I read predominantly fiction with some occasional non-fiction thrown in. My two big recommendations from my 2020 reading are (fiction): A Memory Called Empire,

I read predominantly fiction with some occasional non-fiction thrown in. My two big recommendations from my 2020 reading are (fiction): A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine, 2020 Hugo Winner. It could be loosely described as a SF political thriller and contains some great characters, good ideas and genuine suspense. The future context of the story is based on the author's Ph.D research into the imperial tension between the intensely sophisticated Byzantine empire and its smaller neighbours in the 11th century. (non-fiction): Carrying the Fire, by Michael Collins. This is the autobiography of the astronaut who stayed in orbit around the Moon while Armstrong and Collins gained the kudos of the first lunar landing. I've read several accounts of the Apollo programme over the years, and this was by far and away the best written. Collin's account of his Gemini 10 mission is also gripping. This involved him spacewalking to an undocked Agena Target Vehicle while John Young was manually formation flying the Gemini spacecraft. Collins had to make sure he wasn't over any of the manoeuvring thrusters that Young might have needed to use to avoid a collision with the Target.