lavaturtle's 50 books in 2024

Hi! My name is Grey, my pronouns are they/them, and I live in the New York area. I almost exclusively read science fiction and fantasy, with the occasional mystery or nonfiction that comes highly recommended. Some of my favorite authors these days are Seanan McGuire, Charlie Jane Anders, Sarah Gailey, and Ruthanna Emrys.

For the last few years my "home" group has been over at the Category Challenge, but I'm looking to change things up in 2024. I would like to read more books, and 50 seems like about the right number to be challenging but still possible, so I'm going to give this a go!

A loose set of goals for my reading in 2024:

- Read 50 books! This does not include single-issue comics (which I'm tracking elsewhere).
- Nominate and vote for the Hugo Awards.
- Read some books by people of color.
- Return to / catch up on some series that I've loved in the past.
- Read at least one non-fiction book.

Stats
Total books read so far in 2024: 15

On the docket
I'm doing a lot of "impulse" reading lately -- or at least, impulse requesting-from-the-library, followed by reading -- but this is a spot where I might jot down books that I particular intend to get to this year.

- The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins
- Starfang: Rise of the Clan by Joyce Chng

Okay, this thread is now set up!

1. Maus: A Survivor's Tale I: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

I'd heard of Maus before, of course -- it's one of the most famous non-fiction graphic novels -- but I hadn't gotten around to reading it until I saw it in a "banned books" display at my local bookstore and picked up a copy.

It's interesting that the "framing device" of Vladek telling Art the story is very present -- the story is always told via his narration, and there are lots of scenes in the present day where we see his strained relationships with his remaining family.

The art choice (Jews are drawn as mice, Nazis as cats, Poles and Germans as pigs) sounds like it should be weird, but it's effective. I particularly like how when Vladek is trying to pass as a non-Jewish person, he's drawn wearing a pig mask.

2. The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow

Wow, there is a lot going on in this book! I loved it from early on because there's some great worldbuilding on what an "optimistic" near future could look like, with a Jobs Guarantee that connects people with work that actually helps their communities (caregiving, solar panel maintenance, etc.), lots of people working on relocating coastal cities inland, and factories that only run when there's surplus solar power. But that's just the beginning, as the protagonist has a bunch of conversations with different people about how to fix the world. And then there's the major conflict, which is fought in courtrooms and with creative activism and in the court of public opinion. And also a bunch of cool people living their lives and cooking delicious food for each other and falling in love. There are no easy answers, even by the end, but there's a whole lot to think about.

3. Flotsam by R J Theodore

This series has a really interesting setting, and exactly how it got that way is something of a mystery that we learn more about over the course of the book. The setting reminds me a little bit of the Lady Blackbird RPG (no idea if that's a coincidence), with the airships traveling between islands and the heavy imperial presence. The protagonist and her crew are all really great characters, as is Scrimshaw the alien who they take on later. Talis is definitely a protagonist in the "means well but constantly keeps messing up" mold, but she grows a lot over the course of the story.

I love that the world of Peridot has multiple cultures and religions -- we got a close-up look at two of them, and I'm hoping we'll see more in the next couple books. And there are multiple queer main characters! And I love a scrappy pirate crew (although Talis really needs to step it up as a captain)! And then there's the ultra-powerful naked robot woman who is also kind of the soul of the planet? Cool!

4. The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

There are a whole lot of ideas in this book -- about what it takes to protect an ecosystem, about who gets to be a person, about the assumptions we tend to make about language and intelligence, about how to structure a society, about collective decision-making, about what is and isn't considered a reasonable plan of action. I really liked the worldbuilding, with the various people (only some of whom were human or even biological), the ERT, the sensor networks... and the subversion of modern assumptions about biological gender, sexuality, and reproduction. Also the stuff about language and intelligence, and what kind of society would limit people's communication ability just to lock them into a particular kind of work.

Unfortunately I found the giant time jumps pretty jarring. Just when I'd get really invested in a set of characters, we're hundreds of years in the future and most of them aren't around anymore. I do like that we got to see the long-term consequences of some of the decisions that were made. But I feel like we broke away from Destry's story, or Misha's, while there was still a lot left to tell. Also, the ending felt a bit rushed -- as soon as some old corporate secrets came out, things were basically solved, and also this magically caused a different corporation to generously reverse gentrification?

That said, there's still a lot I liked here. The sentient flying trains! The Tongue Forks! The way Chef subverted her language limiter by moving to Tooth! Everything about Spider City!

5. Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty

What a fun ride! So many bonkers things happen in this book. All my favorite characters (Mallory, Xan, Tina) are back, along with a whole new set of colorful characters. And there's a series of disasters on the space station, personal drama to deal with, and of course another murder to solve. I loved it! In the end, the only ones dead are two guys who kind of had it coming, and there are some interesting threads for the future, like, will Adrian get his translation bug turned off so he can really learn alien languages?

6. Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

This book has an amazing cast of protagonists with Kissen, Elo, and Inara. All haunted by a past that has nearly broken them, much like their country in the aftermath of a brutal war. I loved their slow-burn relationship and the way that truths about Elo's past and Inara's identity gradually came out. And that final horrible plot twist where Arren was actually just manipulating Elo so he could get more power -- wow! And the ending was just perfect -- I'm so glad that all of them lived, and that Inara has come into her power. (I still don't trust Skedi though.)

Oh, and Kissen's found family from way back -- love them, they're awesome!

7. The Invasion by K.A. Applegate

I somehow missed the Animorphs trend when I was a kid, so I decided to finally check it out. The writing style is definitely intended for a "middle grade" or young teen audience, but the story itself is still pretty interesting. And there's an obvious in-universe reason why a bunch of kids need to be in charge of saving the world, which is nice. The themes and ending are darker than I would have expected for a kids' book. The characters are a little under-defined, but it's a quick read -- I finished it in an evening -- and I'll probably read a few more of them (but not all 54!)

8. A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato

I liked this book a lot! Ada and Solenn are both compelling characters in tough situations, trying to make the best of things. There's a unique magic system tied in with a really interesting set of mythology, which is deeply woven into the cultures in the book. And several big unexpected plot twists! I'm glad there's more of this series.

9. Promises Stronger Than Darkness by Charlie Jane Anders

This is so good! This whole trilogy has been incredible, and this book really sticks the landing. I love all these characters and how they got to shine with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. And the galaxy is big, and full of different alien cultures and languages and genders! And friendship is important, and so is listening to people who are different from us, and finding creative ways to fight fascism. There are hard choices and big sacrifices but also growth and joy and music and love. And a tactical ballgown!

10. January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky

A quick read, and interesting. A set of vignettes, woven together without ever touching. The exploration of what a world with UBI could look like is thoughtful, with more questions than answers. But this isn't just an "idea book"; it's mostly about the small human stories, people dealing with grief and fear and uncertainty, and connecting with their communities.

11. Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

I liked this a lot! It does a great job from early on setting the mood of creeping dread, as we know everyone is headed into a dangerous situation with dubious motives and laughably inadequate safety measures. Tory, Jillian, and Olivia are excellent main characters, and there are a bunch of other good characters too. Oh, and disability representation! I also loved the human relationships that exist alongside all the chaos and danger. And the ending was good.

12. Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner

Things are definitely happening in this book! I loved seeing Inara and Skedi grow into their power, and Kissen have to deal with some challenges to her worldview. And seeing Elo in action as a military commander was sure something. I really liked the archives, and all the small gods, and seeing more of Yatho and Telle. And the ending... well, it's definitely the middle book of a trilogy!

13. Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire

Incryptid is my favorite series, and I'm always excited to read the next book. And at the beginning of this one, we're in an interesting place where the plots of the last several books are finally meeting up and everyone is back together again -- what happens next? Well, a lot of things, most of them bad. Mary is an interesting narrator, because she's connected to everyone, but usually kind of on the sidelines, not part of the main plot or driving the action. Ultimately, that means she has to get creative about how she can get involved in things, which is neat to see. Also, I always love to see more of the ghost parts of the setting.

This is very much part 1 of a two-book plot, and the ending leaves a whole lot unanswered about how things turned out and where the future will take us. I wish I didn't have to wait a year to find out!

14. Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story by Nicole Mains and Rye Hickman

Nia is such a great character, and it's cool how Nicole Mains has championed her across TV and comics. It's a little weird reading an origin story for such an established character, because it's so clear where things are going -- Nia embraces her dream powers and becomes Dreamer, and her mom realizes that "daughter inherits powers" could be her trans daughter. And there's plenty of hints early on. But the ending was still surprising (and bittersweet), and I adore the group of queer/trans/alien friends Nia connects with. I hope there will be more Dreamer stories!

15. The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

The setting is really original and cool, and I really wanted to root for the two protagonists and their relationship. And the mystery plot is interesting and resolves in a satisfying way. But something about the writing just didn't quite fit comfortably for my brain, and everything just felt a bit detached.