Books you read in 2021

Truman Read The Orchard in tandem with the girl I'm seeing and we both loved it. I regularly grab 10/10 ratings off your list when I don't have something already in mind and that was a good one.

If I recall, you're Jewish, so you've got a certain tie to it that some won't but even still, it was a really great read. Feels slow at times but then the last 20% happens and you understand how much you needed every single thing prior.

 

I am jewish, Grew up pretty secular. Only really observed the major holiday ect. That whole insular private conservative school community was foreign to me. As well as some of the traditions and stories from the Talmud. I did feel a slight familiarity as in " Oh yeah Ive heard of that before, I think" but didnt really have too much of tie to it.

Glad you liked it. It's very different than most of the books I read. Hits in a different way.

 

Yeah, I did a fair amount of reading of that one with my Kindle connected to my phone so I could highlight and look up words while reading. Even without a familiarity to the terms and traditions, author does a great job pulling you into the feeling of that community. The mix into discussion with secular philosophers throughout adds an extra layer, too.
Definitely required something with a "lighter" feeling to it for my next read though.

 

Out of order but after a slow start to the year, the last few months have been pretty busy with reading:

1. Recursion by Blake Crouch (8.5/10)
2. All the Wrong Moves: A Memoir about Chess, Love, and Ruining Everything All the Wrong Moves: A Memoir about Chess, Love, and Ruining Everything by Sasha Chapin (7.5/10)
3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (10/10) - his best, as many have mentioned itt
4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (8/10) - probably the hardest book to rate I've ever read - I really loved parts of it but it's a strange read
5. Shantaram by Gregory Davis Roberts (9.5/10)
6. The Orchard by David Hoppen (9/10)

Currently reading: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

 

1. Wolf Hall Trilogy (Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies, The Mirror and the Light) by Hilary Mantel - 9.5/10

2. A Children’s Bible: a novel by Lydia Millet - 8.5/10

3. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - 8/10

4. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts - 5/10

5. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan - 8.5/10

6. The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell - 8/10

7. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell - 8.5/10

8. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain - 8/10

9. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid - 8.5/10

10. Beartown by Fredrik Backman - 8.5/10

11. The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan - 9/10

12. Autumn by Ali Smith - 8.5/10

13. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders - 8.5/10

14. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - 8.5/10

15. Evicted by Matthew Desmond - 9.5/10

16. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - 8/10

17. World Without End by Ken Follett - 8.5/10

 

1. The Space Between Worlds by Miciah Johnson (7.5/10)
2. Star Wars The High Republic : Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (8/10)
3. Black Buck by Mateo Askiripur (8/10)
4. I am Legend by Richard Matheson (7.5/10)
5. Moonflower Murders (Susan Reyland #2) by Anthony Horowitz (7.5/10)
6. The List (Orphan X #5,5) by Gregg Hurwitz (8/10)
7. Prodigal Son (Orphan X #6) by Gregg Hurwitz (8.5/10)
8. Remote Control by Nnedi Okafor (7/10)
9. Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark, by Claudia Gray (8/10)
10. To Be Honest, by Michael Leviton (7/10)
11. The Assassination of Fred Hampton, by Jeffrey Haas (8.5/10)
12. The Orchard by David Hopen (10/10)
13 Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and Crippling of American Democracy, by Adam Jentleson (8/10)
14. We Could Be Heroes, by Mike Chen (6.5/10)
15. Winter World (The Long Winter #1) by AG Riddle (8./10).
16 The Solar War (The Long Winter #2) by AG Riddle (7.5/10
17. The Lost Colony (The Long Winter #3) by AG Riddle (7.5/10)
18. Beartown (Beartown #1) by Fredrik Backman (10/10)
19. Us Against You (Beartown # 2) by Fredrik Backman (8.5/10)
20. The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease and the End of an Empire by Kyle Harper (8/10)
21. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (5.5/10)
22. The Last One, by Alexandria Oliva (5/10)
23. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone, by Heather McGhee (8.5/10)
24. The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson (7/10)
25. Exo (Exo #1) by Fonda Lee (7/10)
26. Cross Fire (Exo #2) by Fonda Lee (7.5/10)
27. Empire Of Pain: The Secret History of Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (9/10)
28. Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: The Greater Good (Thrawn Asc. #2) by Tim Zahn (7.5/10)
29. The Last Watch (The Divide #1) by JS Dewes (8/10)
30. The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, by Michael Lewis (8/10)
31. The Song of Achilles, by Madaline Miller (7/10)
32. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (10/10)
33. A Man Called Ove, by Fredrick Backman (8/10)
34. Machinehood by S.B. Divya (9.5/100
35. The Anarchy: the East India Compay, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire, by William Dalrymple, (7.5/10)
36. Immunity Index by Sue Burke (7/10)
38. The Lies of Locke Lamorra (Gentleman Bastards Sequence #1) by Scott Lynch (9/10)
39. Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards Sequence #2) by Scott Lynch (7.5/10)
40. The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastards Sequence #3) by Scott Lynch (8/10)
41. Star Wars The High Republic: The Rising Storm (High Republic #2) by Cavan Scott (8.5/10)
42. War On the Border: Villa, Pershing, The Texas Rangers and an American Invasion by Jeff Guinn (8.5/10)
41. Falling by TJ Newman (7/10)
42. (Re)born in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to His Chosen Home, by Roger Bennett (7/10)
43. The Cellist (Gabriel Allon #21) by Daniel Silva (6.5/10)
44. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Critchon (7/10)
45. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby (9/10)
46. The Tears of Dark Water, by Corban Addison (9.5/10)
47. Ring Shout by Djeli P Clark, (7/10)
49. Star Wars: High Republic: Out of the Shadows, by Justina Ireland (7.5/10)
50. Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger (7.5/10)
51 Imposter Syndrome by Kathy Wang (7/10)
52 Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (7.5/10)
53 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (9/10)
54 The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and The 40 Years That Shook the World, by Patrick Wyman (8/10)
55. The Guide, by Peter Heller (8/10)
56. Billy Summers, by Stephen King (7/10)
57. The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton (7/10)

The Guide - This is about a river fishing guide that picks up a job at a premiere resort, taking out uber rich and celebrates on fishing excursions. Turns into a thriller. Really love this guy's books. Always have something to do with an outdoorsman. Great descriptions of nature ect.

Billy Summers - About a war vet that turned mob assassin. It was ok. Not very Stephen King like book, but I enjoyed it. Pretty tropey

Second Life of Nick Mason - I saw Don Winslow recommend this book on twitter. I like Winslow's books so I read it. Nothing remarkable but a good empty calories read which I was looking for. About a felon that gets released early from prison and is forced to be an assassin for a Chicago drug cartel. It all took place in chicago which was cool for me, because I knew exactly where everything was and how to picture it. First book in a series. Will read the next one


Next up -Harlem Shuffle by Colston Whitehead

 

Favorite Peter Heller book? Sounds like my jam.

 

Ive only read The Guide and The River. Both have the same main character. The River takes place first, so start w that

 

1-7. Harry Potter Series / JK Rowling (8/10)
8. Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI / David Grann (10/10)
9. 1000 Record Covers / Michael Ochs (5/10)
10. Abigail Adams / Woody Holton (7.5/10)
11. Universities And Their Cities: Urban Higher Education In America / Steven J. Diner (4/10)
12. Short Complex: A Collection Of Short Stories / Chuck Brown (7/10)
13. Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History Of Racist Ideas In America / Ibram X. Kendi (10/10)
14. The Death Of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge And Why It Matters / Tom Nichols (6/10)
15. Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, And Cheap Labor In The American Black Market / Eric Schlosser (7.5/10)
16. Bitter Root Volume 1: Family Business / David Walker, Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown (8/10)
17. Metaphors We Live By / George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (3/10)
18. 1963: The Year Of The Revolution - How Youth Changed The World With Music, Art And Fashion / Ariel Leve & Robin Morgan (7.5/10)

19. Beneath The Underdog: His World As Composed By Mingus / Charles Mingus (5/10)
Autobiography of jazz bassist Charles Mingus, and true to jazz form it's unconventional and all over the place. He writes in this weird first person/third person, where he's like "my boy was playing his horn. I whispered in his ear, why are you doing this?" He also writes a lot about women he got with, apparently in exaggerated fashion. I read half and decided I pretty much had the point. Original manuscript was 1500 pages before being cut to 400 by an editor

20. On The Stump Volume 1 / Chuck Brown (8/10)
Graphic novel by a local guy, same one as Bitter Root. It's the future and instead of politicians debating each other "on the stump", they now fistfight each other in a ring called the stump. Beat a guy's ass and get your bill passed. Commentary on the pathology of being "entertained" by the "circus" of politics

Up Next:

 

Same here. I want to read it, but I know it will prob be upsetting. This is the week though

 

That autobiography sounds insane lol

 

It fits being it's a jazz guy, but yeah. If anyone's looking for a better autobiography including lots of sexual conquest, go with Wilt Chamberlain.

(I have this paperback and yep, that cover folds out two more times to show the entire length of his legs haha)

 

1. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
2. The Stranger - Albert Camus
3. The Snow Leopard - Peter Mathiessen
4. Desert Notebooks - Ben Ehrenreich
5. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned - Wells Tower
6. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
7. Beautiful Animals - Lawrence Osborne
8. The Inner Game of Tennis - Timothy Gallwey
9. Enemies - Tim Weiner
10. Empire of Pain - Patrick Radden Keefe
11. Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann
12. The Stranger - Harlan Coben
13. Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory - Raphael Bob-Waksberg
14. The Price of Peace - Zachary Carter
15. Blitzed - Norman Ohler
16. Hitler - Volker Ulrich
17. The Defining Moment - Jonathan Alter
18. 1177 BC - Eric Cline
19. The End of Everything - Katie Mack
20. Man's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl
21. Caste - Isbael Wilkerson
22. This Life - Martin Hagglund
23. H Is for Hawk - Helen Macdonald
24. The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life by David Coggins - 7/10
25. When Einstein Walked with Gödel - Jim Holt 6/10
26. Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky - 8/10
27. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know - 7.5/10
28. The Deficit Myth - Stephanie Kelton - 7/10
29. Fox and I - Catherine Raven - 7/10.
30. The Abstainer - Ian McGuire - 8.5/10
31. The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo - 7/10
32. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson - 8/10
33. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 9/10

34. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - 8.5/10. Never got around to reading this when it was huge as I had read his WSJ articles anyways. But figured with the trial going on now would be worth to get a deep dive. So good. I like these non-fiction narrative books similar to Patrick Radden Keefe.

35. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy - 7.5/10. Not as good as some of his other ones, in my opinion but still so good. And will look to finish the trilogy this year hopefully.

 

Were you sad when

Spoiler

Blevins died

 

Carryerou has a podcast by the same name. It was a cliff notes version of the book, but he’s come back w it to cover the trial. It’s good.

 

The Crossing Spoiler. Not specific but don't open if you haven't read.

Spoiler

Contains the saddest moment of any book or movie I've ever seen or read ever. Ever.

 

The Border Trilogy is up there with LOTR as an all time fav series for me.

 

Just bought the crossing

 

1. Recursion by Blake Crouch (8.5/10)
2. All the Wrong Moves: A Memoir about Chess, Love, and Ruining Everything All the Wrong Moves: A Memoir about Chess, Love, and Ruining Everything by Sasha Chapin (7.5/10)
3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (10/10) - his best, as many have mentioned itt
4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (8/10) - probably the hardest book to rate I've ever read - I really loved parts of it but it's a strange read
5. Shantaram by Gregory Davis Roberts (9.5/10)
6. The Orchard by David Hoppen (9/10)

7. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker - 10/10 - a super unconventional love story, with amazing storytelling.

Next up: The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music - Dave Grohl (pretty sure this will be a collection of short stories, so I will probably mix it in with whatever else I pick)

 

It was good, but it had a lot of monologues from side characters that maybe just went way over my head that made it hard to get through at parts.

 

Didn't know where to put this. This snuck by me and SIAP. He died in March. I just have a Streets of Laredo to finish the LD series.

Texas literary giant Larry McMurtry dies at 84
He won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “Lonesome Dove” and shared an Oscar for “Brokeback Mountain.”

 

Spoiler

That the one with the priest in the abandoned village? If so that monologue was tough. Longest one in the series and deeeeep. Love coming out the other side of those though. Makes you appreciate the story more.

 

1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 10/10
2) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 9/10
3) American Assassin by Vince Flynn 10/10
4) Darth Bane Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
5) Darth Bane Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn 8.5/10
6) Darth Bane Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
7) Meat Market by Bruce Feldman 8/10
8) Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray 10/10
9) NBA Jam by Reyan Ali 7.5/10
10) The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel 8/10
11) Kill Shot by Vince Flynn 8.5/10
12) Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Carol 8.5/10
13) How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 9/10
14) The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter 10/10
15) Spark by John Rate 7/10
16) Flash Boys by Michael Lewis 8/10
17) Do the Work by Steven Pressfield 5/10
18) Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho 8.5/10
19) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang 9/10
20) Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing by Jacob Goldstein 9.5/10
21) Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn 8.5/10
22) The Long Walk by Stephen King 9/10
23) Limitless by Jim Kwik 6/10
24) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro 8.5/10
25) Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 10/10
26) Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy 8/10
27) Muck City by Bryan Mealer 8.5/10
28) Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann 8.5/10
29) Misery by Stephen King 8.75/10
30) The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley 7.5/10
31) The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson 7.5/10
32) Based on a True Story by Norm MacDonald 7/10
33) Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven 8/10
34) Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang 8.5/10
35) 2034: a novel of the next world war by Elliot Ackerman 9/10

 

1. White Night (Dresden Files #9) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
2. Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
3. Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
4. Changes (Dresden Files #12) - Jim Butcher (9.5/10) (reread)
5. Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) - Jim Butcher (8/10) (reread)
6. Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
7. Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
8. Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) - Jim Butcher (8/10)
9. Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) - Jim Butcher (9/10)
10. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
11. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
12. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archive #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10) (reread)
13. Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
14. Dawnshard (Stormlight Archive #3.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
15. Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archive #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
16. Bloodline (Cradle #9) - Will Wight (7/10)
17. The Rage of Dragons (The Burning #1) - Evan Winter (9.5/10)
18. The Fires of Vengeance (The Burning #2) - Evan Winter (8.5/10)
19. Bloody Rose (The Band #2) - NIcholas Eames (9/10)
20. Kings of the Wyld (The Band #1) - NIcholas Eames (9/10)
21. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (10/10)
22. Artemis - Andy Weir (8/10)
23. Across the Lake - Doug Kelly/Andy Weir (6/10)
24. The Long Journey Home (Across the Lake #2) - Doug Kelly/Andy Weir (5/10)

 

Just read Poppy Wars trilogy.
Was better than expected.

 

I really liked it.

 

About 3/4 done. Early review is some info is dated, practices towards insecticides have changed (in the US at least), but thank god this woman sounded the alarm. Also just makes you really aware of ecology and how one life form affects another. I think the last few chapters will be really good and bring it all home

 

1. White Night (Dresden Files #9) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
2. Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
3. Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
4. Changes (Dresden Files #12) - Jim Butcher (9.5/10) (reread)
5. Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) - Jim Butcher (8/10) (reread)
6. Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
7. Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
8. Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) - Jim Butcher (8/10)
9. Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) - Jim Butcher (9/10)
10. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
11. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
12. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archive #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10) (reread)
13. Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
14. Dawnshard (Stormlight Archive #3.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
15. Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archive #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
16. Bloodline (Cradle #9) - Will Wight (7/10)
17. The Rage of Dragons (The Burning #1) - Evan Winter (9.5/10)
18. The Fires of Vengeance (The Burning #2) - Evan Winter (8.5/10)
19. Bloody Rose (The Band #2) - NIcholas Eames (9/10)
20. Kings of the Wyld (The Band #1) - NIcholas Eames (9/10)
21. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (10/10)
22. Artemis - Andy Weir (8/10)
23. Across the Lake - Doug Kelly/Andy Weir (6/10)
24. The Long Journey Home (Across the Lake #2) - Doug Kelly/Andy Weir (5/10)
25. Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) - Robert Jordan (10/10)

 

Same. The last thing I need is to get buried in a 20 books series

 

Gonna have you tugging on your braid and tumbling dice in your head before you know it.

 

I never read Wheel of Time but my friend told me back in the day it was like Dark Tower but better. Accurate?

 

1-7. Harry Potter Series / JK Rowling (8/10)
8. Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI / David Grann (10/10)
9. 1000 Record Covers / Michael Ochs (5/10)
10. Abigail Adams / Woody Holton (7.5/10)
11. Universities And Their Cities: Urban Higher Education In America / Steven J. Diner (4/10)
12. Short Complex: A Collection Of Short Stories / Chuck Brown (7/10)
13. Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History Of Racist Ideas In America / Ibram X. Kendi (10/10)
14. The Death Of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge And Why It Matters / Tom Nichols (6/10)
15. Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, And Cheap Labor In The American Black Market / Eric Schlosser (7.5/10)
16. Bitter Root Volume 1: Family Business / David Walker, Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown (8/10)
17. Metaphors We Live By / George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (3/10)
18. 1963: The Year Of The Revolution - How Youth Changed The World With Music, Art And Fashion / Ariel Leve & Robin Morgan (7.5/10)
19. Beneath The Underdog: His World As Composed By Mingus / Charles Mingus (5/10)
20. On The Stump Volume 1 / Chuck Brown (8/10)

21. Silent Spring / Rachel Carson (7/10)
The book is a 10/10 as far as what it accomplished upon publication...convincing America that widespread spraying of toxic chemicals was not the answer to pest control. I'd like to read more about exactly what's changed since the early 60s when this was published, but suffice to say that much of what she said was heeded and things have improved from that point. There's still a big lesson here for any of us about ecology -- life is a balance and humans are just a part of it. It's absolutely insane the innumerable examples from the animal/insect/plant world of the ways these things work together. This book actually made me interested in taking a class in Biology or Chemistry, which is normally far from my wheelhouse. The Blackfish if you read it you'll be particularly interested in the examples about fire ants and how they were introduced to the US through Mobile and everything

Up Next:

 

Never read Dark Tower. I would say closer to Lord of the Rings in feel with more magic.

 

1. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
2. The Stranger - Albert Camus
3. The Snow Leopard - Peter Mathiessen
4. Desert Notebooks - Ben Ehrenreich
5. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned - Wells Tower
6. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
7. Beautiful Animals - Lawrence Osborne
8. The Inner Game of Tennis - Timothy Gallwey
9. Enemies - Tim Weiner
10. Empire of Pain - Patrick Radden Keefe
11. Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann
12. The Stranger - Harlan Coben
13. Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory - Raphael Bob-Waksberg
14. The Price of Peace - Zachary Carter
15. Blitzed - Norman Ohler
16. Hitler - Volker Ulrich
17. The Defining Moment - Jonathan Alter
18. 1177 BC - Eric Cline
19. The End of Everything - Katie Mack
20. Man's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl
21. Caste - Isbael Wilkerson
22. This Life - Martin Hagglund
23. H Is for Hawk - Helen Macdonald
24. The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life by David Coggins - 7/10
25. When Einstein Walked with Gödel - Jim Holt 6/10
26. Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky - 8/10
27. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know - 7.5/10
28. The Deficit Myth - Stephanie Kelton - 7/10
29. Fox and I - Catherine Raven - 7/10.
30. The Abstainer - Ian McGuire - 8.5/10
31. The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo - 7/10
32. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson - 8/10
33. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 9/10
34. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - 8.5/10
35. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy - 7.5/10

36. Reaganland by Rick Perlstein - 8/10. Smooth 1100 page read lol. I kept wanting to switch to something else at the beginning knowing how long it was, but I kept going because it was so engaging across that many pages somehow. Pretty remarkable how unremarkable Reagan is as a candidate with how much he is venerated on the right. Great role model guys. Also infuriating to see the democrats shooting themselves in the foot repeatedly isn’t a recent thing…

 

They figured out the perfect formula for president in a visual age...get a Hollywood actor that can smile and talk reassuringly into the camera. You could prob find the next president more easily in Hollywood than in an Ivy League debate club

 

1. The Space Between Worlds by Miciah Johnson (7.5/10)
2. Star Wars The High Republic : Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (8/10)
3. Black Buck by Mateo Askiripur (8/10)
4. I am Legend by Richard Matheson (7.5/10)
5. Moonflower Murders (Susan Reyland #2) by Anthony Horowitz (7.5/10)
6. The List (Orphan X #5,5) by Gregg Hurwitz (8/10)
7. Prodigal Son (Orphan X #6) by Gregg Hurwitz (8.5/10)
8. Remote Control by Nnedi Okafor (7/10)
9. Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark, by Claudia Gray (8/10)
10. To Be Honest, by Michael Leviton (7/10)
11. The Assassination of Fred Hampton, by Jeffrey Haas (8.5/10)
12. The Orchard by David Hopen (10/10)
13 Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and Crippling of American Democracy, by Adam Jentleson (8/10)
14. We Could Be Heroes, by Mike Chen (6.5/10)
15. Winter World (The Long Winter #1) by AG Riddle (8./10).
16 The Solar War (The Long Winter #2) by AG Riddle (7.5/10
17. The Lost Colony (The Long Winter #3) by AG Riddle (7.5/10)
18. Beartown (Beartown #1) by Fredrik Backman (10/10)
19. Us Against You (Beartown # 2) by Fredrik Backman (8.5/10)
20. The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease and the End of an Empire by Kyle Harper (8/10)
21. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (5.5/10)
22. The Last One, by Alexandria Oliva (5/10)
23. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone, by Heather McGhee (8.5/10)
24. The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson (7/10)
25. Exo (Exo #1) by Fonda Lee (7/10)
26. Cross Fire (Exo #2) by Fonda Lee (7.5/10)
27. Empire Of Pain: The Secret History of Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (9/10)
28. Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: The Greater Good (Thrawn Asc. #2) by Tim Zahn (7.5/10)
29. The Last Watch (The Divide #1) by JS Dewes (8/10)
30. The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, by Michael Lewis (8/10)
31. The Song of Achilles, by Madaline Miller (7/10)
32. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (10/10)
33. A Man Called Ove, by Fredrick Backman (8/10)
34. Machinehood by S.B. Divya (9.5/100
35. The Anarchy: the East India Compay, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire, by William Dalrymple, (7.5/10)
36. Immunity Index by Sue Burke (7/10)
38. The Lies of Locke Lamorra (Gentleman Bastards Sequence #1) by Scott Lynch (9/10)
39. Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards Sequence #2) by Scott Lynch (7.5/10)
40. The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastards Sequence #3) by Scott Lynch (8/10)
41. Star Wars The High Republic: The Rising Storm (High Republic #2) by Cavan Scott (8.5/10)
42. War On the Border: Villa, Pershing, The Texas Rangers and an American Invasion by Jeff Guinn (8.5/10)
41. Falling by TJ Newman (7/10)
42. (Re)born in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to His Chosen Home, by Roger Bennett (7/10)
43. The Cellist (Gabriel Allon #21) by Daniel Silva (6.5/10)
44. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Critchon (7/10)
45. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby (9/10)
46. The Tears of Dark Water, by Corban Addison (9.5/10)
47. Ring Shout by Djeli P Clark, (7/10)
49. Star Wars: High Republic: Out of the Shadows, by Justina Ireland (7.5/10)
50. Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger (7.5/10)
51 Imposter Syndrome by Kathy Wang (7/10)
52 Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (7.5/10)
53 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (9/10)
54 The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and The 40 Years That Shook the World, by Patrick Wyman (8/10)
55. The Guide, by Peter Heller (8/10)
56. Billy Summers, by Stephen King (7/10)
57. The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton (7/10)
58. Harlem Shuffle, by Colston Whitehead (7/10)
59. Dune, by Frank Herbert (7/10)

Harlem Shuffle - I thought it was just ok. Suffered from high expectations that come w a Whitehead book.

Dune - Tried reading it a few years ago and HATED it. Thought it was the most dry/boring thing ever. Went a little better this time. Still really dry and slow paced, but I can appreciate it more now. I see why it's a classic, especially considering it was the first of its kind in the sci fi genre. Still, had a tough time getting through it. Glad I read it. Only read it because the movie was coming out. Have no desire to read any more of the books.

 

1. White Night (Dresden Files #9) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
2. Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
3. Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
4. Changes (Dresden Files #12) - Jim Butcher (9.5/10) (reread)
5. Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) - Jim Butcher (8/10) (reread)
6. Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
7. Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
8. Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) - Jim Butcher (8/10)
9. Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) - Jim Butcher (9/10)
10. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
11. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
12. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archive #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10) (reread)
13. Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
14. Dawnshard (Stormlight Archive #3.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
15. Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archive #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
16. Bloodline (Cradle #9) - Will Wight (7/10)
17. The Rage of Dragons (The Burning #1) - Evan Winter (9.5/10)
18. The Fires of Vengeance (The Burning #2) - Evan Winter (8.5/10)
19. Bloody Rose (The Band #2) - NIcholas Eames (9/10)
20. Kings of the Wyld (The Band #1) - NIcholas Eames (9/10)
21. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (10/10)
22. Artemis - Andy Weir (8/10)
23. Across the Lake - Doug Kelly/Andy Weir (6/10)
24. The Long Journey Home (Across the Lake #2) - Doug Kelly/Andy Weir (5/10)
25. Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) - Robert Jordan (10/10)
26. The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time #2) - Robert Jordan (9/10)

 

Apologies to my fans and my haters for not updating in the last few months. Having 2 toddlers is going to kill me.

1. The Border (Don Winslow) - 7.5/10
2. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (James W. Loewen) - 8/10
3. The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World (Vincent Bevins) - 9.5/10
4. The Stranger Beside Me (Ann Rule) - 5/10
5. The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product that Defined America (Allan M. Brandt) - 9/10
6. The Anatomy of Fascism (Robert O. Paxton) - 9/10
7. Portnoy's Complaint (Phillip Roth) - 7.5/10
8. The Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (James M. McPherson) - 9.5/10
9. The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy (Stephanie Kelton) - 8.5/10
10. Wise Blood (Flannery O'Connor) - 8/10 - Easy to see why this one is a classic despite its bleakness. A short read but I wouldn't call it easy. The main character, Hazel Motes, is deeply uncertain about religion and his own spirituality and everyone he meets seems to further plunge him into despair. Worth your time if you're interested. I'll have to check out more of O'Connor's work.
11. Stayin' Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class (Jefferson R. Cowie) - 9/10 1- This started a little slow but man does it really pay off. Blending labor, cultural, and political histories, Cowie shows how the power of labor was completely decimated between the late '60s and the early '80s. He does a great job highlighting the missteps from the major unions and their leaders and how big business and conservative politicians took advantage of those internal issues. A lot of cultural stuff in here too: nice passages on Merle Haggard, Springsteen, and key movies of the decade. Highly suggested.
12. The Wright Brothers (David McCullough) - 7/10 - Pretty typical McCullough pop history, easy to digest and engaging. Good stuff on the Wright family and what led these brothers to reach such heights. Knew a lot about the stuff that took place in NC (not to brag) but enjoyed learning about their trips to Europe and the reception there. If I had a critique, it was very light on details after Wilbur's death (Orville lived quite a bit longer).
13. The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump (Corey Robin) - 7/10 - This is a collection of essays rather than a cohesive narrative. I thought the first couple of essays on Hobbes were strong, very thoughtful stuff. His takedown of Ayn Rand was brutal and certainly worth reading. Finished with some stuff on Trump and his opinion on the current state of the American right was pretty interesting: to summarize, they are flailing around because they have no cohesive enemy on the left. If the collection had an overarching theme, it's that conservatism itself is dynamic, happy to support either unfettered capitalism or a strong state when it suits them. You can probably find most of the essays without reading the book if you find any of it interesting.
14. Rabbit, Run (John Updike) - 7.5/10 - Interesting book. Basically about an anxious man coming of age in the late '50s/early '60s, a time of material abundance but with something like malaise in the population. Rabbit acts erratically, forever questioning what will make him happy (and what even is happiness). For me, there were times that I found Updike to be a beautiful stylist and others where he was long-winded. I'll get around the rest of the series at some point, this is the 1st book of 4.
15. The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution (C.L.R. James) - 9.5/10 - Now this is a history book. I mentioned Updike as a stylist previously; among historians, James might be the best stylist I've ever read. Just incredible passages setting the state for the Revolution, especially from the economic perspective. He keeps that perspective at the forefront of the entire narrative, helping to make sense of the ever-shifting alliances in this conflict. He quite obviously admires L'Ouverture and it's hard not to join him after reading this. He writes this in 1939 and in the introduction, very clearly explains what's about to happen in Europe. Recommended highly.
16. Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (Kenneth T. Jackson) - 8.5/10 - Another very enjoyable read. I think a lot of folks think of the suburbs as a post WWII invention but the process began in the 1900s, pre-Civil War in some areas. He discussed how the suburbs came to be seen as the place to live and how transportation improvements drove that. Some good passages on why this happened so much in the US rather than Europe or Japan (availability of cheap land and inexpensive building methods were 2 big reasons). Contains one of the better summaries I've ever read of the FHA and how that drove segregation. Jackson isn't as engaging as James and that may affect my score some. He makes some interesting predictions at the end (this was written in '85), some of which have come true including the gentrification of downtown areas.

Next: 1) Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation 2) Suttree 3) The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan

 

Boy I really took a dive this year but have made a small comeback the past few weeks.

1. The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis (8/10)
2. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness: Michelle Alexander (8/10)
3. Between the World and Me: Ta-Nehesi Coates (6/10)
4. Winners Take All: Anand Giridharadas (8/10)
5. Project Hail Mary: Andy Weir (9/10)
6. Devolution: Max Brooks (6/10)
7. I Am Legend: Richard Matheson (10/10)

Project Hail Mary was a lot of fun. Much better than Artemis, which sucked pretty bad IMO.

I Am Legend is one of those books I always come back to to get out of reading funks. The build up and the last few pages and final paragraph/line are just spine tingling incredible. An all time classic.

 

1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 10/10
2) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 9/10
3) American Assassin by Vince Flynn 10/10
4) Darth Bane Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
5) Darth Bane Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn 8.5/10
6) Darth Bane Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
7) Meat Market by Bruce Feldman 8/10
8) Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray 10/10
9) NBA Jam by Reyan Ali 7.5/10
10) The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel 8/10
11) Kill Shot by Vince Flynn 8.5/10
12) Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Carol 8.5/10
13) How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 9/10
14) The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter 10/10
15) Spark by John Rate 7/10
16) Flash Boys by Michael Lewis 8/10
17) Do the Work by Steven Pressfield 5/10
18) Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho 8.5/10
19) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang 9/10
20) Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing by Jacob Goldstein 9.5/10
21) Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn 8.5/10
22) The Long Walk by Stephen King 9/10
23) Limitless by Jim Kwik 6/10
24) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro 8.5/10
25) Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 10/10
26) Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy 8/10
27) Muck City by Bryan Mealer 8.5/10
28) Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann 8.5/10
29) Misery by Stephen King 8.75/10
30) The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley 7.5/10
31) The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson 7.5/10
32) Based on a True Story by Norm MacDonald 7/10
33) Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven 8/10
34) Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang 8.5/10
35) 2034: a novel of the next world war by Elliot Ackerman 9/10
36) It's Better to be Feared by Seth Wickersham 10/10
37) The Storyteller by Dave Grohl 10/10
38) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 8/10
39) The Future is Faster Than You Think by Peter Diamandis 7.5/10

 

1-7. Harry Potter Series / JK Rowling (8/10)
8. Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI / David Grann (10/10)
9. 1000 Record Covers / Michael Ochs (5/10)
10. Abigail Adams / Woody Holton (7.5/10)
11. Universities And Their Cities: Urban Higher Education In America / Steven J. Diner (4/10)
12. Short Complex: A Collection Of Short Stories / Chuck Brown (7/10)
13. Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History Of Racist Ideas In America / Ibram X. Kendi (10/10)
14. The Death Of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge And Why It Matters / Tom Nichols (6/10)
15. Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, And Cheap Labor In The American Black Market / Eric Schlosser (7.5/10)
16. Bitter Root Volume 1: Family Business / David Walker, Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown (8/10)
17. Metaphors We Live By / George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (3/10)
18. 1963: The Year Of The Revolution - How Youth Changed The World With Music, Art And Fashion / Ariel Leve & Robin Morgan (7.5/10)
19. Beneath The Underdog: His World As Composed By Mingus / Charles Mingus (5/10)
20. On The Stump Volume 1 / Chuck Brown (8/10)
21. Silent Spring / Rachel Carson (7/10)

22. All You Need Is Ears: The Inside Personal Story Of The Genius Who Created The Beatles / George Martin with Jeremy Hornsby (9/10)
Read this if: You're a big Beatles fan, or the 60s in general, or record producers and how albums are made. Gets kind of technical at times with music theory talk or recording technology lingo. I enjoyed the shit out of it. I would love to be the record producer for a band of super talented 20 somethings.


Up Next:

 

1. Recursion by Blake Crouch (8.5/10)
2. All the Wrong Moves: A Memoir about Chess, Love, and Ruining Everything All the Wrong Moves: A Memoir about Chess, Love, and Ruining Everything by Sasha Chapin (7.5/10)
3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (10/10) - his best, as many have mentioned itt
4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (8/10) - probably the hardest book to rate I've ever read - I really loved parts of it but it's a strange read
5. Shantaram by Gregory Davis Roberts (9.5/10)
6. The Orchard by David Hoppen (9/10)
7. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker (10/10) - a super unconventional love story, with amazing storytelling.
8. The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl - 10/10 - obviously dependent on your feelings about Grohl, and I'm still struggling to believe there wasn't a ghost writer or heavy coaching involved, but there's a lot of really great stories and it's a great reminder of why he's so loved by fans and the industry; has a huge love of other artists.

 

Nice, I will look out for the Grohl book on my music biography quest