I've been posting lists of the books I've read each month, but I decided that friend Anne the Palm Tree Pundit has a better idea for presenting information like that. She posts her cumulative list, updating it as necessary but not segmenting it out across multiple posts. That format makes spelunking through several clicks unnecessary, which in turn means the list is more usable because more accessible.
So thanks for the idea, Anne!
Here's my list, together with thumbnail assessments for each book. Nonfiction titles are listed in red:
January
-- The Shack, by William P. Young (recommended, with important caveats)
-- Sly Mongoose, by Tobias S. Buckell (uneven but fun)
-- Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring, by Alexander Rose (highly recommended)
February
-- A Coffin for Dimitrios, by Eric Ambler (NOT recommended; like walking through sludge)
-- The Forgotten Man, by Robert Crais (highly recommended)
-- How to Castrate a Bull: Unexpected Lessons on Risk, Growth, and Success in Business, by Dave Hitz (recommended)
-- Sons of Texas, by Elmer Kelton (good story burdened by glacial pacing)
-- The Fathers, by Pope Benedict XVI (highly recommended)
March
-- Finding God in the Shack, by Randal Rauser (well-meaning but surprisingly timid)
-- Heaven in Our Hands: Living the Beatitudes, by Fr. Benedict Groeschel (recommended)
-- Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett (recommended, but not his best by a long shot)
April
-- He Leadeth Me, by Fr. Walter Ciszek (highly recommended)
-- Reckless Homicide, by Ira Genberg (recommended)
-- Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi, by Donald Spoto (highly recommended)
-- Sword Song, by Bernard Cornwell (recommended)
May
-- Zombies of the Gene Pool, by Sharyn McCrumb (intermittently entertaining)
-- Chasing Darkness, by Robert Crais (highly recommended)
-- Monday Night Jihad, by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn (interesting concept, flawed execution)
June
(nothing completed-- unforeseen events took me out of reading)
July
-- Thank God Ahead of Time: The Life and Spirituality of Solanus Casey, by Michael Crosby, O.F.M. (recommended)
-- West Oversea, by Lars Walker (highly recommended)
-- Introduction to Christianity, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (highly recommended)
-- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (recommended)
August
-- Without Warning, by John Birmingham (highly recommended)
-- A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle (highly recommended)
-- The Hot Rock, by Donald Westlake (highly recommended)
September
-- Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, by Catherine Drinker Bowen (highly recommended)
-- Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber (recommended)
October
-- Prayers for the Assassin, by Robert Ferrigno (recommended)
-- Back to the Moon, by Homer Hickam (I should have re-read his Rocket Boys/October Sky instead)
-- The Shoes of the Fisherman, by Morris L. West (highly recommended)
November
-- Sins of the Assassin, by Robert Ferrigno (recommended)
-- A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature, by Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt (recommended)
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4 comments:
An excellent idea. Looking back at the end of the year and considering the books and plays one has read is a good exercise. Mine reminds me that while Agatha Christie and P. G. Wodehouse are good fun, I need to resume Peter Brown's bio of Saint Augustine.
Thanks for the recommendation.
You always put me to shame on this front. It's interesting too that you categorized The Shack as non-fiction.
Gary, Nice catch on The Shack. I'll fix that oversight. I do think Wm. Young wrote it as a kind of allegory of his own experience. As a novel, it's about as plot-driven as "My Dinner with Andre."
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