Books

In parentheses is the year I finished the book.

A Gentleman in Moscow

Amor Towles

This is a nice, cozy novel. It shines in the setting and world-building; it's very easy to imagine the Metropol and get nostalgic for hotel restaurant you've never been to. It is weakest in the first few chapters, when the world building is slow and stretched out. I find the ending bittersweet but ultimately warm. 4/5. (2022)

A Memory Called Empire

Arkady Martine

Very well reviewed by the sci-fi literati. I found the cultural descriptions interesting and the book is full of fascinating ideas, but I would say the pacing is also a bit slow. 4/5. (2022)

Gideon the Ninth (& sequels)

Tamsyn Muir

Incredibly good mystery and sci-fi. I found the tone (i.e. Gideon's voice) a little jarring at first, but overall it fades into the background as you get curious about what's happening. Full of surprises. 5/5. (2022)

Uprooted

Naomi Novik

In high school I was a devout reader of Novik's Temeraire series. I have fond memories of reading them in long car rides to soccer games. Uprooted is a nice one-off, but not in my favorite books of the year. I think the theme of "humans destroying nature" too common these days, and the relationships in the book feel... a bit odd. Overall, though, I don't regret the time spent reading it. 3/5. (2022)

The Golem and the Jinni

Helene Wecker

This is a pretty fun read, with plenty of interesting character dynamics as well as an interesting setting. I never thought I'd think so much about the Jewish and Syrian communities of the earliest 20th century. I like historical fiction and fantasy in general, and this one doesn't disappoint. 4/5. (2022)