Science fiction has always been my favorite genre to read. I’ve always loved learning, and I’ve spent much of my career finding ways to share my curiosity with other people. Before creating Preppy Kitchen, I was a middle school math and science teacher, and today I get to teach millions of people how to bake through my recipes and cookbooks, including my newest book, Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking, which hit shelves today (Oct. 13). Reading is a more personal side of me that my audience doesn’t always get to see, which is what makes sharing these books so special. I love getting lost in the worlds that science fiction creates and the big ideas it explores, and I’m excited to share some of the stories that have stayed with me and that I genuinely love reading.
The best sci-fi and dystopian fiction
‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ by Robert A. Heinlein
‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ by Ursula K. Le Guin
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ by Arthur C. Clarke
The ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman
The ‘Foundation Series’ by Isaac Asimov
The ‘Silo’ trilogy by Hugh Howey
‘The Wayfarer Series’ by Becky Chambers
‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ by Robert A. Heinlein
If you’ve ever felt like a fish out of water, it’s nothing compared to being the only Martian-raised human on Earth. I find the satire of societal structures and cultures both fascinating and unsettling simultaneously. To me, this novel was a powerful exploration of how individual thought and morality can be dissuaded by the dogma of the majority.
‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ by Robert A. Heinlein.
Ace
‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ by Ursula K. Le Guin
A favorite book of mine; this dystopian novel takes place on a world where gender is nonbinary and the inhabitants are not necessarily interested in joining an interplanetary alliance represented here by Genly Ai, an envoy of the Ekumen. I really enjoyed Le Guin’s storytelling and world building which organically questions your assumptions of societal structures and norms.
‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Ace
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ by Arthur C. Clarke
An absolute cornerstone of science fiction, I find 2001 to be much more grounded than its cinematic counterpart. If you enjoy thought-provoking science fiction that very much parallels a lot of our society’s current fears concerning artificial intelligence, I encourage you to give this classic a read. Clarke also has a wonderful ability to capture the awe of the cosmos and the unironic insignificance of humanity within the vast endlessness of the universe.
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ by Arthur C. Clarke.
Ace
The ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman
I feel like this series walks the line between science fiction and fantasy in the most intriguing ways. It explores the possibilities throughout parallel universes and the science that tries to distinguish between the will of God and the power of science. All of these themes are seamlessly wrapped up in the coming-of-age story of two children as they face religious oppression and a multiversal war.
The ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman.
Yearling
The ‘Foundation Series’ by Isaac Asimov
If Dune and Star Wars had an even cooler child, it would be the Foundation series. The sheer scope of time that Asimov’s universe spans across really distinguishes the possibilities of what an intergalactic political regime might accomplish (or fail at) across multiple millennia.
The ‘Foundation Series’ by Isaac Asimov.
Del Rey
The ‘Silo’ trilogy by Hugh Howey
I love the mystery of an underground post-apocalyptic society rebuilt without memory. As you discover each new element in the Silo trilogy the world keeps getting bigger and the questions… keep getting simpler. It’s a deep dive into how collective memory shapes society; how society can be manipulated by changing history; and whether humanity is doomed to a specific fate regardless of even the most extreme measures.
The ‘Silo’ trilogy by Hugh Howey.
William Morrow
‘Dark Matter’ by Blake Crouch
It’s not every day I read a book that blows my mind the way Dark Matter does. Every reveal takes me by surprise, followed by an immediate exclamation, ‘Of course that would happen!’ With endless possibilities across countless realities, Crouch doubles down on the importance of ‘following your own path’ rather than lusting after the ‘what if’s in life.
‘Dark Matter’ by Blake Crouch.
Random House Publishing Group
‘The Wayfarer Series’ by Becky Chambers
This ‘slice of life’ series takes what you would assume to be a cold, harsh and artificial environment and turns it into a cozy read by focusing on the everyday lives of people across the galaxy who live in space.
‘The Wayfarer Series’ by Becky Chambers.
Harper Voyager
‘Hyperion’ by Dan Simmons
The Canterbury Tales but in space, this novel is a keystone in sci-fi for me as it has inspired so many of our favorite authors and touches on the perils and challenges of a pilgrimage through space.
‘Hyperion’ by Dan Simmons.
Spectra
‘Oryx and Crake’ by Margaret Atwood
Who doesn’t love a dystopian novel that is getting all-too-real day after day? Atwood was way ahead of her time touching on the dangers of playing god and the ever-turning wheel of time as Snowman struggles to hold onto the story of human history by remembering his own pivotal role in its downfall.
‘Oryx and Crake’ by Margaret Atwood.
Vintage
‘Parable of the Sower’ by Octavia E. Butler
Okay, so I really love a dystopian novel, but this Butlerian odyssey is more thought-provoking than your average prose. I love exploring the power of human empathy in the face of madness and anarchy.
‘Parable of the Sower’ by Octavia E. Butler.
Grand Central Publishing