2025: A Year's Reading

Here is the list of books that I read for pleasure in 2025 (my sixth such list since 2020). The books are listed in the order I read them, with new favorites being indicated by asterisks (rereads are favorites by default):

Books

1. Iain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background (reread)
2. Heather Fawcett, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
3. Iain Banks, The Steep Approach to Garbadale
4. Hope Mirrlees, Lud-in-the-Mist*
5. Miles Cameron, Deep Black
6. Christopher Ruocchio, Empire of Silence
7. T. Kingfisher, Minor Mage
8. Michael J. Sullivan, Age of Myth
9. Nicola Griffith, Spear*
10. Susan Cooper, The Grey King (reread)
11. J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord Of the Rings (reread)
12. Tad Williams, The Witchwood Crown
13. Robert Jackson Bennett, A Drop of Corruption*
14. Richard Powers, Bewilderment
15. Cecilia Dart-Thornton, The Ill-Made Mute
16. Barbara Hambly, Dragonsbane (reread)
17. Alexander Freed, Reign of Empire: The Mask of Fear
18. Chris Kempshall, Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
19. Sage Walker, The Man in the Tree
20. James Luceno, Catalyst: A Rogue One Story
21. Robert Jackson Bennett, Foundryside
22. Raymond E. Feist, Magician: Apprentice (reread)
23. A. Lee Martinez, Too Many Curses
24. Martha Wells, All Systems Red (reread)
25. Mick Herron, Slow Horses*
26. Adrian Tchaikovsky, Shroud
27. Mick Herron, Real Tigers
28. Mick Herron, Spook Street
29. Joe Abercrombie, The Devils
30. Seth Dickinson, Exordia
31. Zen Cho, Sorcerer to the Crown
32. Stephen Baxter, Raft
33. Elizabeth Bear, The Folded Sky*
34. Caspar Geon, The Immeasurable Heaven
35. Lawrence Watt-Evans, The Misenchanted Sword
36. Richard Swan, Grave Empire
37. Fran Wilde, Updraft
38. Kameron Hurley, The Stars Are Legion
39. Robert Holdstock, Mythago Wood (reread)
40. Max Gladstone, Wicked Problems*
41. Adrian Tchaikovsky, Lives of Bitter Rain*
42. Max Gladstone, Dead Hand Rule*
43. Antonia Hodgson, The Raven Scholar*
44. Arkady Martine, Rose/House
45. Paul McAuley, The Quiet War (reread)
46. Paul McAuley, Gardens of the Sun
47. Paul McAuley, In the Mouth of the Whale
48. Paul McAuley, Evening’s Empires
49. Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (reread)
50. James Islington, The Will of the Many
51. T. J. Klune, The House on the Cerulean Sea
52. Hiron Ennes, The Works of Vermin
53. Bethany Jacobs, This Brutal Moon*
54. Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (reread)
55. Michael Drout, The Tower and the Ruin
56. J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (reread—yes, I read the trilogy twice in 2025)

American Comics

1. Absolute Batman (DC)
2. Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)*
3. Absolute Superman (DC)
4. Absolute Wonder Woman (DC)*
5. Birds of Prey (DC)*
6. Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown (Dark Horse)*
7. Daredevil (Marvel)
8. The Ephemerata (Fantagraphics)*
9. Exceptional X-Men (Marvel)
10. Fantastic Four (Marvel)
11. The Immortal Thor (Marvel)
12. JSA (DC)
13. The Mortal Thor (Marvel)
14. Love and Rockets (Fantagraphics)
15. A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Narrative (Clarion)

Japanese Manga

1. Akane-banashi*
2. Asadora!*
3. Blue Period
4. Call of Night
5. Hiryasumi*
6. Kageki Shojo!!*
7. Komi Can't Communicate
8. Mob Pyscho 100
9. One-Punch Man
10. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun*
11. Witch Hat Atelier

2024: A Year's Reading

Since 2020, I've been keeping track of my reading for pleasure (as opposed to the substantial amount of reading I do in my job as a university professor). What follows are the books I read for fun in 2024. They are listed in the order I read them, with new favorites being indicated by asterisks (rereads are favorites by default):

Books

1. Serhii Plokhy, Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe
2. Elizabeth Bear, Range of Ghosts
3. Drew Williams, The Stars Now Unclaimed
4. Greg Egan, Scale
5. Lloyd Alexander, The Black Cauldron (reread)
6. Lloyd Alexander, The Castle of Llyr (reread)
7. Elizabeth Bear, Undertow
8. J. S. Dewes, The Exiled Fleet
9. Emily Tesh, Some Desperate Glory*
10. M. R. Carey, Infinity Gate*
11. Tana French, The Hunter
12. Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures
13. Frances Hardinge, Unraveller
14. W. P. Wiles, The Last Blade Priest
15. Alastair Reynolds, Machine Vendetta
16. Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric’s Labors
17. Garth Nix, The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
18. Neal Asher, The Technician (reread)
19. Jack McDevitt, Infinity Beach*
20. Barbara Hambly, The Iron Princess
21. Steven Erikson, Gardens of the Moon (reread)
22. Ian C. Esslemont, Night of Knives
23. Steven Erikson, Deadhouse Gates (reread)
24. Steven Erikson, Memories of Ice (reread)
25. Steven Erikson, House of Chains (reread)
26. Steven Erikson, Midnight Tides (reread)
27. Steven Erikson, The Bonehunters (reread)
28. Steven Erikson, Reaper’s Gale (reread)
29. Steven Erikson, Toll the Hounds (reread)
30. Ian C. Esslemont, Return of the Crimson Guard
31. M. R. Carey, Echo of Worlds*
32. Ian C. Esslemont, Stonewielder
33. Bethany Jacobs, These Burning Stars
34. M. R. Carey, The Book of Koli
35. Peter S. Beagle, I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons
36. Ian C. Esslemont, Orb Sceptre Throne
37. Marko Kloos, Descent
38. James S. A. Corey, The Mercy of Gods
39. Ian C. Esslemont, Blood and Bone
40. J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (reread)
41. Ben Aaronovitch, Rivers of London*
42. Richard Powers, Playground
43. Michael Mammay, Planetside
44. Naomi Mitchison, Travel Light
45. Miles Cameron, Artifact Space
46. Bethany Jacobs, On Vicious Worlds
47. Judith Tarr, Ars Magica
48. Seth Dickinson, The Traitor Baru Cormorant*
49. Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alien Clay
50. Ken MacLeod, The Corporation Wars: Dissidence
51. Diana Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle (reread)
52. Ken MacLeod, The Corporation Wars: Insurgence
53. Iain M. Banks, The Algebraist (reread)
54. Iain M. Banks, Look to Windward (reread)
55. Diana Wynn’s Jones, Archer’s Goon*
56. Iain M. Banks, Matter (reread)
57. Iain M. Banks, Excession (reread)
58. C. J. Cherryh, Cuckoo’s Egg
59. Seanan McGuire, Every Heart a Doorway
60. Adrian Tchaikovsky, Days of Shattered Faith
61. Barbara Hambly, The Ladies of Mandrigyn*
62. Robert Jackson Bennett, The Tainted Cup*
63. K. J. Parker, Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead
64. Garth Nix, Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz*
65. Alix E. Harrow, The Ten Thousand Doors of January
66. Moniquill Blackgoose, To Shape a Dragon's Breath
67. Patricia A. McKillip, The Bards of Bone Plain

I also read the following comics and manga series:

American Comics

1. Absolute Superman
2. Absolute Wonder Woman
3. Birds of Prey
4. Daredevil
5. Exceptional X-Men
6. Fantastic Four
7. Immortal Thor
8. JSA
9. Love & Rockets
10. Titans

Japanese Manga

1. Akane-Banashi
2. Asadora
3. Blue Period
4. Call of the Night
5. Hiryasumi
6. Kageki Shojo!!
7. Komi Can't Communicate
8. Mob Psycho 100
9. One Punch Man
10. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun
11. Witch Hat Atelier