The end of the year is list season, which I love. I don’t need to know what’s best, I don’t think any of us do, but I do love learning about new things. That’s something that happens across the year, of course, but it’s something that’s easier to do at the end of the year when everything gets compiled into list after list after list. I love book and music lists in particular. I’m not choosy about where they come from, though I stand by the Stereogum albums of the year and the NPR “Books We Love” tool. (I also take recommendations!) A good list is a place to wander and wonder and see what’s out there. It isn’t about ranking things, it’s about learning. I know my book lists are in a rough order, but I’m not here to say that’s right — it’s just what works for me at the moment. A ranking isn’t what I want during list season. I just want to discover a few wonderful things.

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The Book of the Month:

Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel

Time travel and a pandemic make Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility a harder read than its predecessor, The Glass Hotel. It’s easier, though, than St. John Mandel’s breakout pandemic novel, Station Eleven. I don’t know that I anticipated this, but in reading Sea of Tranquility I was reminded very much of Sally Rooney’s concern with being an author as she expresses it in Beautiful World, Where Are You. Both books spend time considering what it means to be on tour as a very successful author. Think about Sea of Tranquility through that lens and it is fascinating. The novel is also a continuation of St. John Mandel’s metafictional use and reuse of characters as different versions of themselves, which I absolutely cannot get enough of. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

The Rest:

Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe

An astounding graphic memoir. In its frankness it reminds me of Alison Bechdel at her best. It is also being challenged in libraries around the country. Buy it, read it, make sure it stays on shelves. Gender Queer is wonderful.

Finna, by Nino Cipri

What if Ikea led to the multiverse? I won’t say more. Finna is well worth your time.

Witch King, by Martha Wells

Martha Wells (of Murderbot fame) returns to her fantasy roots with a story about a demon looking for revenge after being kidnapped and imprisoned. I liked but didn’t love Witch King. It’s beautifully written, it’s funny, and it made me cry. The world is incredible, especially the magic system(s). Unfortunately, I felt that the narrative presupposed some sort of knowledge about the characters and their relationships with individuals who are mentioned but don’t appear on the page. That frustration detracted from what was otherwise a great read. If there’s a sequel, I’ll absolutely read it.

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen

Not the most famous of Jane Austen’s novels, Northanger Abbey is still a delight. It does follow a plot that’s very recognizably Austen, with a young woman encountering a dashing man and (shock of shocks) eventually ending up with him. At the same time, though, Northanger Abbey is also a parody of Gothic novels. It’s really fun! I don’t want to spoil the adventures of poor Catherine Morland. You can discover them for yourself.

Blackout, by Connie Willis

The third of Willis’s novels about time-traveling Oxford historians. Set during the London Blitz, Blackout is harrowing, though not nearly as wrenching as Black-Death-set Doomsday Book. It would be higher up this list if it weren’t for some slight repetition. Blackout could absolutely have been shorter, especially given how early the twist becomes clear to the reader. Still, Willis is a fantastic writer and I absolutely plan to read All Clear, this novel’s immediate sequel.

A Dying Fall, by Elly Griffiths

Ruth Galloway #5! (See below for #4.) Ruth Galloway, archeologist and occasional detective, gets embroiled in a white supremacist/King Arthur conspiracy while on vacation. Great! The mystery is complicated, the new setting shakes things up a bit, and the King Arthur of it all is terrific fun.

The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land, by Thomas Asbridge

A good history of the Crusades with too much of a focus on Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. Though Asbridge claims in his introduction that his intention is to produce a balanced history, he relies heavily on Crusader sources and fails to pull away from their perspective. Useful, but go in knowing that weakness is there and you’ll have a better time of it.

A Room Full of Bones, by Elly Griffiths

Ruth Galloway #4! As always, I enjoyed the archeological side of the mystery. Griffiths’ Galloway is a fun character and I really enjoy the expanding cast around her. This one drags a bit, though. There are two central mysteries and I think the book would have moved along a bit better if it had focused on one.

Conversations With Friends, by Sally Rooney

The most frustrating time I’ve had with Sally Rooney’s writing. Maybe skip this one and go for Normal People or Beautiful World, Where Are You instead. I am glad I read this after reading the other two — I really enjoyed them and I think this would have put me off.