I haven't read The Unholy Consult yet, so this could change for me (though I doubt it), but at the moment I too feel that The Second Apocalypse Series peaked with The White-Luck Warrior. I look forward to reading that last book and discussing it with you early in 2025! All the best, Johanna!
I predict you won't change your mind after The Unholy Consult, but there's still much to appreciate in that book. I'm looking forward to discussing it with you too! Thank you, Philip! ❤️
Glad you liked seeing Tigana! I couldn't resist adding your "Rebeccuh" in the video. I think I got called out the last time I mentioned the book and didn't add that. 😂 I do feel like we read different stories with The Dispossessed. Haha!
What a great year of reading Johanna. I love the variety of genres that you embrace for all they have to offer. Couple of the books here are also my all time favorites: Hyperion, Lonesome Dove, The Dispossessed, and of course Klara. ❤️ Happy Reading in 2025 Johanna!
Favorite Reads of 2024: "The Enemy" short story by I B Singer The Demon of Unrest by E. Larson To the Lighthouse by V. Woolf A Game of Thrones by GRRM A Month in the Country by J. Carr A Moveable Feast by E. Hemingway In Cold Type: Overcoming the Book Crisis by L. Shatzkin The City and Its Uncertain Walls by H. Murakami Hi Johanna. I have Dan Simmons and China Mieville as part of my 2025 TBR. You've got quite an eclectic list of reads. Variety is the spice of the reading life. Happy New Year.
What a fantastic reading year! I think every book in your top 10 is a book ive read or want to read. Bakker is probably climbing that list faster than any other. Every time I hear about his books I just feel like its something I would really enjoy.
Thank you again for gifting me the Tolstoy short story collection! I just had my mother read that story today so we could talk about it. It's such a gem! I'll have to look up Look at Me! 😊
This is a great list! The final three books of The Aspects-Emperor are 6 out of 5 stars for me. I slightly prefer the final two because Bakker took epic fantasy to places I've never seen it taken to before, but those scenes with Inrilatas in The White-Luck Warrior maybe the most memorable scenes for me in the entire series. I didn't think Bakker would be able to top The Warrior Prophet, because that is one of the best fantasy I had ever read, so I was surprised that Bakker masterfully cleared it with The White-Luck Warrior. I am 3/4ths through Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson right now and it made me swear off epic fantasy for 2025, but your words on Janny Wurts work started to pull me back in. The Obscene Bird of Night by José Donoso and The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño are the two novels I'm circling to start my year with but you and Jimmy have convinced me to check out David Mitchell, so I'll probably try and get to him after I read those books. I read Perdido Street Station 15 years ago. Scott Lynch and Steven Erickson weren't the two names that come to my mind when I think about that book but I'm due for a reread. I have been thinking of going hard into the New New Weird subgenre in 2025, because a lot of traditional fantasy hasn't been hitting for me as much lately. So I'll probably do a number of Miéville books in 2025. Some of my favorite books of 2025 are The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez, The New Science of the Enchanted Universe: An Anthropology of Most of Humanity by Marshall Sahlins, The art of darkness: The history of goth by John Robb, Hellenic Tantra: The Theurgic Platonism of Iamblichus by Gregory Shaw, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic by Alan Moore and Steve Moore, and Art Sex Music by Cosey Fanni Tutti. Looking forward to your next uploads. I hope you have a great New Year!
Thank you! The White-Luck Warrior was particularly special for me for so many reasons, but The Great Ordeal and The Unholy Consult are still magnificent. I am honestly still unpacking my thoughts about the conclusion, but Bakker's writing is top-tier brilliant. I'm nervous about approaching Wind and Truth. I'll check it out through my library at some point... Peridido Street Station certainly stands apart from Gentleman Bastards and Malazan, but there were certain aspects that gave me touches of what I loved about both of those series. It satisfied my itch for something new, weird, modern, and well written. The Obscene Bird of Night by José Donoso and The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño sound like interesting titles! Edit: there are some things in Wars of Light and Shadow that don't work for my reading taste, but the moments that hit feel symphonic. Happy New Year, Andrew!
Wow hyperion ranked lower than expected but glad it made it on the list! And gappy you loved the dispossessed as well. 😊 great list, nice subtle edits you are getting soo good!! 👍🏻
The Bone Clocks is to blame. 😅 I loved some of the storylines in Hyperion but didn't connect to all of them. The Bone Clocks also went through sections of character journeys and each one was a home run for me. The world-building and ideas, however, are far more grand in Hyperion. 😊
I really need to get to Bakker one of these days. It feels like a glaring hole in my reading journey to not have read him yet. Grand Conspiracy is on my list as well :)
Great list! The Dispossessed and Bone Clocks are on my list for next year. White Luck Warrior became my favourite on a reread. Still absolutely love them but there were certain scenes in the last two (Field Appalling, trash talking dragon) that didn’t hit right on a second pass. Felt more of the gross, gratuitous vibes that I’ve come to associate with some modern “grim dark” stuff.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy The Dispossessed and The Bone Clocks! White Luck Warrior is one of the most phenomenal fantasy books I've ever read. Glad to hear it held up on reread!
Great picks! The Dispossessed might be my favorite thing from Le Guin. And of course, PSS. I can't wait to hear your take on The Scar when you get to it!
I am getting started with sci-fi 2025 and def looking into le guin. Klara and the sun sounds cool. My favorites of 24 are probably fools errand, daughter of the forest, and bear and the nightingale 🎉
Yay for Rebecca! it is one of my favorite books of all time, I also love du Maurier's short-story 'The Birds'. High praise for Bakker- noted. Happy New Year sweetheart!
Looks like another fantastic year of reads for you Johanna. Loved Hyperion, it made a great cross-country audio read when we moved from S Florida to Seattle. Glad to have finally read some GGK this past year and plan to get to Tigana in 2025. Starting WoLaS in January. I hope 2025 brings you many more awesome reads. Cheers
Thank you, Brian! I hope you like the Dispossessed. The book seems very divisive. My friend Allen (The Library of Allenxandria) strongly dislikes it. If you don't like it, you can watch his review to feel validated. 😅
What a terrific list. So many of my favorites and a couple of my top tbr ones. It is known I am a Bakker apostle. He is my favourite so picking White Luck Warrior for your number one was such a great surprise for me. I am very happy you enjoyed the series. The Great Ordeal and The Unholy Consult are my favourite books in general but I revere every one of these seven books. Hyperion and Dispossessed are also among my favourites. Such profound books. They are my top science fiction picks along with Dune and the Gap series by Donaldson. Kay is another great one. Tigana is such an evocative experience. Kay is so good in building an emotional ride in his books. Wurts was another pleasant surprise. I gave only read so far the first two books of the series but I agree with everything you said. She is so good in describing nature, female characters and romance. I love the warm atmosphere that she is able to evoke through her writing. And finally Lonesome Dove. This one is probably my most anticipated tbr book from 2025. Seeing it in such nice company increased my anticipation even more. Excellent Johanna 🙂
I thought the whole Aspect-Emperor series was incredible! Esmenet, Inrilatas, Sarl, and the Slog were a few of the many reasons that installment soared so high for me. That said, I'm still processing thoughts on The Unholy Consult. Incredible writing! I'm so happy you loved several of the other books on my list. I hope you love Lonesome Dove! Happy reading in 2025!
I was a bit surprised you picked The White Luck Warrior over The Great Ordeal, but yeah, the Slog of Slogs is a really memorable storyline. My favorite reads of the year are Butcher's Crossing by John Williams, The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (which I read after watching your 'most disturbing books' video).'
I think I surprised a lot of Bakker fans, but I am still in awe of the second half of Aspect Emperor. I'm honestly still processing that conclusion. I'm thrilled to hear My Dark Vanessa made it to your favorites thanks to that video!! Butcher's Crossing is excellent and a book I'd like to reread someday. Thank you so much!
Oh Bakker is becoming more and more appealing. I loved your reasoning for why these books are your favourites this year. I have only read Rebecca, many years ago now which I loved but none of the others on your list. Was surprised but glad PSS made the list. It's definitely moving up the TBR. I haven't really worked out my favourite books this year but I don't think you are going to be surprised by one. 😅
Thank you, Kathi! I'll remind you that you also read Grand Conspiracy before I did. 😊 I'm already guessing which book will be on your favorites list, and I'm excited to find out!
This was a great list Johanna. So many books I have not read yet. Although, Lonesome Dove wasn’t one of my favorite reads this year, reading it along with you, Matt, and the others was a great experience. Perdido Street Station has just shot waaaaaay up my TBR. Comparing the writing style to Scott Lynch’s sold me.
Thank you, Dark-O! I'm glad we got to discuss Lonesome Dove together. Perdido Street Station is different than Gentleman Bastards, but the approach to a wild, exciting plot gave me those vibes. I think you might enjoy it!
So many books, so little time. The best book I read this year was The Crippled God. Next year I plan on finishing finishing the Second Apocalypse as I've just finished the first trilogy. Then I'll get to go back and watch all your discussions on the series!
The Crippled God is incredible! 🔥 I still get emotional thinking about it, and I'm so glad it made it to the top of your list this year! Happy reading in 2025!
«Ivan Illich» & «Tigana»!😎🙌 Again, thank you for (much undeserved!😅) linking my humble videos in you original review of «Tigana»! ☺️ And so excited to get to «Aspect Emperor» next year and your discussions with Philip! 🙌 As I have still a couple of books left on my dock (Currently reading «City of Thieves» by David Benioff (Historical Fiction set during the WW2 Seige of Leningrad (Modern Day St. Petersburg) and have a New Year MBR in «The Wall» (City of Victory Trilogy #3) by Adrian Goldsworthy (Historical Military Fiction set during the building of Hadrian’s Wall)), a temporary leaderboard would be: 1)Split: «Imperium» by Robert Harris (Historical Fiction, book #1 in Cicero Trilogy about the Eponymous Roman Statesman: Harris is such an amazingly witty and knowledgeable Historical Fiction Writer, his Cicero from the eponymous Trilogy is easily my Favorite Character of 2024!) & «A Brightness Long Ago» by Guy Gavriel Kay (Fantasy inspired by the Mercenary Wars of Renaissance Italy: What can I say that is not already said about GGK, the Prose, the Characters, the Interactions, the Descriptions, all top notch!) 2)«Når landet mørknar» (Approximately «When The Land Darkens») by Tore Kvæven (Historical Fiction set during the 13th Century end of the Norse Settlement of Greenland, think of it as a Norse John Steinbeck novel, winner of the Brage Prize for Best Norwegian Novel in 2018: With endearing doomed characters and an ecological interplay between nature and man worthy of a Fantasy World Build, I think it is a shame that there most likely would be difficult to translate the understated nuances of his laconic style from Nynorsk to English!) 3)Split: «To Green Angel Tower» (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #3) by Tad Williams (Epic Fantasy: What an amazing width, going from the cozy to the horrific, the mundane to the epic, that is simply astonishing and deserves to be more celebrated! ) & «The Warrior Prophet» (The Prince of Nothing #2) by R. Scott Bakker (Grimdark/Dark Epic Fantasy inspired by the Crusades, Silmarillion & Dune: A genuinely challenging author in his themes & descriptions and an intricate world-builder, who puts his characters literally through Hell and back!) 4)«Howling Dark» (Sun Eater #2) by Christopher Ruocchio (Space opera: I love how effortlessly he weaves in both Genre & Classic Literature and Art into a natural world building and is not afraid to go weird, philosophical and esoteric! ) 5) Split: «Sword in the Storm» & «Midnight Falcon» (Rigante #1 & #2) by David Gemmell (Heroic Fantasy/S&S inspired by Celtic Britain and the Roman Invasions of Julius Ceasar, can be read a two part novel or stand-alones: Easily the best character ensemble writer of this year, you get humbled by the empathy Gemmell gave to even his minor characters or antagonists, with incredible emotional callbacks!) Cheers Johanna!
Not surprised Bakker was near the top! Haha. I actually finished The Darkness that Comes Before just before year end. (Great Christmas read, ya know?) I’m still letting my thoughts on it simmer but I’m excited to complete that first trilogy in January or February. It really felt like a taste of something different in fantasy and I liked that. I’m also not sure where Bakker is going to take the story and that feeling of uncertainty is very compelling.
Fantastic list, Johanna! So glad you loved Rebecca and The White-Luck Warrior, both are in my top 10 of all-time. Bone Clocks sounds amazing, I just added it to my tbr! The rest have been on my radar forever, hopefully I can get to them next year.
Thank you! I love that we share a love of Bakker--specifically White Luck Warrior--and I had no idea you were also a Rebecca fan! I hope you enjoy The Bone Clocks! 😊
Edit: I love love love people discovering Mieville and loving his books! I am raving about his books to my friends and family since 2007ish and on Booktube since 2017 and rarely anyone ever reads him! It makes me so happy to see this is slowly changing! My Top favorite books of 2024: The Library of Babel by J L Borges The Book of Elsewhere by China Mieville & Keanu Reeves Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Best Served Cold by J Abercrombie Kafka on the Shore by H Murakami The Will of the Many by J Islington Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows by J K Rolling An Evil Hour by G G Marquez
Great video. The White-Luck Warrior made my list of the year also. My top book, not counting rereads, goes to Janny Wurtz' The Song of the Mysteries with Tad Williams' The Navigator's Children and Bakker a very very close second and third place respectfully.
That's so interesting, I also read The Death of Ivan Ilyich this year and it didn't do anything for me. Hell yeah for Hyperion, though, such a great book. Also, seeing how highly you speak of Wars of Light and Shadow and also of the Second Apocalypse series really gets me curious to try them. Maybe I'll pick up some Bakker next year (Janny Wurts might have to wait a bit more, as I'm also reading a lot of the Cosmere and maybe rereading Malazan next year, so... time's limited)
2024 was the year when I seriously got back into reading. It's hard to pick the best book of the year but I can say that The Dandelion Dynasty series was probably the pinnacle of 2024. Honorable mentions go to The Sword of Kaigen, Empire of Silence and Kindred. All in all it was a great reading year. I hope it continues into 2025 (I just started The Lies of Locke Lamora and Howling Dark). The only "negative" in 2024 was that I spent WAAAAY too much money on buying books! Any advice on how to deal with that problem? 😋
Hooray for getting back into reading and all the bangers you read! Advice to stop spending so much is using the library, if you have access. The Libby app works through many library systems for ebooks and audiobooks (though I understand not liking those formats). Amazon gift wishlist dedicated to books can be a way for loved ones buy you books for birthdays/holidays. Used bookstores can cut costs if you're not too far from one. Happy reading in 2025!
Thank you Cyntia! To be fair, I've only read 5 Kay books so far, but my top three are 1) A Song for Arbonne (my favorite book of 2023), 2) The Lions of Al-Rassan, and 3) Tigana.
Great list! I'm so glad to see The Dispossessed! I read Hyperion years ago and enjoyed it but think I'd like to revisit it soon. My favorite read of the year was The Overstory by Richard Powers. I've been actively trying to bully Jimmy into reading it, but I think you might enjoy it as well!
A solid lineup, at least those I’ve read. As for Tolstoy, I’m gonna be reading his final novella, Hadji Murat, this weekend. My best friend says it’s even better than War and Peace, so I’m excited to test that theory. My top reads (in no particular order) would include Grace of Kings (Ken Liu); Arboreality (Rebecca Campbell-you’d probably like it-profound exploration of Nature); Tender (Sofia Samatar-please, BookTube, help me hype Samatar’s work!); and Declare (Tim Powers).
Great list of books again. I give a note here: Perdido is not an unknown book. Another case of sci-fi that this community just ignored somehow (hence my push on Banks - Culture on some videos ). this or Hyperion Cantos are very well known books by us who like scifi and not just now started with Red Rising. It’s translated to many languages and multiple times published in some countries because it was very successful among scifi fans. Never occurred to comment this one. Additionally I recommend Commonwealth Saga for your scifi read. It’s only a duo of books. (With an additional 3 extended future but not necessary.) it’s an awesome achievement also like Hyperion how to do several things in one book. (It’s basically one in two parts.) Space travel, first encounter, crime investigations, government corruption, etc…
Thanks! Oh yes, I know Perdido Street Station is well known in many circles with special editions and high critical acclaim, but I was mainly talking about the corner of BookTube I engage in. I appreciate the Common Wealth Saga recommendation and pitch!
@ hope you find it fun, Brian Lee Durfee just made a review of it 2 months ago on his channel. (Pandora’s Star the first book - or first part in this case.) I like that nowdays not just the absolute hyped books are on the list like Wind and Truth. The “older” books deserve the recognition (I would say unfortunately because the new ones are not that good).
Here's my 10 Tales of the body thief by Anne rice book 4 in the vampire chronicles Clytemnestra by constanza casanti This could be us by Kennedy Ryan Miss memory lane by colton Haynes memoir Queen of the damned by Anne rice book 3 in the vampire chronicles Her too by bonnie kistler Out of shape by gracie gold memoir Good luck with that by kristan Higgins The maid by nita prose Stars in your eyes by kacen callender Honorable mentions One summer in Savannah by terah shelton Harris Be my baby by ronnie spector memoir The mystery guest by nita prose Pack up the moon by kristan Higgins Lizzie Blake's best mistake by mazey eddings
I have a Daphne Du Maurier novel on my shelf. I need to fit it into my TBR. I loved Hyperion. I need to read The Fall of Hyperion in 2025. I have a first edition, first printing of Grand Conspiracy. I picked it for really cheap for my eventual reading of the series. I will read Tigana eventually. It is toward the bottom of my GGK TBR. My next read will be the Fionavar Tapestry because I picked up the trilogy recently in hardcover. I wish I liked The Dispossessed 😭. I don't hate it like Allen, I just can't seem to get through it. I want to read David Mitchell. I hope to give one of his books a try in 2025. You already know how I feel about Lonesome Dove. That was a wonderful chat! China Mieville has been on my radar for a while now. I need pick up one of his books. I DNF'd my only Ishiguro read(Remains of the Day). I was just so bored. I will try his works again eventually. I'm going to do my very best to read The Prince of Nothing series in 2025. I am really looking forward to it. I started the first book at a bad time and it didn't click for me. I know I will like I just need to be in the right headspace. I couldn't pick a favorite boom of the year. I am too indecisive 😅. So I just made a tier list. This was a great top 10! I will definitely try and read some of the ones I have not read in 2025.
That was a wonderful Lonesome Dove chat! I'm glad you didn't hate the Dispossessed, but I understand it not having universal appeal. 😅 I honestly think you would love China Mieville and Rebecca! Thank you so much, Joseph! I'm so glad I got to meet you this year on BookTube! 💜
Really excited to start my Bakker journey next year. You and Philip always make it sound so interesting and rich!
Hooray! I hope you enjoy what Bakker has to offer!
Wonderful list. Thanks for the push to put Perdido Street Station higher on my TBR.
Thank you, Sarah! I hope you enjoy it!
I haven't read The Unholy Consult yet, so this could change for me (though I doubt it), but at the moment I too feel that The Second Apocalypse Series peaked with The White-Luck Warrior. I look forward to reading that last book and discussing it with you early in 2025! All the best, Johanna!
I predict you won't change your mind after The Unholy Consult, but there's still much to appreciate in that book. I'm looking forward to discussing it with you too! Thank you, Philip! ❤️
Glad to see Tigana on here. All jokes aside, I can't reconcile in my head our diverging experiences with The Dispossessed.
Glad you liked seeing Tigana! I couldn't resist adding your "Rebeccuh" in the video. I think I got called out the last time I mentioned the book and didn't add that. 😂 I do feel like we read different stories with The Dispossessed. Haha!
What a great year of reading Johanna.
I love the variety of genres that you embrace for all they have to offer. Couple of the books here are also my all time favorites: Hyperion, Lonesome Dove, The Dispossessed, and of course Klara. ❤️
Happy Reading in 2025 Johanna!
Thank you, Bart! I love how similar our tastes are! ❤️
Favorite Reads of 2024:
"The Enemy" short story by I B Singer
The Demon of Unrest by E. Larson
To the Lighthouse by V. Woolf
A Game of Thrones by GRRM
A Month in the Country by J. Carr
A Moveable Feast by E. Hemingway
In Cold Type: Overcoming the Book Crisis by L. Shatzkin
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by H. Murakami
Hi Johanna. I have Dan Simmons and China Mieville as part of my 2025 TBR. You've got quite an eclectic list of reads. Variety is the spice of the reading life. Happy New Year.
Wonderful list! Thank you, Curt! Happy reading and Happy New Year! 😊
What a fantastic reading year! I think every book in your top 10 is a book ive read or want to read. Bakker is probably climbing that list faster than any other. Every time I hear about his books I just feel like its something I would really enjoy.
I hope you enjoy Bakker's writing! It's extremely bleak, but the characters and world are fascinating! 🧡
Yay for Tolstoy, du Maurier, and Le Guin 🎉. If I had to pick a favorite this year, it might be Look at Me by Anita Brookner.
Thank you again for gifting me the Tolstoy short story collection! I just had my mother read that story today so we could talk about it. It's such a gem! I'll have to look up Look at Me! 😊
This is a great list! The final three books of The Aspects-Emperor are 6 out of 5 stars for me. I slightly prefer the final two because Bakker took epic fantasy to places I've never seen it taken to before, but those scenes with Inrilatas in The White-Luck Warrior maybe the most memorable scenes for me in the entire series. I didn't think Bakker would be able to top The Warrior Prophet, because that is one of the best fantasy I had ever read, so I was surprised that Bakker masterfully cleared it with The White-Luck Warrior.
I am 3/4ths through Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson right now and it made me swear off epic fantasy for 2025, but your words on Janny Wurts work started to pull me back in.
The Obscene Bird of Night by José Donoso and The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño are the two novels I'm circling to start my year with but you and Jimmy have convinced me to check out David Mitchell, so I'll probably try and get to him after I read those books.
I read Perdido Street Station 15 years ago. Scott Lynch and Steven Erickson weren't the two names that come to my mind when I think about that book but I'm due for a reread. I have been thinking of going hard into the New New Weird subgenre in 2025, because a lot of traditional fantasy hasn't been hitting for me as much lately. So I'll probably do a number of Miéville books in 2025.
Some of my favorite books of 2025 are The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez, The New Science of the Enchanted Universe: An Anthropology of Most of Humanity by Marshall Sahlins, The art of darkness: The history of goth by John Robb, Hellenic Tantra: The Theurgic Platonism of Iamblichus by Gregory Shaw, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic by Alan Moore and Steve Moore, and Art Sex Music by Cosey Fanni Tutti.
Looking forward to your next uploads. I hope you have a great New Year!
Thank you! The White-Luck Warrior was particularly special for me for so many reasons, but The Great Ordeal and The Unholy Consult are still magnificent. I am honestly still unpacking my thoughts about the conclusion, but Bakker's writing is top-tier brilliant.
I'm nervous about approaching Wind and Truth. I'll check it out through my library at some point...
Peridido Street Station certainly stands apart from Gentleman Bastards and Malazan, but there were certain aspects that gave me touches of what I loved about both of those series. It satisfied my itch for something new, weird, modern, and well written.
The Obscene Bird of Night by José Donoso and The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño sound like interesting titles!
Edit: there are some things in Wars of Light and Shadow that don't work for my reading taste, but the moments that hit feel symphonic.
Happy New Year, Andrew!
Wow hyperion ranked lower than expected but glad it made it on the list! And gappy you loved the dispossessed as well. 😊 great list, nice subtle edits you are getting soo good!! 👍🏻
The Bone Clocks is to blame. 😅 I loved some of the storylines in Hyperion but didn't connect to all of them. The Bone Clocks also went through sections of character journeys and each one was a home run for me. The world-building and ideas, however, are far more grand in Hyperion. 😊
I really need to get to Bakker one of these days. It feels like a glaring hole in my reading journey to not have read him yet. Grand Conspiracy is on my list as well :)
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Bakker, Jarrod! Hooray for Grand Conspiracy!
Great list! The Dispossessed and Bone Clocks are on my list for next year.
White Luck Warrior became my favourite on a reread. Still absolutely love them but there were certain scenes in the last two (Field Appalling, trash talking dragon) that didn’t hit right on a second pass. Felt more of the gross, gratuitous vibes that I’ve come to associate with some modern “grim dark” stuff.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy The Dispossessed and The Bone Clocks! White Luck Warrior is one of the most phenomenal fantasy books I've ever read. Glad to hear it held up on reread!
Great picks! The Dispossessed might be my favorite thing from Le Guin. And of course, PSS. I can't wait to hear your take on The Scar when you get to it!
Thank you! I'm so excited about The Scar! 😊
Wow what an amazing list. Great year!
Thank you, my friend!
great list, wish you a happy 2025 Johanna :-)
Larry!!! Thank you! Happy 2025! 😊
I am getting started with sci-fi 2025 and def looking into le guin. Klara and the sun sounds cool. My favorites of 24 are probably fools errand, daughter of the forest, and bear and the nightingale 🎉
I hope you enjoy your time with sci-fi in 2025! Enjoy!
Yay for Rebecca! it is one of my favorite books of all time, I also love du Maurier's short-story 'The Birds'.
High praise for Bakker- noted. Happy New Year sweetheart!
Thank you, Emily! I'll have to read The Birds sometime. I remember seeing an old movie adaptation as a kid. Happy New Year to you! ❤️
I love that some of my favorite books made your Top 10! I always learn how to describe books better after watching you do it!
Thank you, Brian! I always enjoy hearing you describe your thoughts on books! ❤️
Looks like another fantastic year of reads for you Johanna. Loved Hyperion, it made a great cross-country audio read when we moved from S Florida to Seattle. Glad to have finally read some GGK this past year and plan to get to Tigana in 2025. Starting WoLaS in January. I hope 2025 brings you many more awesome reads. Cheers
Thank you, Chris! That sounds like a fun way to experience Hyperion. I hope you enjoy Tigana and WoLaS in 2025! 😊
Huzzah for Le Guin (The Dispossessed is my next Le Guin) and Lonesome Dove!
Thank you, Brian! I hope you like the Dispossessed. The book seems very divisive. My friend Allen (The Library of Allenxandria) strongly dislikes it. If you don't like it, you can watch his review to feel validated. 😅
What a terrific list. So many of my favorites and a couple of my top tbr ones.
It is known I am a Bakker apostle. He is my favourite so picking White Luck Warrior for your number one was such a great surprise for me. I am very happy you enjoyed the series. The Great Ordeal and The Unholy Consult are my favourite books in general but I revere every one of these seven books.
Hyperion and Dispossessed are also among my favourites. Such profound books. They are my top science fiction picks along with Dune and the Gap series by Donaldson.
Kay is another great one. Tigana is such an evocative experience. Kay is so good in building an emotional ride in his books.
Wurts was another pleasant surprise. I gave only read so far the first two books of the series but I agree with everything you said. She is so good in describing nature, female characters and romance. I love the warm atmosphere that she is able to evoke through her writing.
And finally Lonesome Dove. This one is probably my most anticipated tbr book from 2025. Seeing it in such nice company increased my anticipation even more.
Excellent Johanna 🙂
I thought the whole Aspect-Emperor series was incredible! Esmenet, Inrilatas, Sarl, and the Slog were a few of the many reasons that installment soared so high for me. That said, I'm still processing thoughts on The Unholy Consult. Incredible writing! I'm so happy you loved several of the other books on my list. I hope you love Lonesome Dove! Happy reading in 2025!
You had a tremendous reading year and that list is such solid evidence of that.
Thank you so much! 😊
"If I could list a short story for this list... which I won't..but if I could"...and does it anyway 😅
I couldn't resist! 😅😂
So happy you enjoyed Perdido Street Station! Definitely check out The Scar set in the same world.
I'm so excited about The Scar! Thank you!
I was a bit surprised you picked The White Luck Warrior over The Great Ordeal, but yeah, the Slog of Slogs is a really memorable storyline. My favorite reads of the year are Butcher's Crossing by John Williams, The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (which I read after watching your 'most disturbing books' video).'
I think I surprised a lot of Bakker fans, but I am still in awe of the second half of Aspect Emperor. I'm honestly still processing that conclusion. I'm thrilled to hear My Dark Vanessa made it to your favorites thanks to that video!! Butcher's Crossing is excellent and a book I'd like to reread someday. Thank you so much!
Ooooh I had been avoiding Klara and the Sun due to some mixed reviews but you've convinced me to pick it up next year !
I hope you like it, Alicia! I would love to hear your thoughts!
Can't wait for the rest of the Second Apocalypse discussions! My favorite book this year was The Song of the Mysteries by Janny Wurts. What a series!
Wow! I'm looking forward to experiencing that. Thanks!
These are all fantastic books. I am surprised by how similar our tastes are.
Thank you! Glad to hear it!
Oh Bakker is becoming more and more appealing. I loved your reasoning for why these books are your favourites this year. I have only read Rebecca, many years ago now which I loved but none of the others on your list. Was surprised but glad PSS made the list. It's definitely moving up the TBR.
I haven't really worked out my favourite books this year but I don't think you are going to be surprised by one. 😅
Thank you, Kathi! I'll remind you that you also read Grand Conspiracy before I did. 😊 I'm already guessing which book will be on your favorites list, and I'm excited to find out!
@@Johanna_reads Oh I did forget Grand Conspiracy! 😂
Definitely some authors/books I want to check out in your video. I’m glad it was a good reading year for you.
Thank you! Happy reading! 😊
This was a great list Johanna. So many books I have not read yet. Although, Lonesome Dove wasn’t one of my favorite reads this year, reading it along with you, Matt, and the others was a great experience. Perdido Street Station has just shot waaaaaay up my TBR. Comparing the writing style to Scott Lynch’s sold me.
Thank you, Dark-O! I'm glad we got to discuss Lonesome Dove together. Perdido Street Station is different than Gentleman Bastards, but the approach to a wild, exciting plot gave me those vibes. I think you might enjoy it!
So many books, so little time. The best book I read this year was The Crippled God. Next year I plan on finishing finishing the Second Apocalypse as I've just finished the first trilogy. Then I'll get to go back and watch all your discussions on the series!
The Crippled God is incredible! 🔥 I still get emotional thinking about it, and I'm so glad it made it to the top of your list this year! Happy reading in 2025!
Amazing list! I really need to get to Bas Lag. Thank you for a wonderful 2024 :)
@SamNot-so-wise I hope you enjoy starting Bas-Lag! Thank you, Sam! ❤️
«Ivan Illich» & «Tigana»!😎🙌 Again, thank you for (much undeserved!😅) linking my humble videos in you original review of «Tigana»! ☺️
And so excited to get to «Aspect Emperor» next year and your discussions with Philip! 🙌
As I have still a couple of books left on my dock (Currently reading «City of Thieves» by David Benioff (Historical Fiction set during the WW2 Seige of Leningrad (Modern Day St. Petersburg) and have a New Year MBR in «The Wall» (City of Victory Trilogy #3) by Adrian Goldsworthy (Historical Military Fiction set during the building of Hadrian’s Wall)), a temporary leaderboard would be:
1)Split: «Imperium» by Robert Harris (Historical Fiction, book #1 in Cicero Trilogy about the Eponymous Roman Statesman: Harris is such an amazingly witty and knowledgeable Historical Fiction Writer, his Cicero from the eponymous Trilogy is easily my Favorite Character of 2024!) & «A Brightness Long Ago» by Guy Gavriel Kay (Fantasy inspired by the Mercenary Wars of Renaissance Italy: What can I say that is not already said about GGK, the Prose, the Characters, the Interactions, the Descriptions, all top notch!)
2)«Når landet mørknar» (Approximately «When The Land Darkens») by Tore Kvæven (Historical Fiction set during the 13th Century end of the Norse Settlement of Greenland, think of it as a Norse John Steinbeck novel, winner of the Brage Prize for Best Norwegian Novel in 2018: With endearing doomed characters and an ecological interplay between nature and man worthy of a Fantasy World Build, I think it is a shame that there most likely would be difficult to translate the understated nuances of his laconic style from Nynorsk to English!)
3)Split: «To Green Angel Tower» (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #3) by Tad Williams (Epic Fantasy: What an amazing width, going from the cozy to the horrific, the mundane to the epic, that is simply astonishing and deserves to be more celebrated! ) & «The Warrior Prophet» (The Prince of Nothing #2) by R. Scott Bakker (Grimdark/Dark Epic Fantasy inspired by the Crusades, Silmarillion & Dune: A genuinely challenging author in his themes & descriptions and an intricate world-builder, who puts his characters literally through Hell and back!)
4)«Howling Dark» (Sun Eater #2) by Christopher Ruocchio (Space opera: I love how effortlessly he weaves in both Genre & Classic Literature and Art into a natural world building and is not afraid to go weird, philosophical and esoteric! )
5) Split: «Sword in the Storm» & «Midnight Falcon» (Rigante #1 & #2) by David Gemmell (Heroic Fantasy/S&S inspired by Celtic Britain and the Roman Invasions of Julius Ceasar, can be read a two part novel or stand-alones: Easily the best character ensemble writer of this year, you get humbled by the empathy Gemmell gave to even his minor characters or antagonists, with incredible emotional callbacks!)
Cheers Johanna!
Thank you, my friend! I appriacate for your historical insights! Wonderful list here! 😊
What a cool top 10! The only one I’ve read is Hyperion, which I loved many years ago - can’t wait to try these others!
Thank you, Ben! Hyperion was excellent. I hope you enjoy some of these others if you get to them!
Not surprised Bakker was near the top! Haha. I actually finished The Darkness that Comes Before just before year end. (Great Christmas read, ya know?) I’m still letting my thoughts on it simmer but I’m excited to complete that first trilogy in January or February.
It really felt like a taste of something different in fantasy and I liked that. I’m also not sure where Bakker is going to take the story and that feeling of uncertainty is very compelling.
Oh wow! I'm excited to hear more of your thoughts about The Prince of Nothing! 👀😊
Fantastic list, Johanna! So glad you loved Rebecca and The White-Luck Warrior, both are in my top 10 of all-time.
Bone Clocks sounds amazing, I just added it to my tbr! The rest have been on my radar forever, hopefully I can get to them next year.
Thank you! I love that we share a love of Bakker--specifically White Luck Warrior--and I had no idea you were also a Rebecca fan! I hope you enjoy The Bone Clocks! 😊
I read Rebecca this year too and absolutely loved it. Just barely missed out on my top ten, but I had a pretty strong year
So glad you loved it and had a strong reading year!
Edit: I love love love people discovering Mieville and loving his books! I am raving about his books to my friends and family since 2007ish and on Booktube since 2017 and rarely anyone ever reads him! It makes me so happy to see this is slowly changing!
My Top favorite books of 2024:
The Library of Babel by J L Borges
The Book of Elsewhere by China Mieville & Keanu Reeves
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Best Served Cold by J Abercrombie
Kafka on the Shore by H Murakami
The Will of the Many by J Islington
Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows by J K Rolling
An Evil Hour by G G Marquez
Yay! Glad to sing praises for Mieville with Perdido Street Station! I really meant to get to Mrs. Dalloway this year. Wonderful list!
Great video. The White-Luck Warrior made my list of the year also. My top book, not counting rereads, goes to Janny Wurtz' The Song of the Mysteries with Tad Williams' The Navigator's Children and Bakker a very very close second and third place respectfully.
Thank you! I'm glad to hear you loved The White-Luck Warrior and The Song of the Mysteries!
I still need to read Ishiguro! Maybe this is the nudge that lands it on my list for next year
I recently got excited hearing Ishiguro's Remains of the Day could appeal to fans of Stoner. Thanks, Brock!
That's so interesting, I also read The Death of Ivan Ilyich this year and it didn't do anything for me. Hell yeah for Hyperion, though, such a great book.
Also, seeing how highly you speak of Wars of Light and Shadow and also of the Second Apocalypse series really gets me curious to try them. Maybe I'll pick up some Bakker next year (Janny Wurts might have to wait a bit more, as I'm also reading a lot of the Cosmere and maybe rereading Malazan next year, so... time's limited)
So glad you enjoyed Hyperion! Sounds like you have a great year ahead of you. Happy reading!
@@Johanna_reads Thank you!
2024 was the year when I seriously got back into reading. It's hard to pick the best book of the year but I can say that The Dandelion Dynasty series was probably the pinnacle of 2024. Honorable mentions go to The Sword of Kaigen, Empire of Silence and Kindred. All in all it was a great reading year. I hope it continues into 2025 (I just started The Lies of Locke Lamora and Howling Dark). The only "negative" in 2024 was that I spent WAAAAY too much money on buying books! Any advice on how to deal with that problem? 😋
Hooray for getting back into reading and all the bangers you read! Advice to stop spending so much is using the library, if you have access. The Libby app works through many library systems for ebooks and audiobooks (though I understand not liking those formats). Amazon gift wishlist dedicated to books can be a way for loved ones buy you books for birthdays/holidays. Used bookstores can cut costs if you're not too far from one. Happy reading in 2025!
Many great books on your list! Johanna if you had to pick your top three GGK books (don’t know how many you’ve read) what would they be?
Thank you Cyntia! To be fair, I've only read 5 Kay books so far, but my top three are 1) A Song for Arbonne (my favorite book of 2023), 2) The Lions of Al-Rassan, and 3) Tigana.
@ thank you! I’ve only read A Song for Arbonne. Probably will do Lions next.
My favourite reads of 2024 :
1. Gardens of the Moon (Feast of Crows reread)
2. Valor
3. The Dragonbone Chair
4. Assassin's Apprentice
5. Oathbringer
Awesome list!
Great list! I'm so glad to see The Dispossessed! I read Hyperion years ago and enjoyed it but think I'd like to revisit it soon.
My favorite read of the year was The Overstory by Richard Powers. I've been actively trying to bully Jimmy into reading it, but I think you might enjoy it as well!
I've definitely seen the cover of The Overstory before. Glad to hear you recommend it! Thank you!
just finished hyperion last month, great book.
Yay! It certainly is!
Perdido Street Station made my top ten this year as well. Despite being over 800 pages it was a quick and easy and interesting read.
Hooray! It was such a great page-turner!
A solid lineup, at least those I’ve read. As for Tolstoy, I’m gonna be reading his final novella, Hadji Murat, this weekend. My best friend says it’s even better than War and Peace, so I’m excited to test that theory.
My top reads (in no particular order) would include Grace of Kings (Ken Liu); Arboreality (Rebecca Campbell-you’d probably like it-profound exploration of Nature); Tender (Sofia Samatar-please, BookTube, help me hype Samatar’s work!); and Declare (Tim Powers).
Wow! I'll have to look up that Tolstoy novella! Thanks for sharing your top reads!
So much peak stuff!!!
Thank you! 😊
Great list of books again.
I give a note here: Perdido is not an unknown book. Another case of sci-fi that this community just ignored somehow (hence my push on Banks - Culture on some videos ). this or Hyperion Cantos are very well known books by us who like scifi and not just now started with Red Rising. It’s translated to many languages and multiple times published in some countries because it was very successful among scifi fans. Never occurred to comment this one.
Additionally I recommend Commonwealth Saga for your scifi read. It’s only a duo of books. (With an additional 3 extended future but not necessary.) it’s an awesome achievement also like Hyperion how to do several things in one book. (It’s basically one in two parts.) Space travel, first encounter, crime investigations, government corruption, etc…
Thanks! Oh yes, I know Perdido Street Station is well known in many circles with special editions and high critical acclaim, but I was mainly talking about the corner of BookTube I engage in. I appreciate the Common Wealth Saga recommendation and pitch!
@ hope you find it fun, Brian Lee Durfee just made a review of it 2 months ago on his channel. (Pandora’s Star the first book - or first part in this case.) I like that nowdays not just the absolute hyped books are on the list like Wind and Truth. The “older” books deserve the recognition (I would say unfortunately because the new ones are not that good).
Here's my 10
Tales of the body thief by Anne rice book 4 in the vampire chronicles
Clytemnestra by constanza casanti
This could be us by Kennedy Ryan
Miss memory lane by colton Haynes memoir
Queen of the damned by Anne rice book 3 in the vampire chronicles
Her too by bonnie kistler
Out of shape by gracie gold memoir
Good luck with that by kristan Higgins
The maid by nita prose
Stars in your eyes by kacen callender
Honorable mentions
One summer in Savannah by terah shelton Harris
Be my baby by ronnie spector memoir
The mystery guest by nita prose
Pack up the moon by kristan Higgins
Lizzie Blake's best mistake by mazey eddings
Very lovely!
A great list! Unfortunately Rebecca did not work for me. It may and up on my list of disappointing books of the year :(
Oh wow! I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I hope your year had more wins than disappointments. Thanks!
R E B E C C A
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” 😊
❤📚📚❤️
I have a Daphne Du Maurier novel on my shelf. I need to fit it into my TBR.
I loved Hyperion. I need to read The Fall of Hyperion in 2025.
I have a first edition, first printing of Grand Conspiracy. I picked it for really cheap for my eventual reading of the series.
I will read Tigana eventually. It is toward the bottom of my GGK TBR. My next read will be the Fionavar Tapestry because I picked up the trilogy recently in hardcover.
I wish I liked The Dispossessed 😭. I don't hate it like Allen, I just can't seem to get through it.
I want to read David Mitchell. I hope to give one of his books a try in 2025.
You already know how I feel about Lonesome Dove. That was a wonderful chat!
China Mieville has been on my radar for a while now. I need pick up one of his books.
I DNF'd my only Ishiguro read(Remains of the Day). I was just so bored. I will try his works again eventually.
I'm going to do my very best to read The Prince of Nothing series in 2025. I am really looking forward to it. I started the first book at a bad time and it didn't click for me. I know I will like I just need to be in the right headspace.
I couldn't pick a favorite boom of the year. I am too indecisive 😅.
So I just made a tier list.
This was a great top 10! I will definitely try and read some of the ones I have not read in 2025.
That was a wonderful Lonesome Dove chat! I'm glad you didn't hate the Dispossessed, but I understand it not having universal appeal. 😅 I honestly think you would love China Mieville and Rebecca! Thank you so much, Joseph! I'm so glad I got to meet you this year on BookTube! 💜