I am longing for books I can read and then not have to remember so the sequel makes sense. I understand the reasons publishing has been turning toward trilogies and serieses for the past decade-plus, but right now I want to read some standalones.
I like:
- books about women
- books in a specific landscape; space or 1634 Quartier Latin or a super-detailed imaginary place are all great
- books with reasonably happy endings; I don't need "and then everybody lived happily ever after" but I'm not in the market for "and then rocks fell and everyone died" right now
- books in which stuff happens; internal monologue is one thing, but if that is a defining feature of the narrative, I'm gonna pass
I do not like: