Fiction LightBringer The Will of the Many Gods of the Wyrdwood Tender is the Flesh Portnoy's Complaint Yellowface Age of Vice Non Fiction Empire of Blue Water The Wager Poverty by America American Midnight
Fiction Remarkably Bright Creatures The Nickel Boys The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida Age of Vice Yellowface Red Sparrow Non Fiction An Immense World One Summer: America, 1927 A Heart That Works Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland Powers and Thrones The Wager
My review of Parade's End from Goodreads: Parade's End was not my favorite thing that I've ever read, but it might be the most profound. A sprawling tetralogy taking place during World War I--I am not overselling it when I call it a masterpiece. The story centers on Christopher Tietjens, the youngest son of a family of the owner of a income producing country estate. He's married to Sylvia, who is maybe the most sinister character I've encountered in literature. She repeatedly steps out on Tietjens, eventually occupies his estate, becomes pregnant with a son who is not his, and has an affair with Tietjens godfather, a general, who sends his godson to the front. Others rooting for Tietjens to be killed include his college roommate, as he believes his two thousand pound loan will be forgiven upon Tietjens death. I am struggling to think of a theme that is not explored in this work: love, betrayal, friendship, death, revenge, courage, redemption, morality, evil. It's truly outstanding, and if you want to sink your teeth into something that is rewarding, I highly recommend this.
Fiction light bringer In the distance No country for old men The road How to build a boat North Woods Non fiction: American Prometheus American Gun King: A Life Poverty, By America
Underworld - DeLillo A Thousand Moons - Barry The Stonemason - McCarthy Matterhorn - Marlantes Butcher's Crossing - Williams A Frolic of His Own - Gaddis In the Distance - Diaz The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - Karunatilaka All the Light We Cannot See - Doerr Antarctica - Keegan Rabbit Redux - Updike Foster - Keegan Hard Rain Falling - Carpenter How German Is It - Abish Train Dreams - Johnson Small Things Like These - Keegan Last Night - Salter Trust - Diaz Old God's Time - Barry Walk the Blue Fields - Keegan Good year. 80+ books, 50+ home NAU athletics events and 40+ hikes
Fiction: Beartown Cloud Cuckoo Land The Shards Tender is the Flesh Demon Copperhead Remarkably Bright Creatures The Ferryman Nonfiction: Rise of the Warrior Cop Killers of the Flower Moon Allow Me to Retort Mother American Night
Fiction Trust by Hernan Diaz White Teeth by Zadie Smith Non-Fiction Say Nothing by Patrick Raden Keefe
Fiction Dark Age and Lightbringer - Pierce Brown The Licanus Trilogy/The Will of the Many - James Islington Horse - Geraldine Brooks Sea of Tranquility - Emily St John Mandel A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Tranquility Also reread the Harry Potter series and Stormlight Archive and both are so enjoyable. Listened to Andy Serkis’s Silmarillion was a delight, though I read that once a year, it was a great refresher Non Fiction The Boys in the Boat - Daniel Brown The Wager - David Grann The Surprising Genius of Jesus - Peter Williams
Only read a handful of books this year outside of a billion parenting books, but glad to see a couple I've got on tap for next year on some of your all's lists (the wager, poverty by America)
Nonfiction American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer- Kai Bird American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing- Lou Michel & Dan Herbeck The Escape Artist- Jonathan Freeland Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution- Mike Duncan The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and The Natural History Heist of the Century- Kirk Johnson Fiction Yellowface- RF Kuang Out of 45 on my list, 12 were fiction, and Yellowface was my favorite. Nonfiction summaries/thoughts. American Prometheus. Think a couple people have read it, really good bio on Oppenheimer. Want to go back and watch the movie since I've read it American Terrorist. Only bio of McVeigh that he authorized. Spoke with the writers who were 2 reporters from his hometown, so it reads as if it's in his own words. One of the things I'm trying to read about more are major events that happened when I was a kid and I don't know much about. I was 7 when OKC happened, so I only knew of the high level facts. Read the Waco book for the same reason, have a couple more lined up on various early 90s events for 2024 Lafayette. Bio of Marquis de Lafayette. Little I knew of him was from seeing Hamilton. Another really good bio The Feather Thief. Saw another poster read this, read the summary and thought why not? I don't fish, so I knew nothing about fly fishing, but I couldn't put this down. Just a crazy heist of historical/rare bird feathers. Didn't know rare feathers was a thing, but loved it The Escap Artist. Best book I read this year, and not sure it was close tbh. True story of the first and only Jewish POW to escape Auschwitz (military pow were held in less secure area than Jews, and had escaped before). I couldn't put it down. Obviously you know the outcome, but it was so well written, there were times during his escape that my heart was racing and palms were sweaty. His story needs to be told along with Anne Frank, Oscar Schindler, etc. If Gallant Knight wants to update his 10/10 book recs thread, can you include this? I don't rate my reads, but would have given it a 10 if I did
Nonfiction: Silent Spring - Rachel Carson (A classic of the environmentalist movement and just as relevant today as when it was written) Wealth and Democracy - Kevin Phillips (goes through history and shows how government and capital are inextricably linked and how the US is following the same patterns as failed nations of the past) Fiction: The Red Rising Series - Pierce Brown (re-read books 1-5 and then read Lightbringer for the first time. All phenomenal. First book is the weakest) The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy (glad we got one last classic McCarthy novel before he passed. RIP.) Yumi and the Nightmare Painter / The Sunlit Man - Brandon Sanderson (my two favorites of the 4 surprise novels he wrote during quarantine. Must reads if you're a Sanderson fan) HM: The Will of the Many - James Islington and Tender is the Flesh - Augustina Bazterrica (my two favorite Book Club novels. Both very good, the former is fantasy and the latter is fiction, see the threads for more thoughts)
Fiction: Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon The Troop by Nick Cutter I Am the River by TE Grau Nonfiction: Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975 by Max Hastings The Pacific War Trilogy by Ian W. Toll
Owsley you should look up Butcher's Crossing. Had never heard of it before last year but it's got McCarthy-esque prose and a story that would probably appeal to anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors
Hell yeah. Just added it to my want to read list. By the same token, I think you’d really enjoy In the Rogue Blood by James Carlos Blake. An unflinching western with heavy McCarthy vibes through prose, characters, and unimaginable violence it certainly has some parallels with Blood Meridian while still being it’s own work. Not the easiest read but certainly a lasting one.
My favorite book of 2023 was Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl book 6). Listened on Audible, and it is fantastic. This series has been blowing up recently, and rightfully so.