What was your last 5-star read in the sci-fi, speculative, or fantasy genre?
THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V. E. Schwab
I love this book because it will always be a sentimental book for me.
I read this book 5 years ago with my then 12 year old granddaughter. It was her suggestion that we read the book and discuss the symbols and adventures of Addieʼs visits. We had some hilarious discussions that summer. We have read many books together. Even now at 17 approaching her senior year and telling me the colleges she hopes to attend, she will reminisce about the book and say “Nana, remember how much fun we had reading about Addie LaRue.”
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Love, love, love sci-fi and actually have quite a few favorites in this genre. However, my latest 5-star was Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea.
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@Gabi_J I really need to pick that one up. I enjoyed his Palaces of the Crow very much (5-star read), and although that one’s got some speculative elements I’d still categorize it as historical fiction.
My last truly speculative 5-star read was Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. I think my favorite speculative fiction novels are those that shed light on current trends, and this one certainly fits that category (reality TV, the prison system, racism, how people become desensitized to violence, etc…). It was truly exceptional. Was it @Anne_Glasgow that recommended it to me? I know it was someone here but can’t quite recall who.
Twas I. That was perhaps my favorite book of the year when it published. I would never have thought of it as science fiction but I saw it listed that way just this week.
Are you a free citizen again?
The line between science fiction and speculative is pretty indistinct these days. Personally, I’d consider it speculative. I don’t feel like there’s any technology in the book that we don’t have available today, which is what differentiates the two, in my opinion.
Yes, I am a free citizen! Very frustrating yet interesting process. It was a bike vs. car complaint, and it was super clear after listening to the 911 calls on the first day (and both sides made those calls) how this was going to go. The jury literally debated less than a minute before ruling unanimously for the bike dude. Sure ate up four days of my life, though!
It’s crazy it took four days. I’ve served several times when voir dire took a day and then the trial and deliberations finished in one day. Was there lots of testimony?
Well, congratulations and thanks for serving. I’m guessing you are off the hook for a while now.
Ok, back to books. Yes, I guess speculative although even that seems a bit of a stretch because there wasn’t much that was not of today’s world. I mean it was a made up process and I guess that’s enough? Genre has become so grey and the defining lines more blurred.
My most recent 5 star read in the scifi-fant category was Orbital by Samantha Harvey. I found it to be a simply beautiful ode to our world.
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I found Orbital a mesmerizing read, or rather, listen (audiobook). Loved it.
Good to hear you felt the same as I did with Addie. My daughter and I read it together last summer while vacationing at Lake Chelan. We were often up early enjoying the calmness of this beautiful lake with its gentle surrounding nature and reading another chapter or two of Addie.
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Reading your note put a smile on my face. Yes, it’s rewarding to share and enjoy a book with a family member.
I just finished All We Have is Time by Amy Tordoff. It is a new release and the plot centers on two people traveling time throughout the centuries. It is very similar to Addie LaRue. It was a pleasant read however I did not feel it was written as well as V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
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I usually don’t like sci-fi or fantasy, but I had to give five stars to PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir.
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