Hi folks, it’s time for me to finish off my favourite reads of the year. Again, these are in no particular order.

Science Fiction

1. The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas – I haven’t seen this talked about a lot in the blogosphere or bookstagram, but I just loved it. It’s queer and timey-wimey and has plenty of weird takes and “whoa” moments.

2. The Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal. These two books are so great, combining the end of the planet and 50s tech to get us into space. I’m really excited about the third book that will be coming out this year.

3. The Old Lie by Claire G. Coleman – Coleman does it again in this incredibly tense and sad book that also has fighter space ships and a queer love story.

4. Dyschronia by Jennifer Mills – if you’re looking for some cli-fi, give this a crack. This book has really stayed with me.

5. To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers. Chambers can do no wrong, and this lovely novella that spans planets and years is just beautiful and hopeful.

Fantasy

1. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie – THIS BOOK. I love it very much – it’s beautifully written, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since my first read, and I have listened to it multiple times, which is rare for me.

2. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire – I always love seeing what McGuire has cooked up and this book did not disappoint. This story about how human humans can be is just wonderful.

3. The Tensorate series by JY Yang – a wonderful fantastical world with a great take on gender with lots of queerness and a terrifying matriarch? Perfect.

Crime

1. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim – I really love this book. A lot of crime fiction tends to have a “bad guy” who does bad things for bad reasons. In Miracle Creek, Kim instead looks at what happens when a bunch of humans all have a bad day at the same time, and the result is heartbreaking.

2. Darkness for Light by Emma Viskic – I was super excited for the latest instalment in the Caleb Zelic series and I was not disappointed. Viskic just seems to get better and better.

3. Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke – to me this is more lit fic than crime fiction but I’m going to pop it in this category anyway. Locke jams so much into this novel, from a dysfunctional family relations, to marriage breakdown to a deeply moving conversation on race.

And there we have it. What were some of your favourite reads from 2019? And what are you looking forward to in 2020?

Cheers,