Books You’ve Read in 2023

1. Inhibitor Phase (Revelation Space #5) - Alastair Reynolds (7.5/10)
2. Tress of the Emerald Sea - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10)
3. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2, #1) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
4. Shadows of Self (Mistborn Era 2, #2) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
5. The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2, #3) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
6. The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2, #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10)
7. Starfish (Rifters, #1) - Peter Watts (6/10)
8. Maelstrom (Rifters, #2) - Peter Watts (6/10)
9. Behemoth (Rifters, #3) - Peter Watts (8/10)
10. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories - Norman Maclean (9/10)
11. All Fishermen are Liars - John Gierach (7/10)
12. The Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) - James Islington (8.5/10)
13. Trout Bum - John Gierach (8.5/10)
14. The Longest Silence - Thomas McGuane (8.5/10)
15. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
16. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook For Surviving Medieval England - Brandon Sanderson (7/10)
17. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Johnson (9.5/10)
18. At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman - John Gierach (8.5/10)
19. Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers - John Gierach (8/10)
20. The Sunlit Man - Brandon Sanderson (8/10)
21. An Entirely Synthetic Fish (How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World) - Anders Halverson (8.5/10)

A really interesting book for me on the history of trout stocking and the environmental and political impacts it has had since it started. Especially interesting for me because I've had the opportunity to fish for the last remaining pure strain of the original Rainbow Trout used for these programs. They were dumped in a stream in Missouri in the 1800s and have been living there in the wild ever since. The ones from their origin river in California have been interbred and depleted.

 

1. Golden Son (Red Rising 2) 7/10
2. Morning Star (Red Rising 3) 7/10
3. The Last Kingdom 6/10
4. Dark Matter 8/10
5. The Measure 5/10 (TMB book club)
6. The Passenger 2/10 (TMB book club)
7. Mr. New Orleans - 6/10
8. Demon Copperhead - 7/10 (TMB Book Club)
9. City of Thieves - 7/10
10. The Ferryman - 8/10 (TMB book club)
11. Small Mercies - 6/10
12. Iron Gold (Red Rising 4) 8/10
13. Dark Age (Red Rising 5) 7.5/10
14. Light Bringer (Red Rising 6) 10/10
15. Holly - 6/10 (TMB Book Club)
16. All Systems Red - 7/10 (TMB Book Club)
17. Tender is the Flesh - 7/10 (TMB Book Club
18. Fourth Wing - DNF
19. All the Sinners Bleed - 9/10, really enjoyed it. Not sure what it was but just the writing had me hooked early, the way the characters talked / thought just felt very real

20. The Only One Left - Riley Sager - 7/10 A solid read / listen. Didn't see the turns coming, felt a little over the top at times... but overall good and I kept wanting to come back and finish it over the last few days.

Currently Reading: The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

 

Hope you like unfinished (possibly forever) stories.

 

Yes, I hate myself and want to forever dream of what could have been. Hopefully they turn this into a the greatest TV series of all time until the final season and burn it all to the ground.

 

but really, should I even start down the path or will it infuriate me much like George does? Are the books enjoyable knowing there will be an end?

 

I still enjoyed reading them. I just expect to never get a finish to them.

 

Weird place to ask this I know but has anyone watched All the Light We Cannot See? Loved the book and was curious how the show was. Ratings are kinda meh.

 

Im interested in this too. Want to watch but haven’t gotten around to it yet

 

It’s horrible. Not even close to the book.

edit: also almost posted here a few times to ask the same but we watched it.

 

Fuck that sucks

 

Along the same lines - Has anyone watched Leave the World Behind yet?

 

I had just finished up the book so every single item that was wrong bothered me. The further you are removed from reading may be better?

 

It’s been several years since I’ve read it. I doubt i could tell you many of the differences. Just the main points and the general vibe

 

White Teeth one of the best modern fiction books I’ve ever read holy shit

such a trip and she slips so easily into voices of different cultures and genders it’s crazy


Gonna try and cram in Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House and Trust by Hernan Diaz before the end of the year but Baldur’s Gate 3 has its grip on me again

 

Trust was really good

 

Have you read Goon Squad? Egan is a top 5-6 author for me

 

loved that book

reminds me I’ve only read 13 Pulitzer winners

need to add to that at some point

 

A lot of the Pulitzer winners are str8 ass

 

It was aight as long as you don't expect it to follow the book. I'm a sucker for anything WW1 or WW2 though. Production was solid and visually it's pretty great. Hugh Laurie was good and I like the kid from Dark. It really barely resembles the book though. It's like drinking an All the Light We Cannot See flavored Bubly.

 

1. Inhibitor Phase (Revelation Space #5) - Alastair Reynolds (7.5/10)
2. Tress of the Emerald Sea - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10)
3. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2, #1) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
4. Shadows of Self (Mistborn Era 2, #2) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
5. The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2, #3) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
6. The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2, #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10)
7. Starfish (Rifters, #1) - Peter Watts (6/10)
8. Maelstrom (Rifters, #2) - Peter Watts (6/10)
9. Behemoth (Rifters, #3) - Peter Watts (8/10)
10. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories - Norman Maclean (9/10)
11. All Fishermen are Liars - John Gierach (7/10)
12. The Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) - James Islington (8.5/10)
13. Trout Bum - John Gierach (8.5/10)
14. The Longest Silence - Thomas McGuane (8.5/10)
15. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
16. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook For Surviving Medieval England - Brandon Sanderson (7/10)
17. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Johnson (9.5/10)
18. At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman - John Gierach (8.5/10)
19. Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers - John Gierach (8/10)
20. The Sunlit Man - Brandon Sanderson (8/10)
21. An Entirely Synthetic Fish (How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World) - Anders Halverson (8.5/10)
22. Dreadgod (Cradle #11) - Will Wight (8/10)

 

1. Inhibitor Phase (Revelation Space #5) - Alastair Reynolds (7.5/10)
2. Tress of the Emerald Sea - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10)
3. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2, #1) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
4. Shadows of Self (Mistborn Era 2, #2) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
5. The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2, #3) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
6. The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2, #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10)
7. Starfish (Rifters, #1) - Peter Watts (6/10)
8. Maelstrom (Rifters, #2) - Peter Watts (6/10)
9. Behemoth (Rifters, #3) - Peter Watts (8/10)
10. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories - Norman Maclean (9/10)
11. All Fishermen are Liars - John Gierach (7/10)
12. The Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) - James Islington (8.5/10)
13. Trout Bum - John Gierach (8.5/10)
14. The Longest Silence - Thomas McGuane (8.5/10)
15. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
16. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook For Surviving Medieval England - Brandon Sanderson (7/10)
17. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Johnson (9.5/10)
18. At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman - John Gierach (8.5/10)
19. Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers - John Gierach (8/10)
20. The Sunlit Man - Brandon Sanderson (8/10)
21. An Entirely Synthetic Fish (How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World) - Anders Halverson (8.5/10)
22. Dreadgod (Cradle #11) - Will Wight (8/10)
23. Waybound (Cradle #12) - Will Wight (9/10)

 

1. How To Do the Work by Nicole LaPera - 8/10
2. Dead in the Water by Matthew Campbell & Kit Chellel - 8/10
3. In the Distance by Hernan Diaz - 9/10
4. Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King - 6.5/10
5. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin - 9/10
6. Call For The Dead by John Le Carré - 8/10
7. A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré - 6/10
8. We Don’t Know Ourselves by Finan O’Toole - 7.5/10
9. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey - 8.5/10
10. The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland - 9/10
11. The Guest Lecture by Martin Riker - 7/10
12. The Measure by Nikki Erlick - 8/10
13. SPQR by Mary Beard - 6.5/10
14. Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber - 8/10
15. Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond - 9.5/10
16. How to do Nothing by Jenny Odell - 6.5/10
17. The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10
18. Outlive by Peter Attia - 8/10
19. We Were Once a Family - 7.5/10
20. The Wager by David Grann - 8.5/10
21. Notes from an Apocalypse by Mark O’Connell - 8/10
22. City of Dreams by Don Winslow - 7/10
23. King: A Life by Jonathan Eig - 9/10
24. Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy - 9.5/10
25. Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley - 5/10
26. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy - 9.5/10
27. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang - 7/10
28. All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby - 8/10
29. Rebel Yell by SC Gwynne - 4/10
30. Drowning by TJ Newman -8/10
31. Dead Wake by Erik Larson - 7/10
32. American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin - 9/10
33. The Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell - 7.5/10
34. Red Rising by Pierce Brown - 9.5/10
35. The Militia House by John Milas - 8/10
36. If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery - 6/10
37. Golden Son by Pierce Brown - 9.5/10
38. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy - 8/10
39. A Thread of Violence by Mark O’Connell - 6/10
40. Holly by Stephen King - 7/10
41. How To Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney - 9/10
42. Morning Star by Pierce Brown - 9/10
43. American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15 - 9/10
44. When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut. - 8.5/10
45. The Road by Cormac McCarthy - 10/10
46. Iron Gold by Pierce Brown - 8/10
47. How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr - 8/10
48. North Woods by Daniel Mason - 9/10

49. Dark Age by Pierce Brown - 9.5/10

50. Lightbringer by Pierce Brown - 10/10

I dont believe i've been as sucked into a series as fast as I was with this ever, maybe Harry Potter when I was younger. Helpful to have folks in here to share thoughts on it, adds so much more to the experience. Great read.

 

anyone else upload their shit into goodreads? my year in review is kind of loca

 

Always

 

I created a thread to talk about our best reads of the year.

https://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/tmb-top-reads-of-2023.185025/

 

I'm going to share on 1/1/24

 

I’ll probably share tomorrow if I remember

 

I'm going to finish a few more books over the holidays, so I'm going to wait until it's complete

 

also, thriftbooks lowkey has the best algorithm for suggesting stuff based on your prior orders. have discovered so much cool shit i've never heard of from it.

 

Just finished The Candy House by Egan, really unique read with different voices presented in different styles of text/writing. Would recommend.

starting Trust tonight after I get back from climbing, really looking forward to it.

 

1. The Trees - Perceval Everette (7/10)
2. Stranded - Sarah Goodman (7.5/10)
3. American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis - Adam Hochschild (10/10)
4. Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) - Leigh Bardugo (9/10)
5. Hell Bent (Alex Stern #2) - Leigh Bardugo (7.5/10)
6. Age of Vice - Deepti Kapoor (8/10)
7. In the Distance - Hernan Diaz (7.5/10)
8. Myth America: Historians Take on The Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past - Kevin Kruse (6.5/10)
9. Guns of the Dawn - Adrian Tchaikovsky (9/10)
10. Everybody Knows - Jordan Harper (7.5/10)
11. The Light Pirate - Lilly Brooks-Dalton (8/10)
12. The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins (7/10)
13. The Measure - Nikki Erlick (9/10)
14. The Terraformers - Annalee Newitz (6.5/10)
15. The Last Orphan (Orphan X #8) (8/10)
16. The Wolf (Under The Northern Sky #1) - Leo Carew (7/10)
17. The Spider (Under The Northern Sky #2) - Leo Carew (8/10)
18. The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy - 4/10
19. Daisy Jones and The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid (7/10)
20. The Cuckoo (Under the Northern Sky #3) - Leo Carew (8.5/10)
21. Poverty, by America - Matthew Desmond (9.5/10)
22. Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America's Modern Militias - Kevin Cook (7.5/10)
23. Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingslover (9/10)
24. Star Wars: The High Republic: Cataclysm - Lydia Kang (9/10)
25. Star Wars: The High Republic: Quest for Planet X - Tessa Gratton (6.5/10)
26. Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time - Ira Katznelson (8/10)
27. Antimatter Blues (Mickey 7 #2) - Edward Ashton (7.5/10)
28. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder - David Grann (8.5/10)
29. The Resort - Sarah Goodwin (5.5/10)
30. The Ferryman - Justin Cronin (8.5/10)
31. Untethered Sky - Fonda Lee (7/10)
32.City of Dreams (Danny Ryan #2) - Don Winslow (8/10)
33. Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army - Stephan Talty (8/10)
34. Yellowface - RF Kuang (8.5/10)
35. Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (8/10)
36. Rubicon - J.S. Dewes (6.5/10)
37. Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 - TJ Newman (8.5/10)
38. The Survivalists -Kaushana Cauley (6/10)
39. Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield (7/10)
40. Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Vengeance -Cavan Scott (7/10)
41. Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) - James Islington (9/10)
42. All Sinners Bleed - S A Cosby (8.5/10)
43. Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities - Emily Tamkin (7.5/10)
44. King: A Life - Jonathan Eig
45. Iron Gold (Red Rising #4) - Pierce Brown (9/10)
46. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (9/10)
47. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
48. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
48. Dark Age (Red Rising #5) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
49. Freedom's Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power - Jefferson Cowie (7.5/10)
50. Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade - Deliliah S Dawson (8/10)
51. The Collector (Gabriel Allon #23) - Daniel Silva (7.5/10)
52. Light Bringer (Red Rising #6) - Pierce Brown (12/10)
53. Hidden Pictures - Jason Rekulak (6.5/10)
54. Last Summer on State Street - Toya Wolfe (8/10)
55. The Last Ranger - Peter Heller (7.5/10)
56. Portnoy's Complaint - Phillip Roth (8.5/10)
57. Children of Time (Children of Time #1) - Adrian Tchiakovsy (8.5/10)
58. Children of Ruin (Children of Time #2) - Adrian Tchiakovsy (7.5/10)
59. Children of Memory (Children of Time #3) - Adrian Tchiakovsy (6.5/10)
60. Ascension - Nicholas Binge (7/10)
61. The Republic of Pirates - Colin Woodward (8.5/10)
62. Holly - Stephen King (6.5/10)
63. Gods of the Wyrdwood (The Forsaken Trilogy) - RJ Barker (9.5/10)
64. The Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi - SA Chakraborty (7.5/10)
65. Code Red (Mitch Rapp #22) - Kyle Mills - (6/10)
66. All Systems Red (MurderBot#1) Martha Wells (7.5/10)
67. Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica (9/10)
68. Devil Makes Three - Ben Fountain (7.5/10)
69. The Secret (Jack Reacher #28) - Lee Child & Andrew Child (6/10)
69. Three Body Problem (Three Body Problem #1) - Cixin Liu (8.5/10)
70. The Dark Forest (Three Body Problem #2) - Cixin Liu (9.5/10)
71. Death's End (Three Body Problem #3) - Cixin Lui (8/10)
72. Star Wars: The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness - George Mann (8/10)
73. Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann (10/10)
74. Black River Orchard - Chuck Wendig (7/10)
75. Eastbound - Maylis de Karengal (8/10)


Star wars- The High Republic continues to hit.

Killers of the Flower Moon - Re-read before I watch the film. Just as good as the first time

Black River Orchard - Creepy/ Light horror about small town with an Apple orchard that starts infecting it's inhabitants. I dont really know how to describe it. Liked it. Didnt love it. Just ok.

Easbound - French language short story about a Russian conscripted soldier on a train to a Siberian military training camp, trying to find a way to defect, and a french woman that attempts to help. Just a super quick novella with a ton of suspense and emotional outpouring in such a small amount of text. One of those things you read in one sitting and goes by before you know it

 

1. Inhibitor Phase (Revelation Space #5) - Alastair Reynolds (7.5/10)
2. Tress of the Emerald Sea - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10)
3. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2, #1) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
4. Shadows of Self (Mistborn Era 2, #2) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
5. The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2, #3) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
6. The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2, #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10)
7. Starfish (Rifters, #1) - Peter Watts (6/10)
8. Maelstrom (Rifters, #2) - Peter Watts (6/10)
9. Behemoth (Rifters, #3) - Peter Watts (8/10)
10. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories - Norman Maclean (9/10)
11. All Fishermen are Liars - John Gierach (7/10)
12. The Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) - James Islington (8.5/10)
13. Trout Bum - John Gierach (8.5/10)
14. The Longest Silence - Thomas McGuane (8.5/10)
15. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
16. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook For Surviving Medieval England - Brandon Sanderson (7/10)
17. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Johnson (9.5/10)
18. At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman - John Gierach (8.5/10)
19. Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers - John Gierach (8/10)
20. The Sunlit Man - Brandon Sanderson (8/10)
21. An Entirely Synthetic Fish (How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World) - Anders Halverson (8.5/10)
22. Dreadgod (Cradle #11) - Will Wight (8/10)
23. Waybound (Cradle #12) - Will Wight (9/10)
24. Even Brook Trout Get the Blues - John Gierach (8.5/10)

 

1. Inhibitor Phase (Revelation Space #5) - Alastair Reynolds (7.5/10)
2. Tress of the Emerald Sea - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10)
3. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2, #1) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
4. Shadows of Self (Mistborn Era 2, #2) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
5. The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2, #3) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
6. The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2, #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10)
7. Starfish (Rifters, #1) - Peter Watts (6/10)
8. Maelstrom (Rifters, #2) - Peter Watts (6/10)
9. Behemoth (Rifters, #3) - Peter Watts (8/10)
10. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories - Norman Maclean (9/10)
11. All Fishermen are Liars - John Gierach (7/10)
12. The Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) - James Islington (8.5/10)
13. Trout Bum - John Gierach (8.5/10)
14. The Longest Silence - Thomas McGuane (8.5/10)
15. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
16. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook For Surviving Medieval England - Brandon Sanderson (7/10)
17. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Johnson (9.5/10)
18. At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman - John Gierach (8.5/10)
19. Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers - John Gierach (8/10)
20. The Sunlit Man - Brandon Sanderson (8/10)
21. An Entirely Synthetic Fish (How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World) - Anders Halverson (8.5/10)
22. Dreadgod (Cradle #11) - Will Wight (8/10)
23. Waybound (Cradle #12) - Will Wight (9/10)
24. Even Brook Trout Get the Blues - John Gierach (8.5/10)
24. Long Chills and Case Dough - Brandon Sanderson (7/10)

 

Finished Trust this morning, loved it, probably my favorite fiction piece I read this year

Still have time for one more book and found an old Kerouac I forgot about collecting dust. Probably gonna try and finish it before the new year

 

Haven’t ready any Kerouac since I was in my college days over a decade ago

I don’t remember him being so racist or misogynistic

I may not finish this

 

1. Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett - 8.5/10
2. Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin - 9/10
3. Normal People by Sally Rooney - 8/10
4. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - 8/10
5. Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh - 2/10
6. Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout - 8.5/10
7. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe - 9/10
8. The Survival of the Princes in the Tower: Murder, Mystery and Myth by Matthew Lewis - 8.5/10
9. How to Survive in Ancient Rome by LJ Trafford - 7/10
10. How to Survive in Ancient Greece by Robert Garland - 7/10
11. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson - 8/10
12. Apeirogon, A Novel by Colum McCann - 8/10
13. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann - 8.5/10
14. Family Life by Akhil Sharma - 7/10
15. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid - 8/10
16. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka - 9/10
17. The Rise and Fall of a Medieval Family: The Despensers by Kathryn Warner - 7/10
18. Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy - 7.5/10
19. Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond - 8/10
20. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy - 8/10
21. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - 8.5/10
22. Days Without End by Sebastian Barry - 8/10
23. Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann - 8.5/10
24. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - 8.5/10
25. The Promise by Damon Galgut - 8/10
26. A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam - 8.5/10
27. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - 8/10
28. Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo - 7.5/10
29. 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collpased by Eric H. Cline - 8/10
30. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell - 8/10
31. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout - 8/10
32. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin - 8/10
33. Power and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages by Dan Jones - 8.5/10
34. The Road by Cormac McCarthy - 8/10
35. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - 8/10
36. Tremor by Teju Cole - 8.5/10
I’ve enjoyed the other stuff I’ve read of his so I was excited for this one. The book was easy enough to read but at the same time confusing, making it difficult to summarize here. Essentially the main story follows a Nigerian Harvard professor and his relationships with loved ones, current events, history, art, etc. but the story’s perspective changes, so it is left for interpretation as to what is fiction and what is auto-biographical (considering Cole is a Nigerian Harvard professor). The middle section includes a collection of short stories about various Nigerians and their personal lives and relationships to Lagos and their country. I enjoyed these the most.
37. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - 10/10 (re-read)
A Season 2 was announced by the BBC so I decided to begin a re-read of the trilogy. These are by far my favourite pieces of historical fiction. Amazing dialogue, beautiful settings, and ridiculously detailed and well researched. The TV adaption is also wonderful.
On a sad note, it was only a few months ago that I found out Hilary Mantel died in 2022. RIP to a real one.

 

2023 Final List. I have a few going right now, but haven't finished so those will count towards 2024.

1. A Darker Domain (Karen Pirie #2) - Val McDermid (6/10)
2. An Immense World - Ed Yong (9/10)
3. How to Do the Work - Nicole LePera (8/10)
4. The Investigator (Letty Davenport #1) - John Sandford (7/10)
5. Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt (8/10)
6. A Heart That Works - Rob Delaney (9/10)
7. One Summer: America, 1927 - Bill Bryson (9/10)
8. The Hive - Gregg Olsen (4/10)
9. The Crossing (DI Louise Blackwell #1) - Matt Brolly (6/10)
10. Hide (Detective Harriet Foster #1) - Tracy Clark (7/10)
11. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - Patrick Radden Keefe (9/10)
12. Exhalation: Stories - Ted Chiang (8/10)
13. Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD - Jason Kander (7/10)
14. The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors - Dan Jones (8/10)
15. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself - Michael A. Singer (9/10)
16. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon - David Grann (7/10)
17. The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead (9/10)
18. Shadows Reel (Joe Pickett #22) - C.J. Box (7/10)
19. The Maidens - Alex Michaelides (7/10)
20. Essex Dogs - Dan Jones (8/10)
21. Storm Watch (Joe Pickett #23) - C.J. Box (6/10)
22. Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones (9/10)
23. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World - Dalai Lama XIV and Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams (9/10)
24. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - Shehan Kaunatilaka (9/10)
25. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth's Past #1) - Liu Cixin (8/10)
26. Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism - Jeffrey Toobin (8/10)
27. Age of Vice - Deepti Kapoor (7/10)
28. Two Nights in Lisbon - Chris Pavone (6/10)
29. Sparring Partners - John Grisham (7/10)
30. Righteous Prey (Lucas Davenport #32) - John Sandford (7/10)
31. Lost Empire (A Fargo Adventure #2) - Clive Cussler
32. The Solomon Curse (A Fargo Adventure #7) - Clive Cussler
33. Central Park West - James Comey
34. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation - Kristin Kobes Du Mez
35. Pirate (A Fargo Adventure #8) - Clive Cussler
36. The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2) - Richard Osman
37. The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club #3) - Richard Osman
38. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming
39. Yellowface - R.F. Kuang
40. The Kingdom (A Fargo Adventure #3) - Clive Cussler
41. Foundation - Isaac Asimov
42. Spartan Gold (A Fargo Adventure #1) - Clive Cussler
43. The Tombs (A Fargo Adventure #4) - Clive Cussler
44. The Mayan Secrets (A Fargo Adventure #5) - Clive Cussler
45. The Eye of Heaven (A Fargo Adventure #6) - Clive Cussler
46. The Romanov Ransom (A Fargo Adventure #9) - Clive Cussler
47. The Gray Ghost (A Fargo Adventure #10) - Clive Cussler
48. The Art Thief - Michael Finkel (8/10)
49. Red Sparrow (Red Sparrow Trilogy #1) - Jason Matthews (9/10)
50. A Shining - Jon Fosse (5/10)

51. The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet - Jeff Goodell (9/10)

Very good - one everyone should read - but also terrifying.

52. Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow - Yuval Noah Harari (7/10)

I thought Sapiens was leagues better. I still liked this one overall, but at ~6 years old it's already a bit outdated in parts.

53. The Gray Ghost (A Fargo Adventure #10) - Clive Cussler (6/10)

More silly treasure hunting.

54. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder - David Grann (9/10)

Fascinating story. I probably would have [redacted] myself about a week into the journey. In all seriousness though, the human will for survival is pretty incredible.

55. Where The Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens (8.5/10)

It took me a while to get into this but stuck with it because I knew it was such a hit. I ended up really enjoying it. Feels like a classic.

56. Small Mercies - Dennis Lehane (8/10)

Racism, murder, and mayhem in South Boston set in the early 1970's. A good one by Lehane.

57. The Golden Spoon - Jessa Maxwell (6/10)

Debut effort from the author. An Agatha Christie type mystery set alongside a baking competition ala The Great British Bake Off.

58. The Appeal - Janice Hallett - (8/10)

Unique take on a murder mystery. The entire thing is told through emails and text messages. Nice for reading because you're just getting quick hits from each. It was hard to put down. Not the most original twist, but I tore through it. Quite good overall, I think.

 

1. The Trees - Perceval Everette (7/10)
2. Stranded - Sarah Goodman (7.5/10)
3. American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis - Adam Hochschild (10/10)
4. Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) - Leigh Bardugo (9/10)
5. Hell Bent (Alex Stern #2) - Leigh Bardugo (7.5/10)
6. Age of Vice - Deepti Kapoor (8/10)
7. In the Distance - Hernan Diaz (7.5/10)
8. Myth America: Historians Take on The Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past - Kevin Kruse (6.5/10)
9. Guns of the Dawn - Adrian Tchaikovsky (9/10)
10. Everybody Knows - Jordan Harper (7.5/10)
11. The Light Pirate - Lilly Brooks-Dalton (8/10)
12. The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins (7/10)
13. The Measure - Nikki Erlick (9/10)
14. The Terraformers - Annalee Newitz (6.5/10)
15. The Last Orphan (Orphan X #8) (8/10)
16. The Wolf (Under The Northern Sky #1) - Leo Carew (7/10)
17. The Spider (Under The Northern Sky #2) - Leo Carew (8/10)
18. The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy - 4/10
19. Daisy Jones and The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid (7/10)
20. The Cuckoo (Under the Northern Sky #3) - Leo Carew (8.5/10)
21. Poverty, by America - Matthew Desmond (9.5/10)
22. Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America's Modern Militias - Kevin Cook (7.5/10)
23. Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingslover (9/10)
24. Star Wars: The High Republic: Cataclysm - Lydia Kang (9/10)
25. Star Wars: The High Republic: Quest for Planet X - Tessa Gratton (6.5/10)
26. Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time - Ira Katznelson (8/10)
27. Antimatter Blues (Mickey 7 #2) - Edward Ashton (7.5/10)
28. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder - David Grann (8.5/10)
29. The Resort - Sarah Goodwin (5.5/10)
30. The Ferryman - Justin Cronin (8.5/10)
31. Untethered Sky - Fonda Lee (7/10)
32.City of Dreams (Danny Ryan #2) - Don Winslow (8/10)
33. Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army - Stephan Talty (8/10)
34. Yellowface - RF Kuang (8.5/10)
35. Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (8/10)
36. Rubicon - J.S. Dewes (6.5/10)
37. Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 - TJ Newman (8.5/10)
38. The Survivalists -Kaushana Cauley (6/10)
39. Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield (7/10)
40. Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Vengeance -Cavan Scott (7/10)
41. Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) - James Islington (9/10)
42. All Sinners Bleed - S A Cosby (8.5/10)
43. Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities - Emily Tamkin (7.5/10)
44. King: A Life - Jonathan Eig
45. Iron Gold (Red Rising #4) - Pierce Brown (9/10)
46. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (9/10)
47. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
48. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
48. Dark Age (Red Rising #5) - Pierce Brown (10/10)
49. Freedom's Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power - Jefferson Cowie (7.5/10)
50. Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade - Deliliah S Dawson (8/10)
51. The Collector (Gabriel Allon #23) - Daniel Silva (7.5/10)
52. Light Bringer (Red Rising #6) - Pierce Brown (12/10)
53. Hidden Pictures - Jason Rekulak (6.5/10)
54. Last Summer on State Street - Toya Wolfe (8/10)
55. The Last Ranger - Peter Heller (7.5/10)
56. Portnoy's Complaint - Phillip Roth (8.5/10)
57. Children of Time (Children of Time #1) - Adrian Tchiakovsy (8.5/10)
58. Children of Ruin (Children of Time #2) - Adrian Tchiakovsy (7.5/10)
59. Children of Memory (Children of Time #3) - Adrian Tchiakovsy (6.5/10)
60. Ascension - Nicholas Binge (7/10)
61. The Republic of Pirates - Colin Woodward (8.5/10)
62. Holly - Stephen King (6.5/10)
63. Gods of the Wyrdwood (The Forsaken Trilogy) - RJ Barker (9.5/10)
64. The Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi - SA Chakraborty (7.5/10)
65. Code Red (Mitch Rapp #22) - Kyle Mills - (6/10)
66. All Systems Red (MurderBot#1) Martha Wells (7.5/10)
67. Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica (9/10)
68. Devil Makes Three - Ben Fountain (7.5/10)
69. The Secret (Jack Reacher #28) - Lee Child & Andrew Child (6/10)
69. Three Body Problem (Three Body Problem #1) - Cixin Liu (8.5/10)
70. The Dark Forest (Three Body Problem #2) - Cixin Liu (9.5/10)
71. Death's End (Three Body Problem #3) - Cixin Lui (8/10)
72. Star Wars: The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness - George Mann (8/10)
73. Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann (10/10)
74. Black River Orchard - Chuck Wendig (7/10)
75. Eastbound - Maylis de Karengal (8/10)
76. Doppelgänger - Naomi Klein (10/10)
77. Damascus Station (Damascus Station #1) - David McCloskey (9/10)
78. Moscow X (Damascus Station # 2) - David McCloskey (8.5 / 10)

Doppleganger - Written by Naomi Klein, the basis of the book is how she constantly got confused for Naomi Wolfe - a 90s feminist that was once admired by the left, who has turned into the most insane right wing conspiracist. That is the jumping off point for the rest of the book - discusses taking sound left wing arguments and critiques and how the right is using/bastardizing them into this bizzaro world/doppelganger movement. Klein really doesnt miss.

Damascus Station - Best spy novels I’ve read since the Red Sparrow Trilogy. Can’t wait for the next one.

Snuck a few more in under the buzzer. Pretty good reading year.

 

1- The Master – Colm Tóibín (1/10)
2- Crime and Punishment – Dostoevsky (5/10)*
3- Mao II – Don DeLillo (8/10)*
4- Last Night – James Salter (8.5/10)
5- A Piece of My Heart – Richard Ford (8.5/10)*
6- Cosmopolis – Don DeLillo (5.5/10)*
7- Dusk and Other Stories – James Salter (8.5/10)*
8- The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter – Carson McCullers (10/10)*
9- No Country for Old Men – Cormac McCarthy (10/10)*
10- Blood Meridian – Cormac McCarthy (10/10)*
11- Carpenter’s Gothic – William Gaddis (9.5/10)*
12- The Rabbit Hutch – Tess Gunty (8/10)
13- Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell (7.5/10)
14- Fishing the Sloe-Black River – Colum McCann (6.5/10)
15- How to Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia – Mohsin Hamid (6/10)
16- A Thousand Moons – Sebastian Barry (10/10)
17- How German Is It – Walter Abish (8/10)
18- In Paradise – Peter Matthiessen (5.5/10)
19- Foster – Claire Keegan (8.5/10)
20- Life & Times of Michael K – J.M. Coetzee (7/10)
21- Old God’s Time – Sebastian Barry (8/10)
22- TransAtlantic – Colum McCann (6/10)
23- Union Atlantic – Adam Haslett (5/10)
24- Timbuktu – Paul Auster (0/10)
25- Child of God – Cormac McCarthy (10/10)*
26- The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida – Shehan Karunatilaka (9/10)
27- The Road – Cormac McCarthy (10/10)*
28- Goodbye, Columbus – Philip Roth (7/10)
29- Portnoy’s Complaint – Philip Roth (3/10)
30- Trust – Hernan Diaz (8.5/10)
31- Far Tortuga – Peter Matthiessen (8/10)
32- Freedom – Jonathan Franzen (4/10)
33- Moth Smoke – Mohsin Hamid (6.5/10)
34- All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr (9/10)
35- On Chesil Beach – Ian McEwan (5/10)
36- That Old Ace In The Hole – Annie Proulx (0.5/10)
37- Outer Dark – Cormac McCarthy (10/10)*
38- England Made Me – Graham Greene (6/10)
39- Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan (8.5/10)
40- The Last White Man – Mohsin Hamid (6.5/10)
41- Florida – Lauren Groff (8/10)
42- Matterhorn – Karl Marlantes (9.5/10)
43- Remembering Laughter – Wallace Stegner (7/10)
44- As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner (7.5/10)
45- Rabbit, Run – John Updike (8/10)*
46- In the Distance – Hernan Diaz (9/10)
47- The Stonemason – Cormac McCarthy (10/10)
48- Butcher’s Crossing – John Williams (9/10)
49- The Wapshot Chronicle – John Cheever (4/10)
50- All the Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy (10/10)*
51- Train Dreams – Denis Johnson (8.5/10)
52- A High Wind In Jamaica – Richard Hughes (6/10)
53- Warlock – Oakley Hall (4.5/10)
54- Grendel – John Gardner (5/10)
55- Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel (7/10)
56- Hard Rain Falling – Don Carpenter (8.5/10)
57- The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett (6/10)
58- The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien (5/10)*
59- A Frolic of His Own – William Gaddis (9/10)
60- Stoner – John Williams (8/10)
61- Antarctica – Claire Keegan (9/10)
62- The Siege of Krishnapur – J.G. Farrell (6.5/10)
63- Heart Songs and Other Stories – Annie Proulx (3/10)
64- Women with Men – Richard Ford (7/10)
65- Falling Man – Don DeLillo (8.5/10)*
66- Walk the Blue Fields – Claire Keegan (8/10)
67- The Stars at Noon – Denis Johnson (7.5/10)
68- The Promise – Damon Galgut (8/10)
69- Great Jones Street – Don DeLillo (7.5/10)*
70- End Zone – Don DeLillo (9/10)*
71- True Grit – Charles Portis (6/10)
72- The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro (8/10)
73- The Actual – Saul Bellow (1/10)
74- Sorry for Your Trouble – Richard Ford (7/10)
75- Rabbit Redux – John Updike (8.5/10)
76- Black Wings Has My Angel – Elliott Chaze (7.5/10)
77- White Noise – Don DeLillo (9/10)*
78- The Killer Inside Me – Jim Thompson (4.5/10)
79- A Rage in Harlem – Chester Himes (5/10)
80- So Late in the Day – Claire Keegan (7/10)
81- Death Valley – Melissa Broder (0/10)

82- The Pole – J.M. Coetzee (2/10)
Published in September, it’s about an aging Polish pianist who becomes obsessed with a high-society Barcelona woman. It’s another Coetzee novel about an old white man who can’t control his lust and this time it’s really boring

83- Underworld – Don DeLillo (10/10)
Winner of the 2000 William Dean Howells Medal, it was a finalist for most major awards when published in 1997. This 800-page masterpiece revolves around the home run baseball from the 1951 Shot Heard ‘Round the World game between the Dodgers and Giants. It’s set against the backdrop of the Cold War and touches upon most aspects of post-war American life

84- The Passenger – Cormac McCarthy (9.5/10)*
Loved this last December and enjoyed it just as much this year. Typical elite prose and much respect to McCarthy for tackling new things like Alicia’s hallucinations, the humane portrayal of a trans woman, etc. Could read the scenes in the bars and restaurants over and over. McCarthy’s knowledge of the world was encyclopedic

85- Let Us Descend – Jesmyn Ward (9/10)
Recently published, the two-time National Book Award Winner delivers yet another outstanding novel. It’s lyrical historical fiction with supernatural elements and follows an enslaved girl who is marched from the Carolinas to New Orleans to be sold at auction. Some of the supernatural stuff drags but the writing is so good I didn’t mind

* = re-read

 

17, What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill - 8.5/10
18. A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre - 7/10
19. The Road to Character by David Brooks - 7/10
20. Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad - 8/10
21. The Bomber Mafia by Malcom Gladwell - 6.5/10
22. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, and Strategies by Nick Bostrom - 6.5/10
23. Normal People by Sally Rooney - 8.5/10
24. Mudbound by Hilary Jordan - 8.5/10
25. How to Do the Work by Niclle LePera - 7/10
26. New York by Edward Rutherfurd - 7/10
27. The Perfect Match by Dennis Ross - 3/10
28. Calvin and Hobbes #1 by Bill Watterson - 9/10
29. The Son by Philipp Meyer - 8.5/10
30. The Pantheon of the 100 Greatest Soccer Players by Men in Blazers - 6/10
31. What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg - 9/10
32. The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - 8/10
33. Chop Wood Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf - 7.5/10
34. Mind the Gap: Generational Differences in Medical Education by Geoff Talmon - 7/10
35. A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters by Henry Gee - 7/10
36. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith - 9/10
37. Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy by John le Carre - 7.5/10
38. A Life in Football by Ian Wright - 7.5/10
39. Taking the Lead by Kyle Meyer - 7.5/10
40. Triumph of the City by Edward Glaeser - 7/10
41. Welcome the Pawnee by Amy Lewis - 6.5/10
42. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe - 7.5/10
43. A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman - 9.5/10
44. Clinical Physiology of Acid-Base and Electrolyte Disorders by Burton Rose - 9/10
45. Brain Games for Cats by Claire Arrowsmith - 5/10
46. A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney - 9/10
47. Radical Inclusion by David Moinina Sengeh - 8.5/10
48. Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry that Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate by Rose George - 8.5/10
49. Atomic Habits by James Clear - 8.5/10
50. The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holliday - 8/10
51. Going Infinite by Michael Lewis - 7/10

 

1. Leonardo Da Vinci- Walter Isaacson
2. Becoming Dr. Seuss- Brian Jay Jones
3. Manson- Jeff Guinn
4. Destiny of the Republic- Candice Millard
5. Mayflower- Nathaniel Philbrick
6. Travels With George- Nathaniel Philbrick
7. The Escape Artist- Jonathan Freeland
8. Survival In Auschwitz- Primo Levi
9. The Road to Jonestown- Jeff Guinn
10. Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution- Nathaniel Philbrick
11. Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution- Nathaniel Philbrick
12. In The Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown- Nathaniel Philbrick
13. The Library At Mount Char- Scott Hawkins
14. Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring- Alexander Rose
15. The Guest List- Lucy Foley
16. All That Is Wicked-Kate Winkler Dawson
17. The Making Of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece- Tom Hanks
18. Walt Disney: The Triump Of American Imagination- Neal Gabler
19. Buying Disney's Land- Aaron Goldberg
20. Peter Pan- JM Barie
21. Countdown 1945- Chris Wallace
22. Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-year Fight to Exonerate An Innocent Man- Lynn Vincent
23. Death On The Nile- Agatha Christie
24. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer- Kai Bird
25. The Paris Apartment- Lucy Foley
26. Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and a Legacy of Rage- Jeff Guinn
27. Stranded- Sarah Goodwin
28. American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing- Lou Michel & Dan Herbeck
29. Oona Out of Order- Margarita Montimore
30. A Year of Playing Catch: What A Simple Daily Experiment Taught Me About Life- Ethan Bryan
31. Wrong Place, Wrong Time- Gillian McAllister
32. The Sight- Melanie Golding
33. Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution- Mike Duncan
34. The Midnight Library- Matt Haig
35. The Book of Charlie: Wisdom From the Remarkable American Life Of a 109 Year Old Man- David Von Drehle
36. Yellowface- RF Kuang
37. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and The Natural History Heist of the Century- Kirk Johnson
38. 1776- David McCollugh
39. The Craft: How Freemasons Made The Modern World- John Dickie
40. Patriot Pirates: The Privateer War for Freedom and Fortune in the American Revolution- Robert H. Patton (Gen Patton's grandson)
41. Hidden Pictures- Jason Rekulak
42. Eat My Globe: One Year In Search of the Most Delicious Food In the World- Simon Majumdar
43. Fed, White, and Blue: Finding America with My Fork- Simon Majumdar
44. Outer Dark- Cormac McCarthy

Final list, but I probably read another 10 or so theology books that I didn't include on this list.

 

Outer Dark is a cheerful way to end the year

 

Do you guys buy all your books or are you using e readers?

I prefer to buy all my books and I try not to make a list I just go into a bookstore and see what happens. Can’t imagine reaching the numbers you guys reach without an e reader though

 

I use the library

 

I buy almost all of mine from thriftbooks

 

I've never used an e-reader and no audiobooks since like 7th grade. Buy all mine through a local independent store (signed first edition copy of The Candy House ) or a used store that gets tons of trade-ins from college students

Live in a studio so try not to have too much stuff, but love the feel of being surrounded by shelves of books. Overwhelming majority of my possessions are books, tshirts and hoodies

 

I've made poor use of our local library since moving here. Fixing that's a good new year's resolution