While I still read a whole lot of new release sci-fi and fantasy in 2025, even a moderate scaling back enabled me to drastically increase my backlist reading compared to last year. And stories that are still getting recommended years after their publication date are disproportionately great. So I’d like to share some of my… Continue reading Tar Vol’s 20 from the Backlist
We’re nearing the end of December, so it’s once again time for my favorite annual post: my annual favorites post! This is where I share the best sci-fi and fantasy I read from this year. I write two versions of my Recommended Reading List each year, one in December when reviewers start dropping their favorites,… Continue reading Tar Vol’s 2025 Recommended Reading List (Holiday Edition)
It’s time for my favorite post of the year, where I share all the best sci-fi and fantasy I read from 2024. I write two versions of this post each year. The second comes out in late February, once I’ve had a chance to read works from everyone else’s Best of the Year lists. And… Continue reading Tar Vol’s 2024 Recommended Reading List (Holiday Edition)
I posted the first edition of my 2022 Recommended Reading List back in early December. But then everyone else posted their own lists, and there’s no better way to blow up a favorites list than spending a couple months reading everyone else’s favorites. There was a lot of amazing sci-fi and fantasy published in 2022,… Continue reading Tarvolon’s 2022 Recommended Reading List: Award Season Edition
It’s been a good year of reading, and I have already amassed quite a few favorites–more than enough to throw my hat into the ring with another entry in “Best of the Year” season. But with so many annual favorites posts reshuffling the TBR, I recognize that today’s post is far from final. There will… Continue reading Tarvolon’s 2022 Recommended Reading List: Holiday Edition
I’ve finished a year of judging for the first annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, and it’s been both fun and instructive. I’ve learned a lot of things about myself as a reader, about slush pile reading, and about organizing a contest with such massive scale. So with this year’s competition in the books and the… Continue reading SPSFC Reflections and Ranking
I’ve talked a lot about my favorite reading challenge, r/Fantasy Book Bingo, and how spreading out your reading among so many authors leaves you dangling off a lot of cliffs. So this year, I decided to complete a themed card with all sequels to see who’s kidding who. As with my previous card, I’ve ranked… Continue reading 2021 Fantasy Bingo: The Sequel
My second year of completing an r/Fantasy Book Bingo card was also my first year of recording a card that hit Hard Mode for every single square. As with last year, I’m finishing with a ranking of the books I read this year, along with some mini-reviews, and a brief note on how bad the… Continue reading 2021 Fantasy Bingo Card (Hard Mode)
This will be my second year nominating and voting for the Hugo Awards, and while I have a ton of reading to get to in the couple of months before nominations are due, I thought it was a good time to go ahead and share the works on my radar for potential nomination. This can… Continue reading Way Too Early 2022 Hugo Nomination Draft
I’ve read a lot of amazing books in 2021, and I may have some new additions to my all-time favorites list. But the list of all-timers is a lot shorter than the list of authors who have me really excited for their next projects. So let me take a moment to share some sci-fi/fantasy authors… Continue reading SFF Authors I’m Even More Excited to Read in 2022
