Books I've read this year and I am recommending

In this year 2026 I've told myself I wanted to read more books. I was reading maybe one or two a year and, after reading the complete Lord of the Rings last year without much effort, I thought I could try to read a book a month this year.


It's July, I've read seven books so far, these are some brief thoughts without major spoilers about some of them:

    Project Hail Mary: started the year with a popular one (and probably the only popular one in the list) to make my start of the journey a little lighter. And on a journey I went with Grace and Rocky. The book is interesting enough and although I thought the premise was a bit similar to The Martian (book of the same author), I loved it nonetheless. The morality that Grace is faced with is a great premise for a lot of discussions (would you sacrifice yourself to save humanity?). And the "humanity" and fraternity that both protagonists show for each other is very inspiring. I watched the movie some days ago and I recommend it as well, although if you're thinking of reading the book, do that first, the movie is quite complete.


    I who have never known men: this book is a hard read on cruelty and survival. And while it is hard to read at points, either because not much is happening in the story or because the situation happening is a difficult one, the book is an amazing portrait of what happens to human life when pushed to the limits without much explanation. The growth that the protagonist goes through is brutal and made me feel grateful for my own privileges and, even though I haven't always appreciated it, for the knowledge of the world I live in. It's a book that stays with you for a long time and one that probably won't be forgotten soon.
    
    
    The Twilight World: this is the first non fiction book I've read this year and it's an amusing one. It tells the story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier that was left in a secret mission by the Japanese Empire in an island in the Philippines at the end of World War II. He and the men he commanded didn't know the war had ended and stayed in hiding for more than 30 years. The story is told by the amazing cinematographer Werner Herzog, it's a very short read and though it seems like an unlikely story it's not the only one of this kind. Paraphrasing the author, he rather met Hiroo Onoda than the emperor of Japan.
    
    
    Small things like these: this is a very short read, it's probably more of a short story than a book by definition. That does not mean it is not impactful. I got this recommendation from a list of "books that stay with you" that had "I who have never known men" listed too. The book shows the life of a small and average poor family in Ireland, and the author spends her time showcasing the characters personality through the first chapters. After that, the story changes to tell a very important part of recent history of Ireland. I don't want to say much more about it not to spoil it. Only thing I want to say about this book is that I think it teaches a very important lesson: if you care about doing good, if you want to help someone, do it, don't wait for other people's approval. If you have a free hour and a half and are not sure what to read, this is an incredible story.
    
    
    The dispossessed: I had been wanting to get into Ursula K. Leguin's literature for years now but never had the motivation for it. I bought the book on St Jordi (catalan tradition) and it's been my favourite read this year. The book tells the story of two societies that live in two worlds that orbit each other. The difference between these two worlds is their economic and politics being opposed: capitalism (or neoliberalism) and anarcho communism. The story is told through the eyes of a man who travels from the anarcho communist world to the capitalist one, and it's the first encounter between its societies since the anarchists fled to the other planet. It's genuinely one of the best books I have read in my life and I will be recommending it forever. Besides the main political tropes of the book, which are really interesting to me, it's also fascinating seeing the protagonist try to adapt, fail and get to know idealists in the capitalist world.
    
    
    My year of rest and relaxation: This is the only book in the list that I can say I have not enjoyed much. Although I recognize it's a good book and I would probably have liked it much more if my mental state was another one, I did not enjoy this read. The book tells the story of a person who has severe depression after her parents die and decides that she will spend the year sleeping as much as possible. The idea of the book appealed to me because I thought it would go a bit more into the social and psychological consequences of that decision. It kind of does, but not to much extent. I think I was not ready for a sad book and that took me aback. That does not mean the book is bad by any means, but if you're going to read it, take into consideration that it's a very sad book.


I have also reread Foundation but I don't think it needs another review.

New books are already waiting for me (it's the 14th and I haven't started a new one AAAAAAAH) but I'm always looking for recommendations, would love to receive some!

Peace,
Ruben