I’ve let these posts run a little late before, but I apologize for letting it get quite this bad this time. I’ve had this list pretty much sorted out since the start of the year, I just let it slide too much after a sudden surge in work that I wasn’t expecting. It’s not really an excuse, but it is what happened.

As usual, this is not a list of five books that came out last year, just my personal top five favourite reads from last year. Normally, I list them in no particular order, but this time around I’m listing them in the order that I read them. Otherwise, there is no ranking. Let’s get to it.

2120 by George Wylesol

This book was the most pleasant surprise of last year. Somehow, this absolute madman made a point-and-click adventure game into a graphic novel and it works incredibly well. The story follows a middle-aged computer repairman working a job at a seemingly nondescript office building that is impossibly larger on the inside than it appears. Never before have I read something and gotten stuck, wondering how to progress. Navigating this book by following diverging pathways and solving puzzles to progress could at times be tedious but was always rewarding in the end, making this a truly brilliant blend of media.

Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes

Though my interest in reading up on mythology has waned considerably in recent years, it has never fully gone away, and I really enjoyed this deeper dive into the various women of note in Greek mythology, presenting the myriad ways they’re represented by ancient sources and analyzing their roles. Sometimes, books about mythology can be a little dry and difficult to get into, in my experience, but Haynes made the material really engaging without feeling like anything was dumbed down. Though I want to read some of her fiction, I feel much more drawn to reading Divine Might, a follow-up book about goddesses.

Godhusk by Plastiboo

The artist Plastiboo has had their work featured in one of these lists before, but this particular book was an especially easy addition. The world of Godhusk is one of biomechanical nightmares and blasted landscapes, a world forsaken yet clinging to life. Once again, this art book is a guide for a video game that doesn’t actually exist, but it is so well realized in its art style, world, mechanics, lore, and story direction (including multiple endings) that I am left in awe of it, wishing that such a game could actually be realized.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

So often Pratchett’s work ends up here, but I was sincerely surprised that this one ended up being so good. Though presented as more of a children’s book, this book is just as deep and well realized as any of the others in this series, tackling the idea of animals gaining sapience and the corresponding implications of that with such gravity that it stands as one of the best standalone books in this series period. If I have to recommend a single Discworld book to somebody just to try out the series, this stands out among only one other as a must-read.

The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

This is the first book by Barker that I’ve ever read, so I was very surprised to find that it was actually more of an all-ages read akin to the likes of Coraline by Neil Gaiman, even having a strikingly similar plot, though written many years before that book. I’d always associated Barker with more blood-and-gore adult horror. It’s a timeless dark fable about the dangerous allure of instant gratification and how getting whatever you want can rob you of what you really need. I’m honestly amazed this book doesn’t have more of a cultural presence, though maybe it was just in a weird blind spot for me.

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Thank you for reading! What were your favourite books from last year? I’d love to hear about them.