These are my favourite books I’ve read this past year, listed in no particular order.
In the past 12 months, I have read twelve books by John Scalzi. This sounds like a lot, but they are all fun science fiction reads; rather than turn on the TV and tune into a show, I would hit play on an audiobook. In all, I've read 63 books this year.
Interestingly, almost all of the books were published prior to 2023, and Harry Potter and Jurassic Park I have read previously.
What book held my admiration the most in 2023?
Recursion by Blake Crouch.
At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.
In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery… and the tools for fighting back.
Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.
"And you think you know where this is going, right? Only you don't. Not even a little. Because what Crouch has made here is a puzzle box time-travel story, all based on memory and death. He has sketched out the rules for a new reality where people can go back and re-live their lives, fully cognizant, in an alternate timeline. Where they can get a do-over and make different choices."
Jason Sheehan writing for NPR. https://www.npr.org/2019/06/13/732035142/recursion-is-a-puzzle-box-of-time-travel-memory-and-death
I recently read another book by Crouch, Dark Matter. I'd give both books a 🌮🌮🌮🌮/5 taco rating.
What I look forward to in 2024 is reading more books by Amor Towles. I thoroughly enjoyed Gentleman from Moscow, and I have yet to read his other books.