2019 Reading

The Open Society and Its Enemies (Karl Popper)--My first reading, and a timely one in the age of Trump. (The Economist did an excellent piece last year about whether or not Open v. Closed is a useful description of societies.)

Pure (Linda Kay Klein)--A recommendation from J, and a totally worthwhile (though grim) read for anyone who grew up in the Josh Harris/purity culture moment of Evangelicalism. More a collection of stories than a preachy counterdoctrine.

Cozy Minimalist Home (Myquillyn Smith)--Meh. Pretty pictures. We did a lot of work refurnishing our downstairs last January and February.

Galapagos (Kurt Vonnegut)--The end of the world as we know it. I don't know how he came up with his story ideas, but this was a fun one.

While Mortals Sleep (Kurt Vonnegut)--A collection of posthumous short stories. Almost as interesting for the illustrations as the stories themselves.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling)

Rabbit, Run (John Updike)--I read this once in college and could barely stomach it. I read it again in Greensboro and thought that I liked it better. This time I loved it.

Deadeye Dick (Kurt Vonnegut)--Dreadfully uncomfortable book about an accidental murder.

The Reckoning (John Grisham)--It was fine. I think I read it in a hotel room on an audition.

Fluent Forever (Gabriel Wyner)--A book about brain science and how to study foreign language grammar and vocabulary. Interesting that the author was originally a musician. (Opera singer)

William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Ian Doescher)--Exactly what it sounds like. It was great. I read it in the pit while sitting around for hours at a time in the pit for Don Giovanni last February.

A Thousand Acres (Jane Smiley)--Very interesting retelling of the King Lear story, but set in the modern midwest.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling)

King Lear (William Shakespeare)--Because I had to after reading A Thousand Acres. It turns out that the adaption was even more faithful than I remembered.

The Empire Striketh Back (Ian Doescher)--More Star Wars fun in iambic pentameter

God and the Gay Christian (Matthew Vines)--One of the recommendations from my former pastor. Very interesting to read in counterpoint to Greg Coles' book, as they are similarly aged and telling related stories.

The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)--Interesting people, heuristics, and sociological change. Apparently the first popular essay on the broken windows theory of policing.

The Sense of Style (Steven Pinker)--Pinker's excellent follow up to the White and Strunk. This is one that's probably worth keeping a hard copy.

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (Kurt Vonnegut)--A novel about money, philanthropy, and madness. Kilgore Trout appears.

Church in Crisis (Oliver O'Donovan)--A wonderful set of essays on the debate surrounding homosexuality in the Anglican communion. As much about church polity as the actual interpretation of the issues, but clear and insightful.

Black Hawk Down (Mark Bowden)--A minute by minute account of the events of the Battle of Mogadishu.

On the Road (Jack Kerouac)--My first reading. Wasn't nearly as off-putting as I was always lead to believe.

In a Dark, Dark Wood (Ruth Ware)--Good mystery yarn. I don't love amnesia as a central plot element.

The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller)--I LOVED this book. Incorporated tons of source material from the Iliad and made that world come alive to a modern reader like any good modern novel. Might have been my favorite book of the year. Also, the author looks just like Martha.

Enlightenment Now (Steven Pinker)--Pinker's summative case for secular humanism.

Ab Urbe Condita, Liber V (Livy)--Read in Latin. The end of the Veii conflict through the first sacking by the Gauls. Thanks to Lucas for getting this edition for me down in Ithaca.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway (Ruth Ware)--Good mystery yarn. Lots of good red herrings.

The Bacchae (Euripides)--Read in Greek. I forgot quite how violent this is. (Ends in explicit dismemberment.)

The Story of the Stone (Cao Xuequin)--Chinese court novel from the Qing dynasty. I read the first book, didn't feel terribly compelled to seek out the other volumes.

Rabbit, Redux (John Updike)--Hard to read Rabbit's story while he was basically in my phase of fatherhood. (But living in 1969.)

Hocus Pocus (Kurt Vonnegut)--Must be especially amusing for college professors of literature to read an experimental novel in which college literature departments are contrasted with prisons.

Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)--Annual re-read of one of my favorite novels. Also enjoyed watching the Hulu miniseries, but was disappointed with how it fizzled out at the end.

David and Goliath (Malcolm Gladwell)--Just okay. I loved discovering Malcolm Gladwell (and his podcasts) this year, but this was better as a collection of short biographies than his usual collection of interesting ideas.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling)

Obama's Wars (Bob Woodward)--A look into the executive branch during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Nothing to very little said at all about the Gitmo controversies or torture in general, much more about troop strategy and internal politicking.

Richistan (Robert Frank)--A Hamway recommendation. Fascinating look (published right before and at the beginning of the 2008 crash) at wealth disparity in the United States. Frightening to think about how some of the issues highlighted might have worsened since then. Donald Trump figures into the book tangentially in his pre-political life.

De Bello Gallico Liber I (Julius Caesar)--Read in Latin. Caesar's war journals from the Gallic war. An unsurprisingly flattering account of Caesar and his rousing pre-battle speeches.

Lost Moon (Jim Lovell)--Lovell's account of the Apollo 13 mission. Didn't even know this book existed until I saw it accidentally in the library and read it almost in a single sitting.

Paul, A Biography (N.T. Wright)--Great popular level work on Paul's life and ministry. Squarely in the biography genre but incorporates a lot of the scholarship from Paul and the Faithfulness of God.

The Lying Game (Ruth Ware)--My favorite premise of her mysteries.

Fear (Bob Woodward)--Confirms all your worst suspicions about how the first stretch of the Trump White House (up to the beginning of the Mueller investigation) actually worked.

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (Beverly Daniel Tatum)--Another recommendation from my former pastor. Was very interested in this book but ultimately disappointed. A provocative call to conversations about race (and the effect of race on childhood development) without actually setting parameters for what the conversations might look like.

Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)--This one seemed extra racist right after reading the Tatum book.

Peter and the Starcatchers (Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson)--Hilarious prequel to the Peter Pan stories. Flirted just between being for children and being for adults. (Kind of like watching an Animaniacs.)

The Edge of Words (Rowan Williams)--The more I read Rowan Williams the more I love him. Brilliant short book here about the nature/limits of human language and how it intersects with spirituality/community.

Bad Blood (John Carreyou)--A recommendation from J. The story of the Theranos startup. Who says that excellent reporting is dead?

Peter and the Shadow Thief (Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson)--This is probably where I should have given up on this series--each book got a little worse--but they were fun and I kept going.

Passionate Marriage (David Schnarch)--NOT a sex manual. But a well reviewed book on the psychological independence in a married/sexual relationship. Some good ideas inside, but the author was so smug about his own importance/ideas that long stretches were unreadable.

Rabbit is Rich (John Updike)--The third Rabbit book. What happened to Nelson in this book (and the next) was heartbreaking. Set in the 80s.

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson) The third Starcatchers book.

Rabbit at Rest (John Updike)--Rabbitdammerung.

Hillbilly Elegy (J.D. Vance)--A memoir recommended by J about escaping from white poverty and "white trash" culture and the systemic entanglement of honor/pride/responsibility.

Rabbit Remembered (John Updike)--A little novella that wraps up the Rabbit Story and gives Nelson a little happiness.

Peter and the Sword of Mercy (Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson)--The last Starcatchers book.

Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmilhalyi)--The psychology of being in flow. Perfectly explains why I do what I do. (And usually enjoy it)

Animal Farm (George Orwell)--Annual reread

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling)

Artemis (Andy Weir)--Not nearly as good as The Martian, but fun

Foreign Affairs (Alison Lurie)--A novel about two academics in London. Funny on the one part and desperately sad for the other.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling)

The Secret Adversary (Agatha Christie)--The first of the Tommy and Tuppence books. I intended to read them all this year, but never got around to it.

What the Dog Saw (Malcolm Gladwell)--A collection of New Yorker essays. I was much amused that the title essay was all about the Dog Whisperer. One of my BPO colleagues spent most of the previous summer trying to convince me (unsuccessfully) to watch that.

Endure (Alex Hutchinson)--Profiles of athletes and the sports science/sports psychology about the extreme limits of the human body.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling)

The Bridge to Neverland (Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson)--Bonus Starcatcher novel set in the modern world.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles--The first Hercule Poirot novel. Never got around to reading the rest of those either.

Beautiful Ruins (Jess Walter)--Funny satirical novel about Hollywood/Italy and missed connections

The Year of Living Danishly (Helen Russell)--Did not make me want to move to Denmark

All the President's Men (Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein)--Semiannual re-read.

The Coddling of the American Mind (Jonathon Haidt and Greg Lukianoff)--Excellent research book expanded from their Atlantic article about civil discourse, call-out culture, and the state of the American university.

Natural Causes (Barbara Ehrenreich)--A blend of journalism and memoir about American health care and wrestling with your own mortality.

A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson)--One of my top book from all year. Bill Bryson and Stephen Katz hike parts of the Appalachian Trail. Hilarity ensues.

The Frugalwoods (Elizabeth Willard Thames)--The story of a debt-retiring and early financial independence for a young family that decided to stop buying pretty much everything.

The Ninth Hour (Alice McDermott)--A novel about nuns in Boston. Lots of guilt, death, and moral ambivalence.

Orange is the New Black (Piper Kerman)--Read it in one go in an airport.

The 100 Thing Challenge (Dave Bruno)--Also read this at the airport. Possibly the dumbest book I read all year. You can't claim that you're going to live with only 100 possessions if one of your possessions is "a library."

The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy)--I think I read most of this in the airport as well? Dates pretty well for an 80s techno thriller.

Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)--Straight up creepy with no redeeming virtues. Never need to open it again.

Faith Unraveled (Rachel Held Evans)--Her first memoir, a recommendation from J. Loved it. It's the voice of our particular moment.

David Copperfield (Charles Dickens)--Uriah Heep is maybe his best villain.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)

Cardinal of the Kremlin (Tom Clancy)--I read all the Jack Ryan books at some point in college, but somehow skipped over this one in the process.

Dreamland (Samuel Quinones)--The story of two towns in Ohio and Mexico and all of the economic/legal/social factors that are driving the opioid epidemic.

Circe (Madeline Miller)--Not quite at the same level of Song of Achilles, but loved it.

American War (Omar El Akkad)--War novel set in the post-apocalyptic future where the South has seceded again

A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles)--One of the most beautifully written books I read all year--the whole thing was like reading poetry. (And apparently the author was a stockbroker?) The story of a count under house arrest in a hotel in Communist Moscow.

The Lost City of Z (David Grann)--The parts about Percy Fawcett were way more interesting than the modern bits.

The Histories, Volume 1 (Herodotus)--The original storyteller. Even if it's mostly unreliable it makes for great reading.

Bad Feminist (Roxanne Gay)--Essays on being a woman in the modern world. Some topical, some autobiographical.

Hallucinations (Oliver Sacks)--The positive and the negative effects of hallucination and a very accessible explanation (or guesswork) at some of the brain science behind them.

Dazzle (Judith Krantz)--Also a strong contender for the worst book I read all year. Apparently Krantz died last year and the Economist did an obit praising her for bringing legitimate literary merit to the "bonkbuster" genre. Maybe in some of her other books, I could barely get through this one.

The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)--Hard to classify stylistically. It's sort of an adult fairy tale in lyric prose about a journey in northern Africa. Beautifully written.

A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)--A recommendation from one of my carpool friends. It was like reading a life of my grandfather. Absolutely loved it, and went on a big Backman kick thereafter.

Simply Jesus (N.T. Wright)--Read along with J and some in-laws for beach discussion.

Columbine (Dave Cullen)--Investigative journalism about the events of Columbine and then the reporting (and political movements) that followed. Dispelled a lot the myth and background noise that I remember from being in that moment and trying to make sense of it.

An Anthropologist on Mars (Oliver Sacks)--Wonderful essays on some of Dr. Sacks' patients and their quirks/gifts.

War (Sebastian Junger)--One of my favorite writers and his experience being embedded in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan with US troops.

The Art of Travel--I can't remember the author (maybe Galton?) and am too lazy to go looking on my kindle. It was someone from the Lost City of Z book, and this is guide to 19th century travel expeditions. (Warning--contains all the worst racism/sexism of the era.)

Tribe (Sebastian Junger)--An extended piece of belonging to one another in/through culture, war, and disaster. As much philosophy as journalism.

Swann's Way (Marcel Proust)--My second time through the first book of the series, but I've never gone any further and didn't this time either.

Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker)--An excellent book about the science of sleep health recommended by one of my carpool friends. Has made me feel guilty about my coffee intake and lack of stable rest time (knowing the possible consequences) but unfortunately hasn't led to a ton of changes...

The Feather Thief (Kirk Johnson)--A recommendation from J. The true story of the classical flutist who committed a felony theft of rare feathers to make Victorian fishing flies. Or, more evidence not to trust flutists.

The Case for the Psalms (N.T. Wright)--Wonderful little book about the Psalms in Christian life. Directly inspired the psalm project we did at GPC over the fall.

A Death in Belmont (Sebastian Junger)--The possible (does it ever really get resolved?) unmasking of the Boston Strangler, and how the story directly (and frighteningly) intersected with Junger's own childhood.

Not in God's Name (Jonathan Sacks)--One of my favorite books of the year. A long essay on religious violence, the interpretation of the Abrahamic narratives in Genesis, and a look at the "sibling rivalry" between the three Abrahamic faiths.

Fall of Giants (Ken Follett)--A WWI epic recommended by one of my BPO colleagues, part of which takes place in Buffalo.

Gratitude (Oliver Sacks)--A collection of his final essays.

The Great Partnership (Jonathan Sacks)--His thoughts and insights on the dialouge/rivalry between science and religion and where the debate stands now.

Fire (Sebastian Junger)--The dangerous and little noticed business of fighting wildfires in America.

Euthyphro (Plato)--Read in Greek. The question of piety and (indirectly) the justice of the gods.

Under the Banner of Heaven (Jon Krakauer)--A long and uncomfortable look and fundamentalist mormonism and its ugliest iterations.

Grit (Angela Duckworth)--Teasing out the data about talent, perseverance, and achievement in a number of different disciplines.

The Mind's Eye (Oliver Sacks)--The miracle of sight and all that can go wrong between seeing and the understanding the world.

The Fifth Risk (Michael Lewis)--All of the potential long-term negative outcomes of the Trump executive branch through their neglect of the federal bodies that ensure we get weather/manage nuclear waste/etc...

Bridge to Terabithia (Katherine Paterson)--Annual re-read.

Evicted (Matthew Desmond)--A look at poverty and the housing markets in Milwaukee with a number of ongoing case studies.

Less (Andrew Sean Greer)--A recent Pulitzer winner about a gay man trying to escape a painful breakup and traveling the world to do so.

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World (Fredrik Backman)--Absolutely hilarious (Dave Barryesque) stories from Backman about being the parent of a little boy.

Histories, Volume 2 (Herodotus)--More of the history of Greece and Asia Minor, through the great conflict with Persia.

Flash Boys (Michael Lewis)--The confounding logic and underhanded dealing behind flash trading and the building of exchange infrastructure. Made my head spin with anger. (And appreciation that someone actually reported on this.)

Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens)--I know this book has been popular and well-reviewed. I thought it was dumb. Totally fits all of the White Woman Southern Fiction tropes.

How to Read Water (Tristan Gooley)--Picked this up in an outdoors store in Skaneatles while waiting around between a rehearsal and a gig. Esoteric but you appreciate that someone is still keeping this sort of knowledge alive.

The Cuckoo's Calling (Robert Galbraith)--J read these awhile ago and recommended them, but I never got around to picking them up. I LOVED them once I started. Can't wait until the next one comes out, and I hope she keeps them up.

Beartown (Fredrik Backman)--His hockey novel. Excellent sports writing.

The Silkworm (Robert Galbraith)--Gruesome and great.

Rules of Civility (Amor Towles)--A novel set in 1920s New York City. Excellent twist at the end.

Close to Shore (Michael Capuzzo)--Set up to read like an Erik Larson book, but it's really literary Shark Week. It was fun.

Us Against You (Fredrik Backman)--The sequel to Beartown. First sports book I've ever read where you don't actually get to find out how the "big game" ended.

Career of Evil (Robert Galbraith)--The third Cormoran Strike book. The Strike-Robin relationship in this one is masterful.

Believe It (Nick Foles)--Because James recommended it about twenty times. (And has probably read it even more times.) I still can't convince him to send Nick Foles a letter.

Lethal White (Robert Galbraith)

Trail Fever (Michael Lewis)--An in depth look at the 1996 presidential primaries. I'd be curious to know how much about the process has changed. Definitely not a flattering portrait of Bob Dole.

Manhattan Beach (Jennifer Egan)--An okayish novel about a woman who becomes a diver in WWII NYC. The mafia is involved somehow too. It's fine.

The Boys in the Boat (Daniel James Brown)--The true story of the US crew team that won gold at the 1936 Olympics. A great recommendation from J--I don't understand how it isn't a big movie yet.

The Deal of a Lifetime (Fredrik Backman)--A little experimental novella dealing with the father-son relationship.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (Fredrik Bakman)--The lives of one little apartment complex and how they intersect more closely than you'd think. Clever.

The Uncoupling (Meg Wolitzer)--A high school puts on Lysistrata and it somehow curses the couples of the town.

Moneyball (Michael Lewis)--The story of the '00 Oakland A's and data-driven personnel moves.

Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis)--Reread of the Space Trilogy

How Much Is A Little Girl Worth (Rachel Denhollander) A recommendation from J. VERY well written. (We're probably going to own this book before too long.)

Casino Royale (Ian Fleming)--I had never read any of the Bond novels. He's very different than in the movies. (He sweats through his shirts and has bad breath, for one thing)

Britt-Marie Was Here (Fredrik Backman)--Semi-sequel to his Grandmother book, and the soccer equivalent of Beartown.

The Riverside Villas Murder (Kingsley Amis)--Fun premise for a murder mystery, but uncomfortably full of statutory rape.

Perelandra (C.S. Lewis)

Live and Let Die (Ian Fleming)--I've never seen this movie, but there's no way it can be as openly racist as the book.

The Female Persuasion (Meg Wolitzer)--A very interesting long look at a lifelong mentoring relationship between two women.

A Wrinkle In Time (Madeline L'Engle)--Reread. Attempted to gauge whether James might be interested yet, inconclusive.

The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)--The story of Chinese families (multiple generations) making their way in America

Talking to Strangers (Malcolm Gladwell)--THIS was a good book. Full of all sort of good Kahneman/Tvsersky style ideas and experiments.

Washington (Ron Chernow)--Long but very readable. A whole work that held together lots of material and I learned quite a bit.

Liar's Poker (Michael Lewis)--His debut novel about finding his way in and eventually quitting the bond market in the 80s.

Shutter Island (Dennis Lehane)--Creepy mindbending thriller that takes place over 48 hours on a secluded island with a psychiatric facility.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself (Bill Bryson)--His "travel" book about living in America. Originally all essays published in his local paper.

That Hideous Strength (C.S. Lewis)

The Wife (Meg Wolitzer)--This was my favorite of her works so far. A renowned author and his wife travel to Finland to collect a literary prize and their story is tantalizingly unspooled. Great twist at the end.

The Blind Side (Michael Lewis)--The Michael Oher story. Excellent football writing.

Till We Have Faces (C.S. Lewis)--Improves with every re-reading.

Big Little Lies (Liane Moriarty)--A recommendation from J. Didn't love it. Tried some of her other stuff and didn't love that either.

The Great Alone (Kristin Hannah)--Like the Nightingale it had a lot going for it and ended with a whimper. The story of a girl with a dangerous father living in Alaska.

The Position (Meg Wolitzer)--The four children of two therapists find out more than they wanted to know about their parent's sex lives. The novel tracks the whole family through their adult lives.

The Progress Paradox (Gregg Easterbrook)--I used to love reading TMQ. A lot of ideas in here that appeared in that column.

Neither Here Nor There (Bill Bryson)--Bryson's European travels. Includes excellent Katz stories.

What Alice Forgot (Liane Moriarty)--I don't love amnesia as a plot device.

The Ten Year Nap (Meg Wolitzer)--Amnesia is actually not a plot device in this one. The story of parents/couples finding their way in NYC.

In a Sunburned Country (Bill Bryson)--His Australia book. Gutbusting funny and we had a lot of fun asking our Australian friends about some of the content.

Aphytrio (Plautus)--Read in Latin. Latin theatre isn't great, but this was an amusing comedy about Jove scoring with a mortal woman and confusing the husband in the process.

The Interestings (Meg Wolitzer)--Follows a circle of summer camp friends through their adult lives.

The Husband's Secret (Liane Moriarty)

Mystic River (Dennis Lehane)--Three boyhood friends meet again when one of their daughter's is murdered. (There's a police officer, an ex-con, and the prime murder suspect.)

A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)--Bryson's big summary of modern scientific advancement and how it is that we got there.

The Garden of Eden (Ernest Hemmingway)--A couple on honeymoon becomes a throuple and it ends badly.

When the Sleeper Wakes (H.G. Wells)--An "amnesia" (sort of) novel that ends well. A 20th century Englishman falls asleep for 200 years and awakes to a political crisis that he's somehow involved in.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (Bill Bryson)--What it was like to grow up in Iowa in the 50s and 60s with a very active imagination.



My hope for 2020 is to do a much better job blogging. Sorry about 2019. I was busy reading.