I dove into Martha Wells’ “The Murderbot Diaries” series, and I absolutely loved the first two installments.

The story is narrated by a self-aware, part-human, part-robot Security Unit who calls itself “Murderbot.” It has secretly hacked its governor module, gaining independence, but mostly just wants to be left alone to watch endless hours of media. Murderbot is assigned to protect a team of scientists surveying a planet. When the mission is unexpectedly compromised, Murderbot must reluctantly stop binging its soap operas and protect the humans.

While the stories aren’t deeply complex or filled with unexpected plot twists, I thoroughly enjoyed the easy, fast-paced read and Murderbot’s character development. The first book was immediately engaging, though I found the second one slightly less compelling.

Keeping with the sci-fi theme, I finally made time for Snow Crash—a true classic of the cyberpunk genre.

Snow Crash is a cyberpunk novel set in a dystopian future America where the government has been replaced by privatized, corporate-run gated communities. Hiro Protagonist—a hacker, samurai swordsman, and Mafia pizza delivery driver—uncovers the secret of “Snow Crash,” a powerful neuro-linguistic virus. This virus operates as both a digital drug in the Metaverse (a term the book coined) and a real-world biological agent, threatening to infect and control everyone.

I particularly enjoyed its distinct early-90s vibe. Despite being set in the future, the hacking culture and nascent internet brought me back to my own teenage years.

This book had been languishing on my shelf for quite some time. I finally picked it up, somewhat reluctantly, during the holidays when I had run out of other books. What a delightful surprise—it turned out to be my best read of the year.

In the Lives of Puppets is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story loosely inspired by the story of Pinocchio. Victor is raised in a forest home by his father, alongside two eccentric robot companions: the abrasive nurse machine Nurse Ratched and the anxious vacuum Rambo. Their peaceful, found-family existence is shattered when Victor salvages and repairs a mysterious, amnesiac android.

I went into this story blind, and it rewarded me with plot twists and turns I genuinely didn’t expect. While the relationship between Victor and his father is the heart of the story, my favorite character was undoubtedly his sidekick, Nurse Ratched, with her hilarious dark humor.

1Q84 is a parallel-narrative love story set in an altered version of 1984 Tokyo, which one protagonist dubs “1Q84.” The story alternates between two lonely individuals: Aomame, a fitness instructor with a secret life as an assassin, and Tengo, a math teacher and aspiring writer. Their lives become intertwined as both characters encounter a religious cult.

While I connected with the story and appreciated the deep character development, it is undeniably a long book—perhaps too long. Having a colleague reading the book gave me the motivation to keep plowing through. The parallel dual-protagonist approach is well executed. The alternate perspectives of the two main characters explain their insights into their evolving realities. It certainly took a while for the separate threads of the story to click into place. It’s a novel that demands patience, but it’s a memorable read.

The second book in the Narnia series is, of course, the one where the children discover the famous entrance to the magical land through the old wardrobe. The children soon enter Narnia, which is trapped in an eternal winter under the tyrannical rule of the White Witch.

I made a point of reading this classic because my kids were reading the series, and I wanted to be up to speed to join in on their discussions. We even visited Velika Planina last year, a place said to have serious Narnia vibes. While I can now check it off my list, the fantastical style isn’t my kind of story.

A high fantasy novel set on the fictional planet of Mercury about a long and epic war between the valiant Demonland and the tyrannical Witchland. The Demon Lords, including the brothers Juss, Goldry, Spitfire, and King Corund, engage in chivalric battles, political maneuvers, and perilous quests to defeat Witchland and rescue the captured Goldry, all within a grand, archaic, and consciously heroic style.

I had high hopes for this one, especially knowing that Tolkien held it in high regard, but the archaic language and heavy style made it a difficult read. Its age is certainly beginning to show, making it a challenging read for me.

A self-help book based on ancient Toltec wisdom that provides a simple code of conduct for achieving personal freedom and happiness. The premise is that humans are “domesticated” by society to live by self-limiting beliefs and rules that cause needless suffering. Ruiz proposes replacing these agreements with four new ones: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, Don’t Make Assumptions, and Always Do Your Best.

I’m still not entirely sure why I picked this one up, as I typically steer clear of self-help literature. Unfortunately, this one didn't change my mind. While the advice offered is largely self-explanatory and rooted in common sense, the tone of the writing felt overly preachy. The author seems to claim, “Just do these four simple things and you will be happy”—which, yeah, sure…