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I tend to be a voracious reader, and I read widely. This list has its origins in an old signature file which I would update periodically with the current book that I was reading. That gradually transmogrified itself into the current massive archive with brief reviews.
| What I've been reading lately |
| Number of books read and reviewed each year | |
|---|---|
| 1995* |  (28) |
| 1996 | (47) |
| 1997 | (74) |
| 1998 | (61) |
| 1999 | (62) |
| 2000 | (27) |
| 2001 | (51) |
| 2002 | (60) |
| 2003 | (37) |
| 2004 | (36) |
| 2005 | (32) |
| 2006 | (46) |
| 2007 | (109) |
| 2008 | (78) |
| 2009 | (65) |
| 2010 | (68) |
| 2011 | (98) |
| 2012 | (129) |
| 2013 | (114) |
| 2014 | (101) |
| 2015 | (88) |
| 2016 | (82) |
| 2017 | (76) |
| 2018 | (67) |
| 2019 | (95) |
| 2020 | (90) |
| 2021 | (85) |
| 2022 | (101) |
| 2023 | (124) |
| 2024 | (154) |
| 2025 |  (72) |
| * Partial year | |
[Finished 14 July 2025] I was initially a bit put off with the early pages of the novel, but Strout’s ability to draw a character won me over and her choice of protagonist—a protestant minister in the 1950s, trying to be Christlike in the midst of a congregation that prizes respectability and conformity—makes for a compelling novel.
The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer
[Finished 11 July 2025] I’d first encountered this book when Fischer read an excerpt at my MFA program. There’s a lot of great humor here and a crime story that delights in its absurdity.
Pillar of Fire: A Novel
by Joyce Hollyday
[Finished 5 July 2025] I was skeptical of the book in the opening chapters. Hollyday’s prose is workmanlike, but her plotting and characters are fun with the delightful surprises along the way as various historical personages and events come into play in the story. It ends up being sort of a historical-religious comfort meal of a novel.
The Race to the Future: The Adventure that Accelerated the Twentieth Century
by Kassia St Clair
[Finished 3 July 2025] An engaging tale about a race that stood as a sort of inspiration for the movie The Great Race. I feel like some of the interstitial chapters that gave some context to the rise of the automobile were a bit of a stretch, but probably necessary for what’s demanded of narrative non-fiction these days.
Another Word for Love: A Memoir
by Carvell Wallace
[Finished 27 June 2025] I honestly don’t know how this ended up on my reading list. It’s well-written enough, but a bit disjoint (some sections were clearly originally published as essays).
Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional
by Isaac Fitzgerald
[Finished 23 June 2025] I’ve somehow ended up reading a few memoirs in succession. This one ended up on my list because Fitzgerald lived in the Catholic Worker for a while as a child, but he talks very little about that part of his life and most of what he talks about, to be honest, kind of bores me. Do other people find accounts of drug and alcohol abuse compelling?
Death of the Author
by Nnedi Okorafor
[Finished 20 June 2025] A brilliant book, blending elements of sci fi and literary fiction. Easily Okorafor’s best book thusfar.
Los funerales de la Mamá Grande
by Gabriel García Márquez
[Finished 18 June 2025] Unos cuentos tempranos de GGM. Me gustaría traducir estes cuentos para emprender más como GGM escribe.
The Edge of Every Day: Sketches of Schizophrenia
by Marin Sardy
[Finished 17 June 2025] A bit less interesting than I hoped. I was hoping for more of a first-person account of schizophrenia, rather than one from a writer whose brother and mother have schizophrenia, although there is a fair amount of interesting detail.
La mala hora
by Gabriel García Márquez
[Finished 13 June 2025] Estaba leyendo más García Márquez temprano en el camino a Macondo. Me gusta este libro y puedo ver la maturación del estilo de GGM aquí.