Matthew's Book List
Matthew was born and raised in southern Missouri. His love of books was kindled by his elementary school librarian. Since those days he is rarely out of arm's reach of a good book. Though most at home in the pages of cosmic horror, cyberpunk, or a new collection of poetry, Matthew loves books of any stripe. Whether he is doing a deep dive into something cerebral and thought-provoking or relaxing in the pages of a comfort book, Matthew loves to hear and share new suggestions for the next great read.
The Murderbot Diaries, of which this is the first, is an action packed series of thrillers that will appease any sci-fi fan. It also is a comforting story about found family, autonomy, and wanting to binge on melodramatic TV instead of doing your job (“job” in this case means usually saving a bunch of humans who make the worst decisions when it comes to surviving).
The story of a Monk and a Robot who wander through the wilderness and learn about each other. It's incredibly wholesome and cozy and feels like the warmth in your chest from a hot cup of tea.
A low stakes, cozy fantasy with a tiny bit of adventure, a little bit of romance, and a whole lot of an orc warrior opening a coffee shop.
The prequel to Legends & Lattes that is every bit as wonderful as the first. Less coffee, a little more romance, and a bunch of a foul-mouthed but adorable Bookseller (we tend to be a foul-mouthed and adorable bunch).
You can’t go wrong with any of Barron’s collections if you are a fan of cosmic horror. Barron has an unparalleled ability to take the strange and grotesque and find something powerful, beautiful, and maddening. A beautifully written descent into insanity.
There are certainly no poor choices when it comes to starting in on the adventures of Bertram Wooster and his Valet, Jeeves. However, this is a great choice for those who wish to start at the beginning. Wodehouse created one of the most perfect comedy pairs between the often buffoonish Bertie and the wise Jeeves. Through Bertie Wodehouse is able to introduce a delightful cast of characters that often seem just a little out of touch and more often in need of the singular mind of the gentleman’s gentleman, Jeeves.
While not the first cyberpunk book, Gibson’s Neuromancer is one that set the standard for many. While the novel inspired countless other stories, including the digital world of The Matrix, the true joy of Gibson’s work isn’t in the fantastic and often accurate predictions of our digital futures. It is in the basic questions of what it means to be intelligent and alive. Whether a digital imprint of a mind is less human than the person who left it. Whether who we are is confined to our bodies. And if something that never had a body can still be alive after all.
A book that inspired horror masters such as H.P. Lovecraft and popular culture like HBO’s True Detective. The King in Yellow is a series of stories about the lost, forgotten, and cursed city of Carcosa. A little bit of real life history adds an even larger sense of foreboding to this title as the first mention of Carcosa was in the work of Ambrose Bierce’s “An Inhabitant of Carcosa”. Who is the King in Yellow, what is Carcosa, and why has it gained such a hold over horror writers and fans alike?