I read a lot. Here’s some of my recent favorites (links are to Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores).
To Paradise, by Hanya Yanagihara
To Paradise is a fantastic book. Split into three sections, the last one is by far my favorite (and longest). It describes a totalitarion verison of the world where pandemics and plagues occur regularly. Beautifully written by the same author of A Little Life (which is equally phenomenal), I still think about this book months later – and not just because I work in public health.
The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie
This classic, first published in 1988, is an incredible story that constantly surprised me. With many books, you can see the plotline unfold ahead of you as common tropes and mechanisms inevitably reoccur across genres and authors. With The Satanic Verses, I had no idea what would happen next. I was constantly surprised. With wild real-world consequences (if you don’t know, do some research on the controversy that led to multiple assassination attempts on the author), this book was spectacularly written and imaginative.
4 3 2 1, by Paul Auster
Phenomenal. I can’t really describe how encompassing and beautiful the narrative Auster has written without giving too much of the plot away, but I can say that I’ve rarely read something as thought-provoking, wondrously tragic, and agonizingly joyful as this novel. This book describes four versions of a single life, emphasizing how small choices we make can end up affecting us far down the road. This is a book to savor.
The Three Body Problem and sequels, by Cixin Liu
This is an absolutely incredible sci-fi series that spans centuries. The premise: aliens are coming to earth–but in 450 years. What happens through the next three books is a race to somehow prevent the incoming invasion. A rich, dense series with fantastic characters and deep philosophical questions all with a terrifying backdrop that humanity’s time on earth is limited.
The Savage Detectives, by Roberto Bolaño
This book is wild and is definitely not for everyone. I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did, since the first 140 pages are bizarre and frankly off-putting. I was seriously questioning the cashier who recommended it to me as “the best book he’s read in 50 years” and highly considered not finishing. I’m so glad I stuck with it, because once you get to the interview sections, the book gets a lot better. And then when you get to those last 150 or so pages? This book goes from good to fantastic.
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States, by Daniel Immerwahr
This book is about the United States’ colonial aspirations that the country tries to forget and neglects to teach its citizens. A super fascinating look at the influence of the United States as an empire throughout its history. It was definitely eye-opening and a great reminder to (unfortunately) not believe everything you are taught in school, especially in areas where “negative” history is suppressed or revised in obsequence to the increasing rise of nationalism.