Hi folks,
If you're looking for new things to read, I'm here to share the things I've been reading. I'll start with the things I most highly recommend, but that will be followed by everything in case our tastes don't quite align but you just need some ideas.
Top Recommendations (in no particular order):
1) Different Seasons by Stephen King: 4-part collection of novellas, 3 of which were made into the movies The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, and Stand by Me. Just really compelling, solid story-telling with a weirder 4th story-within-a-story at the end. The characters are so well-developed that they feel relatable, even though many of them are not.
2) The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling: not a Harry Potter book! This is a story of small-town politics as well as teen angst. Lots of different characters all developed pretty well. There are one or two that are just meant to be hated, but most are imperfect and realistic.
3) Fall of Giants by Ken Follett: part 1 (and the best installment) of a trilogy that spans the 20th century. It's a giant book that centers around World War 1 with a good bit about women's suffrage as well. Again lots of characters and lots of opportunity to learn about history while also being entertained.
4) Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner: a short, nonfictional collection of observations and research about out-side-the-box problem solving that uses a lot of real-world examples that make it very entertaining rather than overly theoretical. By the same guys that wrote Freakonomics.
5) The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson: There are two storylines: the present tense story of an old guy on the run with a stolen bag of money and the past tense story of the rest of the guy's life. It reminded me a lot of Forrest Gump in that the man just finds himself in an absurd number of history-affecting circumstances-- and it is just as entertaining as Forrest Gump as well.
6) Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond: This one is a bit dryer, but it's worth it. It's a nonfictional exploration that looks at the development of human civilization to explain why certain groups of people became powerful while others did not. It is very educational and is also useful in dissolving a lot of myths about the superiority of any given race or nation.
7) A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman: This is a rare focus on a curmudgeon of a main character-- that guy who just always seems dissatisfied with everything... and it somehow makes you really empathize with him. It's the kind of book that sneaks up on you in a great way.
The Rest of my Reads (in no particular order): Most of them are worth a shot, unless I say otherwise.
8) The Case for Reincarnation by J. Allan Danelek: a brief look at the beliefs held about spiritual reincarnation. Interesting but hard to take too seriously as much of it is speculation. However, there are some accounts of people who seem to accurately remember past lives, which is quite compelling.
9) The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: a series of vignettes about growing up in a Latino community in Chicago.
10) The Dark Volume by G.W. Dahlquist, lengthy sequel to the thrilling Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. Unfortunately it falls short. The villains are less compelling, the mystery is less compelling, and the ending is extremely dissatisfying.
11) Why I Write by George Orwell: a collection of essays
12) The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen: story of a boy who crash-lands in the Canadian wilderness and must survive on his own.
13) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Classic tale of a man who stays young by having a portrait age for him and collect all his sins. It felt like my version was incomplete because it seems like almost nothing happens in the story. I was like, "Did China censor the story?" There are some compelling philosophies, but there are also many parts that drag.
14) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami: I remember liking this one a lot, but I didn't put it above because I couldn't remember many details. It's about a guy who's in love with a girl who's kind of crazy. I think I liked it because it has the quirky characters Murakami is known for but a more realistic story and setting than he is known for.
15) Winter of the World by Ken Follett: part two of the Century Trilogy, it focuses on WW2. I enjoyed it, but was sad to see many of the characters from book 1 older and less important. It was also less educational because I knew more about WW2 than I did about WW1. However, the new characters are still pretty compelling, most of them being the children of the 1st book's characters.
16) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami: possibly Murakami's most famous work, but a weird combo of off-the-wall things happening in juxtaposition with really boring almost-nothing happening. It was quite jarring, and the meaning is hard to pin down, but there's a lot there to unpack if you want to try.
17) Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett: 3rd book in the Century Trilogy, centered mostly on the fight for civil rights. I would not recommend reading this one. It stretches on for the longest amount of time in terms of both the physical length of the book and the in-story time. The characters are not compelling enough to make you want to read for that long.
18) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: creative work of fiction that is told from the perspective of an autistic boy (though the text never directly says he's autistic). It's really interesting to read about something that seems very abnormal from the perspective of someone for whom it is normal.
19) Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut: as with many Vonnegut works, it's hard to really summarize exactly what this is about. Basically it tells you that the main character is going to lose his mind, and then it takes you through the few days leading up to this happening.
20) Life and Death are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan: a lengthy fictional look at the same spirit being reincarnated into different animals throughout the history of the Communist Revolution and then the reign of Mao Zedong in China. I loved the initial donkey section, but then the narrative perspective changes and starts alternating between sections, which I found off-putting because I liked the second narrator a lot less.
21) The Complete Short Stories of Roald Dahl, volume 1: unlike his most famous works, these are not children's stories. A large number of them focus on war, specifically fighter pilots. His style is quite compelling.
22) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: lots of stuff to unpack, and maybe one of the greatest fictional works of all time, but the reasons for this status are becoming less relevant, in my opinion. I wrote an in-depth post about it last year, if you wish to look in my archive.
23) Unwind by Neal Shusterman: young adult dystopian novel where abortion is illegal... until the child is 13, and then parents can elect to have them "unwound," which basically means they are cut up and all their parts are used to heal wounded and sick people.
24) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: the story of two competing magicians whose competition occurs in the context of a circus over the course of many years. Lots of magical, poetic passages, but I found myself not really believing the motivation of the two characters to participate in this life dominating competition with almost no information from the men who compelled them to be in it. I much preferred the side stories about people who were inspired and drawn in by the magic of the circus.
25) The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe: a memoir of the last parts of the writer's mother's life and their time spent discussing books and life. Lots of good thoughts about outlook, meaning, and of course books. Although I must admit I have only been compelled to read one book from their list so far.
26) Watership Down by Richard Adams: It's about bunnies! Bunnies travelling all over the place to try and create a new home. It's an adventure so lots of stuff about leadership, friendship, trust, and risk.
27) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: sort of a love story, but not quite... it's more about having cancer (or some other equally massive problem) and still living your life anyway.
28) Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks: lots of thoughts on childhood, autism, and loneliness told from the perspective of an autistic boy's imaginary friend. Halfway through it becomes a mystery, and then later an adventure.
29) Six Years by Harlan Coben: mystery thriller about a guy who falls in love and is unceremoniously and without explanation left for another man. Six years later, that other man dies, and our main character decides to look the girl up... but she's nowhere to be found! What to do?
That's it, folks. You may notice that this two-year list is a similar length to past 1-year lists. And you may think that I'm getting lazy with my reading. And I will say to you that at least 8 of these books were quite long, so give me a break!
Anyway... try something out. Happy reading.
If you're looking for new things to read, I'm here to share the things I've been reading. I'll start with the things I most highly recommend, but that will be followed by everything in case our tastes don't quite align but you just need some ideas.
Top Recommendations (in no particular order):
1) Different Seasons by Stephen King: 4-part collection of novellas, 3 of which were made into the movies The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, and Stand by Me. Just really compelling, solid story-telling with a weirder 4th story-within-a-story at the end. The characters are so well-developed that they feel relatable, even though many of them are not.
2) The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling: not a Harry Potter book! This is a story of small-town politics as well as teen angst. Lots of different characters all developed pretty well. There are one or two that are just meant to be hated, but most are imperfect and realistic.
3) Fall of Giants by Ken Follett: part 1 (and the best installment) of a trilogy that spans the 20th century. It's a giant book that centers around World War 1 with a good bit about women's suffrage as well. Again lots of characters and lots of opportunity to learn about history while also being entertained.
4) Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner: a short, nonfictional collection of observations and research about out-side-the-box problem solving that uses a lot of real-world examples that make it very entertaining rather than overly theoretical. By the same guys that wrote Freakonomics.
5) The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson: There are two storylines: the present tense story of an old guy on the run with a stolen bag of money and the past tense story of the rest of the guy's life. It reminded me a lot of Forrest Gump in that the man just finds himself in an absurd number of history-affecting circumstances-- and it is just as entertaining as Forrest Gump as well.
6) Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond: This one is a bit dryer, but it's worth it. It's a nonfictional exploration that looks at the development of human civilization to explain why certain groups of people became powerful while others did not. It is very educational and is also useful in dissolving a lot of myths about the superiority of any given race or nation.
7) A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman: This is a rare focus on a curmudgeon of a main character-- that guy who just always seems dissatisfied with everything... and it somehow makes you really empathize with him. It's the kind of book that sneaks up on you in a great way.
The Rest of my Reads (in no particular order): Most of them are worth a shot, unless I say otherwise.
8) The Case for Reincarnation by J. Allan Danelek: a brief look at the beliefs held about spiritual reincarnation. Interesting but hard to take too seriously as much of it is speculation. However, there are some accounts of people who seem to accurately remember past lives, which is quite compelling.
9) The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: a series of vignettes about growing up in a Latino community in Chicago.
10) The Dark Volume by G.W. Dahlquist, lengthy sequel to the thrilling Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. Unfortunately it falls short. The villains are less compelling, the mystery is less compelling, and the ending is extremely dissatisfying.
11) Why I Write by George Orwell: a collection of essays
12) The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen: story of a boy who crash-lands in the Canadian wilderness and must survive on his own.
13) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Classic tale of a man who stays young by having a portrait age for him and collect all his sins. It felt like my version was incomplete because it seems like almost nothing happens in the story. I was like, "Did China censor the story?" There are some compelling philosophies, but there are also many parts that drag.
14) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami: I remember liking this one a lot, but I didn't put it above because I couldn't remember many details. It's about a guy who's in love with a girl who's kind of crazy. I think I liked it because it has the quirky characters Murakami is known for but a more realistic story and setting than he is known for.
15) Winter of the World by Ken Follett: part two of the Century Trilogy, it focuses on WW2. I enjoyed it, but was sad to see many of the characters from book 1 older and less important. It was also less educational because I knew more about WW2 than I did about WW1. However, the new characters are still pretty compelling, most of them being the children of the 1st book's characters.
16) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami: possibly Murakami's most famous work, but a weird combo of off-the-wall things happening in juxtaposition with really boring almost-nothing happening. It was quite jarring, and the meaning is hard to pin down, but there's a lot there to unpack if you want to try.
17) Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett: 3rd book in the Century Trilogy, centered mostly on the fight for civil rights. I would not recommend reading this one. It stretches on for the longest amount of time in terms of both the physical length of the book and the in-story time. The characters are not compelling enough to make you want to read for that long.
18) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: creative work of fiction that is told from the perspective of an autistic boy (though the text never directly says he's autistic). It's really interesting to read about something that seems very abnormal from the perspective of someone for whom it is normal.
19) Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut: as with many Vonnegut works, it's hard to really summarize exactly what this is about. Basically it tells you that the main character is going to lose his mind, and then it takes you through the few days leading up to this happening.
20) Life and Death are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan: a lengthy fictional look at the same spirit being reincarnated into different animals throughout the history of the Communist Revolution and then the reign of Mao Zedong in China. I loved the initial donkey section, but then the narrative perspective changes and starts alternating between sections, which I found off-putting because I liked the second narrator a lot less.
21) The Complete Short Stories of Roald Dahl, volume 1: unlike his most famous works, these are not children's stories. A large number of them focus on war, specifically fighter pilots. His style is quite compelling.
22) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: lots of stuff to unpack, and maybe one of the greatest fictional works of all time, but the reasons for this status are becoming less relevant, in my opinion. I wrote an in-depth post about it last year, if you wish to look in my archive.
23) Unwind by Neal Shusterman: young adult dystopian novel where abortion is illegal... until the child is 13, and then parents can elect to have them "unwound," which basically means they are cut up and all their parts are used to heal wounded and sick people.
24) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: the story of two competing magicians whose competition occurs in the context of a circus over the course of many years. Lots of magical, poetic passages, but I found myself not really believing the motivation of the two characters to participate in this life dominating competition with almost no information from the men who compelled them to be in it. I much preferred the side stories about people who were inspired and drawn in by the magic of the circus.
25) The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe: a memoir of the last parts of the writer's mother's life and their time spent discussing books and life. Lots of good thoughts about outlook, meaning, and of course books. Although I must admit I have only been compelled to read one book from their list so far.
26) Watership Down by Richard Adams: It's about bunnies! Bunnies travelling all over the place to try and create a new home. It's an adventure so lots of stuff about leadership, friendship, trust, and risk.
27) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: sort of a love story, but not quite... it's more about having cancer (or some other equally massive problem) and still living your life anyway.
28) Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks: lots of thoughts on childhood, autism, and loneliness told from the perspective of an autistic boy's imaginary friend. Halfway through it becomes a mystery, and then later an adventure.
29) Six Years by Harlan Coben: mystery thriller about a guy who falls in love and is unceremoniously and without explanation left for another man. Six years later, that other man dies, and our main character decides to look the girl up... but she's nowhere to be found! What to do?
That's it, folks. You may notice that this two-year list is a similar length to past 1-year lists. And you may think that I'm getting lazy with my reading. And I will say to you that at least 8 of these books were quite long, so give me a break!
Anyway... try something out. Happy reading.
