This is How You Lose the Time War was a trip worth taking

I second this. I read a lot more genre fiction than literary fic, but I *inhaled* this book. (Sure it’s sci fi, but it’s *lit*)

I so enjoyed this book! A former student recommended it to me, and I just....whew.

Midnight Library

The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich.

Recency bias maybe, but I’m reading the Starless Sea right now and I think it’s the one

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

I'm having a very difficult time choosing, but "The Physics of Sorrow" by Georgi Gospodinov, maybe. I also enjoyed "Ööema" by Lilli Luuk immensely (it's only available in Estonian, sadly). And I'm in the middle of "Martyr!" which will probably be somewhere at the top, too.

In the last year probably martyr! and open throat.

Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin

Most of the fiction I read is with my kids, so: The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman

The Witcher series

“Dead Souls,” Nikolai Gogol

*Published* in the last 5 years, though? Probably “System Collapse” by @marthawells.com (great examination of trauma and memory wrapped up in a thrilling action sci-fi narrative)

I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore

I find being asked questions like this aking to being asked how I am. These stand out & I read many "classics" Jeeves and the Leap of Faith Ben Schott Eight Detectives Alex Pavesi The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Stuart Turton The Constant Rabbit Jasper Fforde Death on the Tiber Lindsey Davis

Interesting thread. So many I'd never even heard of. Interesting how few classics. Should have added Piranesi myself esp as I have a very minor claim to fame having worked briefly with a guy who helped Ms Clarke format her first book.

* akin

Hmm. I read too many books in 5 years to pick *one*. I did enjoy The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

Not new, but I read it recently and honestly “Rebecca” is a classic for a reason. Just an absolute fucked up page turner.

Now I need a re-read!

Five years is a long time! Probably The Water Knife. But if you've read that, try The Monkey Wrench Gang

Martian Chronicles - rereading it as an adult was a profound experience.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The Institute --Stephen King

The Fifth Season by @nkjemisin.bsky.social. The entire Broken Earth trilogy is great, but the Fifth Season is an absolutely phenomenal work of fiction that sits firmly atop Jemisin's impressive body of work.

So good! Her books are mesmerizing.

The Antidote by Karen Russell, Love Songs of WEB DuBois

by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

The Devil Three Times

American War by Omar el-Akkad

Great book

Lessons in Chemistry.

Emma, Miss Jane Austen

Hey girly!! I loved North Woods!

The Overstory

Whalefall by @danielkraus.com

Was just going to post this! Best thing I've read in a long time.

Five, fuck

Terrace Story, maybe

Engine Summer? I know I’m supposed to prefer Little, Big, but Engine Summer hits like crazy.

The Sympathizer, by @vietthanhnguyen.bsky.social

Black Cake. Absolutely beautiful.

Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Also James, Demon Copperhead, The Women, The Emperor of Gladness, for starters.

Burr by Gore Vidal.

All the Light We Cannot See

James by Percival Everett

Just finished. Great book

All the Sinners Bleed by @blacktopkid.bsky.social

House Of X/Powers Of X

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.

Babel, by R.F. Kuang

I came here to say Babel. I also endorse the Broken Earth recommendations, but I think I might have actually read those over 5 years ago which is insane to me.

Five years is longer than it used to be

I mentioned this one too before I saw your post!

Shiner

Remarkable Creatures

Finally got around to reading Parable of the Sower last year, it was brilliant

Don’t miss Parable of the Talent

I feel like it was even more eerily prophetic 😳

I mean, Moby-Dick, but I’m currently reading Demon Copperhead and it’s blowing my mind.

Anything by Barbara Kingsolver. She is my favorite!

Shark Heart, by Emily Habeck

The September House by Carissa Orlando. It is a fun read of horror and laughter.

Yanis Varoufakis: Another Now

Milkman.

Tommy Orange’s There, There and Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam also come to mind.

Anything by Tommy Orange. He’s an excellent storyteller.

I cannot recommend this book enough www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Fi...

One of them was “The Midnight Library”.

#DemonCopperhead

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters - loved it!

Because I'm still thinking about it two years later, Jordan Harper's “Everybody Knows” www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jorda...

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton

The Bull and the Rope by Anthony Dragonetti but tbf it's also the only fiction book I've read in the past five years

Thank you!

All The Light We Cannot See

Invisible Bridge

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remarka...

@nkjemisin.bsky.social’s Broken Earth; @adapalmer.bsky.social’s Terra Ignota a worthy second (both series, sorry/not sorry)

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Maybe I'm just dumb, but I didn't get this book at all. I liked Gideon, but the unreliable narrator, time skips, universe skips, and completely unexplained supernatural rules left me more confused than anything. It had cool vibes, but if I had to write a definitive timeline of events... good luck.

Did you finish it? I was absolutely lost for about the middle third of the book the first time I read it, but by the end loved it and couldn’t wait to reread with context

I did. Though I was listening to the audiobook version and it's possible I missed some key details while navigating an unfamiliar drive.

My Documents by @knguyen.bsky.social !

The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride

📌

The Cities We Became by NK Jemisin

Demon Copperhead

Erasure by Percival Everett

City on the edge of night I think. Or some short novel by this english guy about restoring a fresco in a church after ww1

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

I loved "Bluebird, Bluebird" -- adding this one to my list, too

Ohh I'll check that one out! I just started Pleasantville.

We Used to Live Here.

“Swimming in the Dark” by Tomasz Jedrowski

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Psalm for the wild built

Oh! Read that in a sci-fi book club and it was beautiful.

Severance

Such a good book! I initially picked it up because I thought it was related to the show, but was wildly and pleasantly surprised by it (and it’s not at all)

The Saints of Salvation by Peter F Hamilton

Does a short story collection count? Because mine would be Exhalation by Ted Chiang. If it doesn’t, then A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

The Women

A Gentleman in Moscow

unicornjelly.com

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

That was my answer, too

The Humans and How To Stop Time are also great.

I loved The Humans. I found it very relatable as an autistic person.

I've been unsure. I did read Matt Haig's very funny novel, The Radleys. The recent movie was a bit of a disappointment.

I don’t usually watch movie adaptations of books I like, they seem to disappoint more often than they amaze me.

R.F. Kuang's "Babel" 😍

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

I liked Chain Gang All-Stars a lot

That’s been on my bedside table forever; I really need to read it

The Neverending Story 1st Ed Not the movie edition

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

When we cease to understand the world

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Great book!

It's a little basic, but The Expanse series is wonderful from start to finish.

I think the expanse series is great. I don’t find it basic. Or maybe I’m basic.

I just mean it's popular enough that I'm not going to get literary hipster points for recommending it. Which is fine because it's really good, regardless. If I was recommending underrated SciFi for real heads, though, Engine Summer by John Crowley doesn't get nearly enough love.

Ira Levin's Rosemary Baby and it's sequel were quick reads that hold up and a fun summer read the butcher and the wren by a podcaster from the popular Morbid.

Sorry, too many candidates to make a quick choice.

Master and Margarita

Tom Lake

I would second that. I live in the area where her fictional cherry farm was set-- and Patchett captured the spirit of the place, perfectly.

It’s my dream to live there!

In May, it's pure magic.

Alec This is Happiness

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult.

North Woods by Daniel Mason

It’s a tie between James and The Overstory

Bible

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

All the Broken Places A Marriage Portrait Before I Let Go Homegoing Jackal

marriage portrait was great!

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Ach, I just gave it away. I didn't think I'd read it... so many choices

So good!

First that came to mind for me, too.

The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai

Seconded. I’m now on my fourth nonfiction AIDS book all because of how moved I was by The Great Believers earlier this year!

in English, Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss!

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

That was #2 on my list!

Loved this book!!

Babel by R. F. Kuang

Intermezzo, Sally Rooney

We have always lived in the castle - Shirley Jackson Hamnet - Maggie o’farrell.

As Long as the Lemon Tree Grows.

The Weight of Ink. The Covenant of Water. Remarkably Bright Creatures.

The Husbands

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Project Hail Mary.

Loved this book!!!!

Probably "The Tourist" by Steinhauer

Prophet Song

The Saint of Bright Doors by @vajra.me

Babel by RF Kuang and it’s not even close

Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

So good

The Fault In Our Stars

James by Percival Everett

Martyr!

Sixthing? 7thing?

Seconding

Thirding!

fourthing!

Great book

Severance by Ling Ma Oona Out of Order In Five Years by Rebecca Serle Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips Anything Ann Patchett has written

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa !

*Book,* singular, IDK, and I also first read most of these more than 5 yrs. ago, *but* I do re-read the series every year (my b-day gift to myself), so technically, this counts: The Murderbot Diaries, from @marthawells.com

Octavia Butler's Parables duology.

Yes! And Kindred is another great of hers.

Agreed!

Also, Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu.

Just finished them both. My mind was blown by how she saw into the future!

📌

The North Water

Parable of the Sower and the Locked Tomb series

you can just text me you know

The Kaiju Preservation Society

Black Cake, C. Wilkerson Browngirl Dreaming, J. Woodson Long Division, K. Laymon Redwood Court, D. Dameron

Black Cake was fantastic! I just finished Good Dirt (also by Charmaine Wilkerson) and it was also fantastic. I think I enjoyed it more than Black Cake (it was very close, though!).

I’ll have to check out “Good Dirt”, thanks for the rec!

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

When We Cease to Understand the World

A Tale for The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

The Trees, by Percival Everett

I Am Not Sidney Potier, also Everett

James, also by Everett

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Most engaging? Maybe Babel.

Death of Vivek Oji

Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad

I liked Nickel Boys better but enjoyed that one as well

Haven't gotten to Nickel Boys - yet. I like to read their entire body of work, so I will. But, Didion - done. Gabaldon - done. Oates - one left. Mankell - done. La Carre - two left. Nabokov is in the queue as are Picoult.

You should add Willa Cather.

She's on my list.

James

Fosse’s Septology, probably?

Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver.

Our share of night by Mariana Enriquez

📌

There There the hearts invisible furies

Paul Yoon's Snow Hunters

Love that feeling when someone recommends a book, you think it sounds interesting and you find it’s already on your TBR. That moves it up the list for me!

Cloud cuckoo land

nooooooo

Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

Demon Copperhead

North Woods, by Daniel Mason

First that came to mind is Damnation Spring

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

I really enjoyed The Antimemetic Division by qntm.

god my brain just segfaulted at this question, but I'm definitely going to comb through the replies for later additions to the TBR pile

At least a partial sign that I don’t read widely enough but Legion by Dan Abnett is genuinely fantastic, even if it is a tie-in novel for some toy soldiers.

I loved Killers of a Certain Age! Fast, fun, and also a little different then many similar books.

Stag Dance and All Fours

Blackouts & The Office of Historical Corrections

I keep getting The Office of Historical Corrections out at the library, forgetting to read it, and bringing it back. Maybe I need to actually read it

With the exception of J. California Cooper’s books, I am not typically a fan of short stories. Danielle Evans’ Office of Historical Corrections is an exception to that. It was so good.

our wives under the sea!

The Covenant of Water

I really liked The Wedding People by Alison Espach and Our Share Of Night by Mariana Enriquez

I dunno, man, it's been just all smut since lockdown. You want Ice Planet Barbarians as a rec, or