Reading recommendations from the dead

Reading recommendations from the dead

February 1, 2020 / No Comments

People often ask me where to find new books to read. I tell them to peruse book reviews, ask friends for recommendations and read profiles of authors. I also encourage them to go on treasure hunts, discovering books by wandering through a book store or library. You never know what wonders you’ll find, particularly on the upper or lower shelves.

Today I realized that I also find good book suggestions by reading obituaries. The obit may be about an author who wrote in a genre I favor. Or the deceased may have lived a particularly interesting life and because an obituary is just a snapshot, I yearn to learn more. Either way, I’ll make a point of hunting down related titles and adding them to my “to be read” bookcase.

I did it again today after reading Maureen O’Donnell’s wonderful obituary for Michael Cafferty, a 49-year-old Chicago attorney who overcame more obstacles than I will (hopefully) ever face. Cafferty’s memoir, “Driven,” was published mere days before he died.

And now that I own a copy, I’m really looking forward to reading it.
My favorite books of the 2010s

December 30, 2019 / No Comments

I’ve read about 500 books during the past decade. Way back in 2010, my reading ratio was 80% fiction and 20% nonfiction, but 10 years later, it’s closer to 50/50. Which made putting this list together a lot easier than I thought.

So without further ado, here are the novels and nonfiction tomes that I enjoyed the most during the 2010s. If you’re looking for something interesting to read, you can’t go wrong with one of these books.

(Note: Not all were released during the past decade.)

Fiction

1. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
2. “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern
3. “11/22/63” by Stephen King
4. “The Golem and the Jinni” by Helene Wecker
5. “Dead Harvest” by Chris F. Holm
6. “The Girl Who Played With Fire” by Stieg Larsson
7. “Secrets From The Vinyl Cafe” by Stuart McLean
8. “Stories from the Vinyl Cafe 10th Anniversary Edition” by Stuart McLean
9. “Mr. Mercedes” trilogy by Stephen King
10. “N0S4A2” by Joe Hill

(Honorable mentions: “The Institute” by Stephen King, “The Outsider” by Stephen King, “The Red Notebook” by Antoine Laurain, “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss, “The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett, “Invasive” by Chuck Wendig, “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson, “The Year of Pleasures” by Elizabeth Berg and “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins)

Nonfiction

1. “Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History” by Erik Larson
2. “Life’s That Way” by Jim Beaver
3. “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual” by Michael Pollan
3. “The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland” by Jim DeFede
4. “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America” by Erik Larson
5. “The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century” by Kirk W. Johnson
6. “The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well” by Meik Wiking
7. “Tell Me Where It Hurts” by Dr. Nick Trout
8. “Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins” by Susan Casey
9. “My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business” by Dick Van Dyke
10. “The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment” by A.J. Jacobs

(Honorable mentions: “Drama” by John Lithgow, “Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service” by Devin Leonard, “Truth Be Told: Off the Record about Favorite Guests, Memorable Moments, Funniest Jokes, and a Half Century of Asking Questions” by Larry King, “One Summer: America, 1927” by Bill Bryson, “Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” by Erik Larson, “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean, “Beware of Cat: And Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier” by Vincent Wyckoff and “Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses” by Bess Lovejoy)
Reading challenge completed!

December 29, 2019 / No Comments

Last year, I decided to challenge myself to read more in 2019. My aim was to dedicate additional time in my life to something I love and so I aimed high: 60 books.

With just three days left in the year, I attained that goal:

According to GoodReads, I read 18,094 pages this year. My shortest book was the poetry collection “Beating the Bounds” by Liz Ahl, which came in at 100 pages. My longest book was “Sleeping Beauties” by Stephen and Owen King, which was a whopping 915 pages.

Next year’s goal? Read 60 more!
My top 10 favs of 2019: A year spent reading, watching and listening to stories

December 12, 2019 / No Comments

Amidst the madness of the world, I consumed 59 books, 46 movies, dozens of TV programs and many podcasts this year. These were my favorites:

(Note: Not all were released during the past 365 days.)

MY FAVORITE BOOKS

1. “The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland” by Jim DeFede

2. “The Institute” by Stephen King

3. “The Perfect Cookie: Your Ultimate Guide to Foolproof Cookies, Brownies, and Bars” by America’s Test Kitchen

4. “The Complete Slow Cooker: From Appetizers to Desserts – 400 Must-Have Recipes That Cook While You Play (or Work)” by America’s Test Kitchen

5. “Cook It in Cast Iron: Kitchen-Tested Recipes for the One Pan That Does It All” by Cook’s Country

6. “Britain by the Book” by Oliver Tearle

7. “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean

8. “The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett

9. “Beware of Cat: And Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier” by Vincent Wyckoff

10. “Something Warm From the Oven: Baking Memories, Making Memories” by Eileen Goudge

(Honorable mentions: “Christmas Teatime: Celebrating the Holiday with Afternoon Tea” by Lorna Ables Reeves, “The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook” by America’s Test Kitchen, “The Story of The Great British Bake Off” by Anita Singh, “Click-Clack the Rattlebag” by Neil Gaiman, “Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir” by Ruth Reichl, “The Hit” by David Baldacci, “Sleeping Beauties” by Stephen and Owen King, “Bachelor Brothers’ Bed & Breakfast” by Bill Richardson, “Have a Nice Day” by Billy Crystal and Quinton Peeple, “The Innocent” by David Baldacci, “Wanderers” by Chuck Wendig, “The Dreamers” by Karen Thompson Walker, “Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs” by Monty Don, “Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey” by A.J. Jacobs and “Lights on the Sea” by Miquel Reinaand.)

Overall reading ratio: I read 17,501 pages — 53% fiction, 47% nonfiction; 61% male authors, 30% female authors, 9% other.

MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS
1. The Great British Baking Show
2. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
3. Escape to the Country
4. Gardeners’ World
5. Love Your Garden
6. Downton Abbey
7. The Kominsky Method
8. One Day at a Time
9. Broadchurch
10. Big Dreams Small Spaces

(Honorable mentions: Escape to the Continent, Shetland, A Million Little Things, 9-1-1, Santa Clarita Diet, A Discovery of Witches, Stranger Things, Modern Love, Elementary, Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father, Jack Whitehall: At Large, Jessica Jones, Stephen Fry in America, Good Omens, Grace and Frankie, Supernatural, The Bodyguard, Comedians in Cars Having Coffee and Grimm.)

MY FAVORITE MOVIES

1. Yesterday
2. If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast
3. Avengers: Endgame
4. Never Surrender
5. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
6. Finding Hygge
7. Judy
8. Downton Abbey
9. Doctor Sleep
10. Brene Brown: The Call to Courage

(Honorable mentions: Klaus, Blackkklansman, Green Book, Shazam, Captain Marvel, Jumanji: The Next Level, Knives Out and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.)

MY FAVORITE PODCASTS

1. Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me
2. Small Town Dicks
3. Mobituaries
4. Christmas Past
5. 10 Minute Writers Workshop
6. 99% Invisible
7. Clear+Vivid With Alan Alda
8. The Anthropocene Reviewed
9. Radiolab
10. Criminal

(Honorable mentions: David Tennant Does A Podcast With…, Death, Sex & Money, Sidedoor, Fresh Air, Dear Hank & John, Nocturne, Let Me Google That, The Bookshelf, Reply All, Rumble Strip and The Christmas Stocking.)
Quote of the week

November 20, 2019 / No Comments

“Aren’t bookshops strange, sitting there with quiet menace, as if they were just a shop and not an entry point to 30,000 different universes?” –Matt Haig