Hey ~kai, and Happy New Year!
I do not read enough of anything to comment on your impression. But I have stumbled across a book, which imho features a lot of very interesting ideas:
Shane Dix,Sean Williams: Echoes of Earth (2002)
So it may not be super recent, but it was really interesting for me. Like "What happens if an army of nano-robots gets out of control?"
If this is not new for you, then, well, "sorry for the noise".
~bartender? No, not a gargle blaster, goddess forbid, but maybe a float (root beer + vanilla ice cream) with a sprinkle of peppermint? Yes??? Cool!