Since January 2022 I am reading10 pages a day. I prefer fiction, science fiction and fantasy mainly the ones that asks “what if” in a black mirrory way.
December 2022:
I managed to read 12 books on that year, almost 1 book a month and I would like to share them with you sorted by how interesting they are from my point view.
12- لوكندة بير الوطاويط: Ahmed Mourad hallucinatory experience.
11- 1919: Ahmed Mourad’s take on 1919 revolution.
10- The Expanse (1): Leviathan Wake: Series is on apple TV.
9- Foundation: from the father of classical science fiction, Isaac Asimov, I robot, Bicentennial Man, Foundation is written 1951, the main source of inspiration of star wars.
8- يوتوبيا: Scary, what if. 😅
7- The Expanse (2): Caliban War: Series is on apple TV.
6- Stories of your life and others: 8 Short stories, including the one made into the movie Arrival.
5- UBIK: Classical, written 1969, very hallucinatory.
4- Sea of Tranquility: Best science fiction 2022.
3- Recursion: Best science fiction 2019, Will be a show soon.
2- Dark Matter: Will be a show soon.
1- Project Hail Marry: Best Science fiction 2021, from the author of The Martian (Andy Weir) also the book is gonna be a movie staring Ryan Gosling as the protagonist.
December 2023:
Like last year, I decided to read every day 10 pages of fiction/science fiction books. That yielded yet another 12 books for this year. I am sharing with you my reads and personal ranking based on how much I was entertained while reading the book.
12- Abo elhol (ابوالهول), Ahmed Mourad, 2023
Latest publications of Ahmed Mourad, the novel is a based on the same super interesting main character Suleiman Elseyoufy as in the previous novel لوكندة بير الواطاويط, who is a very smart forensic photographer but also a schizophrenic narcissistic paranoid individual. What makes the novel and the character interesting is that you are reading his diary and you are seeing his broken unmedicated brain, how it functions and how it interprets the events and the actions of others. The problem is you don’t what is real and what is not in that case and that’s is left for you to decide. Compared to the first novel this one is so uneventful especially in its first half. Might be on purpose as you loose yourself if the sick brain of the character.
11- Upgrade, Blake Crouch, 2022
The latest but not the greatest book of Blake Crouch, it is about gaining superpowers by altering genes of an individual and genetic viruses and attacks. The new upgraded human species.
10- Murderbot diaries: All system red, Martha wells, 2017
This is a series of novellas written by Martha wells Introducing a Rogue Robot that has lots of personality insecurities and is very anxious about life. The robot that wants to watch TV series. The first book is basically introducing you to the main character in duty but the second book start to be about the Robot himself, his story, his purpose, and his anxieties… I wouldn’t recommend the series given the first book, but after the second book I would really recommend it. I think the author figured out what really resonate with the people and they stressed on them in the second book.
This is a series of novellas written by Martha wells Introducing a Rogue Robot that has lots of personality insecurities and is very anxious about life. The robot that wants to watch TV series. The first book is basically introducing you to the main character in duty but the second book start to be about the Robot himself, his story, his purpose, and his anxieties… I wouldn’t recommend the series given the first book, but after the second book I would really recommend it. I think the author figured out what really resonate with the people and they stressed on them in the second book.
9- The Expanse: Cibola Burn, James S.A. Corey, 2014
8- The Expanse: Abadon’s Gate, James S.A. Corey, 2013
The 3rd and 4th book of the Expanse series. You can watch the first 6 season on amazon prime under the same name. The makers of the show tried to be faithful to the book series. The books themself are very consumer based read full of fights, action, descent characters, descent politics. But nothing too deep. Science is like very evolved to the point where all problems has solution the main problem is in where to find the right tool. The series is a glimpse of our human race will be in case we went an invaded/colonized space. How we end up always fighting about something for sometimes nothing else than human ego. When read this series it is like watching Avatar or an old cancelled show called Terranova by Steven Spielberg.
7- Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition, Martha Wells, 2018
6- Thursday Murder Club: Richard Osman, 2020
Well, this one is a bit different from my usual taste, first it is a British fiction comedic mystery crime series of novels. Second, the protagonists are seniors group of people living in a nursing house some of them with ex-police experience and they take it upon themselves to solve unsolved old cases every Thursday. Until they found themselves caught in an active case taking place in the town they are living in. The book series tone feels like the movies from Edgar Wright: Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the dead…
5- Foundation: The second foundation, Isaac Asimov, 1953
Those two books are completing the Trilogy if the foundation written by Isaac Asimov after WW2. To be honest I learn a lot from this series, lessons that can be applied in my professional life or even in life in general. Loved science behind it, the story spanning 1000 year across 3 books all the flashy characters good or bad. I do recommend this series very much for anyone wanna understand how world really works from behind the scene. The Tv series has nothing to do with the books they only overlaps with episode 1 only.
4- Foundation: Foundation and Empire, Isaac Asimov, 1952
3- Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson, 1992
Published 1992. The Book that introduced the word Metaverse with its modern meaning. The book is a mix of Cyberpunk’s dystopia the game, the matrix, ready player one. The core idea of the book is revolving around languages and the way they affect humanity.
2- The institute, Stephen King, 2019
My first reading from Steven King, very interesting, reminded me of Stranger Things and Super 8 but much darker very dark actually and eerie. I loved the characters and its suspenseful storytelling.
1- Exhalation, Ted Chiang, 2019
Latest publication from Ted Chiang, He is famous with award winning short stories. The movie “Arrival” is based on one of the most famous short story called The story of our life released in his previous book. The new book Exhalation also contains multiple short stories. Based on my opinion the second book is much entertaining and interesting compared to first one. I liked when he takes some concepts such as entropy and base a story and universe on it transforming the scientific story into a fairy tale almost. In general most of the stories in this book are based on either a scientific concept or on a science fiction gadget that doesn’t (yet) the plot is sometimes being developed as in black mirror earlier seasons or in some other cases it just tries to explore the consequences that will be reflected on the society given those “fictional” circumstances. My pick of the year, Highly recommend.
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