Up Next Link to heading

  • The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, 2003
  • The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, 2023

Fiction Link to heading

  • Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, 1950
  • Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, 1962
  • The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz, 1963
  • Three Trapped Tigers by Guillermo Cabrera Infante, 1971
  • Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, 1974
  • The Box Man by Kobo Abe, 1974
  • Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany, 1975
  • JR by William Gaddis, 1975
  • Kingdoms of Elfin by Sylvia Townsend Warner, 1977
  • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, 1988
  • Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić, 1988
  • Eternity by Greg Bear, 1988
  • Wittgenstein’s Mistress by David Markson, 1988
  • The World at the End of Time by Frederik Pohl, 1990
  • Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, 1990
  • Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth by Christian Moore & Owen Seyler, 1994
  • Permutation City by Greg Egan, 1994
  • Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers, 1995
  • The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay, 1995
  • Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, 1998
  • Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay, 1998
  • The Last Ringbearer by Kirill Eskov, 1999
  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, 2003
  • Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, 2004
  • Remainder by Tom McCarthy, 2005
  • House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, 2008
  • How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu, 2010
  • Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay, 2010
  • A Death in the Family by Karl Ove Knausgård, 2012
  • Outline by Rachel Cusk, 2014
  • Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, 2017
  • Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, 2017
  • The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, 2019
  • The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, 2024

Nonfiction Link to heading

  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau, 1854
  • Growing Up Absurd by Paul Goodman, 1960
  • The Grammar of Fantasy by Gianni Rodari, 1973
  • The Power Broker by Robert Caro, 1974
  • Pico Della Mirandola: Oration on the Dignity of Man: A New Translation and Commentary, 2012
  • This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein, 2014
  • The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu, 2016
  • The River of Consciousness by Oliver Sacks, 2017
  • Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman, 2017
  • 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari, 2018
  • Asceticism of the Mind by Inbar Graiver, 2018
  • Fully Automated Luxury Communism by Aaron Bastani, 2019
  • The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, 2019
  • Courting the Wild Twin by Martin Shaw, 2020
  • Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth, 2025

Consciousness and Meaning Link to heading

  • The Divided Self by R.D. Laing, 1960
  • Experiencing and the Creation of Meaning by Eugene Gendlin, 1962
  • Re-Visioning Psychology by James Hillman, 1975
  • The Embodied Mind by Francisco Varela, Evan Thompson & Eleanor Rosch, 1991
  • The Ego Tunnel by Thomas Metzinger, 2009
  • The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist, 2009
  • All Things Shining by Hubert Dreyfus & Sean Dorrance Kelly, 2011

Series Link to heading

  • Dumarest of Terra by E.C. Tubb, 1968–2008
  • Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams, 1988–1993
  • The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, 1990–2013 REJECTED
  • Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb, 1995–2017
  • Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson, 1999–2011
  • Kushiel’s Legacy by Jacqueline Carey, 2001–2008
  • World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold, 2001–2016
  • The First Law by Joe Abercrombie, 2006–2008
  • The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, 2010–present
  • Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence, 2011–2013
  • Caine Riordan by Charles E. Gannon, 2014–2024
  • Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin, 2015–2017

Curated Reading Paths Link to heading

Military Science Fiction and Space Warfare Link to heading

  • The Face of Battle by John Keegan, 1976 — foundation: real warfare psychology and tactics
  • Supplying War by Martin van Creveld, 1977 — logistics reality: critical military infrastructure understanding
  • Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson, 1959 — genre origins: foundational military sci-fi warrior culture
  • Hospital Station (Sector General) by James White, 1962 — palate cleanser: optimistic space medicine between conflicts
  • Necromancer (Childe Cycle) by Gordon R. Dickson, 1962 — philosophical expansion: Dickson’s deeper military mysticism
  • Retief: Envoy to New Worlds by Keith Laumer, 1963 — diplomatic satire: military bureaucracy humor break
  • The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, 1974 — Vietnam allegory: anti-war military sci-fi masterpiece
  • The Mercenary by Jerry Pournelle, 1977 — professional soldiers: realistic military economics
  • Hammer’s Slammers by David Drake, 1979 — tank warfare: gritty combined-arms tactics
  • Sky Raiders by William H. Keith Jr., 1982 — space marines: atmospheric assault specialists
  • Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, 2000 — hard sci-fi warfare: physics-based space combat
  • Decider by L.E. Modesitt Jr., 2001 — modern synthesis: contemporary military sci-fi evolution
  • The Praxis by Walter Jon Williams, 2002 — fleet operations: complex space naval strategy

Medieval Social History Link to heading

  • The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer, 2008 — engaging foundation: immersive introduction to daily medieval life
  • Life in a Medieval Village by Frances and Joseph Gies, 1990 — structural framework: systematic overview of village social organization
  • The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis, 1983 — microhistory method: compelling case study in historical detective work
  • Montaillou by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, 1975 — masterwork: dense reconstruction of medieval mentalities via Inquisition records
  • The Good Men by Chaz Brenchley, 2002 — fictional synthesis: novel drawing on Cathar historical knowledge

Celtic Britain and Arthurian Legend Link to heading

  • The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies, 2007 — foundation: pure Celtic mythology and storytelling traditions
  • Asterix in Britain by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, 1966 — palate cleanser: light introduction to Romano-Celtic cultural clash
  • The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff, 1954 — Roman occupation: classic entry point, excellent prose
  • The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff, 1959 — Roman withdrawal: direct thematic continuation
  • The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, 1970 — Merlin’s origins: bridge to Arthurian material
  • The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell, 1995 — Arthur demythologized: gritty historical approach
  • Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott, 2003 — Boudica’s rebellion: complex perspective on Celtic resistance
  • Isolde by Joan Allen, 1989 — Tristan & Isolde: romantic Arthurian tradition
  • The High Kings by Joy Chant, 1983–1988 — epic fantasy synthesis
  • Lark Rising Trilogy by Gillian Bradshaw, 1980s — advanced: sophisticated historical fiction finale

Frank Lloyd Wright Link to heading

  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater: The House and Its History by Donald Hoffmann, 1978
  • Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright by Robert McCarter, 1994
  • Fallingwater Rising: Frank Lloyd Wright, E.J. Kaufmann, and America’s Most Extraordinary House by Franklin Toker, 2003