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Silence by Shūsaku Endō, which is a fascinating and riveting dive into the history of the Christian missionaries in Japan and the issues they faced.

It's a fictionalised drama based on a real story, so it isn't dry history either.

I've (at long last!) started reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and it's living up to its expectations and reputation. I've read Harari's articles over the years and he's a very switched on guy, so I'm looking forward to reading through the 'complete' history of our species and seeing what he decides to focus on.

I originally bought this book because the follow-up, Homo Deus caught my eye and I thought I should read it first. That was... a year and a half ago! Yay for work and having no spare time!

I've recently started reading The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time. I'm reading along while listening to the audiobook, and it's just a delight. The narrator, Rob Inglis, really helps bring life to the words on the page with his character voices and singing (and there's been a surprising amount thus far). There was understandably quite a bit cut from the book for the movie, so it's really interesting experiencing something so familiar in a new light. Would highly recommend.

I've also haven't seen this topic in a while but since a read I lot I'll give the ones I've read this summer
Dreams from my father by President Barack Obama
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

My friend has been nagging me to start reading LOR since my interests align quite well with it and I decided to start off with the Hobbit. It was amazing, the structure of the book, the ability to explain the whole world (which is extremely complex) to a relatively new reader and somehow feel like I know everything I need to know about The Hobbit and LOR in general, the rich family history of Bilbo that somehow tied him to every single hobbit in the shire, and everything else that makes this book great. I am planning on reading the 3 volumes of Lord of the Rings very soon

I also read Dreams from my father, the memoir of President Obama, I had been trying to read this for a while but I never got to it, but luckily since my school recommended this to us as summer reading, and I also thought it was great. He was clear and very deep about the implications not having his father growing up, being a mixed race child raised by white grandparents from Kansas, the influence of his Indonesian step-father on him, the loss of his distant father when he was young, and so many other things that made the book really great and it felt genuine. You may not agree with his politics but the memoir was great.

I am currently reading Flu, by Gina Kolata. An interesting Medical history of the 'Flu, starting with the Spanish 'Flu of 1918, and it was published in 2000, so obviously does not cover our current epidemic.

I also recommend the Tripods Quartet by John Christopher. Much lighter stuff (it is YA Sci-fi).

Just read The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary by Ken Liu. A phenomenal novella, highly recommend.

I'm currently reading Extraterrestrial, by Avi Loeb. Popular Science, discussing Umuamua (the object that passed through our solar system, which Loeb claims is most likely an artificial technological artifact sent by aliens). He presents his case pretty eloquently, describing his personal scientific background and inspersing the discussion with anecdotes demonstrating a point. 

In one of the chapters, he discusses the ramifications of a future proof for the existence of intelligent aliens on the theology of existing religions.

I think the most likely theological explanation for such aliens would be to classify them as "angels" or "demons."  

Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendnt is a solid read. 

The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne is hilarious. 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is a nonfiction must. 

I just finished the Dandelion Dynasty series by Ken Liu. Absolutely phenomenal; highly recommend. He weaves amazing silkpunk world building with fantastical ideas of technological innovation. The series begins as a great reinterpretation of a certain era of ancient Chinese history (many of the scenes in the first book are so shocking, and I was even more shocked to learn that they actually happened in real life), but later on the series diverges heavily and becomes its own unique story.

I just finished the Dandelion Dynasty series by Ken Liu. Absolutely phenomenal; highly recommend. He weaves amazing silkpunk world building with fantastical ideas of technological innovation. The series begins as a great reinterpretation of a certain era of ancient Chinese history (many of the scenes in the first book are so shocking, and I was even more shocked to learn that they actually happened in real life), but later on the series diverges heavily and becomes its own unique story.

That sounds like an excellent read. I'll have to look into it for sure!  

I just finished the Dandelion Dynasty series by Ken Liu. Absolutely phenomenal; highly recommend. He weaves amazing silkpunk world building with fantastical ideas of technological innovation. The series begins as a great reinterpretation of a certain era of ancient Chinese history (many of the scenes in the first book are so shocking, and I was even more shocked to learn that they actually happened in real life), but later on the series diverges heavily and becomes its own unique story.

That sounds like an excellent read. I'll have to look into it for sure! 

I think you would like it. Lots of thoughts on the nature of power, governing, nation building, etc.