Here’s a list of some of the books I’ve read recently. I’ve starred the ones that I especially liked or that were otherwise special.
2022
- Sateenkaarimurhat by Janne Toivoniemi. A decetive story set in Kallio, Helsinki. Hipster comedy.
- Pimeä kuilu by Jussi Marttila. A brutal (nordic noir?) detective story set in Turku.
- Ilmastoja by Jenny Offill, translated by Marja Luoma (original: Weather). A US mom deals with despair due to Trump and climate grief.
- Lost in Thought by Zena Hitz. Intellectual life is good life.
- I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett. A demon tries to take over a young witch’s body.
- Thud! by Terry Pratchett. Racial tensions in Ankh-Morpork.
- A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett. A demon tries to take over a young witch’s mind.
- Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. A reformed con-man fixes the postal system.
- Mies ja merilehmä by Aura Koivisto. On George Steller’s adventures.
- Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Court intrigue. (reread)
- Lyhyet luennot by Anne Carson, translated by Aki Salmela. I don’t know how to read poems. Excellent translation.
- The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd. You don’t have to become a management consultant.
- A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine. A court intrigue followed by a space opera.
- ⭐ The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Chaos in Moscow. Fun.
- The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow. On the origins of inequality. Iconoclastic, but I know the field so poorly that I’m not sure how much weight to give to it.
- The Truth by Terry Pratchett. Somebody invents a printing press.
- ⭐ Radalla by Iida Sofia Hirvonen. Moments in the life of a 30-something writer living in Helsinki. For people who have used Internet too much.
- ⭐ The Dispossessed Ursula K. Le Guin. A story about anarchists on the moon.
- Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett. Somebody steals a weapon; guards investigate.
- Sieppari ruispellossa by J. D. Salinger, translated by Pentti Saarikoski (original: The Catcher in the Rye). Man wanders in the streets, a bit like in Crime and Punishment, but different. Saarikoski’s translation gets bad rap, but I liked it.
- Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. Somebody summons a dragon; guards investigate.
- Viisi aihetta by Jorge Luis Borges (original: Borges oral). Borges waxes philosophical.
- Practical Doomsday by Michal Zalewski. Level-headed prepper advice.
- A Bond Undone by Jin Yong. More cheesy kung-fu.
Earlier: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
All-time favorite fiction
I rarely re-read books, but there are some books I keep thinking about.
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
- Historias de cronopios y famas by Julio Cortázar.
- The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien.
- Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.
I look at this list and I realize I must have incredibly ordinary taste. Still, they’re good books.
In April 2020, I filled a social-media bingo card about my favorite books. I’m not sure if they’re my eternal favorites, but they felt like good books at the time. Ask me again in the future.
Lists of books read by other people
I’ve found the following lists especially interesting:
- Alvaro Videla’s Some Books For You Consideration
- Venkatesh Rao’s Now Reading page
- David R. MacIver’s three-book sets and book pairings
- Further reading for Meaningness