Books You've Read in 2024

Search this forum for Mizzou and you'll see a few posts mentioning it in 2019 and 2023

best campus novel I've read that's for sure

 

2024
1. Hell is a World Without You by Jason Kirk - 6/10
2. Masters of the Air by Donald L. Miller - 8/10
3. Blackout by Sarah Hepola - 9/10
4. Mortal Error by Sonar Menninger - 8/10
5. The Trinity Six by Charles Cumming - 7/10
6. The Moroccan Girl by Charles Cumming - 7/10
7. Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton - 7/10
8. Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn - 6/10
9. Bad News by Edward St Aubyn - 7/10
10. Some Help by Edward St Aubyn - 6/10
11. Mothers Milk by Edward St Aubyn - 5/10
12. At Last by Edward St Aubyn - 8/10
13. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown - 9/10
14. Red Rising by Pierce Brown 8/10
15. The Underground Railroad by Colton Whitehead 3/10
16. My Best Friends Exorcism by Grady Hendrix 4/10
17. The Scarlet Papers by Matthew Richardson 6/10
18. Hester Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi 7/10
19. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 7/10
20. The King of Diamonds by Rena Pederson 8/10
21. The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson 10/10
22. Berlin Game by Len Deighton 8/10
23. Mexico Set by Len Deighton 6/10
24. Dead Wake by Erik Larson 9/10
25. The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides 9/10
26. The Maltese Falcon 7/10 by Dashiell Hammett - heard an interview with Erik Larson that this was his favorite book
27. London Match 9/10 by Len Deighton - best of this series imo. was disappointed with Mexico Set
28. The Splendid and the Vile 9/10 by Erik Larson - a friend said this was his least favorite Larson book. I loved it.
29. In the Garden of Beasts 9/10 by Erik Larson - wildly fascinating perspective
30. The Devil in the White City 8/10 by Erik Larson
31. Churchill's Secret Warriors 8/10 by Damien Lewis
32. All The Shah's Men 10/10 - by Stephen Kinzer
33. Thunderstruck 8/10 - by Erik Larson
34. East of Eden 10/10 - by John Steinbeck
35. Grapes of Wrath 7/10 - by John Steinbeck
36. Dark State 3/10 - by Jack Slater
37. The Reckoning 4/10 - by John Grisham
38. Conclave 7/10 - by Robert Harris
39. Stoner 10/10 - by John Williams
40.The Peacock and the Sparrow 3/10 - by IS Berry
41. The Barn 4/10 - by Wright Thompson
42. Midnight in Chernobyl 9/10 - by Adam Higgenbotham
43. The Seventh Floor 8/10 - by David McCloskey
44. The Crying of Lot 49 6/10 - by Thomas Pynchon
45. Infinite Country 7/10 - by Patricia Engel
46. Dawn 10/10 - by Elie Wiesel
47. Night 8/10 - by Elie Wiesel
48. Day 8/10 - by Elie Wiesel
49. At Risk 9/10 - by Stella Rimington
50. Secret Asset 9/10 - by Stella Rimington
51. Illegal Action 9/10 - by Stella Rimington

Currently Reading - The Guns of August by Barbara W Tuchman

 

Been a while since I updated here. Managed to read 46 books so far this year, and probably have one more before the year ends. I will say, being online substantially less and reading more has been a major positive, and something I will continue doing.

The Devil by Name (Rosson) - sequel to fever house, and an entertaining action/horror.

Golden Son - Light Bringer (Brown) - for anyone that hasn’t read the red rising series, you should make it a priority to do so. I need the final book asap.

chasing the boogeyman (chizmar) - entertaining mystery book.

True Grit (Portis) - fun, quick read and surprisingly the movies stay pretty true to the book.

James (Everett) - one of my favorite reads this year. Read it.

Table for Two (Towles) - I’ll read anything Towles writes, but this was less successful for me than his other works. Still entertaining.

11/22/63 (King) - I’ve read plenty of king, but this is different than so much of his other works, and a truly enjoyable read.

Stoner (Williams) - didn’t love it as much as the rest of you.

 

Like for True Grit, I’d like to read that one

 

Anyone have suggestions for irush?

 

amen

I'd bet anything I spent more time reading in beautiful outdoors environments this year than 99% of Americans. Was really good for me

 

Put it in the other thread

 

I liked the Stella Rimington books a lot

 

Big fan

 

1) Dune by Frank Herbert 10/10
2) The Wager by David Grann 8/10
3) Wool by Hugh Howey (reread) 9/10
4) Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel 8.5/10
5) When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut 8.25/10
6) Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert 8/10
7) The Great Gatsby 8/10
8) The Winners by Fredrick Backman 9.5/10
9) Shift by Hugh Howey 9/10
10) Empire of Silence (Sun Eater #1) by Christopher Ruocchio 10/10
11) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel 9.25/10
12) Fairy Tale by Stephen King 6.5/10
13) We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe 7.5/10
14) Reykjavik: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jonasson/Katrin Jakobsdottir 5/10
15) Revan by Drew Karpyshyn 7.5/10
16) Quantum Radio by AG Riddle 6/10
17) The Lesser Devil (Sun Eater #1.5) by Christopher Ruocchio 8/10
18) The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut 7/10
19) Educated by Tara Westover 9/10
20) The Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn 7/10
21) Unguarded by Scottie Pippen 7/10
22) Mickey7 by Edward Ashton 9/10
23) Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson 7.5/10
24) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami 8/10
25) You Like It Darker by Stephen King 9/10
26) The Lost City of Z by David Grann 8/10
27) The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 7.5/10
28) Night Shift by Stephen King 8.25/10
29) Blockade Billy by Stephen King 7/10
30) Chess Story by Stefan Zweig 8/10
31) Joyland by Stephen King 8.25/10
32) What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama 8.5/10
33) The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs 7.5/10
34) Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury 7/10
35) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair 9/10
36) Children of Dune by Frank Herbert 7.5/10
37) God Emperor of Dune 7.75/10
38) The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time by Michael Craig 8/10
39) One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stu Ungar 9/10
40) Howling Dark (Sun Eater #2) by Christopher Ruocchio 9.5/10
41) The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern 8/10
42) Halloween Party by Agatha Christie 6/10
43) The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris 8/10
44) The Shining by Stephen King 9/10
45) Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica 9/10
46) Home Before Dark by Riley Sager 6/10
47) Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff 9/10
48) Cujo by Stephen King 9/10
49) Ghost Story by Peter Straub 8/10
50) Artificial Wisdom by Thomas Weaver 10/10
51) If We Were Villains by ML Rio 7/10
52) The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien 10/10
53) Stoner by John Williams 10/10
54) The Answer is No (short story) by Fredrick Backman 6/10
55) The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien 9/10
56) Queen Amid Ashes (Sun Easter novella) by Christopher Ruocchio 7/10
57) Tales of the Sun Easter Volume 1 (novella) by Christopher Ruocchio 7/10

Both were fine, they did make me excited to jump back into the main novels in this universe again.

Next up: The Return of the King

 

Such an good book. I dove in not realizing how massive it was. The Hulu series was a bit of a let down. James Franco didn't help.

 

The best part of 11/22/63 is when he settles down in the Texas town to just live for a while

 

I have to read 11 books by the end of the year to hit my goal of 150 fml

 

This is why number of books goals are wack. This is a fun, relaxing hobby. Dont turn it into a stressful chore or a to-do list!

 

I’ll be hitting my goal.

Of 50.

 

Haha yeah I’m not looking at it as a chore. I’m not going to reach it because my average book this year is like 37 pages longer than last year

 

Im also a hypocrite. Noticed I was in the mid 70s and decided to knock off some shorter books that have been languishing on my TBR just to hit 80. Feels like a nice round number

 

I am going to hit the 50,000 pages goal I set for myself tho

 

I have no clue how many pages Ive read

 

I keep track on my notes app at the end of every month

 

Yeah grab a graphic novel or YA book Gallant Knight and make some numbers fast

 

Storygraph actually keeps track, but I think my year is messed up because I uploaded everything from GR. maybe next year

 

Might just see how many 200-250 page books I have on my shelf that I haven’t read and get to work

 

Anyone make a to-read list going into the next year?

I have one with sections for South Carolina, music, fiction, rereads, and other (all the other nonfiction stuff I like). I always deviate from the list but it's fun taking stock going into a new year.

 

-Candide
-Train Dreams
-The Postman Always Rings Twice
-Double Indemnity

Are all good books and quick reads. Trying to think what else.

 

I got some Joan Didion books delivered yesterday that are all ~220 or so

 

Train Dreams

 

I keep a running TBR list. I have it separated in just fiction and non fiction

 

i have the absolute worst method of doing that.

i just buy it and stick it on one of the bookshelves we have and generally forget about it for months

 

Pretty much the same thing.

 

it's how you end up with like 190 books on shelves that youve bought but havent yet read

 

My tbr list is in the hundreds though. I like making a separate list of what I might actually get to soon. I guess I have a “to read” and a “read soon/read next” list

 

I'm working on a spreadsheet of what books I own; that'll be another way to keep track. One, it's just fun and I'm curious. Two, it's a way to keep track of what I own if anything ever goes missing or I forget where I put something.

I've added two of my home shelves and my work shelf and I have around 350 so far. Thinking my whole collection will come to 800-1000. And I've read 50% at best.

 

Now need 8 more

 

1. Poverty, by America - Matthew Desmond (8/10)
2. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (7.5/10)
3. The Wager - David Grann (9/10)
4. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (9.5/10)
5. When These Mountains Burn - David Joy (6/10)
6. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
7. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
8. Iron Gold (Red Rising #4) - Pierce Brown (9/10)
9. Dark Age (Red Rising #5) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
10. Light Bringer (Red Rising #6) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
11. The Island - Adrian McKinty (7.5/10)
12. Us Against You (Beartown #2) - Fredrik Backman (7/10)
13. Mickey7 (Mickey7 #1) - Edward Ashton (7.5/10)
14. Antimatter Blues (Mickey7 #2) - Edward Ashton (8.5/10)
15. The Answer Is No - Fredrik Backman (7/10)
16. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (8/10)

Up Next: Wool - Hugh Howey

16 pales in comparison to the majority here but it’s the most books I’ve read in a year so I’m proud of it. Goal is to double the number next year. Less doomscrolling more reading.

 

You picked very good books to read this year.

 

Majority came from recommendations here. I have a long TBR list just from what I’ve seen shared in this thread.

 

TMB has been a great resource for discovering new books. I love it.

Appreciate you all

 

1) Dune by Frank Herbert 10/10
2) The Wager by David Grann 8/10
3) Wool by Hugh Howey (reread) 9/10
4) Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel 8.5/10
5) When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut 8.25/10
6) Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert 8/10
7) The Great Gatsby 8/10
8) The Winners by Fredrick Backman 9.5/10
9) Shift by Hugh Howey 9/10
10) Empire of Silence (Sun Eater #1) by Christopher Ruocchio 10/10
11) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel 9.25/10
12) Fairy Tale by Stephen King 6.5/10
13) We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe 7.5/10
14) Reykjavik: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jonasson/Katrin Jakobsdottir 5/10
15) Revan by Drew Karpyshyn 7.5/10
16) Quantum Radio by AG Riddle 6/10
17) The Lesser Devil (Sun Eater #1.5) by Christopher Ruocchio 8/10
18) The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut 7/10
19) Educated by Tara Westover 9/10
20) The Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn 7/10
21) Unguarded by Scottie Pippen 7/10
22) Mickey7 by Edward Ashton 9/10
23) Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson 7.5/10
24) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami 8/10
25) You Like It Darker by Stephen King 9/10
26) The Lost City of Z by David Grann 8/10
27) The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 7.5/10
28) Night Shift by Stephen King 8.25/10
29) Blockade Billy by Stephen King 7/10
30) Chess Story by Stefan Zweig 8/10
31) Joyland by Stephen King 8.25/10
32) What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama 8.5/10
33) The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs 7.5/10
34) Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury 7/10
35) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair 9/10
36) Children of Dune by Frank Herbert 7.5/10
37) God Emperor of Dune 7.75/10
38) The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time by Michael Craig 8/10
39) One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stu Ungar 9/10
40) Howling Dark (Sun Eater #2) by Christopher Ruocchio 9.5/10
41) The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern 8/10
42) Halloween Party by Agatha Christie 6/10
43) The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris 8/10
44) The Shining by Stephen King 9/10
45) Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica 9/10
46) Home Before Dark by Riley Sager 6/10
47) Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff 9/10
48) Cujo by Stephen King 9/10
49) Ghost Story by Peter Straub 8/10
50) Artificial Wisdom by Thomas Weaver 10/10
51) If We Were Villains by ML Rio 7/10
52) The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien 10/10
53) Stoner by John Williams 10/10
54) The Answer is No (short story) by Fredrick Backman 6/10
55) The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien 9/10
56) Queen Amid Ashes (Sun Easter novella) by Christopher Ruocchio 7/10
57) Tales of the Sun Easter Volume 1 (novella) by Christopher Ruocchio 7/10
58) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 7/10

Never read it before, or seen any of the movies, but I knew the gist of the story. Currently reading The Return of the King.

 

1. Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac 6/10
2. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 8/10
3. Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner 7/10
4. NW by Zadie Smith 5/10
5. The Wager by David Grann 8/10
6. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky 9/10
7. The Outlaw Ocean By Ian Urbina 9/10
8. Shogun Part One by James Clavell 8/10
9. Shogun Part Two by James Clavell 6/10
10. Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica 8/10
11. In the American Grain by William Carlos Williams 5/10
12. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 9/10
13. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towels 10/10
14. Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond 8/10
15. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 9/10
16. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 9/10
17. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles 8/10
18. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton 7/10
19. Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar 7/10
20. In the Distance by Hernan Diaz 8/10
21. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 10/10
22. Native Son by Richard Wright 7/10
23. Table for Two by Amor Towles 8/10
24. A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit 7/10
25. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai 7/10
26. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan 8/10
27. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy 7/10
28. The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen 7/10
29. Tevinter Nights by various writers 7/10

30. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

This is by far one of the more interesting non fiction pieces I’ve read this year, but it’s a short read that doesn’t delve too much into background details in a way I would like. This is the story of possibly the most prodigious art thief in human history, Stephanè Breitweiser, and his partner who helped him steal roughly 2 billion USD worth of renaissance art across seven European nations.

Every theft happened in the middle of the day during museum visiting hours. The guy just took shit out of displays and off walls while no one was looking and never attempted to sell any of it, he just loved stealing art to keep it around for himself.

8/10.

 

Got stuck on Blood Meridian and couldn't get through it. Hate leaving books unfinished so I just kind of stopped. May do the Stormlight reread.

 

1. Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac 6/10
2. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 8/10
3. Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner 7/10
4. NW by Zadie Smith 5/10
5. The Wager by David Grann 8/10
6. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky 9/10
7. The Outlaw Ocean By Ian Urbina 9/10
8. Shogun Part One by James Clavell 8/10
9. Shogun Part Two by James Clavell 6/10
10. Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica 8/10
11. In the American Grain by William Carlos Williams 5/10
12. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 9/10
13. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towels 10/10
14. Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond 8/10
15. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 9/10
16. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 9/10
17. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles 8/10
18. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton 7/10
19. Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar 7/10
20. In the Distance by Hernan Diaz 8/10
21. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 10/10
22. Native Son by Richard Wright 7/10
23. Table for Two by Amor Towles 8/10
24. A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit 7/10
25. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai 7/10
26. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan 8/10
27. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy 7/10
28. The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen 7/10
29. Tevinter Nights by various writers 7/10
30. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel 8/10

31. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

I get it, it just isn’t for me. Sometimes it’s funny but a lot of it just felt edgy and cringe to me.

6/10

 

1. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas (9.5/10)
2. Birnam Wood - Eleanor Catton (9/10)
3. Jade Shards (Green Bone Saga) - Fonda Lee (9/10)
4. Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings - Neil Price (8.5/10)
5. Tusks of Extinction - Ray Nayler (6.5/10)
6. Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice - (8/10)
7. Essex Dogs (Essex Dogs #1) - Dan Jones (8/10)
8. Let Us Descent - Jesym Ward - (7/10)
9. Meru (The Alloy Era #1)- SB Divya (6.5/10)
10. The Black Count - Thomas Reiss (9/10)
11. The Grand Game (Grand Game #1) - Tom Elliott (6/10)
12. The Recital (Orphan X 8.5) - Gregg Hurwitz (7/10)
13. Lone Wolf (Orphan X 9) - Gregg Hurwitz (8.5/10)
14. Combat Codes (Combat Codes #1) - Alexander Darwin (7/10)
15. UnSouled (Cradle #1) - Will Wight
16. Grievar's Blood (Combat Codes #2) - Alexander Darwin (7.5/10)
17. Blacklight Born (Combat Codes #3) - Alexander Darwin (7/10)
18. Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World - Mary Beard (7.5/10)
19. Shogun - James Clavell (9/10)
20. Starter Villain - John Scalzi (7.5/10)
21. Star Wars: The High Republic: Defy The Storm - Justina Ireland (6.5/10)
22. James - Percival Everett (10/10)
23. Wolves of Winter (Essex Dogs #2) - Dan Jones (7.5/10)
24. City in Ruin (Danny Ryan #3) - Don Winslow (8/10)
25. Star Wars: The Living Force - Johnathan Jackson Miller - (7.5/10)
26. Mountain in the Sea - Ray Naylor (8.5/10)
27. Mal Goes to War - Edward Ashton (6.5/10)
28. The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream - Patrick Radden Keefe (9/10)
29. The Familiar - Leigh Bardugo. (7/10)
30. Northern Wrath (The Hanged God Trilogy #1) Thilde Kold Holdt (8/10)
31. Dark Matter - Blake Crouch (9/10)
32. Shackled Fates (The Hanged God Trilogy #2) - Thilde Kold Holdt (8/10)
33. Slaughtered Gods (The Hanged God Trilogy #3) -Thilde Kold Holdt (8.5/10)
34. First Lie Wins - Alice Feeney (7/10)
35. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War - Erik Larson (8/10)
36. Rednecks - Taylor Brown (6.5/10)
37. Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn#1) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
38. Star Wars: The High Republic: Temptation of the Force - Tessa Gratton (9 / 10)
39. Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) - Brandon Sanderson (9/ 10)
40. Children Of Anguish and Anarchy (Legacy of Orisha #3) - Tomi Adeyemi (5.5/10)
41. Lies of Locke Lamorra (Gentleman Bastards #1) (10/10)
42. The Night of Baba Yaga - Akiri Otani (6.5/10)
43. Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10)
44. The Eleventh Metal (Mistborn #.05) - Brandon Sanderson (7/10)
45. Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space - Adam Higgenbotham
46. Shadowheart (UNSUB #4) - Meg Gardiner (8.5/10)
47. Lost Ark Dreaming - Suyi Davies Okungbowa (7.5.10)
48. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams( 8/10)
49. Artificial Wisdom - Thomas R Weaver (10/10)
50. The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World - Riley Black (7/10)
54. Burn - Peter Heller (7/10)
55. Lost in Time - A.G. Riddle (7.5/10)
56. The Stardust Grail - Yumi Kitasei (6.5/10)
57. Southern Man (Penn Cage #7) - Greg Iles (7/10)
58. When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s - John Ganz (8.5/10)
59. Gods of the Wyrdwood (The Forsaken #1) - RJ Barker (9/10)
60. Warlords of the Wyrdwood (The Forsaken #2) - RJ Barker (9.5/10)
61. The Last Murder at the End of the World - Stuart Turton (7/10)
62. You'll Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington - Alexis Coe (8/10)
63. Livesuit (The Captive's War 1.5) - James SA Corey (8/10)
64. The Message - Ta-Nehisi Coates (8.5/10)
65. Star Wars: The High Republic: Beware of the Nameless - Zoriada Cordova (7/10)
66. Intermezzo - Sally Rooney (8/10)
67. Mirrored Heavens (Between the Earth and Sky #3) - Rebecca Roanhorse (6.5/10)
68. John Dies at the End - David Wong (5.5/10)
69. Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson (8/10)
70. Wool (Silo #1) - Hugh Howey (7.5/10)
71. How the South Won the Civil War - Heather Cox Richardson (10/10)
72. The Seventh Floor (Moscow X #3) - David McCloskey (9/10)
73. Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past - Tore C Olsen (7.5/10)
74. The Last Ship (The Divide #1) - JS Dewes (9/10)
75. The Exiled Fleet (The Divide #2) - JS Dewes (9/10)
76. The Relentless Legion (The Divide #3) - JS Dewes (9/10)
77. Stoner - John Williams (8/10)
78. Dead Cat Tail Assassins- P DJeli Clark (7.5/10)
79. You Dreamed of Empires - Alvaro Enrigue (6.5/10)
80. Tears of the Nameless (Star Wars: The High Republic) - George Mann (7.5/10)
81. The Passage (The Passage #1) - Justin Cronin (10/10)
82. Batman: Resurrection - John Jackson Miller (6.5/10)

Stoner - Good change of pace novel for me. enjoyed it. Taking place at Mizzou really was cool for me personally. Cant say I raved over it like most, but very glad I read it.

Dead Cat Tail Assassins - About a woman that turns into an assassin by giving up her life to become a dead assassin. She gets a job that forces her to violate the assassin's code and shit hits the fan. Light fantasy. My complaint is this left me wanting more. Pretty short book that left so much on the table. Felt a bit rushed.

You Dreamed of Empires - Short novel about Cortes invading Tenochtitlan and meeting Montezuma for the first time. More fantasy than historical fiction. Fell flat for me. Originally in spanish, maybe stuff was lost in translation.
Star wars - nerd shit . Another solid entry in the series.

The Passage - Re-read of one of my faves. A question on twitter came up "what book adaptation would you like to see redone properly". My instant answer was The Passage because he show was barely an effort. Ever since then Ive had it stuck in my head so Im gonna work my way though the trilogy.

Batman - Story takes place after the first Michael Keaton movie. It was just ok. Didnt to much for me. Not something Id normally read, but tried something different.


Probably will squeeze in one more before the year is up. Pretty decent reading year for this guy

 

1. The Armour of Light by Ken Follett - 7.5/10
2. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - 10/10 (re-read)
3. Essex Dogs by Dan Jones - 8/10
4. The White Ship by Charles Spencer - 8/10
5. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel - 10/10 (re-read)
6. White Teeth by Zadie Smith - 7.5/10
7. Persuasion by Jane Austen - 8/10
8. Every Day is for the Thief by Teju Cole - 8.5/10
9. Emma by Jane Austen - 8/10
10. Trust by Hernan Diaz - 8.5/10
11. This other Eden by Paul Harding - 5.5/10
12. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard - 9/10
13. If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery - 8/10
14. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - 8/10
15. The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng - 9/10
16. Into the Distance by Hernan Diaz - 7.5/10
17. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - 8.5/10
18. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng - 8.5/10
19. A Spell of Good Things by Ayòbámi Adébáyo - 8/10
20. Strong Towns: A Bottom-up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity by Charles L Marohn Jr - 8/10
21. The Coming Days by Sarah Bernstein - 8/10
22. The Giant, O’Brien by Hilary Mantel - 8/10
23. Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein - 7.5/10
24. The Known World by Edward P. Jones - 8.5/10
25. Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell - 8.5/10
26. The Three Edwards by Thomas B. Costain - 7/10
27. Milkman by Anna Burns - 8.5/10
28. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - 8.5/10
29. The Lost City of Z by David Grann - 8.5/10
30. Cromwell: Portrait of a Solider by John Gillingham - 8/10
31. Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel - 7.5/10
32. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann - 7.5/10
33. No Bones by Anna Burns - 8.5/10
34. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe - 10/10 (re-read)
35. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky - 8.5/10
I was in the mood for a classic and had never read this before. Proud to have survived all of the different Russian names and diminutives.
36. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson - 9/10
An informative, narrative based non-fiction book on the Great Migration. I’ve known about the Great Migration in a general sense but never really thought critically about what leaving your home and establishing yourself in a quasi foreign land during those times actually entailed. Additionally, while Jim Crow is of course well known, I found it especially harrowing to read about the hardships experienced in the North: systematic discrimination, white flight, race riots, etc that shape society to this day. My only critique is that some elements seemed to repeat; I can remember multiple times reading ideas that I had read a hundred pages back.

I have a flight on Sunday so we’ll see if I can knock out #37 before the clock strikes midnight on the 31st but otherwise I am happy with my output for 2024.

 

1. Let Us Descend - Jesmyn Ward (8/10)
2. The Sun Sets in Singapore - Kehinde Fadipe (6/10)
3. The Marlow Murder Club - Robert Thorogood (6/10)
4. Red Rising - Pierce Brown (9/10)
5. America Fantastica - Tim O'Brien (6/10)
6. Lessons from an American Stoic: How Emerson Can Change Your Life - Mark Matousek (8/10)
7. Player Piano - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (8/10)
8. Damascus Station - David McCloskey (9/10)
9. Trust - Hernan Diaz (8/10)
10. Prophet Song - Paul Lynch (9/10)
11. Razorblade Tears - S.A. Cosby (9/10)
12. The Candy House - Jennifer Egan (7/10)
13. While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students - J. Reuben Appelman (1/10)
14. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Grady Hendrix (7/10)
15. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories - Ken Liu (9/10)
16. Golden Son (Red Rising Saga #2) - Pierce Brown (9/10)
17. Morning Star (Red Rising Saga #3) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
18. Iron Gold (Red Rising Saga #4) - Pierce Brown (9/10)
19. Dark Age (Red Rising Saga #5) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
20. Lightbringer (Red Rising #6) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
21. Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy (10/10)
22. Martyr! - Kaveh Akbar (8/10)
23. How It Went: Thirteen More Stories of the Port William Membership - Wendell Berry (4/10)
24. The Terminal List - Jack Carr (6/10)
25. True Believer - Jack Carr (5/10)
26. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism - Tim Alberta (8/10)
27. Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) - Jim Butcher (6/10)
28. Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide - Rupert Holmes (6/10)
29. Educated - Tara Westover (7/10)
30. The Bhagavad Gita
31. The Will of the Many - James Islington (8/10)
32. Beartown - Fredrik Backman (9/10)
33. Us Against You (Beartown #2) - Fredrik Backman (8/10)
34. Anxious People - Fredrik Backman (8/10)
35. The Demon of Unrest - Erik Larson (9/10)
36. Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King - Dan Jones (9/10)
37. Moscow X - David McCloskey (9/10)
38. The Republic of PIrates - Colin Woodard (7/10)
39. The Fury - Alex Michaelides (8/10)
40. The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi - Wright Thompson (10/10)
41. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration - Isabel Wilkerson (10/10)
42. A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman (9/10)
43. The Murders in Great Diddling - Katarina Bivald (6/10)
44. The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead (9/10)
45. The Overstory - Richard Powers (9/10)

46. My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante (9/10)

47. Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2) - Jim Butcher (7/10)

48. Playground - Richard Powers (9/10)

49. Orbital - Samantha Harvey (9/10)

50. Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3) - Jim Butcher (7/10)

Need to get through two more before Wednesday to hit my goal of a one book per week average.

 

1) Dune by Frank Herbert 10/10
2) The Wager by David Grann 8/10
3) Wool by Hugh Howey (reread) 9/10
4) Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel 8.5/10
5) When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut 8.25/10
6) Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert 8/10
7) The Great Gatsby 8/10
8) The Winners by Fredrick Backman 9.5/10
9) Shift by Hugh Howey 9/10
10) Empire of Silence (Sun Eater #1) by Christopher Ruocchio 10/10
11) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel 9.25/10
12) Fairy Tale by Stephen King 6.5/10
13) We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe 7.5/10
14) Reykjavik: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jonasson/Katrin Jakobsdottir 5/10
15) Revan by Drew Karpyshyn 7.5/10
16) Quantum Radio by AG Riddle 6/10
17) The Lesser Devil (Sun Eater #1.5) by Christopher Ruocchio 8/10
18) The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut 7/10
19) Educated by Tara Westover 9/10
20) The Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn 7/10
21) Unguarded by Scottie Pippen 7/10
22) Mickey7 by Edward Ashton 9/10
23) Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson 7.5/10
24) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami 8/10
25) You Like It Darker by Stephen King 9/10
26) The Lost City of Z by David Grann 8/10
27) The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 7.5/10
28) Night Shift by Stephen King 8.25/10
29) Blockade Billy by Stephen King 7/10
30) Chess Story by Stefan Zweig 8/10
31) Joyland by Stephen King 8.25/10
32) What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama 8.5/10
33) The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs 7.5/10
34) Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury 7/10
35) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair 9/10
36) Children of Dune by Frank Herbert 7.5/10
37) God Emperor of Dune 7.75/10
38) The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time by Michael Craig 8/10
39) One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stu Ungar 9/10
40) Howling Dark (Sun Eater #2) by Christopher Ruocchio 9.5/10
41) The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern 8/10
42) Halloween Party by Agatha Christie 6/10
43) The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris 8/10
44) The Shining by Stephen King 9/10
45) Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica 9/10
46) Home Before Dark by Riley Sager 6/10
47) Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff 9/10
48) Cujo by Stephen King 9/10
49) Ghost Story by Peter Straub 8/10
50) Artificial Wisdom by Thomas Weaver 10/10
51) If We Were Villains by ML Rio 7/10
52) The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien 10/10
53) Stoner by John Williams 10/10
54) The Answer is No (short story) by Fredrick Backman 6/10
55) The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien 9/10
56) Queen Amid Ashes (Sun Easter novella) by Christopher Ruocchio 7/10
57) Tales of the Sun Easter Volume 1 (novella) by Christopher Ruocchio 7/10
58) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 7/10
59) The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien 9.25/10

Started out slow for me, but I'd say I enjoyed this a bit more than the two towers. I was legitimately a bit sad at the end of this book, mostly that it was over. Spent some time googling last night on any possible follow ups to what happens after. Will reread these three books in the future. Wife got me The Fall of Numenor as a Christmas gift, I'll tackle that next year sometime I'm sure.

Next up: Beautyland by Marie Helene Bertino, trying to get one more to hit 60 for the year. Multiple people, podcasts, etc. had this one on their best of 2024 lists, the description was right up my alley.

 

Truman have you read any of the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley? Seeing that you’re a big fan of The Passage, these may be of interest to you. I’m currently on book #2 and fully engrossed.

 

1. Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica - 7/10
2. Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - 5/10
3. Flying Blind by Peter Robison - 9.5/10
4. The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy - 6.5/10
5. Judgement at Tokyo by Gary Bass - 8.5/10
6. As Gods Among Men by Guido Alfano - 7/10
7. Fire Weather by John Vaillant - 8/10
8. Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein - 8/10
9. The Silverado Squatters by Robert Louis Stevenson - 7.5/10
10. Dune by Frank Herbert - 9/10
11. 3 Shades of Blue by James Kaplan - 9.5/10
12. City of Ruins by Don Winslow - 7/10
13. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - 10/10
14. The Searcher by Tana French - 6.5/10
15. Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham - 6/10
16. The Lincoln Highway - 8/10
17. The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson - 9/10
18. A New World Begins by Jeremy Popkin - 8/10
19. The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut - 10/10
20. Artemis by Andy Weir - 8/10
21. In My Time of Dying by Sebastian Junger - 9/10
22. WAR by Sebastian Junger - 6/10
23. Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara 6/10
24. Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay - 9/10
25. The Wages of Destruction by Adam Tooze - 9/10
26. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty - 10/10
27. The Master by Christopher Clarey - 9/10
28. Wellness by Nathan Hill - 6/10
29. The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger - 8/10
30. When the Clock Broke by John Ganz - 8.5/10
31. The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley - 6.5/10
32. The Looking Glass War by John le Carre - 6/10
33. The Devil and Sherlock Holmes by David Grann - 7/10
34. The Will of the Many by James Islington - 8/10
35. ‘Salems Lot by Stephen King - 8/10
36. Stoner by John Williams 10/10 (upgraded upon further reflection)
37. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney - 9/10
38. The Damascus Affair by David McCloskey -7.5/10
39. The War of the Roses by Dan Jones - 5/10
40. Artificial Wisdom by Thomas weaver - 9/10
41. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - 7/10
42. Orbital by Samantha Harvey - 9/10
43. Mickey7 by Edward Ashton - 8/10

44. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here - 8/10. Exhaustive reporting on southern border migration. Part history on the causes, including deep reporting on our own parts in causes. Coupled with personal stories on people personally impacted, whether in the US or making the trek

45. You Dreamed of Empires - 7/10. Historical fiction recounting Cortes meeting Moctezuma in Tenochitlan. Part hallucinatory as mushrooms take hold of our characters and pretty farcical/satirical with some background political gaming.