I have a book to recommend, especially if you and/or someone on your holiday shopping list is into sci-fi / speculative fiction of the sort NOT written by middle-aged mid-century heterosexual white men:
(image from Target.com)
The Space Between Worlds, by Micaiah Johnson (Target link) (Amazon link)
I am pretty sure I read about this book on one of the blogs I follow, but can I figure out which one? Can I hell! So if it was you, give a little wave and I will link to your post [found it! reviewed by Shelf Love], because it got me to add the book to my library list, and it turns out it is just EXACTLY my thing. It is one of those plots where there are a bunch of different parallel Earths, with a version of each of us on each Earth. Travel between Earths is possible—but only if your equivalent is no longer alive on the Earth you travel to. Which ends up meaning that educated/advantaged/well-off people are not able to travel. Our protagonist is someone who has been born into such disadvantaged circumstances that she has died on almost every Earth.
This was a book I kept wanting to get back to, and kept thinking about. There were a few good twists/reveals of the kind that left me blinking as I brought the new information on board. I am very much hoping for a sequel—and/or for anything else by this author.
This reminds me to report on a couple of other books. First:
(image from Target.com)
Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman (Target link) (Amazon link)
I went into this fully expecting to take a long time to warm up to it: A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here both started, as I remember, with a thoroughly unlikely character doing cringingly unlikeable things, in a way that made me think I did not want to read ANYTHING MORE about them, before evolving gradually into books/characters that made me weep with love. So I was BRACED, but I was not sufficiently braced. There is a series of interviews, and each of the interviews is so MADDENING, and each person being interviewed is so MADDENING, that I don’t know why I kept reading as long as I did. But I did, and I felt it was well worth it. But I would not put this on a gift-recommendations list, I would put it on your library list.
Next:
(image from Target.com)
Early Morning Riser, by Katherine Heiny (Target link) (Amazon link)
(It seems weird to me that, at time of posting, all of these hardcovers are less expensive than the paperbacks. It makes me want to buy a stack of hardcovers.)
Several years ago I read Katherine Heiny’s book Single, Carefree, Mellow and LOVED it. And what’s funny is, I had the exact same thing happen with Early Morning Riser as with Single, Carefree, Mellow: I saw it at the library, found the cover appealing, read the book flap, rejected it; and then someone else recommended it (in this case Nicole) (HI NICOLE) and I thought “FINE I WILL TRY IT”—and I got it from the library and I loved it. LOVED it. Wished it would not end.
It’s a little hard to say what it’s about without making it sound boring. It’s kind of about ordinary life, but also there are plenty of unusual things, and there is a protagonist who takes them in stride in a way I aspire to—like how I aspire to being a brilliant trial lawyer, or Julia Sugarbaker: no hope, only aspiration. Now I’m reading Standard Deviation, and so far, so good.
I send a lot of books to my mom in assisted living, and she always gets upset (at the cost) when I send hardcovers, but I keep telling her they’ve been cheaper than paperbacks for over a year now! Is it a supply chain thing? Well, that is now our explanation for anything outside the metaverse, so.
I think that first book is on the bookshelf in Noah’s room. I may give it a try.
I have been in such a reading slump — I’ve put down every single book I’ve started in the last couple of weeks. Just went and downloaded The Space Between Worlds from the library because it sounds like a potential slump breaker.
I am SO pleased you liked The Space Between Worlds! I really think you would like Becky Chambers and Katherine Addison for non-dudely sci-fi/fantasy.
If you like alternate worlds, you may want to try A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray. It’s the first in a trilogy and I REALLY enjoyed it. A different take on traveling to other earths – you can only travel to earths where you are still alive – but fascinating.
I also really liked Anxious People so I will have to put the other to on my TBR pile. Thanks for the recs!
two. the other TWO.
I agree about Anxious People. The ending was so great that I am able to forgive it for how freaking long it took for the story to build. But I can see why so many people didn’t make it through.
I listened to it as an audiobook and it was fantastic. I have actually listened more than once because it was so good!
Favorite part: “ like how I aspire to being a brilliant trial lawyer, or Julia Sugarbaker: no hope, only aspiration. “
Now I am thinking fondly of Julia’s flashing eyes as she lays out a scathing monologue.
I quite enjoyed The Space Between Worlds, and I didn’t like it at first at all. It really grew into something interesting. I agree with Jenny that you would probably enjoy Becky Chambers- her sci-fi is so inclusive and not hetero white guy saves the day at all. You would probably like John Scalzi. Yes, he’s a hetero white guy, but he’s a lot more inclusive than most, and he can be funny. Redshirts is my favorite stand-alone by him, while The Interdependency Series is my favorite series.
HI SWISTLE
I’m so glad you liked it! I loved it but when it came to describing it, I couldn’t really. It’s just…good? And you should read it? More plot synopsis by Nicole.
Standard Deviation is on my to-read list – and I just got that Thursday Murder Club from the library! Will report back.
The description of The Space Between Worlds reminds me of a movie that is similar: Another Earth starring Brit Marling. It’s one of those stories that leaves you thinking about it for a long time after watching it.
Thank you for your book posts! I’ve been reading more because of you :)
Just added The Space Between Worlds to my Christmas shopping list because that is absolutely the kind of sci-fi my wife likes to read.
I also aspire to be Julia Sugarbaker and have no hope.
The characters are what made Early Morning RIser for me. It is so rare for an author to hit characters in such a deep way in such a short book, but more than once I found myself thinking “OF COURSE that’s what Duncan would say/do in that situation” or “HOW JUST LIKE JIMMY to do that!”
After I read that I also went back and read her two previous books and now I am slightly bereft because I am out of Katherine Heiny.
It also made me realize I don’t necessarily need a ton of plot but I just love characters plus good writing (that is not pretentious).
The Space Between Worlds is one of my favourite books of the year! I love speculative fiction anyway, and it does representation in a way that’s very not ‘look at me, I’m representation’, and the story is so original and cool and…. well, you know this, you already liked it. And yeah, Julia Sugarbaker. Queen.
I’m so happy to hear you liked Early Morning Riser! I think three books is enough to say I LOVE Katherine Heiny – Early Morning Riser was so comforting but not treacly, I just wanted to spend more time with everyone. It reminded me of Laurie Colwin books which are lovely but not simple people or problems.
I adore Laurie Colwin. This is a great way to recommend these books to me :)
I am so relieved to know that there is someone else in the world who didn’t love Anxious People. Everyone in my book club loved it and I was the only one who thought otherwise. The end of the book was sweet, but it didn’t make me forget that I spent the first 250 pages completely frustrated and annoyed by every character.
I’ve just added Early Morning Riser to my reading list. It sounds exactly up my street. I also added The Thursday Murder Club after reading your earlier review. I’m not normally a fan of mystery but I just finished watching Only Murders in the Building and loved it. It sounds similar to the book in that it’s two older men (Steve Martin and Martin Short) and a young woman (Selena Gomez) who are trying to solve a murder that occurred in their building. I definitely recommend watching it if you are looking for a new show.
I’m eager to hear your final review of Standard Deviation, which I quickly borrowed after finishing Single Carefree Mellow and I felt like I was reading as totally different author.
It’s been so long since I read Single, Carefree, Mellow, I can’t compare it; but Standard Deviation seemed similar to Early Morning Riser to me: both about people just sort of going about their lives and the author writing about them.
I’ve never written a novel. Could never write one. Having said that, I was QUICKly tired of reading about Audra was incessantly chatty and had no filter. And that was her entire personality? And Lizabeth was… cool and reserved? And that was her entire personality? I didn’t sense any depth from any of the characters.
Still. Nobody forced me to read it, and read it I did. So. Shut up Erin.
Have you read Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor? It was another great science fiction novel NOT told from a white, hetero male perspective and had genuinely strong female leads.
I went to the library to look for “Early Morning Riser” based on your recommendation and then realized when I saw it on the shelf that I had read, and enjoyed, “Standard Deviation” a few years ago. i just finished “Early Morning Riser” and loved it. So many little gems in how characters/scenes were described.