My reading list goal from a quantity standpoint might have been ambitious, but from a quality perspective, I'm pleased.
My friend Dave suggested I read 24 pounds of books in 2024..possibly making my reads more manageable. I chuckled at this, but his point could be that numbers can be trivial and take away from the experience. And judging from the 17 books I did read listed below, it was a terrific experience.
And in the spirit of how I began last year's reads - with a fictional account of the migrant experience, I am starting this year with another book in the same vein - The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle. I'm a few chapters in and already it's captivating.
So here they are with my notes attached. You wouldn't go wrong with most of these.
American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins
I was glued to this book. It was a great way to sweep away the cobwebs from my reader's brain. Always a topical issue in the U.S., the fictional account of a mother/son journey to the Mexico/U.S. border, much of it atop the infamous 'Beast' freight train was intense.
Dark Matter - Blake Crouch
I'm so pleased to hear AppleTV is making a series out of this. I love science fiction and was thrilled with this novel. Original. Very cool.
The Push - Ashley Audrain
Written by a Toronto author, this reminds me and others a little of the 2011 film "We Need to Talk About Kevin." Disturbing. Loved it.
The Last Flight - Julie Clark
Someone We Know - Shari Lapena
What Lies Between Us - John Marrs
To sustain my reading I launched into a few "thrillers" and these were just the fix I needed. Well-written and tight, each moved me along with their own twists and turns. I read these three novels quickly based on a few recommendations from book enthusiasts I follow on Instagram and I wasn't disappointed.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals - Oliver Burkeman
After three thrillers, I needed some reality. I needed some help to focus my life. With dogwalking, bass, my band, my Twitch DJing...etc. I needed some clarity. FTW:TMFM helped sharpen my reality by casting my life in weeks. There's so much to learn from this book, but basically, we all have 4,000 weeks given your life expectancy. We all have bad days, tough years and it's hard to measure quality of life by either. But a good or bad week can be defined by the value it brings to your life. This book will remain on my shelf for weeks to come.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being - Rick Rubin
After Burkeman's book, I needed to further my focus from a creative perspective. We are all creative beings. How you harness that drive eludes most of us. Rubin in short, strong bursts peels away the mystery of creativity. Another book for my shelf.
Artemis - Andy Weir
The Martian was a great holiday read for me a few years back, and even richer than the fantastic film. Artemis went a different direction. It was a fun ride. Another great holiday read, unless you're on the moon.
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
I loved the film of the same name and wanted to see how the book compares. Set in London, England instead of the film's Chicago locale, I found both equally sweet and fun. Although i was dismayed at the characters' disdain for Simple Minds, all was forgiven by the end.
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Another film/book comparative experiment, I also loved both. Palahniuk and David Fincher are both master story-tellers.
Exhalation - Stories by Ted Chiang
Probably my first meh reading experience. I was thirsty for a Sci-Fi anthology and this, like a season of Black Mirror, had its highs and mehs.
The Judge's List - John Grisham
My guilty pleasure this year - as guilty as the antagonist judge in the book. Grisham knows his characters and how to move the story along, which I always love. I read this in two days and still retain choice pieces from it.
The Best of Adam Sharp - Graeme Simsion
Like High Fidelity, this book fed my curious, nostalgic male side and was thoroughly entertaining. I look forward to reading Simsion's more recognized novels.
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature - Beth Krommes
I found this in a neighbourhood Little Free Library, and was mesmerized by the detail, colour and of course swirls on each page of this "children's" book. Were I to get more tattoos, I will go to this book for inspiration. Beautiful.
They Never Learn - Layne Fargo
I found this when I need a thriller to move me along to my goal of 23 books. It helped. A psychological thriller about two women who give bad men exactly what they deserve. Good read.
Slam - Nick Hornby
Finding this in a Little Free Library, I couldn't just rotate it into our LFL without giving it a go. Although foreign to me, the story of a teenager's fire by baptism into fatherhood was a good read. I'm glad I read it. It was gone in a week from our LFL.
I'm happy to say, more than half of these books I discovered through Little Free Libraries in our neighbourhood, and was able to add them to our own Book Bee LFL (Charter #171662).
Happy reading!
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