(6/13) It was a long wait to get Becky Chambers' Wayfarers Series because the hold times were SO LONG. Record of a Spaceborn Few was my favorite of the bunch. It's a multi-POV story of a fleet of spacefaring humans who left the planet generations ago and developed a culture all their own. They aren't conquering heroes -- they're poor & marginalized compared to the more privileged aliens of the Galactic Commons. Some want to leave the fleet to make a life among aliens; some want to return home; others find themselves struggling with aspects of their culture that no longer make sense.

There's little outright conflict, but I found myself deeply invested in the characters' lives. The ending brought me to tears and gave me a sense of deep satisfaction. I expect many folks might prefer the more adventuresome Wayfarers books, but RoaSF was my very favorite of the series.

#solarpunk #2022BookList #RecordOfASpacebornFew #BeckyChambers

(5/13) In A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys, "dandelion networks" -- semi-anarchist collectives built on citizen science and networked decision-making -- have been bringing the earth back from the brink of environmental catastrophe. Their work is interrupted by first contact with benevolent aliens who urgently wish to "rescue" them from Earth and its problems. It's a warm, humane story that explores what it means to make amends and repair our mistakes.

I especially love that, for all the high SF and interplanetary scope of the story, the turning point happens at a cozy Passover seder to which the aliens are invited. Highly recommended.

#solarpunk #AHalf-BuiltGarden #2022BookList #RuthannaEmrys

(3/13) I spent most of January and February 2022 reading the Wheel of Time series. I was drawn into the world, story, and characters (esp. Egwene)--but the relentless gender essentialism kept bringing me down. Why did I stick with it through fourteen books and two months? Because I'm a filthy completionist, that's why. At least I've gotten it out of my system.

#WheelofTime #2022BookList #ICouldHaveReadProustTwiceOver

(2/13) THE STATS: (courtesy #TheStorygraphApp)
Read 55 books / 20,646 pages
51 fiction / 4 nonfiction
First book of the year: A Dead Djinn in Cairo, by P. Djeli Clark
Last book of the year: So You've Been Publicly Shamed, by Jon Ronson

FAVORITE READS THIS YEAR:
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, by Kate Beaton
A Half-Built Garden, Ruthanna Emrys
Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers
The Murderbot Diaries series, by Martha Wells

#2022BookList