What I've been reading.....
January 2024
The Lost Book of the Grail ~ Charlie Lovett (2017) fantasy (320 pgs)
Interesting read for book and history lovers.
Project Hail Mary ~ Andy Weir (2021) science fiction (478 pgs)
Wonderful book, lots of surprises. A hard-science sf book that made me care about the characters.
Flatterland ~ Ian Stewart (2001) math, science (294 pgs)
Less a sequel to the wonderful "Flatland", and more a confusing attempt to explain other ideas in math.
A Carnival of Snackery ~ David Sedaris (2021) autobio (566 pgs)
Second volume of his edited diaries, the man is entertainingly weird for sure!
IV ~ Chuck Klosterman (2006) essays (399 pgs)
Essays, opinions, and interviews on Rock and roll and more modern culture. Always fun.
February 2024
Half Life ~ Shelley Jackson (2006) sf (436 pgs)
Great style, wonderful premise, but falls apart at end with no real ending.
Dossier~ Stepan Chapman (2001) sf/fantasy (166 pgs)
Wonderfully odd short stories, with one of the worst cover image choices I've seen in a while.
The Return of Count Electric ~ William Browning Spencer (1993) odd short stories (253 pgs)
Great collection of weirdly twisted and darkly humorous sort stories
March 2024
The Happiness Hypothesis ~ Jonathan Haidt (2006) psychology/philosophy (243 pgs)
Evidently, I am one of the lucky ones, just a naturally happy person. I thought it might be that!
The Moaning of Life ~ Karl Pilkington (2013) humor (330 pgs)
Not bad, just not the laugh filled fest I was told to expect. Seen similar before, done better.
Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller ~ Bill Griffith (2023) biography, comics (265 pgs)
Exceptional graphic novel telling of the story of the creator of the Nancy comic strip.
The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd ~ Richard Zacks (2002) history (406 pgs)
Detailed (sometimes a bit too detailed) telling of the life and legend of Captain Kidd.
April 2024
The Starless Sea ~ Erin Morgenstern (2019) fantasy (494 pgs)
Some good ideas, but seems to go on forever, and never did engage me in the story.
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded ~ John Scalzi (2008) essays (368 pgs)
Wide range of subjects, some think pieces, always funny.
Origins: Lives and Worlds of Modern Cosmologists ~ Alan Lightman and Roberta Brawer (1990) science bio (492 pgs)
Quick interviews with over two dozen scientists on how they got into science, and thoughts on the start of it all.
Where Bigfoot Walks ~ Robert Michael Pyle (1995) nature, history (320 pgs)
Lots of talking about walking can skim, but some nice history of the whole Bigfoot mythos among it all.
May 2024
Sleeping in Flame ~ Jonathan Carroll (1988) novel, weird (273 pgs)
Another great read. Just heard this: If he had three names and was South American, he would be a magical realist.
A Void ~ George Perec (1969) novel (285 pgs)
Brilliantly weird, written without using the letter "e" at all. Parody of Poe at one point is hilarious.
Water for Elephants ~ Sara Gruen (2006) novel (335 pgs)
A lovely read, interesting look at early circus experiences, but kind of a disappointingly "normal" ending.
The Ball and the Cross ~ G.K. Chesterton (1909) novel (144 pgs)
Catholic and atheist want to duel over who is right, but keep getting interrupted. Fascinating and funny.
The Sex Lives of Cannibals ~ J. Marten Troost (2004) travel (272 pgs)
Humorous adventures when living on one of tiniest inhabited islands in the Pacific.
June 2024
The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana ~ Umberto Eco (2004) novel (449 pgs)
Man works to reconstruct memories of his life through books, comics, movies, and music.
The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece ~ Tom Hanks (2023) novel (417 pgs)
Best parts are the behind scenes minutia of making a movie, the rest is... okay.
Nobody's Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It ~ Daniel Simons & Christopher Chabris (2023) psychology/sociology (312 pgs)
Seems like the same scams and lies, just wrapped in quicker tech to dump on us.
July 2024
The Melancholy of Anatomy ~ Shelley Jackson (2002) fiction (179 pgs)
Wonderfully strange, different, and inventive writing, makes me think of George Saunders work a bit. Great stuff.
Babel: An Arcane History ~ R. F. Kuang (2022) fantasy (544 pgs)
Page turning adventure in alternate time line where England controls world through magic silver bars and language!
August 2024
The Dream of Perpetual Motion ~ Dexter Palmer (2010) sf-fantasy (338 pgs)
Exceptional read. Great style, wonderful odd characters, plot surprises, strangely dark, a page turner for sure.
The Professor and the Madman ~ Simon Winchester (1998) history, biography (248 pgs)
Making of the Oxford English Dictionary through the story of two of its more interesting contributors.
September 2024
But What If We're Wrong? ~ Chuck Klosterman (2016) essays (262 pgs)
More thought-provoking thoughts from Klosterman on, well, what if we are wrong about stuff?
D-Day Girls ~ Sarah Rose (2019) history (290 pgs)
Learned much about the non-military women and men working in France to set up for D-Day.
Old Men at Midnight ~ Chaim Potok (2001) short stories (289 pgs)
Tales of men dealing with strange lives, loves and good and evil in the world.
October 2024
The Elephant Vanishes ~ Haruki Murakami (1993) short stories (327 pgs)
Strange, low key, slightly off-center tales. Different, though not something I would seek more of.
The Thirteenth Tale ~ Diane Setterfield (2006) novel (405 pgs)
Been a while since read a really, deeply gothic style novel, and this is all that and more!
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