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Ok, time for my first round of entries. I'm still working on several books so my top choices may change but these were still good even if I do that.
What were the best books you read this year?
I tried Terry Prachett and Stephen Baxter's novel The Long Earth in January, mostly as an audiobook, and it was excellent. An interesting spin on "alternate reality" tales that caught my attention from the beginning and held it the whole way. Pratchett's influence is clear but certainly not overwhelming to Baxter's science fiction roots. Highly recommended.
I was also very pleasantly surprised with Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede. It was a fun little fairy tale that twisted the classic tropes in fun directions. Book 2 was a little more predictable but still fun. This one my daughter and I read as an audiobook during several day trips to different events, so that was a plus.
What excellent books do you recommend that were published in 2023?
I've only finished 3 books from 2023 (so far) but two of them were very good: Warriorborn by Jim Butcher and Dark One: Forgotten by Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells.
Warriorborn is a novella in the Cinder Spires steampunk series set immediately prior to and somewhat overlapping with book 2. Not critical to understanding the series, but you get some good background on one of the events that lead up to the novel itself (which I have in progress.) Good action and interesting characters.
Dark One: Forgotten is an audio only release from Sanderson and Wells in an unusual format - it's framed as a podcast with the narrator investigating a murder. Lots of fun even though I have virtually no interest in the graphic novels that this ties into.
How did your anticipated 2023 books hold up this year?
No real feedback on this yet - all the books I was anticipating only came out last month and my library wait means that I haven't gotten to them yet. I still have high hopes though.
And, what books are you looking forward to in 2024?
It's possible that the third book of the Kingkiller Chronicles will be published, there was a rumor about that a while back. I'm not holding my breathe for it though.
The book that I will start preparing for is Knights of Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson. The fifth book in his Stormlight Archive series and the last book of this arc. I've read the first one (excellent) and have books 2-4 already, so I will start (re-)reading them around June so I've caught up by October/November when this should be released.
There is also a rumor that Twelve Months (book 18 in the Dresden Files) may get published next year. I mentioned it last year but this year there is at least some official word that it is in progress. He said in March 2023 that he had about 18 weeks to go in writing, although it doesn't sound like it went quite as well as that since he said 20% around August. If we add 12 months of editing and publication time, then late next summer / early fall we might get a new Dresden book. Again, nothing official that I've found but this is one I'm hoping for. It would not surprise me if it gets pushed to 2025.
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