The sequels to Gideon the Ninth had some complex timeline and POV issues. But the author built up a lot of trust and goodwill in the first book, so I was willing to trust her in the sequels. I doubt I’d do the same with a new-to-me author.

With both Harrow and Nona, I LOVED the ride I was on even if I was hopelessly lost for a good chunk of the narrative. And I never felt like I was being deliberately misled for the sake of a twist ending (poor Harrow being at least as confused and frustrated as the reader and she had to actually live through the damn book).

Those somehow did not make me feel like I should be working to try to figure out what was going on, I could just go with it. And you're right, Calli, there is a certain amount of trust involved

Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark is free for non-UK people. [link]

Am I about to DNF a 2nd work book club book in a row? We are reading The Hollow Kingdom and....ugh! Everything this book is trying to do I can think of another book that does that thing better.

POV animals and they're on a quest - Watership Down
Random poetic essays about the meaning of life - Space Opera/Space Oddity
Zombie dystopia - okay this one admittedly stumps me because I don't really do zombies, but enough people have recommended Feed I'm gonna say that one

So on the one hand I don't want to finish it but on the other hand I don't want to be the person who noped out of two books in a row either.

I vote you just reread Watership Down.

I second Dana. Watership Downs is one my comfort reads.

Rereading Watership Down is always a good choice (even if I could probably recite most of it from memory!)

I remember liking World War Z