I read every single night unless I have rare plans out. I like to get in 1-1.5 hours and I read fast. Intparent…I reread the Vorkoverse this year too! If I haven’t recommended it to you before, you may not have heard of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller in their Liaden Universe. Not well known, but well-loved.
@TempeMom, is Agents of Change the best starting place?
Tough question. There is chronological and then as written. There are stand alone characters and characters that appear to various degrees in many books. I think Agent of Change is a good place to start. When I am in need of a sure fire good read I go back to these. ENJOY! And eventually you will get to meet Edger…my all time favorite character (ever?).
I’m currently reading the biography of Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson after finished reading his biography of Einstein. Very impressive writer.
@TempeMom, not at my city or county library. But I got a B&N gift card for Xmas, so ordered a used copy. 
Obama’s favorite books of 2017:
“The best books I read in 2017:
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Grant by Ron Chernow
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Janesville: An American Story by Amy Goldstein
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Five-Carat Soul by James McBride
Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Dying: A Memoir by Cory Taylor
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
*Bonus for hoops fans: Coach Wooden and Me by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano”
Thanks for sharing that list, @doschicos. It’s cool that Obama read and liked two books focused on Wisconsin (even though they don’t shine a good light on my state).
@intparent. I really love spending time in the Liaden Universe. It edges a bit more towards fantasy than most sci fi, but doesn’t go overboard. I started with an omnibus that contained Conflict of Honors (Priscilla & Shan), Agent of Change Val Con & Miri), and Carpe Diem (Val Con & Miri). Conflict of Honors is still probably my favorite. There are books that take place earlier in the time line. But I certainly wouldn’t start with the Crystal Soldier books which are fun as filling in the history, but less sucessful as novels.
Amused that even Obama (who clearly reads more serious books than I do) also loved A Gentleman in Moscow.
Exit West was good. So was Ill Will (although not as good as Exit West)
The Return, Hisham Matar. Brilliant.
I just finished something that I think could make a good gift for the right person. It is called “From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars)”. It is 40 short stories that tell the tale of the original Star Wars movie from the viewpoint of various characters, and each one is written by a well known author (like Meg Cabot, Ken Liu, and Nnedi Okorofor). Characters like Luke’s Aunt, the bartender at the Cantina, the Jawas that found the droids, etc. Some are better than others, and obviously one would have to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy it. My favorite was told from the viewpoint of the creature that attacks during the garbage scene on the Death Star. And there are some pretty funny ones by storm troopers. There are a few too many in a couple spots (too many viewpoints of the cantina scene, I skipped a couple there, for example).
I’ve never cared for any of the fan fiction or add on books about Star Wars, but I liked this one.
Interesting intparent, my younger son actually has read a lot of Star Wars extended universe (ahem, renamed Legends of Star Wars) books. He loved that the universe had consistent rules across authors though he definitely thought some authors were far better than others. And I think in the end there were only a few he actually would still read. Sounds amusing.
He might like it, then. 
The 2018 TXLA Lariat List came out for those interested:
Bless you, @ignatius!! I’m looking for something new to read and I LOVE the Lariat List.
That being said, I have tried reading “Borne” twice and just can’t get into it. I do like the sound of “When the English Fall.”
I’ve only read one of the books: Celine by Peter Heller. However, there are several I’ve meant to read, When the English Fall being one of them.
I read Before We Were Yours recently and it’s beautifully written. The list’s description isn’t very informative. It is fiction based on truth about abduction and selling of children in the 1930’s.
Any Dennis Lehane fans (Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River —previous Lehane novels that went to the big screen)? His new book Since We Fell, won’t disappoint you. It’s a psychological thriller that’s fast paced with a sympathetic heroine. I read a little over 400 pages in 3 days. Couldn’t put it down. I’m sure it will be a movie too.
@Bromfield2, I just (an hour ago) started reading “Since We Fell.” Thanks for the recommendation.
@doschicos Thank you for posting the list of Obama’s favorite books. I looked them up on Amazon and plan to read most of them.
Can you imagine being an author whose book ends up on that list? I’d be thrilled.