If you missed the first of my 2026 book recommendations events with the Ashland Public Library last night, you can catch the video on Youtube here. While last year’s program focused on both fantasy and science fiction, I’m primarily focusing on fantasy book recommendations this year. (But if you’re looking for more science fiction books this year, Elizabeth Bear has you covered!)
For the first book recommendations event of the year, I recommended a couple of epic fantasy books, a novella involving Faerie, an alternate history with dragons, and time travel in a secondary world (surprisingly, since I think this is only the second book I’ve really enjoyed involving time travel after Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred!).
For more on these books and/or further related reading, you can also check out the following:
- The Tethered Mage/Swords and Fire Series by Melissa Caruso
- Why I love the Swords and Fire Trilogy
- Review of The Tethered Mage (Swords and Fire #1)
- Review of The Defiant Heir (Swords and Fire #2)
- Review of The Unbound Empire (Swords and Fire #3), with some reflection on what makes a good ending
- The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar Book Review
- The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow
- Favorite Books of 2024 (featuring The Scarlet Throne)
- “Villains, Grey Areas, and What Women Can and Cannot Be” by Amy Leow
- The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow, featured in Favorite Books of 2025
- To Shape a Dragons Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
- Favorite Books of 2023 (featuring To Shape a Dragon’s Breath)
- Moniquill Blackgoose on Indigenous Media Representation
These book recommendation events are quarterly half-hour long discussions taking place on Zoom on the third Thursday of the month, and the next book chat will be from 6:30 to 7:00 ET on May 21. You can register for the next virtual book recommendations event here.
