2023 has been a fantastic year for reading for me. Early in the year, I switched to reading on my Kindle Oasis, and the low friction has been great (amazon just needs to stop worrying so much about preventing jailbreaking). I've also been catching up on some of the classics on my reading list, but as always, the list is even longer now than it was at the start of the year. I hope you find something interesting, and if you have any recommendations for me, please let me know!

This year, I planned to go out of my comfort zone and read more non-fiction, but in the end, almost all of my favorite books still ended up being sci-fi.

The Teixcalaan Series

You can easily get lost in this world filled with intrigues, politics, and a unique culture. A diverse cast of characters with their own motivations and goals that don't feel forced or tokenized. It's one of my favorite series of all time, and I'm looking forward to more books set in this universe.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

If you need something more light-hearted, I highly recommend the Murderbot Diaries. It's a series of novellas about a murderous robot that wants to be left alone to watch TV. Even though he's not human, Martha Wells does a fantastic job of creating an empathetic character. While there are quite a few books out already, most are pretty short, and you won't be able to put them down. The latest book in the series came out at the end of 2023, and I'm looking forward to more books in the series.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The movie was never really my thing, but I'm glad I finally read the book. Douglas Adams's writing style is just so fun, but sometimes it can be too much. It has something for everyone, but I recommend stopping after 'So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish', the best book in the series. A couple of days ago, I also started reading Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. So far it's a very similar style of humor, without as much absurdity - I'm looking forward to reading more of Discworld.

Ra by Sam Hughes

This is a unique and super creative take on "Magic Systems," but don't let that fool you: this is a hard sci-fi book. Most of the abstracts and summaries I've seen online don't do it justice, and it's worth finishing the book even if you're not sure about it at the start: great plot twists and a very satisfying ending. I also recommend Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories and There Is No Antimemetics Division by Qntm/Sam Hughes, they're both free on his website.

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams

I found this book from a recommendation on a Podcast about AI safety and AGI. It explores some interesting topics around the nature of consciousness, immortality, and Singularity. Still, I must warn you that the book can sometimes be pretty dark and disturbing. It takes place in a world without moral constraints, and the author doesn't shy away from the darker side of human nature.

A Casino Odyssey in Cyberspace is a sequel to this book, going more into a post-scarcity world, and if you liked the first book you should also check his The Mortal Passage Trilogy. Most of his books are available for free on his website.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

I don't know why I've not read it or watched the movies until now; PKD is just a master at thought-provoking world-building. There's so much of the same story on self-aware robots, but PKD's somehow over 50-year-old book still feels fresh. The most exciting part for me was the society's view of animals and how they've become a symbol of status and empathy.

UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian W. Kernighan

This is a surprisingly inspiring book about the history of UNIX and the people behind it. It just makes you jealous to meet all of these people working at Bell Labs and the early days of computing. The book goes into the philosophy of UNIX and the design decisions that made it so successful, but it's more focused on the people and the project's history.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

It's essentially a children's book, but I found it very enjoyable as an adult. It's just so clever and fun, something that can improve a bad day, and I'm sure I'll be reading it again. It helps you remember to slow down and enjoy the journey.

Honorable Mentions

As an honorable mention, I also want to mention some books that I read this year. These held up surprisingly well and all of them are worth a read (or re-read).

> Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

> 1984 by George Orwell

> Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

> The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

> Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

> Sidhartha by Hermann Hesse

> The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

> Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

I hope you found something interesting in this list, and for more recommendations you can check out my Goodreads page or my reading list.