Ben Saufley - Reading

Books I've Rated 5 / 5

Ratings Breakdown

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

146

3.5

4

194

4.5

5

The Tainted Cup

by Robert Jackson Bennett

Finished 2025-08-29

This book just won the Hugo, so I had to know what the buzz was about. The premise definitely seemed interesting, but as the book got going I wasn’t convinced of its hype-worthiness. In the end, though, yes, absolutely loved this book. It builds on a whole bunch of comfortable formulas and tropes to create something new, entertaining, and really satisfying in the end. I’m not always looking for a message in the books I read, although it can be hard not to notice the harmful ones (think: copaganda, or the myriad thrillers that hinge on a woman lying about abuse or assault) – but this book has some really interesting things to say about government and power, without hammering you over the head with it (ok, there’s a small amount of hammering at the end). You don’t have to get those themes to enjoy the book, but I definitely felt a deeper appreciation for the book as those themes (and themes of neurodivergence) revealed themselves. Highly recommend this novel and I’ve already picked up the next in the series.
The Great TransitionA Novel

by Nick Fuller Googins

Finished 2025-08-15

I highly, highly recommend this book. Something about the title, presentation, subject matter made me expect it to be a bit less accessible than it was – and I think for some, its “accessibility” will be a knock. It reads like genre fiction, IMO, not literary fiction, but I think that’s a point in its favor – stuff like this doesn’t have to be dense or intimidating. It’s really really smart and comes at the subject matter from what was, in my eyes, a unique way that is both hopeful and not, and I think its main characters represent the kind of “two wolves” inside many of us in the modern world: the impulse to fight tooth and nail and the impulse to try to make a life and carve out some joy are both valid. Loved this book.
Piranesi

by Susanna Clarke

Finished 2024-07-09
Stories of Your Life and Others

by Ted Chiang

Finished 2021-09-25

When I was in high school, a catholic school, I asked my religion teacher (social justice, I think, which is interesting in retrospect because of how so many Christians currently treat the concept as demonic) a question about hell: “if Satan was cast out of heaven for wanting to be greater than God, why would he make Hell a horrible place—wouldn’t he want to make it the best place he could?” And the answer I got has stuck with me for twenty years, despite my agnosticism bordering on atheism: “God is the source of all goodness. No matter how good Satan would want to make Hell, Hell would remain a place out of God’s light and thus devoid of any goodness.” It’s compelling and, frankly, terrifying. And honestly I’ve never heard it discussed like that again, until one of the stories in this book. The story notes at the end also add some really interesting context to that story.

Arrival was one of my favorite movies in years, so I had to pick up this book, which features the short story it was based on. That story is very different in literary form, but just as good, and the other stories approach that same level of excellence. I especially love the last story, about a scientific advance that allows people not to see beauty and ugliness in faces. Really thought provoking. I’d definitely give it a go.

Highly recommend this collection to anyone and everyone.
The Space Between Worlds

by Micaiah Johnson

Finished 2021-08-27
The Cerulean Queen

by Sarah Kozloff

Finished 2021-05-29
The Echo Wife

by Sarah Gailey

Finished 2021-04-04
Pet

by Akwaeke Emezi

Finished 2021-02-03
Black Sun

by Rebecca Roanhorse

Finished 2020-12-03
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?And Other Conversations about Race

by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Finished 2020-07-18
How to Hide an EmpireA History of the Greater United States

by Daniel Immerwahr

Finished 2020-02-02
All the Birds in the Sky

by Charlie Jane Anders

Finished 2019-12-11
Educated

by Tara Westover

Finished 2019-08-06
The Golden Compass

by Philip Pullman

Finished 2019-07-24
Magic for Liars

by Sarah Gailey

Finished 2019-07-16

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Books I've Rated 5 / 5

Ratings Breakdown

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Tainted Cup

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Great TransitionA Novel

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Piranesi

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Stories of Your Life and Others

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Space Between Worlds

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Cerulean Queen

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Echo Wife

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Pet

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Black Sun

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?And Other Conversations about Race

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } How to Hide an EmpireA History of the Greater United States

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } All the Birds in the Sky

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Educated

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Golden Compass

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Magic for Liars

The Tainted Cup

The Great TransitionA Novel

Piranesi

Stories of Your Life and Others

The Space Between Worlds

The Cerulean Queen

The Echo Wife

Pet

Black Sun

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?And Other Conversations about Race

How to Hide an EmpireA History of the Greater United States

All the Birds in the Sky

Educated

The Golden Compass

Magic for Liars