I just read both of those earlier this year, based partially on recommendations on HN. Speaking of book recommendations, try almost any book reviewed in Jo Wal

I just read both of those earlier this year, based partially on recommendations on HN. Speaking of book recommendations, try almost any book reviewed in Jo Walton's collection of essays: *What Makes This Book So Great?. I read and bought about the first half-dozen or so that I hadn't already read, and there was only one that I didn't enjoy thoroughly, and more because it was too much of an emotional downdraft than because it was badly written, which it wasn't at all.