#1: Artemis by Andy Weir. Not a sequel to The Martian, this is a sci fi novel set in a future lunar colony. It’s a pretty good book, but I found the protagonist really unlikeable– in stark contrast to the protagonist of The Martian, who wasn’t, say, a criminal who kept insisting that they didn’t deserve consequences for their actions.
#2: For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor. Sequel to We Are Legion We Are Bob. The “murky middle” book in a trilogy is always a bit sloggy, but For We Are Many does a decent job of keeping the pace up.
#3: The Phoenix Project by a veritable committee. So, this is recommended in Agile circles as a great read about project management. I can only assume people recommending it don’t know much about fiction. The Phoenix Project is a good fable about an Agile transition, but it starkly lacks 3 dimensional characters, conflict that isn’t heavily telegraphed, or any kind of meaningful internal change. As a fable of Agile transformation, though, it’s great, and if it gets people to buy into Agile, I’m all for it.
#4: One Good Dog. Massive trigger warnings for animal abuse, dog fighting, and entitled cishet rich white dude whining!
#5: Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore. Not Moore’s best book, probably not his worst.
#6: A Beautiful Work in Progress by Mirna Valerio. Lovely and inspiring book by a plus-sized non-white woman about her love affair with running.
#7: Maid-Sama 11/12 by Hiro Fujiwara. My favorite manga.