As you may or may not have noticed, we’re kinda fond of reading around here. In fact, we like reading so much that we even read lots of books that have nothing to do with Star Wars! (Shocking, I know.) Because 2018 has lasted for approximately forty-thousand years, we thought it’d be nice to look back at some of our favorite books that have been released over the last twelve months because everyone can always add to their ‘to be read’ list, right?

Read on for three recs from each of us!

Bria’s Favs: 

1. Iron Gold: It’s fine. I didn’t need a heart. Or feelings. Or anything. You can just keep smashing them into tiny pieces, Pierce Brown. It’s fine. I’m a huge fan of the original Red Rising trilogy and was surprised when they said there’d be more books because it felt like things had been wrapped up nicely. With the first book in a follow up trilogy, Brown does something that fascinates me: he engages with all the chaotic crap that happens after you win the revolution and have to rebuild a government/new society. In contrast the previous trilogy, we get the point of views of multiple characters and not just Darrow, broadening our view of the galaxy and the rebellion. It also helps keep the series feeling fresh (although Darrow remains, y’know, Darrow) and also breaks your heart. So, y’know, it’s a Red Rising book and I am 100% here for it.
2. Hullmetal Girls: You know how books can feel tailor-made for you sometimes? Yeah, that was me and this book. I reviewed it back in July and adored it then and I still adore it half a year later. Emily Skrutskie gives us angry girls who have undergone a surgical procedure that turns them into mechanically enhanced soldiers. Aisha does so willingly because she feels it’s the only option to help her family and Key has no memory of why she gave up her life of privilege. The book doesn’t shy away from how awful and literally life changing the procedure is and how it effects not just their bodies but also their minds. And did I mention that they’re angry? I love angry girls so much and I especially love books that let girls be angry and that have narratives that doesn’t punish them for it. And now I want to go read this book again.
3. Trail of Lighting: We featured the book in a Go/No-Go earlier this year and really dug it and I cannot wait for the sequel. I didn’t know how badly I wanted Indigenous Mad Max: Fury Road until Rebecca Roanhorse gave it to me. The world building is fantastic and feels like a breath of fresh air in comparison to many of the other post-apocalyptic worlds out there. This is also a book that only someone like Roanhorse could possibly write and reinforces why own voices are such a big deal. I also adore the protagonist, Maggie Hoskie, because give me all of the imperfect women who don’t want to be the heroes and I will love them all. Is it spring yet so I can read the sequel?

Nanci’s Favs: 

1. The Consuming Fire: John Scalzi’s first installment in the Interdependency Series, The Collapsing Empire, was one of my favorite books of 2017, so it’s no surprise the sequel is my top pick for 2018. The world of the Interdependency is fascinating, with a political, economic, and religious system completely unlike Earth. I would read a textbook history of the Interdependency, no joke. I tore through The Consuming Fire in only a few days; it’s fast-paced, has twist and turns that left me breathless, and characters who make me want to rage or stand up and cheer. It also featured one of the best comeuppances I’ve ever read. Considering what a trash fire the past few years have been, I couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying book.
2. The Murderbot Diaries: I’m sort of cheating with this entry, since the first Murderbot novella, All Systems Red, released last year, but the last three (Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy) released this year, so I’m counting it. The series, by Martha Wells, was an instant hit, and Murderbot is one of the best protagonists I’ve read in a long time. Its struggles and tribulations are surprisingly human, and I shed more than one tear empathizing with the anxious robot. Wells is writing a full-length Murderbot novel, due out in 2020. Considering how the series ended, I cannot wait to see what the novel has in store.
3. The Flowers of Vashnoi: Come on, you knew this had to be on the list. I host a podcast about the Vorkosigan saga–I couldn’t not include the latest novella on my list. Released in May by Lois McMaster Bujold herself, Flowers is told entirely in Ekaterin Vorkosigan’s point of view and features her struggles to improve the irradiated Vashnoi zone. Ekaterin is one of my favorite characters of the series, and probably the character I relate to most, so I fell in love with this novella right away. It’s definitely not a story that stands alone, but one long-time fans of the series will definitely enjoy. Bujold has said she has no plans for future Vorkosigan stories at this time; I, personally, hope this changes because it’s obvious this rich world is not done being explored. (I would KILL for a next generation novel about Helen Natalia or the future Emperor Vorbarra, and I’m only joking a little bit.)

Manda’s Favs:

1. A Conspiracy of Truths: High fantasy isn’t usually my thing, but this year had me aching for other worlds in an all new way. Enter Chant, a delightful traveling storyteller whose questionable relationship with the truth comes to have international consequences when he’s wrongly accused of espionage. The world is the most approachable one I’ve encountered in a high fantasy book and Chant is the most delightfully unreliable narrator I’ve read in a long time. It’s a world where stories are important, and author Alexandra Rowland has filled with rich and diverse characters. It was a great trip to elsewhere and I will forever adore some of the characters I met (my fingers are crossed for Ylfing to get a spinoff!). If fantasy is your thing, you’ll want to check this one out.
2. Kill The Farm Boy: As someone who isn’t always into fantasy, hearing that a fantasy pastiche was coming from two authors I adore (Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne) had me more excited than usual for the release of this one. It did not disappoint. Kill The Farm Boy is the antidote for every fantasy that ever took itself too seriously. From a dark wizard whose magic seems to only summon baked goods, to a paladin who’s terrified of chickens, to a woman-turned-bunny whose bardic ambitions and adorable romance made her my very favorite, every character in this book is the perfect antithesis of the expected. Their pun-filled adventures alongside Gustave the [talking, copiously-defecating] goat were the brain candy that 2018 needed. It’s still my go-to when I’m down and need a smile.
3. Cobalt City: Resistance: Contemporary/Urban Fantasy is my usual non Star Wars genre of choice, and I have been a fan of the Cobalt City universe for years. In this installment, the world has been set on edge by the election of a former reality TV star (and despicable human being) to the Presidency of the United States. Sound familiar? The setup for this book feels almost too close to home, but following the triumphs and tragedies of two generations of superheroes railing against home-grown fascism was both comforting and inspiring. It was the book I needed this year to keep my spirits up and my hopes high in the face of the political maelstrom that is current US politics.

Sho’s Favs:

1. Aru Shah and the End of Time: This is the first book published by Rick Riordan’s new Scholastic middle grade imprint and, I have to say, if they’re all this good my wallet is in trouble. This is a fun book with a similar tone to Riordan’s own work, but Roshani Chokshi brings a unique voice to the hey-guess-what-the-stories-you-thought-were-just-myths-are-real concept. Chokshi throws Aru into an adventure she is unprepared for, with riddles, family secrets, diaspora life, loneliness, and, oh, right, all those Indian myths she grew up hearing-but-definitely-not-paying-attention-to? Their real, and the gods have adapted to the modern world. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel. If you like Riordan’s books, mythology, adventures, middle grade fantasy books, secrets, and/or flawed protagonists, check this out.
2. City of Ghosts: I love Victoria Schwab’s books. Her Shades of Magic trilogy is one of my favorite recent fantasy series. So a middle grade book about ghosts and written by Schwab? Exactly my thing. A girl who can see ghosts goes to Edinburgh with her ghost-hunting parents and her friend (who is, indeed, a ghost) and she ends up learning more about her mysterious ability while also getting tangled in some nasty business. It has the darkness I’ve come to expect from Schwab’s books while still maintaining a middle grade tone.
3. On a Sunbeam: This gorgeous graphic novel by Tillie Walden is a romance-adventure-found-family-small-scale space opera that’s difficult to describe with words alone. Space ships look like goldfish that swim between landmasses and buildings floating freely in space, where, by the way, you can breathe. Oh, and all of the characters are women or nonbinary. It’s 534 pages of queer space love adventure in which the the lack of male presence is never even commented upon. Glorious.