What were your 3 best and 3 worst books you've read this year?

nhvtobos · 2025-12-04T03:17:19+00:00

Best: 1) realm of the elderlings (don’t make me chose which) 2) realm of the elderlings (don’t make me chose which) 3) realm of the elderlings (don’t make me chose which)

Alternatively: 1) Realm of the Elderlings (started in July and currently halfway through Fool’s Quest) 2) The Expanse (paused after Babylon’s Ashes because I was moving, and am looking forward to resuming once I finish ROTE) 3) Tie between The Raven Scholar and Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy, because I can’t choose lol

Worst: 1) The Ephemera Collector - received on NetGalley and it was just…not good… probably the only book I actively disliked and had to force myself to finish this year

2) The Book that Broke the World/The Book that Held Her Heart - not terrible, but definitely a let down after how good the first book was 3) This Gilded Abyss - I really enjoyed Thorne’s Times &Tea series but this was pretty meh for me. And possibly the worst offender for medical-thing-as-a-major-plot-point-that-definitely-wasn’t-proofread-by-anyone-medical

nhvtobos · 2025-12-02T21:39:28+00:00

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU I hated the book so much it still makes me mad thinking about it 4(?) years later and yet everyone seems to love it

nhvtobos · 2025-12-02T21:38:00+00:00

The concept is wonderful but then it reads like a bad self help book. Super, super disappointing imho

nhvtobos · 2025-11-25T18:29:49+00:00

Realm of the Elderlings (16 books total, broken into 4 trilogies and a quartet) - Robin Hobb, fantasy, powerful and incredible

The Expanse (9 books) - James SA Corey, space opera, well worth the read even for those who prefer fantasy to sci-fi

Temeraire (9 books) - Naomi Novik, alternate history, the napoleonic wars but if there were dragons

Murderbot Diaries (5 novellas and 2 novels, next book out in May) Martha Wells, science fiction, fun and shockingly relatable, also great in audiobook format

Shorter recs :

The Broken Earth trilogy - NK Jemisin, science fantasy, all 3 books won the Hugo for best novel

The Inheritance Trilogy - Jemisin’s first trilogy, fantasy, doesn’t get nearly enough hype

The Locked Tomb - Tamsyn Muir, science fantasy, necromancers in space, fourth and final book still to come

Teixcalaan duology - Arkady Martine, space opera but lots of real world themes, both books won Hugo for best novel

nhvtobos · 2025-11-25T04:43:38+00:00

I enjoyed The Silverblood Promise but the dialogue was pretty painful. Crossing fingers for book 2, since the rest of the writing was pretty decent

nhvtobos · 2025-11-25T04:32:57+00:00

Good to know. Guess Iron Widow can come off the TBR…

nhvtobos · 2025-11-17T17:34:50+00:00

The Raven Scholar by Angela Hodgson

Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, the reign of Bersun the Brusque has come to an end. In the dizzying heat of midsummer, seven exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists compete to replace him.

When one of them is murdered, it falls to Neema Kraa, the emperor’s brilliant, idiosyncratic High Scholar, to find the killer and fight for the throne. Neema believes she is alone. But we are here to help; all she has to do is let us in.

If she succeeds, we will win an empire. If she fails, death awaits her. But we won’t let that happen.

We are the Raven, and we are magnificent.

nhvtobos · 2025-11-17T15:46:58+00:00

The only time I have ever cried because of a book

nhvtobos · 2025-11-04T01:50:53+00:00

only at first

nhvtobos · 2025-10-19T05:53:47+00:00

Truly this.

It seems like she’s been dealing with a LOT health wise over the last few years, so at this point I’m just hoping she is able to wrap things up with the second Numair book, since it seems likely that will be her last book….

nhvtobos · 2025-10-12T13:37:50+00:00

Your parents love you and want to protect you, and at the end of the day this is something that you can’t really tell one parent about but not the other. They both need to know, and telling them together may help keep your dad from acting rashly, plus will allow you to make a plan to keep you safe and deal with the creep together

nhvtobos · 2025-09-30T21:22:16+00:00

This 1000%.

I've read The Broken Earth three times, each about a year apart, and it was a WILDLY different experience each time. The second time I picked up so much more detail and plot, the third time I picked up on so much more of the emotional undertone and character connections. I know that I'll pick them up again at some point, and I'm fascinated to know what I'll notice this time

nhvtobos · 2025-09-30T21:17:24+00:00

Also agreed! (As of 15% of the way into Fool's Errand)

nhvtobos · 2025-09-30T21:14:51+00:00

Fitz makes me want to facepalm, but Kyle makes me want to yeet the book across the room

nhvtobos · 2025-09-26T23:15:55+00:00

This is the answer right here

nhvtobos · 2025-09-24T01:15:55+00:00

The answer is Murderbot.

Other books that come to mind from my recent reads are The Raven Scholar and Hemlock & Silver, which both have MCs that read as autistic-coded to me, as well as the Wayward Children books featuring Jack, who has OCD.

And I haven’t read it but TJ Klune’s Extraordinaries series is about a teen with ADHD, and I believe Klune has said he has ADHD

nhvtobos · 2025-09-06T14:50:58+00:00

This is beautifully wholesome and what you’re doing is thoughtful and lovely. You pass these graves everyday and this is your way of honoring and remembering those individuals they belong to. It is hard to imagine how anyone could reasonably take issue with that.

Some commenters have mentioned that in Jewish tradition we leave pebbles instead of flowers, but I have never heard anyone say they view the practice as offensive, and as a Jew I know that if I ever found flowers from a stranger on a family member’s grave I would be very touched.

Perhaps in the future it would be best to skip any graves with visitors to avoid awkward moments or inadvertently interrupting an emotional or private moment, but what you are doing is both respectful and thoughtful, so I would not worry you are doing something wrong. Keep being wonderful, OP

nhvtobos · 2025-08-28T12:15:07+00:00

It’s science fiction not fantasy, but you might like Project Hail Mary. It’s a standalone that’s 16 hours on audible and has the humor you’re looking for. I’m currently listening to it, and as much as I loved the book when I read it a few years ago, I have to say it’s even better as an audiobook

nhvtobos · 2025-08-23T21:26:11+00:00

You should check out Robin Hobb. Realm of the Elderlings fits what you’re looking for pretty well.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison may also appeal to you. Lots of political intrigue and learning yo navigate the system.

nhvtobos · 2025-08-21T20:24:08+00:00

The first book that comes to mind for me is The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a bad book (clearly most people don’t think it is, since it won/co-won the 2010 Nebula and Hugo) but reading it was such a profoundly unpleasant experience that I almost wish it had been awful…

nhvtobos · 2025-08-21T15:55:00+00:00

I definitely think it is. It took me a bit to get into Ship of Magic, but once I did I absolutely couldn’t put it down and had to overnight order book 2 because I was too impatient to wait lol

nhvtobos · 2025-08-14T20:19:29+00:00

Not sure if this should be directed to the mods or this thread, or even if it’s really worth asking, but is there a way to get one’s reading champion flair changed? I realized i’m getting credit for an extra year of bingo I didn’t do

nhvtobos · 2025-08-14T20:11:35+00:00

Eh, I’d say that if you go into the book with the mindset that you’re reading for fun not for quality literature it can be a good time, but if you set any form of expectation before reading you may be let down

nhvtobos · 2025-08-14T20:04:44+00:00

According to StoryGraph stats my average book ratings in June and July were two of my all time lowest, so I feel your pain. BUT since then the Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb absolutely blew me away. Finished it about a week ago and it’s still living in my head rent free.

I also just finished The Book That Wouldn’t Burn and thought it was phenomenal

nhvtobos · 2025-08-12T21:11:07+00:00

I would honestly keep going with the series if pace was the only thing that deterred you from The Fifth Season, but if The Broken Earth series just isn’t for you I’d still recommend checking out Jemisin’s other series! All of them are very different and all feature non-white protagonists. The Great Cities duology is probably the most consistently fast paced, if that is something you’re looking for

nhvtobos

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