Hey all,
I (23F) usually read fantasy, romance, and contemporary fiction, but "The Martian" and "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir have long been some of my favorite books. "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing" and its sequel by Hank Green are also some of my all time favorites.
I realized recently that those both probably fall into the genre of sci-fi, which is usually not my cup of tea because I have never really enjoyed a space opera/space odyssey story or wars with invading aliens.
So now I'm trying to figure out what my aforementioned favorite sci-fi books have in common, and this is my best guess of what I'm looking for:
– contemporary/modern day setting
– an intriguing set-up/mystery that is unraveled progressively over the course of the book/series
– a main character/cast of main characters who "work the problem" and come up with clever solutions
Other things I generally like:
– when they book has something to say about morality or society (a la "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing" about internet culture, fame, and unity)
– a romance subplot (WLW ideally but whatever is fine)
– a strong emphasis on friendship, found family, or other important bonds between characters
– a comedic tone or comedic elements
– a female main character (not a must obviously, but a mild preference)
Any subset of these characteristics would be great and I would really appreciate your recommendations!
by katsteve