Number of books you’ve read so far:
157? Oof, I should probably slow down.
Best book you’ve read so far in 2026:
Definitely can’t choose one for this. There’s Hav by Jan Morris, which is a travel book but about a fictional country, which is entirely convincing while being slightly unnerving. Then there’s What We Are Seeking, the long awaited second science fiction novel by Cameron Reed, which made me think. On a completely different note, I fell in love with Despised and Rejected by A. T. Fitzroy, a novel from 1918 about gay pacifists (it got banned upon release). In more contemporary queer literature, I loved and was made successfully uncomfortable by Nicola Dinan’s Disappoint Me and the way it dealt with forgiveness. Most recently, Plastic Prism Void by Violet Allen was amazing, the trans magical girl/mecha pilot romance I didn’t know I needed.
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2026:
A Long and Speaking Silence by Nghi Vo, the latest novella in her Singing Hills series. A prequel this time, still really good and gave me a craving for dumplings.
New release you haven’t read yet but want to:
I’ve been meaning to read The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan. Also still haven’t gotten to the latest Murderbot.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year:
The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo is coming out in October and I’m very excited.
Biggest surprise favorite new author (debut or new to you):
Thinking in terms of an author I’ve never read before this year and have now read a bunch of, I’m going with Isabel Colegate, whose trilogy of modern Oedipus retellings from the ‘60s I gulped down. Need to seek out her other stuff.
As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann, historical fiction about the English Civil War with an extremely difficult protagonist who you know is going to be his own undoing but you just have to watch as it all falls apart anyway.
Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received):
Hmm, I don’t really tend to buy books for their looks (I tend towards battered paperbacks in my purchases), although I did pick up one ‘90s romance novel from a free shelf for its clinch cover. And today I was in a used book store and had to buy a copy of Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two Cookbookdue to a combination of really fun illustrations and ‘50s style food photography.
Book that made you happy:
I finally got around to Aster Glenn Gray’s A Garter as a Lesser Gift, which is a Gawain and the Green Knight retelling with WWII fighter pilots and a poly romance, and it was just as delightful as a I wanted it to be. Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall, meanwhile, was a Moby Dick in space retelling that was all jokes about the structure of Moby Dick, from the chapter titles to the weird formatting to the strange shifts in narrative perspective. I have no idea who it’s for or what the point was besides that Moby Dick is great and ridiculous, but it amused me a lot.
What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I try not to do reading goals, but I really should read more of the books I actually own instead of getting more piles of library books. I should finish some of my shelf of C. J. Cherryhs so that I can buy more Cherryhs in used bookstores without guilt- same with my Melissa Scotts. And finally get around to reading the rest of Samuel Delany’s Nevèrÿon books since I own them all.
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