much not a good way to live.”
“I mean, I don’t know that I was actually planning to possibly die tonight in order to protect a kaiju,” Kahurangi said. “But I might be willing to possibly die to save a kaiju and ten thousand Canadians.”
The Narrator(s)
Wil Wheaton. I did not like his narration at all, to the point that I wanted to DNF and/or finish the book on a print copy. I only hate-listened to the audiobook because I bought the it on a promo and I couldn’t even return it. I didn’t like his inflections and it was incredibly difficult to differentiate the characters so a lot of the time I don’t even know who said what. It also felt like he was reading the book to children with exaggerated voices and expressions, it’s not how natural conversation sounds like. I like Wheaton as an actor and have listened to some of his narration before without much issue, but his work with this book for some reason is horrendous.
My Thoughts
I don’t know if I can give a fair review for this book seeing as how my experience of listening to it on audiobook was so bad. However, I have read a couple of Scalzi’s other works and loved them, and I think I got the gist of this book too and loved parts of it that I got. I will probably reread this book on a print copy some time soon.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Lady Astronaut Universe series by Mary Robinette Kowal
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.
Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.
Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.
The Reason
I’ve been eyeing this series for a while and was able to get the books on an Audible deal.
The Quotes
“It’s hard to convince people that catastrophic weather changes are coming on a nice day.”
“Even geniuses can be stupid when they’re scared.”
“There is something magic about takeoffs. I know people who are afraid of flying who say that the takeoffs and landings are the only hard parts, perhaps because that’s when the act of flying is most apparent. I love the way you get pushed back into your seat. The weight and the sense of momentum press against you and the vibrations from the tarmac hum through the yoke and into your palms and legs. Then, suddenly, everything stops and the ground drops away.”
The Narrator(s)
Mary Robinette Kowal herself. I loved it. I love the story, I love her narration, I loved it.
My Thoughts
Book 1 – The Calculating Stars It wasn’t what I expected but it was very good, very nuanced, and I love that the FMC, Elma York, was introverted and flawed and yet had to step up and take charge. It’s set in the past so all the prejudices of the time was intact, but they had to adapt to new developments for the sake of survival. I love how racism and sexism was addressed and worked on. I love that things were difficult for the FMC, and she didn’t always know to do the right thing. It was really good!
Book 2 – The Fated Sky I liked this one more than the first book. The characters became more developed for me, and I love that they are actually in outer space this time. One of the highlights for me was also the platonic relationships developing between the characters. I hated Parker in the first book, but he was so much more nuanced in this book, and the way his and Elma’s friendship developed was really beautiful to see. This might be my favorite of the series. Maybe.
Book 3 – The Relentless Moon This one follows Nicole instead of Elma, and I really enjoyed the story itself, but it was incredibly painful when something difficult happens near the end. I had to stop reading for a moment and take a break with another book because it was really painful to feel all that emotion “on the page” and in the narrator’s voice. I think it really shows how amazing the author is, both for the storytelling and for the narration of those intense emotions.
Book 4 – The Martian Contingency We come back to Elma for this story, and it was also another great story. She and her husband and other people are now on Mars and starting a new chapter. There was some very interesting subplots and backstories that we find out about, and there were also some Parker and Elma interactions, not many, but they were fun for me. I’m not sure I like the ending but it makes sense in a way, the stories from the first book until this one span many years, and goals and priorities change. It’s a good series and I loved it all.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars for all of them!
Have you read this series? Would you read this series? Did you like it or do you think you would like it?
Beneath the towering bleached ribs of a dead, ancient beast lies the city of New Crobuzon, where the unsavory deal is stranger to no one–not even to Isaac, a gifted and eccentric scientist who has spent a lifetime quietly carrying out his unique research. But when a half-bird, half-human creature known as the Garuda comes to him from afar, Isaac is faced with challenges he has never before encountered. Though the Garuda’s request is scientifically daunting, Isaac is sparked by his own curiosity and an uncanny reverence for this curious stranger. Soon an eerie metamorphosis will occur that will permeate every fiber of New Crobuzon–and not even the Ambassador of Hell will challenge the malignant terror it evokes.
This has been on my TBR for years and years and years! It was recently a buddy read so I thought it was a good time to finally read it.
The Quotes
“Art is something you choose to make… it’s a bringing together of… of everything around you into something that makes you more human, more khepri, whatever. More of a person.”
“I wish that there was nothing to hold me here, that gravity was a suggestion I could ignore.”
“She was intelligent enough to realize that her excitement was childish, but not mature enough to care.”
“Old stories would tell how Weavers would kill each other over aesthetic disagreements, such as whether it was prettier to destroy an army of a thousand men or to leave it be, or whether a particular dandelion should or should not be plucked. For a Weaver, to think was to think aesthetically. To act–to Weave–was to bring about more pleasing patterns. They did not eat physical food: they seemed to subsist on the appreciation of beauty.”
My Thoughts
I tried reading this book twice before, both times on audio, and found that I couldn’t follow it because of the made-up words, names, and places. I always meant to try again with a printed copy, and I finally did this time. I got so much more out of it; more understanding, more immersion, more focus. And the buddy read with the ongoing discussions were a huge part of my experience as well.
Where do I even start, this book is huge with so many different elements to talk about! The worldbuilding, the exploration of different species and the way they live and work together, the criminal world – the petty criminals and crime lords being worlds apart as well, the government and the enforcers and spies, the remade, the Weaver, the AI constructs, the moths! It seems like a lot and yet, it feels so natural, like I can believe that this world exists, and I can see why Mieville is in a league of his own, this is a masterpiece!
It started out slow but it was still so interesting because there was so much to explore about this world and the characters. And even though it was slow, I could already feel the tension building from the beginning, and then all of a sudden everything happened all at once and it was just nonstop tension. I honestly don’t think I could talk about how amazing it was to see every single thing unfold the way they did and how I felt. It got so intense towards the end and I have so many feelings, I’m still processing.
I know this is definitely going to be one of those books where I get something new out of it every time I reread it again and I’m looking forward to that (though not anytime soon!). I wanted to give up on the book so many times because it’s so huge and I’m going through some really hectic times but I’m glad I persevered and finished! It’s completely worth it!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
A super-powered collision of extraordinary minds and vengeful intentions—#1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab returns with the thrilling follow-up to Vicious.
Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.
But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s finally gained the control she’s always sought—and will use her new-found power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She’ll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other.
With Marcella’s rise, new enmities create opportunity–and the stage of Merit City will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.
I read Vicious, the first book in the series, and loved it. I wanted more of the story.
The Quotes
“How many men would she have to turn to dust before one took her seriously?”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a human versus a human or a human versus an EO or an EO versus an EO. You do what you can. You fight, and you win, until you don’t.”
“The next time you point a gun at someone, make sure you’re ready to pull the trigger.”
“The life I had is gone. There’s no getting it back. I’d rather make a new one. A better one. One where I don’t have to pretend to be weak to survive.”
My Thoughts
I didn’t like this book as much as the first one. I loved the characters, and still do, but there were so many plot holes and issues with the story this time around that were really convenient and annoying. The storytelling style with the jumping timelines was also an issue; it was very confusing and tedious to get through.
The catalyst of the story was stupid, in my opinion, because Victor justified doing many bad things by saying that he was trying to cover their tracks, but that doesn’t make sense at all because anyone with any common sense would realize that it’s exactly what would bring attention to them. I also didn’t like how conveniently things were resolved in the end during the boss battles. I still love Sydney and Mitch, and I think June is a very interesting new character. I want to know what happens to them in the next book, but I’m not looking forward to slogging through the jumping timelines storytelling style, and if the plot is going to have issues like in this book, I don’t know if it’s going to be worth it. I truly hope it gets better.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Things Characters Have Said
I’m not good with today’s topic because I usually don’t remember or keep track of what characters have said, but I really enjoyed last week’s topic and decided I’d do the same topic but focused on the future this time. Unlike the ones set in the past, we don’t have a set basis for these timelines in comparison to our current time. I’m assuming they are set in the future based on context and technology, but who really knows? In any case, they’re all really good books and I enjoyed reading them all!
Top Ten Books Set In Another Time – The Future
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – Space travel, diverse species, and lots of intergalactic hijinks. This is one of my favorite books for found family, world building, and adventure. The best thing about it is the internal philosophy for learning to understand, live with, and love other diverse people.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – A dystopian future, but definitely set in the future based on context of what Panem used to be. I’ve read the trilogy so many times, but the last time was a while ago so I think I’m due for a reread!
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – Also dystopian and quite scary if you’re in it, but so fun to read about! I’ve read the first two books but stalled because I had other books and deadlines to get to. I think about this series every day and can’t wait to get back to it.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky – This one spans years and decades and centuries of the future! A whole species evolves over a long, long time, and I never expected it to be so amazing to read about!
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman – This book never specifies the timeline, but I’m assuming it’s in the future because certain relics from this story’s past are the things we are familiar with. The writing style is meandering and stream-of-consciousness style, but somehow it was easy for me to get into because it felt so interesting to me.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood – Another dystopian future. It seems quite self-contained though, and it’s only the first book in a series but it sets the stage and I’m interested in seeing what the next books bring.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell – Space travel and alien encounters. This one is haunting and painful but so good and so worth it. I don’t think I’d want to reread it anytime soon because it’s quite heavy, but it’s a book that stays with you.
Grass by Sheri S. Tepper – Alien planet migration. It’s been a long time since I read this but I remember loving it very much and feeling fascinated by the characteristics of this new planet with its indigenous plants and animals. Probably time to revisit soon.
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber – I think of this one often. It’s about a missionary who travels to a new planet to spread the word of god and has to leave his wife behind. The interaction he has with the inhabitants of the planet is really interesting, but the thing that I remember most about the book is the correspondence between him and his wife. I remember thinking it’s such a strong story about marriage and relationships. I really need to reread this one.
Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee – This book was originally published in two separate parts, now combined to one. It’s set in a hedonistic world where people can do what they want, live dangerously, die and come back with a new body. They can custom design their bodies each time they come back, which I thought was interesting because it eliminates the external skin as part of their identity. Another one I’m wanting to reread.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
