With 2008 halfway over, I reached my goal of 25 books read halfway through the year so I’m hoping to actually finish 50 books this year. I really didn’t think I’d make it that far since I had a bunch of extra work eating into my spare time a while ago and had a month where I didn’t get much reading done because of it so I’m glad it’s working out so far.

My favorite new author discovery of the year so far is Sarah Monette. I absolutely loved the first three books in her “The Doctrine of Labyrinth” series – Melusine, The Virtu, and The Mirador. Right now, I’m halfway through the book she co-wrote with Elizabeth Bear, A Companion to Wolves, and it’s also very good. Elizabeth Bear may end up making it to one of my favorite author discoveries of the year if the rest of her “Promethean Age” series is as good as the first book, Blood and Iron.

The other reading discovery of the year so far is that I enjoy science fiction far more than I thought I did, so I have been reading and acquiring more of it.

Here are my favorite books I’ve read so far this year:

Melusine, The Virtu, and The Mirador by Sarah Monette
The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari
Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear

Other books I’ve enjoyed more than the average enjoyable book:

Primary Inversion and The Radiant Seas (review forthcoming) by Catherine Asaro
Cordelia’s Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Breath and Bone by Carol Berg
Dune by Frank Herbert

Most fun, easy to breeze through book:

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

What are your favorite books/new authors so far this year?