1. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (9/10) (reread) 2. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (9/10) (reread) 3. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (9.5/10) (reread) 4. Iron Gold (Red Rising #4) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) (reread)
9. The Power of the Dog (Don Winslow) 7/10; This is a trashy narcos book that I enjoyed thoroughly. It details a wildly improbable Narcos story, along with the requisite government treachery and about any other cliche from the genre. Winslow isn’t the best writer, but he pushes the story along quickly and makes it compelling. Reading McCarthy and this almost back to back illustrates the difference between fiction and literature. I enjoyed the book enough that I went and ordered the sequels. Up next: The Cartel and The Border, whenever they get here.
Trust by Hernan Diaz 8.5/10 Bad News by Edward St. Aubyn 7.5/10 Some Hope by Edward St. Aubyn 7.5/10 Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray 9/10 Mother's Milk by Edward St. Aubyn 6.5/10 King, Queen, Knave by Vladimir Nabokov 6.5/10 Venusburg by Anthony Powell 7/10 Transit by Anna Seghers 9/10 At Last by Edward St. Aubyn 7/10 Transcription by Kate Atkinson 3/10 Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman 9.5/10 The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 7.5/10 O How the Wheel Becomes It by Anthony Powell 6/10 A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes 5/10 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 8/10 The Death of Napoleon 6.5/10 Home of the Gentry by Ivan Turgenev 9/10 Red Widow by Alma Katsu 7/10 The New York Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Warton 9/10 Red London by Alma Katsu 8.5/10 One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis 5/10 Beirut Station by Paul Vldich 6/10 A Meaningful Life by LJ Davis 6/10 Alias Emma by Ava Glass 8.5/10 Memories from Moscow to the Black Sea by Teffi 8.5/10 Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn 6/10 Free Day by Ines Carnatic 7.5/10 The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 8.5/10 The Traitor by Ava Glass 8.5/10 Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford 8/10 All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West 9/10 The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford 6/10 The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson 710 The Dud Avocado by Elain Dundy 7/10 Have been mixing in some spy thrillers into more heavy stuff recently. Alias Emma and the Traitor by Ava Glass were both very good. I ordered The Traitor on ebay when I was about halfway through with Alias Emma, and I wanted to read the sequel so much that I just went to Barnes and Noble and bought the book even though the one I ordered was only a few days away. Memories from Moscow to the Black Sea was very good. I'd never heard of Teffi, but I guess she was a v big deal in early 1900s Russia. This is an autobiography of sorts that tells her story over a period of about a year during the revolution running from Moscow to, you guessed it, the Black Sea. Gave a pretty good picture of that time in Russia, and very well written. I ordered another book by her as soon as I finished this. I was really disappointed in The Good Soldier. Ford Maddox Ford wrote one of my favorite books I've ever read in Parade's End. I think this was an earlier work, and it just straight up was not as good. I would still recommend Parade's End to everyone who is interested in reading challenging yet profound stuff. The Master and Margarita was.... weird? It's one of Keith Law's favorite books, and I'd been meaning to read it for a while. I obviously enjoyed it, but I can't really ever see myself recommending it to other people ahead of a bunch of other stuff that sort of does that it was trying to do but does it better. Still very good. I sent All Passion Spent immediately to my step mother who runs a non-profit art center. Woman marries into an old, titled, English family. Her husband dies, and it comes out that all she has wanted to do her entire life is paint. So, she runs away to the country, basically abandons her family, and meets some new people who are totally different from the folks she was interacting with for the previous 60 years of her life. I read this in a day. The Dud Avocado should have been so much better than it was. Girl goes to Paris for two years after graduating from university on her uncle's dime to discover herself. Falls in with an artsy crowd. There are thieves, legit artists, sex, ruin, sickness, death. It's a three-part book. Unfortunately, the middle part is for some reason a diary that doesn't really work. I was very excited when I got to the third part and saw that the author abandoned that, and the book started working again. This was her first book, and it was originally published by a tiny publisher in England. So, it sucks that a good editor wasn't available to work that middle part out. Still, pretty good. Currently about 25% done with An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser. It's on a bunch of top 100 novels of the 1900s lists. I can certainly see why. Will be the fourth book of his that I've read, and they've all been terrific.
I read Killers of a Certain Age with my mom. We're definitely not the target demo. But it was fun enough.
1) Dune by Frank Herbert 9.5/10 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 7.5/10 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 by Christopher Ruocchio 9.5/10 11) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel 9.25/10 12) Fairy Tale by Stephen King 7/10 13) We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe 7.5/10 14) Reykjavik: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jonasson/Katrin Jakobsdottir 5/10 Person goes missing. Book was fine? Nothing really stood out. On to the next one. Edit: coauthor Jakobsdottir is prime Minister of Iceland so that's cool
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. Guide to the wealthy in the West across history. Both in terms of how wealth was accumulated throughout history and changes in inequality over time. Pretty dense as the writer is an Italian economics professor, but he mixed in lots of different characters over time across the world to get his points across. 7. Fire Weather by John Vaillant - 8/10. Really enjoyed this one. Tells the story of the Fort McMurray wildfire with different perspectives between the citizenry, fire fighters, scientists etc while weaving in the impacts of climate change and why to expect more of this going forward
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 8. Shogun Part One by James Clavell I’m a sucker for good historical fiction novels and this is a good one. Incredible attention to detail, feels like one of those rare books where the author truly loves the culture even if it is not his own. I laughed more than I thought and I find myself sympathizing with or disliking characters on both sides of this conflict. Immediately starting Part Two 8/10
You (and anyone else who has read Shogun) might find this interesting: https://www.columbia.edu/~hds2/learning/index.html
How many pages is part 1? I’m reading it too but I just have 1 big 1300 page book. It’s divided into 6 ‘books’ or parts. For reference- I’m through book 2 and it pretty much is the same spot as Episode 3.
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) Combat Codes - This trilogy was just ok. Glad I read it, but didnt blow me away. Also while the individual books were just good, the sum of their parts were better. Glad I read it, but probably not something Id give out as a recommendation, unless the person says they're interested ins something fairly specific in the book series or something. Emperor of Rome - A study of how the Emperors actually ruled. What they did to keep people in favor, the inner palace politics ect. It was interesting, some good anecdotes. But nothing too ground breaking imo. But still worth the read. The Roman Empire is my Roman Empire
1) Dune by Frank Herbert 9.5/10 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 7.5/10 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 by Christopher Ruocchio 9.5/10 11) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel 9.25/10 12) Fairy Tale by Stephen King 7/10 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 Star wars book, would put it behind others I've read, hated the ending after I found out there's no direct sequel. Guess I've gotta go watch some YouTube videos to figure out what happens
1. The Passage - Justin Cronin 10/10 2. Life After Life - Kate Atkinson 6.5/10 3. Dune - Frank Herbert 9.5/10 4. Doppelganger - Naomi Klein - 7.5/10 5. Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert 7/10 6. King Leopold's Ghost - Adam Hochschild 9/10 7. Preparing for War - Bradley Onishi 7/10 8. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad 9/10 King Leopold's Ghost: I'd read about Congo atrocities online and through various other history books and seen a bunch of the old photos but this still made me say wtf out loud numerous times. Brutal and enraging. Preparing for War: Nothing ground-breaking here just some non-fiction that reaffirms my own beliefs. Onishi is a reformed evangelical so his perspective is pretty interesting. He does a good job of tying together rise of the 60s new right/John Birch Society/Goldwater into religious culture wars post school integration, into Carter/Reagan into the post Soviet embrace of autocratic right European rulers into Trump - all through a religious-right perspective. If that's your bag you'd like this but again nothing you don't already know - except I did learn more about the extent of Orange County's post-war shittiness. Heart of Darkness: read this as senior in HS. Short but certainly memorable.
10. The Cartel - Winslow (8/10); Part 2 of the power of the dog trilogy picks up where the last one ended. It feels a bit more nuanced and richer than its predecessor, but the series remains quite plot driven so far. Despite being relatively lengthy, it’s a quick, engrossing read.
1) Dune by Frank Herbert 9.5/10 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 7.5/10 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 by Christopher Ruocchio 9.5/10 11) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel 9.25/10 12) Fairy Tale by Stephen King 7/10 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 Started out strong, but kind of fell flat a bit for me as the story unfolded in the second half. Felt like a budget version of a Blake Crouch book in a way.
11. The Border - Winslow (7/10); a good, not great ending to the trilogy where Winslow ties trump’s politics to the sitting President in his novel. It certainly reads like a dream where one person finally has the guts to do what’s right, but it comes across more than a little ham fisted. Nonetheless, the series provides different perspectives in regards to the failing war on drugs, and highlights that the poor are almost always left with the repercussions. Good series. Not sure what to read next, think I’ll find something in the house I haven’t read yet.
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 I won’t spoil anything because a lot of people are into the show right now but man was I disappointed with the way this ended. The whole time it’s leading towards something that doesn’t really happen. Still well written and a beautiful window into a fictional version of 1600s Japan, but man that ending just didn’t do it for me. Hope the show does it differently. 6/10
1 - Inferno by Max Hastings (8/10) 2 - Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving (8.5/10) 3 - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (9.5/10) 4 - The Bones of Plenty by Lois Phillips Hudson (9.5/10)...re-read 5 - Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing by Peter Robison (8/10) I'm a sucker for anything Boeing related especially given the merger back in the 90s. Written by a Bloomberg reporter, this is a pretty damning look into Boeing. Most of it is well known, but given (until recently) that Boeing was about to just move on, it's important to highlight the systemic failures. Plus it can easily be read as an indictment, or at least a cautionary tale, of how unfettered capitalism can be toxic
1. Joyland by Stephen King (7/10) -- Very enjoyable. Not my favorite of his by any means, but it was solid. 2. One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard (8/10) -- 2nd read through. Loved this book both times. 3. City on Fire by Don Winslow (6.5/10) -- First book of the Danny Ryan trilogy. Pretty short, and he probably should have made these one super novel, but of course he didn't because it's easier to sell 3 separate books than 1 big one. SIGH. 4. City of Dreams by Don Winslow (5/10) -- Second Book of the Danny Ryan trilogy. Very short. Didn't like nearly as much as book 1, so it took me a while to finish. That said, the last couple of hours were pretty enjoyable. 5. Pinned by Alfred C. Martino (5/10) -- Fictional book about high school wrestling. Hits on a lot of the nuance of being a wrestler surprisingly well. However; the end can make you peeved. I'd have given this 7 or 8 out of 10 if not for the literal last page of the book. 6. The Final Revival of Opal and Never (3/10) -- I appreciate the quality writing, but man, I was bored to tears with this one. I'm just happy I was able to finish it.
Not sure you can read the book as anything other than a damning indictment of shareholder capitalism and the scourge of Jack Welch and his underlings
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 I’ve enjoyed the Jane Austen books I’ve read previously and this was no exception. The ending was a bit predictable but otherwise fun reading. 8. Every Day is for the Thief by Teju Cole - 8.5/10 Cole’s first novel from 2007, where a Nigerian emigrant visits Lagos for the first time in 15 years. This is quite tiny and can be read in under two hours but provides great insight into every day life in Nigeria across social classes, its challenges and shortcomings, and how your relationship to places changes as you change.
Irush just finished Shogun. What didn’t you like about the ending ? Spoiler That we don’t actually get to see the war / battles?
I was a little bummed but didn’t take away too much enjoyment from me. Just being in that world/society was awesome. For a long ass book - it didn’t feel as long as it was.
1- Cassandra at the Wedding – Dorothy Baker (8/10) 2- Trespasses – Louise Kennedy (9/10) 3- Emerald City – Jennifer Egan (8.5/10) 4- Olive Kitteridge – Elizabeth Strout (5.5/10) 5- Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont – Elizabeth Taylor (6.5/10) 6- Jesus’ Son – Denis Johnson (8.5/10) 7- Child of God – Cormac McCarthy (10/10)* 8- Angels – Denis Johnson (8/10) 9- The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac – Louise Kennedy (9.5/10) 10- Airships – Barry Hannah (0/10) 11- Rabbit Is Rich – John Updike (9/10) 12- The Name of the World – Denis Johnson (7.5/10) 13- The Ghost Writer – Philip Roth (6/10) 14- Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton (6/10)* Published in 1990, I read it for the first time around fourth grade so it’s a dose of nostalgia whenever I’m looking for something easy to digest. It’s action-packed but also has decent commentary on genetic engineering and mankind’s responsibility to the natural world 15- Fat City – Leonard Gardner (8.5/10) Published in 1969, it’s set in Stockton, CA and follows two boxers on different trajectories. One’s career is all but over and the other’s trying to start a career and family of his own. It’s a gritty look into the boxing gyms, dive bars, agricultural fields, and seedy hotels of the San Joaquin Valley 16- Nobody Move – Denis Johnson (7.5/10) Published in 2009, it’s a crime novel about a Southern California man in debt to organized criminals. He ends up in the company of a beautiful alcoholic woman with her own legal issues and they go on the lam together. It’s hard-boiled and unfolds like a Coen brothers movie. Reminds me of Black Wings Has My Angel because despite the thriller-paced story it's got great prose 17- Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club – Benjamin Alire Sáenz (8/10) Winner of the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award, it’s a collection of extremely sad stories mostly set in El Paso and across the border in Juárez. They deal with drug addiction, suicide, abusive parents, and the austere beauty of the desert. Each story features characters trying to survive in the midst of the cruelty and violence fracturing the border communities 18- Country – Michael Hughes (9/10) Published in 2019, it’s a fast-paced and brutally violent retelling of The Iliad set in the lawless border country of Northern Ireland during an uneasy ceasefire near the end of The Troubles. The protagonist/antagonists are the IRA’s most infamous sniper and a decorated SAS captain. There’s a lot of speechifying, which some might find tedious. But it’s an effective means of conveying the depths of the emotions felt by the characters, which helps establish what a difficult time it was to be Irish 19- Sea of Tranquility – Emily St. John Mandel (7.5/10) Longlisted for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, it’s what I saw referred to as speculative fiction. It’s set in a dystopian environment but still manages to tell an elegant and intimate story about several characters in various places at different times in history. St. John Mandel has a serious talent for piecing together narrative puzzles * = re-read
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 God damn. Fucked up from beginning to end. It’s rare a book makes my skin crawl and yet I can’t put it down. I love novels that explore what humans are capable of when the rules change and this paints a vivid picture of the atrocities man can inflict and endure. The pace is fast and I love that we aren’t given the details of why the world is gone to shit like this, because who are we to ask? I was repulsed by it and I couldn’t put it down. 8/10
1) Dune by Frank Herbert 9.5/10 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 7.5/10 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 9.5/10 11) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel 9.25/10 12) Fairy Tale by Stephen King 7/10 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
Whoa I finally finished a book. I finished Comanche Moon this afternoon. Wife said if I read the first two Harry Potter's she'll read Lonesome Dove which she has started. So guess I'm starting Harry Potter tonight or sometime this week. Also read Lonesome Dove first obvious 10, Dead Man's Walk which is a 6.5 before Comanche Moon which I'd give a 9.
1. Goat Island Hermit: The State of Florida v Rollians Christopher - Tim Gilmore (8/10) Written by my college English professor, who writes a lot of books about stuff local to north Florida. Always written a little like Gonzo journalist with really great history about the area. 2. Inferno - Dan Brown (7.5/10) Been a sucker for his stuff since I first read A&D/Davinci Code back in the early 2000s. They’re formulaic but always grab you and the history/art is a bonus. 3. Starter Villain - John Scalzi (10+/10) Wildly entertaining page turner. Felt a little like Library at Mount Char, which remains one of my favorite books. I’m curious if any of this guy’s other books feel like this one and if so, I might jump into one of his series. Finished Upgrade by Couch at the very end of 2023, which makes 3 out of the last 4 books I’ve ready have some sort of tie to gene modification. Weird.
Ha. I just finished Starter Villain yesterday. I liked It. Have it at a 7.5 /10. Fun pallete cleanser. Have to be honest tho - I dont get the Library at Mt Char comparison at all
1. Joyland by Stephen King (7/10) 2. One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard (8/10) 3. City on Fire by Don Winslow (6.5/10) 4. City of Dreams by Don Winslow (5/10) 5. Pinned by Alfred C. Martino (5/10) 6. The Final Revival of Opal and Neve by Dawnie Walton (3/10) 7. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (9/10) -- Awesome book. The first couple of chapters build the world so well, and they're damn near perfect. The book looses a bit of it's whim as the subject matter gets more serious, but at that point you can hardly put it down. Great book. Highly recommend.
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) Winner of the 2023 Booker Prize. Ireland has become a totalitarian police state and a mother does her best to keep her family together through the carnage. 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) This was a pretty shameless cash grab, imo. Basically biographies of the victims interspersed with facts of the case. If you're ever interested in reading more about the case, it's probably best to wait until after the trial concludes.
1. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (9/10) (reread) 2. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (9/10) (reread) 3. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (9.5/10) (reread) 4. Iron Gold (Red Rising #4) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) (reread) 5. Dark Age (Red Rising #5) - Pierce Brown (10/10) (reread)
1) Dune by Frank Herbert 9.5/10 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 7.5/10 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 9.5/10 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 Based around John von Neumann's life from viewpoints of others that knew him. Goes from his life and works to it's impact and discussion on AI and ending with a recap of Lee Sedol vs. AlphaGo (which they should have named AlphaGoat imo). Just didn't land for me like his other book I read did.
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) Shogun - I really loved this. Its long AF but not a slow read. The ending is a bit anti climatic but I just loved being in that time period, and society. Was constantly going to wiki articles to read up on the real historical figures the characters are based on. Starter Villain - About a dude down on his luck in inheriting his uncles empire. Fun quick read. Typical Scalzi humor. If you like like Scalzi, you'll like this. Great short, easy read after long heavy one. Star Wars - Pretty meh. This was a 'young reader' novel. But Im committed to reading all The High Republic stuff, so I read it.