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I'm completely blown away by Émile Zola's Germinal
I finished this book today and I still can't believe how good it is!
For me it was a bit of a slow start, and I had a hard time caring about the large number of characters introduced in quick succession at the beginning. But somehow the story grew on me and by the halfway point the book became difficult to put down. I never cry when reading, but two scenes in this book brought me close. One was >!the murder of Jules, the new recruit on sentry duty, who had been longing very much to be put on leave and reunite with his mother and sister in his hometown!<. The other was >!the moment when Etienne was rescued from the collapsed mine and when Negrel and Etienne despite being former enemies embraced each other and cried with relief!<.
All the class warfare politics aside, it's just such an amazing story fully of love, struggle, and humanity. Zola gave subtlety and depth to each character. Every person had some good in them, and acts of villainy were always understandably motivated by circumstances, rather than being purely driven by the plot's need for a villain. Even Chaval, whom I deplored for most of the book, had his shining moment when he >!rescued Catherine from methane and carbon dioxide suffocation!<. I also love how the story's point of view shifted back and forth between the perspective of the miners and that of the gentry, instead of focusing solely on the miners. Even members of the relatively affluent part of town, the "bourgeoisie" who were supposed to be hated in this story, were ultimately just normal human beings, each with their own desires and struggles. At first I thought I was gonna root for the miners, but at the very end I realized that every character had something to root for (okay maybe not every character due to the possible exception of Chaval, but you get my point).
If you have also read Germinal, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it as well as Zola's other works. I've definitely become a fan of Zola and will probably take a look at other books in his corpus, especially if you guys have any recommendations. If you haven't read Germinal, I highly recommend it!!
https://redd.it/1i6dshg
@r_books
Lord of the Rings
I am an avid reader and am 40 years late to reading the Lord of The Rings trilogy. Not only is it beautifully written, it is giving me strength and hope in what feels like a beginning to a hard journey forward. Though it’s 70 years old, the story is still fantastically relatable. I’ve become obsessed.
The quote I have on my bedside table:
“Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."
I get the hype now. I can’t wait to read everything in J.R.R. Tolkien’s canon.
https://redd.it/1i6bfve
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An interview with Jason Pargin most recently author of "I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom"
https://sammatey.substack.com/p/the-weekly-anthropocene-interviews-84c
https://redd.it/1i60yts
@r_books
The fact that Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson was published in 1992 is positively mind-boggling (No Spoilers)
I finished Snow Crash last night and I'm honestly still reeling. The level of detail used to describe the internet, and the associated VR/AR technology used in the story, this work could have been written today and still been fully believable/technologically sound. Of course, it's still sci-fi and there's plenty of other technology which is not (or at least not yet) applicable to the modern world, but still.
The prose also holds up exceptionally well. Language evolves a lot over 30+ years, but the characters all speak in a way that still feels authentic today, and in my opinion the same can be said for the narrative bits. Usually the older works of sci-fi that I've read thus far which hold up the best on a modern level are those which take place in an intangible setting, Dune comes to mind. Published in the 60s, but due to its setting being an entirely different planet and also incorporating a level of magic/supernatural elements like the Bene Gesserit, it's less susceptible to becoming outdated than something taking place entirely on Earth with familiar elements. Snow Crash manages to accomplish that feat while taking place in a (reasonably) realistic Earth setting which doesn't necessarily rely on anything supernatural to establish long-lasting authenticity.
In addition to that, it's simply one of the funniest works of fiction I've ever read. I bought the book on a total whim with no frame of reference for it as a novel, nor Stephenson as a writer. The cover art just caught my eye on the shelf, but the part that cemented my desire to buy it came from the blurb on the back. I laughed out loud when I read that the main character's name was Hiro Protagonist, and committed to it then and there. I knew in that moment that I was either in for an incredible treat or a total disaster. I'm happy to report the end result was an incredible treat! Like the blurb on the back, I found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire book.
If you're looking for a witty, fun, hilarious, action-packed, and highly original (as far as I've read) standalone sci-fi work, I couldn't recommend Snow Crash enough. 4.75/5.00 as far as I'm concerned. I'd have liked a slightly more complete ending, but I understand that's pretty typical of Stephenson as a writer. I'm still quite content with imagining for myself where a few of the windows he technically left open could be sealed.
https://redd.it/1i5vdu2
@r_books
What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: January 20, 2025
Hi everyone!
What are you reading? What have you recently finished reading? What do you think of it? We want to know!
We're displaying the books found in this thread in the book strip at the top of the page. If you want the books you're reading included, use the formatting below.
Formatting your book info
Post your book info in this format:
the title, by the author
For example:
The Bogus Title, by Stephen King
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Entering your book data in this format will make it easy to collect the data, and the bold text will make the books titles stand out and might be a little easier to read.
Enter as many books per post as you like but only the parent comments will be included. Replies to parent comments will be ignored for data collection.
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NEW: Would you like to ask the author you are reading (or just finished reading) a question? Type !invite in your comment and we will reach out to them to request they join us for a community Ask Me Anything event!
-Your Friendly /r/books Moderator Team
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Loved Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Just finished reading Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and it's easily my favourite so far. I feel like Rooney’s writing has evolved with each book, to the point where her last one, Beautiful World, had these introspective conversations the characters had with themselves, which I really loved. To my delight, Intermezzo had plenty of that for me to dig into.
I’m not exactly sure what to call this writing style but I love the web of thoughts her characters go through, moving between philosophy, psychology, economics and whatnot. That commentary feels very real and engaging.
Now coming back to the book, it’s a delicate story of grief, love, and interpersonal struggles. The premise is of two brothers in the aftermath of losing a parent. Having read her work before I was kinda expecting this one to be a bit traumatic, but I feel like it’s her happiest one yet. But of course, the whole novel still carries these subtle, touching currents, and the last 50 pages or so are really moving. I don't know if it's just me or maybe just the way she writes, but her characters always manage to strike a personal chord. And for this one, anyone with a sibling would really feel it. But even without, I think there’s plenty that resonates deeply.
Anyway, my review is wholly positive. It was everything I expected and more. I’d love to know other readers’ thoughts.
https://redd.it/1i5jkfn
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‘Reactionary nihilism’: how a rightwing movement strives to end US democracy." Book review
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/19/katherine-stewart-money-lies-god-book-christian-nationlism?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
https://redd.it/1i5fq7k
@r_books
How would you design a curriculum for a men’s book club?
If you were to establish a book club specifically aimed at men (not necessarily teens, but rather working adults), how would you approach it? Some considerations include; enticing men to read who may or may not be consistent readers currently, a desire to focus on fiction novels rather than histories or biographies, and the ability to create robust and thought provoking discussions on a regular basis.
Edit: Because this isn’t super clear in the post. I’m not looking for information on how a book club works. I’m looking for content and focus recommendations. Things like would you focus on classics literature, genre fiction, etc. and what works would you think would fit your concept?
https://redd.it/1i56wwy
@r_books
Reading The Mists of Avalon, just finished a chapter full of drama
I'm a bit over halfway through the book, so if you've read it, maybe you won't need me to post the spoiler.
In the past year, I read T. H. White's The Once and Future King and Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment, and The Wicked Day.
TMoA has been in my reading list since I was much too young to understand the story from the perspective of women (I'm a woman, but I definitely wasn't raised with the idea that a woman's perspective was necessary to get a full, clear, truthful picture - women had equality, and everyone's experience is the same! 👍👍👍). My sister must have been reading it in college, and I was probably in high school.
Anyway, so I've read a decent amount of the lore, and I'm enjoying the transformations of each tale so far. I thought T.H. White's version was fun, and Mary Stewart's series was incredibly well written and intriguing considering the perspective of Merlin and of Mordred, and how things were changed to make the final fate the result of complex misunderstandings. TMoA is proving to be so engrossing! It started off so, but the last few chapters I read - especially the last - is so far from where I realized it was going. There's depth I really wasn't expecting. Maybe I'm just awful at making predictions, maybe I just know too little background about the other religions, myths, and culture of the time, but I feel almost blindsided by the suddenness of events.
I'm wondering what others think of the book overall, out of you know what event I'm describing, maybe you remember how you felt reading it.
I will add this: some of my notes bemoan Gwenyfar's characterization, then later I add that I understand why Bradley would write her in such a way (for the plot, of course; I just took forever to see where it was going). Maybe I'm just too rigid, not imaginative enough considering I had so recently read the other versions and couldn't think of alternate pathways.
What do you all think of the book? (And please, no spoilers for me! I clearly enjoy being surprised. 😅)
Edit:
Oh.
Well.
Sigh...
I wasn't planning on reading beyond the first anyway, but ...
Is it wrong to even finish the book knowing? I have already contributed to whatever financial benefits received by my purchase of the digital copy. I feel that it would be wasted worse by not finishing the book at this point.
Well. Thanks for letting me know not to actually recommend it to others who may also financially contribute to this legacy...
My reading buzz is definitely killed for the time being.
https://redd.it/1i53vsm
@r_books
made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have. Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made. Nuclear War: A Scenario examines the handful of minutes after a nuclear missile launch. It is essential reading, and unlike any other book in its depth and urgency.|/u/MartagonofAmazonLily
# [Best Translated Novel of 2024](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1herrwn/best_translated_novel_of_2024_voting_thread/)
Place|Title|Author|Translator|Description|Nominated
-|-|-|-|------|-
**Winner**|*The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story*|Olga Tokarczuk|Antonia Lloyd-Jones|In September 1913, Mieczysław, a student suffering from tuberculosis, arrives at Wilhelm Opitz's Guesthouse for Gentlemen, a health resort in Görbersdorf, what is now western Poland. Every day, its residents gather in the dining room to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur, to obsess over money and status, and to discuss the great issues of the day: Will there be war? Monarchy or democracy? Do devils exist? Are women inherently inferior? Meanwhile, disturbing things are beginning to happen in the guesthouse and its surroundings. As stories of shocking events in the surrounding highlands reach the men, a sense of dread builds. Someone—or something—seems to be watching them and attempting to infiltrate their world. Little does Mieczysław realize, as he attempts to unravel both the truths within himself and the mystery of the sinister forces beyond, that they have already chosen their next target.|/u/mg132
**1st Runner-Up**|*You Dreamed of Empires*|Álvaro Enrigue|Natasha Wimmer|One morning in 1519, conquistador Hernán Cortés entered the city of Tenochtitlan – today's Mexico City. Later that day, he would meet the emperor Moctezuma in a collision of two worlds, two empires, two languages, two possible futures. Cortés was accompanied by his nine captains, his troops, and his two translators: Friar Aguilar, a taciturn, former slave, and Malinalli, a strategic, former princess. Greeted at a ceremonial welcome meal by the steely princess Atotoxli, sister and wife of Moctezuma, the Spanish nearly bungle their entrance to the city. As they await their meeting with Moctezuma – who is at a political, spiritual, and physical crossroads, and relies on hallucinogens to get himself through the day and in quest for any kind of answer from the gods – the Spanish are ensconced in the labyrinthine palace. Soon, one of Cortés’s captains, Jazmín Caldera, overwhelmed by the grandeur of the city, begins to question the ease with which they were welcomed into the city, and wonders at the risks of getting out alive, much less conquering the empire.|/u/AccordingRow8863
**2nd Runner-Up**|*Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop*|Hwang Bo-Reum|Shanna Tan|Yeongju is burned out. With her high-flying career, demanding marriage, and bustling life in Seoul, she knows she should feel successful—but all she feels is drained. Haunted by an abandoned dream, she takes a leap of faith and leaves her old life behind. Quitting her job and divorcing her husband, Yeongju moves to a quiet residential neighborhood outside the city and opens the Hyunam-dong Bookshop. The transition isn’t easy. For months, all Yeongju can do is cry. But as the long hours in the shop stretch on, she begins to reflect on what makes a good bookseller and a meaningful store. She throws herself into reading voraciously, hosting author events, and crafting her own philosophy on bookselling. Gradually, Yeongju finds her footing in her new surroundings. Surrounded by friends, writers, and the books that bind them, Yeongju begins to write a new chapter in her life. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop evolves into a warm, welcoming haven for lost souls—a place to rest, heal, and remember that it’s never too late to scrap
2024](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1he2dnm/best_romance_of_2024_voting_thread/)
Place|Title|Author|Description|Nominated
-|-|-|-------|-
**Winner**|*Funny Story*|Emily Henry|Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?|/u/vanastalem
**1st Runner-Up**|*Just for the Summer*|Abby Jimenez|Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?|/u/No_Pen_6114
**2nd Runner-Up**|*The Wedding People*|Alison Espach|It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.|/u/SweetAd5242
# [Best Horror of 2024](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1he2dnv/best_horror_of_2024_voting_thread/)
Place|Title|Author|Description|Nominated
-|-|-|-------|-
**Winner**|*Bury Your Gays*|Chuck Tingle|Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he's pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale―"for the algorithm"―Misha discovers that it's not that simple. As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what's right―before it's too late.|/u/thetealunicorn
**1st Runner-Up**|*The Eyes are the Best Part*|Monika Kim|Ji-won’s life tumbles into
The Plot versus Yellowface
I read R.F. Kuang's Yellowface over the summer after seeing a million recommendations for it. This week I randomly downloaded an audiobook of The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz, while I was running at the gym and needed something to listen to. I didn't realize The Plot was published first and was shocked by the similarities to Yellowface. Now I see that it was published two years earlier than Yellowface and it strikes me as bizarre and weird that Yellowface could even get published. The two are soooo similar -- and to top it off, they're both about writers stealing ideas from other writers? Has R F. Kuang acknowledged the similarities, does anyone know? I couldn't seem to find anything.
https://redd.it/1hui02i
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Venus Envy by Louise Bagshawe/Mensch
Just finished this and it’s the first book I’ve ever thrown across the room after finishing. It’s so bad. Is it just because it was published in the late 90s? I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt because of that but the fatphobia and faux feminism was awful. And don’t even get me started on the weird writing about Ireland. His accent was as creamy as the head of a pint of Guinness? Appalling.
https://redd.it/1hudamp
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The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien.
Finally excited to be here after a long break. Never read any books as well.
The Fall of Gondolin is a pretty neat book. Christopher has done his best conveying what his father wanted. But, the problem I had was that it never felt like reading the books wrote by the OG Tolkien. There is something lacking in this and The Children of Húrin, that I can’t really point it out. Maybe, it’s just me because I know these books were released posthumously after Tolkien’s death.
The book was pretty captivating and gives us some ideas of how Christopher came into bringing these draft works of Tolkien into full fledged novels. Wish J.R.R. Tolkien lived long enough to write to complete all the Middle-Earth books and lore. I am not complaining about Christopher though. Anything is better than nothing.
I wish I knew I had to read The Silmarillion and the other predecessors of this book in its order. That way I wouldn’t be confused about some parts of the story telling. (Advice for future readers)
This book was pretty much comparing the versions of Tolkien and it kinda bored me out because of the constant repetitiveness in the latter part of the book. Some dialogues were hard to comprehend for me, some I felt like Yoda (the one from Star Wars) talking.
Any how this book is a must read for all the Middle-Earthers as it dives into more lore and history of Middle-Earth before it was known as Middle-Earth. Just make sure to follow the order it is intended to be read (It’s there on Wikipedia).
https://redd.it/1huaoym
@r_books
Weekly FAQ Thread January 05, 2025: How do you discover new books?
Hello readers and welcome to our Weekly FAQ thread! Our topic this week is: How do you discover new books? Do you use local bookstores, publications, blogs? Please post them here!
You can view previous FAQ threads here in our wiki.
Thank you and enjoy!
https://redd.it/1hu5mms
@r_books
Books you don't remember reading?
Books that didn't stand out to you or maybe you just forgot for no particular reason. For me this includes most of Jane Austen's books because I found them kinda similar. I'm planning on watching the movies to enjoy them again.
I still have the summaries and reviews I've made of them but they just weren't anything extraordinary.
https://redd.it/1i6cpg0
@r_books
(no spoilers) Just finished "When Among Crows" by Veronica Roth, it was a good read!
I don't often leave reviews, so please pardon my meandering ramble here!
As someone who loves fantasy and sci-fi, I'm always on the look out for good literary fantasy. I've gotten a couple great recs from here (The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro was excellent). One of my new year's resolutions is to utilize the public library system where I live more and, I picked up When Among Crows from the new fiction section at the branch near my house. 160 pages, cool cover, let's give it a shot!
It was a good read! Engaging story set in a fantastical modern-day Chicago. The mythology was well placed and I think Roth towed the line between fantasy and realistic well. A lot of these books feel like of cheesy, but I though Roth's storytelling worked really well. Also, a HUGE plus in my opinion is that it's 160 pages; nice and succinct. The pacing didn't feel rushed or longwinded, which, let's be real, a lot of modern fantasy can be drawn out.
It was also grittier than expected, which caught me off guard but didn't bother me. There were a few scenes that got a pretty grotesque, but it wasn't superfluous. I seemed to all add to the gritty atmosphere she created. In a similar vein, Roth is a really great writer. I enjoyed the flow of the narrative and the language was very easy to read without being simplistic. I'll have to get other books by her and see how they differ.
I'm always curious at what others think so I did a quick Google search and it's got a 3.75 on Goodreads- I think that's about right. There's a lot to like about it, but it wasn't perfect, and doesn't have the epic magnitude of some of the titans of the genre. For the 160 pages, I'd recommend picking it up if you're into modern-day fantasy. It also looks like this is book one in a series. I'll definitely read the next book when it comes out.
https://redd.it/1i5xjds
@r_books
Book separated in two parts
My friend and I are having a silly discussion regarding a book being separated into two parts. If the publisher decides to separate the book into two (or more) parts, like The Way of Kings and A Count of Monte Cristo, do you count them as one or two books? If you count books read, it is one or two books. Also, if you count how many books you own, you count them as one or two.
For me, if the author intended for it to be one book, then I count it as one even if I read/have it physically in two parts. My friend counts it as one when counting books read, but as two when counting how many books she owns.
I am interesting to hear what others think about this, if you think about it at all lol
Edit spelling
https://redd.it/1i5whv2
@r_books
Forgetting a title of a book you read is a form of torture.
Have any of you experienced this? It’s genuinely like a mini form of mind torture.
Books aren’t like movies or tv, or even like music. Just a few key plot points and with some work, you can easily find a movie you’ve forgotten the title to. Music? You remember any lyrics or even the tone, in 2025, you’ll be able to find the song you can’t remember.
But books? There’s 200,000 released every year and there’s a very good chance, even if you bought it a big shelf book store, that you and maybe 500 other people on the planet read that book. Your chances of finding a book that isn’t well known based on some plot points or characters or even a book cover are slim to none. And like I said, it’s torturous.
There are reddit subs dedicated to it, ChatGPT will look high and low for you, but 99% of the time, you’re screwed. And you’re left to go the rest of your life with this incomplete knowledge.
I read a great book in high school and have been trying to find it for legitimately a decade. The fact that I’m never going to find it, no matter how much I look, kills me.
So my question is, has this ever happened to you? Where you forgot a book title and have never been able to find it?
https://redd.it/1i5rxoj
@r_books
After nearly a decade of waiting, I discovered The Bright Sword was out, and it did not disappoint.
Read Lev Grossman's follow up to the Magicians in the area of adult fantasy - The Bright Sword: An Arthurian Novel - in one sitting yesterday and it did not disappoint.
Set in a mythical Camelot era Britain, Lev's writing paints the feeling of it into your mind as successfully as The Magicians did. As a huge fan of his writing with a lifelong attachment to Arthurian lore and mythology I enjoyed the book very much. Cute references to his own internal mythology echo from The Magicians - and many of the same themes resound - but with a tone closer to a spirit that has travelled Quentin's journey already in a past life and bears those lessons somewhere deep inside.
Wondering if anyone else hear has read it and would like to discuss it. Also would be open to discussing other Arthurian works and the overall mythology - I was obsessed with the genre as a kid and still enjoy it very much to this day.
https://redd.it/1i5l9uz
@r_books
What book reread most significantly changed your opinion of or relationship to that book?
I am basically a complete non-rereader, at least as an adult. But it does make me curious what I might be missing in terms of changes--positive, negative, or otherwise--to my thoughts on a given book. Maybe I should revisit things I first read as a teenager, just to see how my brain turning from adolescent to adult might shift my perspective. How about you? What have been your biggest reread surprises?
https://redd.it/1i5k1t4
@r_books
Interview with Jeff VanderMeer: The Southern Reach, The Uncanny and The Beyond
https://retrofuturista.com/interview-with-jeff-vandermeer-the-southern-reach-the-uncanny-and-the-beyond/
https://redd.it/1i57bk2
@r_books
Favourite Book people on YouTube and Instagram?
With the Tiktok ban, I'm curious who you all follow that's on BookTube or Bookstagram.
I follow A Life on Books, Leaf by Leaf and Travels Through Stories and really like their stuff. I've been watching Leaf by Leaf for a while on YouTube too and love his deep dives into more literary books. I'm open to any suggestions, from literary-focused ones to speculative fiction to romance to thrillers. It'd be nice to get a list of who's out there.
https://redd.it/1i54fmy
@r_books
the plot and start over.|/u/Far_Piglet3179
# [Best Book Cover of 2024](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1he3w3a/best_book_cover_of_2024_voting_thread/)
Place|Title|Author|Cover Artist|Book Cover|Nominated
-|-|-|-|-|-
**Winner**|*Absolution*|Jeff VanderMeer|Pablo Delcan|[Link](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66143f1a72e99535707baf00/1712786157715-3MWMI2C1ZLOZDEA90LO3/Absolution.jpg?format=500w)|/u/mogwai316
**1st Runner-Up**|*The God of the Woods*|Liz Moore|Grace Han|[Link](https://images4.penguinrandomhouse.com/cover/9780593418918)|/u/mogwai316
**2nd Runner-Up**|*Martyr!*|Kaveh Akbar|Linda Huang|[Link](https://images.randomhouse.com/cover/9780593685778)|/u/christospao
---
If you'd like to see our previous contests, you can find them in the [suggested reading](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/wiki/suggested) section of our [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/wiki/index).
* [Best Books of 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/19bhk8d/the_best_books_of_2023_winners/)
* [Best Books of 2022](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/10ct38f/the_best_books_of_2022_winners/)
* [Best Books of 2021](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/s5mmd8/the_best_books_of_2021_winners/)
* [Best Books of 2020](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/kz8q2w/the_best_books_of_2020_winners/)
* [Best Books of 2019](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/epyz3y/the_rbooks_best_books_of_2019_results/)
* [Best Books of 2018](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/afm49v/best_books_of_2018_results/)
* [Best Books of 2017](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/7qcxw9/best_books_of_2017_results/)
* [Best Books of 2016](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/5nzahg/best_books_of_2016_results/)
* [Best Books of 2015](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/40cl3w/announcement_winners_of_the_best_books_of_2015/)
* [Best Books of 2014](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2uc9jo/meta_the_results_for_the_best_books_of_2014_are_in/)
* [Best Books of 2013](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1thpon/rbooks_best_of_2013_winners_announcement/)
* [Best Books of the Decade 2010-2019](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/hk3opr/the_rbooks_best_books_of_the_decade_results/)
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disarray in the wake of her appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying… yet enticing. In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that. For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.|/u/RadioactiveBarbie
**2nd Runner-Up**|*I Was a Teenage Slasher*|Stephen Graham Jones|1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge. Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, and shared sense of unfairness of being on the outside through the slasher horror Jones loves, but from the perspective of the killer, Tolly, writing his own autobiography.|/u/Machiavelli_-
# [Best Nonfiction of 2024](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1he2do3/best_nonfiction_of_2024_voting_thread/)
Place|Title|Author|Description|Nominated
-|-|-|-------|-
**Winner**|*The Message*|Ta-Nehisi Coates|Ta-Nehisi Coates originally set off to write a book about writing, in the tradition of Orwell’s classic Politics and the English Language, but found himself grappling with deeper questions about how our stories—our reporting and imaginative narratives and mythmaking—expose and distort our realities. Written at a dramatic moment in American and global life, this work from one of the country’s most important writers is about the urgent need to untangle ourselves from the destructive nationalist myths that shape our world—and our own souls—and embrace the liberating power of even the most difficult truths.|/u/marmeemarmee
**1st Runner-Up**|*Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space*|Adam Higginbotham|On January 28, 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of a crew including New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like 9/11 or JFK’s assassination, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in 20th-century history—yet the details of what took place that day, and why, have largely been forgotten. Until now. Based on extensive archival records and meticulous, original reporting, Challenger follows a handful of central protagonists—including each of the seven members of the doomed crew—through the years leading up to the accident, a detailed account of the tragedy itself, and into the investigation that followed. It’s a tale of optimism and promise undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; of hubris and heroism; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light. Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and ultimately kept from the public.|/u/caughtinfire
**2nd Runner-Up**|*Nuclear War: A Scenario*|Annie Jacobsen|Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in—where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions
I got a Kindle for Christmas and I have some questions
* why is it more expensive on Amazon to buy the Kindle version of a book than it is to buy the paperback version? That just doesn't make sense to me.
* I was told I can get library books for free through an app called Libby (as long as I have a library card) but how does that work exactly? Do you never have to wait for a book to be returned by someone else because they can just send out as many electronic versions as requested? Do you only get a certain amount of time to read a book before it disappears from your Kindle?
* Are there other free sources for ebooks I should know about?
Overall I'm super excited about my new Kindle! It's so small and light and I got one that's a pretty mint green color instead of the black, and I bought a clear case for it so I can admire the color 😊. I'm particularly excited about using it on my commute to and from work on the train because I won't be lugging around heavy books anymore!
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The Orchard Keeper and Blood Meridian
In my readings of Cormac MacCarthy the two books I learned the most from are The Orchard Keeper and Blood Meridian. The Orchard Keeper I didn’t read, but listened to it as it was included in my Audible subscription. Really because I figured if I was going to sacrifice one of his books to an audiobook experience I might as well choose the least regarded of his bibliography.
I’ve read Blood Meridian and and listened to it many times through.
The first important thing that I learned was from Blood Meridian. I was reading through getting frustrated with the vocabulary, at having to stop and look up so many words, mostly geographical terms, and it dawned on me that I was racing. I just wanted the book under my belt. So, I slowed down and made sure I got it, his rhythm, his vocabulary, and once I did this the book became very visual and beautiful, even with its graphic nature. So I learned to read slow from that book. Lesson: It’s not a race.
More recently when I listened to The Orchard Keeper I noticed the narrator became a person more than in any other book I’ve experienced. It was like I was sitting next to someone who was just bullshitting along, telling the story. I don’t mean bullshitting in the sense of lying, but just the casual inventive nature of telling something he though worth telling. I was amazed. I listened to it for about an hour a night as I lie in bed and at least three times in my twilight haze I got the profound sense that someone was right behind my shoulder talking to me, telling me the story. So what’s the lesson? Give the narrator a personality. Don’t allow him or her to be sterile but tell the story like this is something the narrator has lived through, witnessed and was fascinated by enough to want to share the tale as a meandering series of connected anecdotes.
I always see The Orchard Keeper at the bottom of everyone’s ranking of MacCarthy’s books, so I wanted to share my experience and give the book some love
Comparing it to say No Country. No Country is a powerful story but the narrator is not much of a part of the story other than Ed Tom’s first person narrative. If it’s read after one sees the movie, which is sadly my experience, it reads like a script. This is just my thoughts. Cheers!
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Books that you loved as a kid but hate as an adult?
When I was a kid I devoured Terry Brooks whole Shanara series. I lived in that world and knew it's geography better than my own countrys. But going back to them as an adult they are awful. The writing is pretty poor, they are soooo repetitive, and there's no escaping that book 1 was obviously a huge LOTR ripoff. But maybe the worst thing is that every single novel follows the same damn formula. Band of scrappy heroes tasked with a quest to travel some geographic distance to fight the new big bad or retrieve the new macguffin. Rinse and repeat for twenty books.
Brandon Sanderson isn't perfect but reading him lately has helped me get back into fantasy that actually has other plot structures. Or reading Monk and Robot series which doesn't even HAVE a plot hardly but was a delightful little slice of life novella pair.
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Different types of world building
So idk if there’s a proper term for this, but for the sake of this post, I’m gonna call it soft and hard world building
Do you prefer hard worldbuilding which impact on the plot? Like a background character wearing clothing from a different culture that is unknown to the characters
Or do you prefer softer worldbuilding? Like different farming methods in one country as opposed to the other.
One has a very intentional purpose and might even be used to set up future plot points.
While the other is just to flesh out the world and make it more interesting.
Which do you prefer?
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Reading 10 pages of 3 books a day: does it really work?
While watching a video by one of my favorite booktubers on how to read more (my 2024 was one of my worst reading years), two of the tips she mentioned were
Read several different books.
Read 10 pages of each.
These tips sound pretty good on paper, but do they really work?
Because throughout my time as a reader, I've realized that books have their own pacing, so reading just 10 pages a day wouldn't be enough to enjoy the book in its entirety.
That's what I think.
What about you?
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