I don't mean to nitpick, Tom, but is this really your plan?

Ryan North & Chris Fenoglio, Star Trek Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way: ( coffee or raktajino? )
Robert Jackson Bennett, A Drop of Corruption: ( kings! what a good idea!  )
Susanna Clarke, The Wood at Midwinter: ( short )
Sharon Shinn, Alibi: ( teleportation and creeping fascism )
Sacha Lamb, The Forbidden Book: ( Yiddish fantasy )
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Days of Shattered Faith: ( imperial overreach )

Eileen Yuk-Ha Tsang, China’s Commercial Sexscapes: Rethinking Intimacy, Masculinity, and Criminal Justice: ( sex work and intellectual work in China )

Bruce Catton, The Battle of Gettysburg: Short overview of the military aspects of the battle: key strategic and tactical decisions, with a brief coda on the Gettysburg Address. Maybe useful as a refresher if you were going to visit.

David Faris, It’s Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics: ( thought-provoking ideas ) 

Sharon Lamb, The Not Good Enough Mother: ( hard but good reading )