Books Read: 103
Fiction: 41
Nonfiction: 62
Top Ten of 2018
1. Timekeepers -- Simon Garfield.
I love Simon Garfield! This is the second book of his I've read, and the second year in a row he's on the top ten. He has such a way of taking a gigantic topic, such as time, and breaking it down into fascinating bits-- how time is portrayed in movies, different calendars that have been considered, the challenges of creating time zones and standardizing clocks. I hated how little time it took me to read this book, because I wanted it to keep going. Read Simon Garfield.
2. Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber, and the Invention of Criminal Profiling -- Michael Cannell
The best true crime book I've read, and I have read my fair share of true crime. A bomber terrified New York for more than a decade, and a psychiatrist teamed up with the NYPD bomb squad to figure out how to narrow down their suspect list from the millions of people who live in and around New York with only a few clues. I love Criminal Minds, which deals with criminal profiling, but this was real life, which makes it so much better.
3. Junius & Albert’s Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey-- Peter Carlson
I found this book in a bargain bin at Barnes & Noble on my lunch break when I needed something to read on the train ride home. Best four dollars I ever spent. Two Northern journalists are captured by the Confederate army, survive multiple prisons, and finally escape and try to make their way back home. Full of humanity, heart, and tenacity, this is a five star adventure.
4. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Yes, it's shameful that I haven't read any Asimov until now. But better late than never. This story collection thoroughly messed me up. Robots aren't good, they aren't spiteful, they're just extremely, painfully logical.
5. A Train in Winter:An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France-- Caroline Moorehead
Holocaust books are tough. Because it is such a horrific, evil thing. But it's critical that we not forget, not let the sickening feeling that comes when reflecting on legal genocide make the Holocaust something we put on a shelf and don't talk about. This is a book about women who fought against the Nazis, and most of them were killed for it. But to have friends, even in the darkest despair of a concentration camp, reminded me that platonic love is not to be scoffed at.
6. Big Little Lies-- Liane Moriarty
What I love about Liane Moriarty is that she focuses on the disconnect between our appearance and our inner turmoil, especially when it comes to suburban women. Big Little Lies starts with a death, and then flashbacks several months. Knowing what's waiting at the end, but not who died, makes every conflict feel like a clue. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of three women at the heart of everything. Emotional and satisfying.
7. Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners-- Laura Claridge
Biographies are the best, because they take a person that you maybe knew by name, had a certain association with, and shine a light into a life. Laura Claridge did a fantastic job of making Emily Post someone I deeply cared about and rooted for; she did a whole lot more than write about which fork to use at a dinner party. Her emphasis on kindness being the key to class resonated with me. She also dabbled in gardening, architectural design, and the war effort. I love Emily Post after reading this. Long, but worth it.
8. Thunderstruck-- Erik Larson
I enjoyed Erik's Larson's Devil in the White City, but this one was better. The juxtaposition of creating the wireless telegraph and long distance radio with the build up to a truly gruesome murder (don't read if you're squeamish) is flawlessly done. Larson brings the time period to life vividly and fills it with energy so that it seems it could be happening now. Extremely well done.
9. The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer-- Anne-Marie O'Connor
Art books aren't usually my thing. I don't have an art history background and although I love having symbolism or inside jokes of artwork pointed out to me, some art authors are way too academic to make it worth it. But this book is so much more than an art book. It starts with an artist, the subject of a portrait, and her family, and follows them through World War I and II, and onward to today. I highly recommend it. Even if you don't like art books.
10. Murder on the Orient Express-- Agatha Christie
Another classic that I hadn't read yet. Agatha Christie at her best, need I say more?
Honorable mentions:
Clementine: The Life of Mrs Winston Churchill-- Sonia Purnell
The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture-- Glen Weldon
Best dedication is from Carrie Fisher's book, Shockaholic. "For Billie and Barack, who make my world a better place. Despite the obstacles you've had to overcome-- whether posed by my antics or the uber unfortunate antics of the Tea Partiers and the rest of their distressing ilk-- long may you wave."
Now on to the overall list, alphabetical by author. As always, rereads are marked with *** and recommendations are bolded. If you have any questions or recommendations, hit me up!
Nonfiction
Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency-- Dan Abrams
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating-- Alan Alda
***The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance-- Elna Baker
Contagious: Why Things Catch on-- Jonah Berger
Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice-- Joan Biskupic
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail-- Bill Bryson
American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, and the Birth of Hollywood-- Howard Blum
Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber, and the Invention of Criminal Profiling-- Michael Cannell
In Cold Blood-- Truman Capote
Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners-- Laura Claridge
Junius and Albert's Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey-- Peter Carlson
What Happened-- Hillary Rodham Clinton
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership-- James Comey
Madame President: The Extraordinary Journey of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-- Helene Cooper
The First Tour de France: Sixty Cyclists and Nineteen Days of Daring on the Road to Paris-- Peter Cossins
The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion-- Meghan Daum
***Four Seasons in Roe: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World-- Anthony Doerr
There Are No Grown Ups: A Midlife Coming of Age Story-- Pamela Druckerman
The Great Movies-- Roger Ebert
Bright-sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America-- Barbara Ehrenreich
Zachary Taylor-- John SD Eisenhower
American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures-- America Ferrera
Millard Fillmore-- Paul Finkelman
Shockaholic-- Carrie Fisher
Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France -- Leonie Frieda
Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds-- Ping Fu
Timekeepers: How the World Became Obsessed with Time-- Simon Garfield
The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History-- Robin Givhan
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon-- David Grann
Autobiography of a Face-- Lucy Grealy
Franklin Pierce-- Michael F Holt
The War of the Whales: A True Story-- Joshua Horwitz
Because I Said So! The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids-- Ken Jennings
The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History-- Boris Johnson
Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World-- Steven Johnson
Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us-- Sam Kean
Gone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung-- Min Kym
Thunderstruck-- Erik Larson
Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir-- Jenny Lawson
What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, a Life-- Marc Leepson
The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie-- Wendy McClure
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer-- Michelle McNamara
Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History-- Antonio Mendez, Matt Baglio
A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France-- Caroline Moorehead
The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer-- Anne Marie O'Connor
Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning-- Leslie Odom Jr
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners-- Therese Oneill
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage-- Ann Patchett
Clementine: The Life of Mrs Winston Churchill-- Sonia Purnell
Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead-- Cecile Richards
Staying True-- Jenny Sanford
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks-- Rebecca Skloot
Dinner With the Smileys: One Military Family, One Year of Heroes, and Lessons for a Lifetime-- Sarah Smiley
A Wish Your Heart Makes: From the Grimm Brothers' Aschenputtel to Disney's Cinderella-- Charles Solomon
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption-- Bryan Stevenson
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail-- Cheryl Strayed
Heroines of Mercy Street: The Real Nurses of the Civil War-- Pamela D Toler
The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Dangerous Fish-- Emily Voigt
How to Ruin Everything: Essays-- George Watsky
The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture-- Glen Weldon
First Bite: How We Learn to Eat-- Bee Wilson
Fiction
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: The Pox Party-- MT Anderson
The Bear and the Nightingale-- Katherine Arden
I, Robot-- Isaac Asimov
Britt-Marie Was Here-- Fredrik Backman
The School of Essential Ingredients-- Erica Bauermeister
The House With a Clock In Its Walls-- John Bellairs
***Wuthering Heights-- Emily Bronte
Grave Peril-- Jim Butcher
Crooked House-- Agatha Christie
Murder on the Orient Express- Agatha Christie
Peril at End House-- Agatha Christie
The Last Mrs Parrish-- Liv Constantine
***The Maze Runner- James Dashner
***The Scorch Trials-- James Dashner
The Death Cure-- James Dashner
***Room-- Emma Donoghue
A is for Alibi-- Sue Grafton
B is for Burglar-- Sue Grafton
C is for Corpse-- Sue Grafton
D is for Deadbeat-- Sue Grafton
***Just Ella-- Margaret Peterson Haddix
Pictures of You-- Caroline Leavitt
***A Song of Ice and Fire-- George RR Martin
***A Clash of Kings-- George RR Martin
A Storm of Swords-- George RR Martin
A Feast for Crows-- George RR Martin
Five Carat Soul-- James McBride
***Anne of Green Gables-- Lucy Maud Montgomery
Big Little Lies-- Liane Moriarty
The Husband's Secret-- Liane Moriarty
What Alice Forgot-- Liane Moriarty
Little Fires Everywhere-- Celeste Ng
***Wyrd Sisters-- Terry Pratchett
Sourcery-- Terry Pratchett
Pyramids-- Terry Pratchett
Guards! Guards! -- Terry Pratchett
Eric -- Terry Pratchett
***Kissing in America-- Margo Rabb
***Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince-- JK Rowling
The Lovely Bones-- Alice Sebold
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Annihilation-- Jeff VanderMeer
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