It seemed appropriate to read this collection of essays following Native Son. Some are amazing. The rest are very good. Don‘t go thinking this is a dated read, despite its being published in 1955. It‘s more pertinent than ever if you want to see how the dream of Civil Rights in America is not complete (nor may it ever be). “This world is white no longer, and it will never be white again.”

Thought provoking, disturbing and absolutely an essential read. If you don‘t have questions after reading this, you did it wrong.

A cool concept that left me wanting more out of the narrative at the end. I suppose the best explanation, without giving too much away, is that it devolves into more typical YA tropes. It could have been so much more. Silvera and I share an understanding of death… it‘s his “living” definition that left me unsatisfied.

The history of hip hop, dissected by one of the greats. All the big rappers are here, as are some of the less famous but equally important. At times, I had no idea who Questlove was talking about. I guess that‘s the point. Quest tried to make this friendly for those of us who may not follow hip hop music in depth, but it is clearly hard being a genius and trying to dumb it down for us plebeians.

The first novella is a tale of obsession, the kind all pro athletes must have to excel at that level. Of course, it‘s King, so that obsession isn‘t just about being a good catcher.

The second story is even darker, pondering morality and the basis of it. Neither Blockade Billy nor Morality is King‘s greatest work, but they‘re worth the two hours or so I spent with them.

I am proud that I did not bail, but Poirot and Christie are not at their best in short stories. Too much dialogue, too minor of cases, and too quick of resolutions made each story in here a bigger bore than the first. I‘ll read Book 4, but only after a break to cleanse my pallet.

Sci-fi enough to still be relevant today, this book questions the ethics of academia and science, particularly in genetics and psychology. I would have never come across this book had a student not encouraged me to read it. I‘m glad I did. Charlie will stick with me for a while - as will his delightful teacher, Alice Kinnian, who may be the true hero of the story.

This brutal brick of a book is the story of dozens of characters surrounding the real-life events that resulted in the martyrdom of the Archbishop of Canterbury. If you‘re into detailed descriptions of violence, rape, feudalism, architecture, pubic hair, castle politics and Catholicism, this book is for you. I read it based on a recommendation. I finished it because I liked the challenge, not because I liked the characters. I cannot recommend it.

Majestic New York City, social ladders climbed during the Great Depression, love, war, significant literary authors and their works, and serendipitous “chance” all come together to tell the tale of one year in the life of Katey Kontent, a heroine you can‘t help but root for. Towles‘ setting, character development, and attention to intricate details alludes to the Lost Generation, but focuses more on hope than despair. This is an absolute treasure.

Jeff Tweedy is a great musician, lyricist, and interview. He‘s no stranger to a good quote. This book is full of them.

Yet it‘s just okay. Some of these songs mean nothing to me; others I‘m in lock step with Tweedy, but for different reasons. Isn‘t that the point though? Don‘t we ALL have our own world within songs?

Neo-noir filled with drug addicts, punk rock, and a duo who find each other amidst their own life struggles. There‘s a lot to like here, even if the who done it was slightly predictable. I‘d definitely read more. I hope Cudmore has another one brewing.

Our little friend with a moustache returns, this time investigating a murder in neighboring France. While teaching his friend Hastings about women and love, foiling a French police officer, and traveling to and fro between countries, the contemplative Belgian cracks the case! Better than Styles, The Murder on the Links has made me a genuine fan of Agatha Christie. Looking forward to Book 3.

As is usually the case in YA worlds, the dystopian society is the real story and authors spend so much time creating that image, the true characters fall flat. Still looking for a series that captures my imagination like Shusterman‘s Scythe books did. This one didn‘t really come close, even though the idea of a corrupt government founded on a military industrial complex that limits the rights of women seems to come right out of current events.

This was a hard book to read and an even harder book to enjoy. It‘s satire that borders on tragedy. I laughed at times, but I‘ve never read characters more lonely. Monk has no community, a strained family life, and is uncomfortable with his identity and society‘s expectations of what kind of man his race makes him. In a fit of anger, he changes his narrative only to discover selling out himself and his culture only enhances his loneliness.

Somehow, this book eluded me in middle and high school. After reading James, I wanted to see how the original story play out.

Twain may be the grandfather of American Lit, but this novel dragged on forever and became quite the bore - especially when Tom Sawyer shows up.

Also, not enough is said about the shaky narrative. Why do we take Huck at his word? He‘s a serial liar and trickster throughout. No wonder I had mixed feelings in the end.

My last book of the year was my favorite. James acknowledges that Black Lives Matter throughout American history and literature. Absolutely brilliant.

After reading Timequake, I was left wondering what Vonnegut would have thought about technology and science in our current climate, Post-COVID.

In the book, mankind has 10 years to figure out its next move and they don‘t or can‘t or won‘t. There‘s nothing more pessimistic than that… and of course the humanist in me agrees with the synopsis. If television is an eraser, what is Google, AI, and Social Media doing to our awareness?

It was no spirit-guided wind blowing passed me that gave me chills and goosebumps, rather it was the outstanding narrative concocted by King. This novel about a small town paying a price for the sins of its fathers drew me in because of my genuine care and concerted belief in the protagonist‘s goodness. I post this review at this wee hour of the night because I couldn‘t put it down.

Is this one of King‘s best books? I‘ll tap once as my answer.

After we watched Manhunt on AppleTV, I realized I didn‘t know much about Lincoln‘s assassination. I turned to O‘Reilly‘s book because of its perceived simplicity. His book reads like a thriller, as intended. But in the end, I need more details - not the glossy, easy narrative style he uses. Finally, his character flaw as conspiracy theorist in the media is on full display here as well. I‘ll need a better book to satiate my historical needs.

A better title would be Do Androids Mind if I Bail on this Book?

I didn‘t. But now that I know how it ends, I think I would. I‘m sure there‘s a better critical analysis out there, but I had to go to the Internet to figure out what the heck I‘d just read.

The serendipity of baseball and aging engulfs this short narrative about an estranged father and son that reads like a Vin Scully anecdote between pitches of an at bat. Grisham‘s story won‘t change your life, but - like a good ball game - makes for a nice couple of hours.

There‘s sensitivity to this story about siblings who deal with the death of their parents, but it is bogged down in crazy puppets playing havoc with their lives. For the first couple hundred pages Pupkin was terrifying. Then the book became more zany than scary. Not a bad Spooky Season read, but a book I would pass on at other times of the season.

Had a voiceover come in and referenced The Twilight Zone, I would not have been surprised. It‘s all here in this novella: a meteorological phenomenom, creatures you never really see, a single common setting all readers can relate to that is full of shadows and a cast of sketchy characters who turn on one another, and the military industrial complex to blame for it all (maybe). King‘s short stories are the best - direct and terrifying.

Pick it up and read it because it‘s Man vs. Vampire. Dwell on it because it‘s Man vs. Self. Talk about a book that drives home the importance of community!

There‘s a lot of layers to this book: history, family, religion, love. But Cañas‘s tone is spooky as all get out and - like in most horror stories - humanity is scarier than any spirit or witch. I highly recommend this novel.

This book is fantastic. Finally a children‘s story that adults can appreciate too. I hope Baby Mavis grows to like it as much as me.

Capote writes well and has well-defined characters. So why don‘t I care more about their exploits? Breakfast at Tiffany‘s is a fine novella, full of that which captivate Americans most: wealth and high society. It‘s almost as if Holly Golightly is a female Gatsby.

The little detective Poirot is a fun know-it-all and I much enjoyed the light mystery. I‘ll be mixing in some Agatha Christie books into my future reading plans.

Symbolism permeates this book about a thief who is reckoning with his past and his future all at one time. The dark underworld of Japan is its own character - bristling with dread and unquenched desires. Are we to trust the narrative of the thief? Or has he metaphorically stolen something from us as we distract ourselves in the tale? Nakamura leaves it open-ended enough for us to decide for ourselves.

I think this one was my favorite of the first three. The idea of time travel always gets me.

This might be where I bail. I just don‘t really care about Arthur Dent or any of his friends, regardless of what planet they are on.

As a freshmen teacher in a poor school, a lot of the trials and tribulations documented in this book are part of my life. This isn‘t a book about “quick fixing” education. It is a tale of what hard, persistent work looks like by educators. I will take some of this book‘s anecdotes and conclusions with me into this school year.

It‘s important for me to remember: “A kid who passes is off to a good start in high school.”

Dear friend,

As I start a new school year, this book reminds me of the infinite scenarios and situations students have experienced, both celebratory and devastating. And I think how many of them are going to make it regardless, just like Charlie. And that‘s inspiring.

“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I‘m still trying to figure out how that could be.”

Cosby‘s story of the South is a fast-paced police chase that never settles for being just a mystery. It‘s a morality play about living with the demons and scars of a complicated history that has yet to be reckoned with. The third-person narrator (maybe Charon County itself) never allows it to be simple. A fantastic, chilling read.

“Blood and tears. Violence and mayhem. Love and hate. These were the rocks upon which the South was built.”

A friend recommended this book as we approach our gigantic life change. We‘re schedule kind of people, so this strategic advice seems natural to us. I certainly have not memorized all the details, but we‘ll be referring back to it often.

There was so much to learn in this book. And it helped me understand where butterflies came from. So glad Lea shared this one with me as we get our nursery library set up.

Thurber‘s wit may be best served in small doses, hence the short stories and musings in this collection. Some are fantastic - “Interview with a Lemming” for instance - but the vast majority felt dated and not relevant. There is great prose here, some of it (especially the stories of France) is just not my jam.

I really enjoyed reading about Waltons‘s rise and trials early in life. But as the book dragged on, his moping followed by redemption grew tiresome. I wish he‘d drawn bigger conclusions about his own life and legacy before he passed, but maybe that‘s asking too much. Fare Thee Well.

I like how even minor characters are given their chance to shine in these crime novels. The dialogue always provides character development and it‘s fun to see Strike grapple with his own morals and ethics. Book 3 will be on the horizon for me.

One of King‘s greatest gifts as an author is his ability to write decoy. He doesn‘t cheat to get to his twists and turns and this novella may be his greatest example. By the time Red tells his reader this is a story about himself - “every damned word” - you remember all the foreshadowing a 111 page story provides. It‘s then that you think, “I can‘t wait to get to the last page” all the while thinking, “I can‘t wait to go back and read this again.”

“We cannot take the lamps that light the way and carry them with us.”

Hippie proves the counterculture was never as unified as history suggests. Each Hippie was on their own path to enlightenment. Kinda reminds me of all the EDM kids at the airport right now.

Gatsby, had Nick‘s obsession consumed and haunted him into dishonesty and fraud. A good story that felt like a longer read than it actually was, given the narrative‘s deep dive into the brain of Tom Ripley.

I was held hostage for over a month reading this brick. The book is too long and I didn‘t need all the details. Yet the fantastical prose combined with religious allegories kept me turning the page to see what was next. The book possesses several themes, but the greatest is that evil will always exist in the world and that it‘s up to us to overcome it. But be wary of power and political systems.

“I‘ve come to teach you how to be civilized.”

104 years since its publishing, this classic defines America still. What is fake? What is real? What and who do we really love? Do we still have faith? And if we do, what do we worship? Disillusion, youthful rebellion, feminism and socialism vs. capitalism. It‘s all here. There was not one Lost Generation - there have been many. Frankly, there continues to be. Fitzgerald‘s prose is essential American Literature.

Tons of witty lines that don‘t add up to much of a story. Adams must have amused himself quite a bit.

“You guys are so unhip it‘s a wonder your bums don‘t fall off.”

If you thought there wasn‘t much hope in the world when you read the title of this book, rest assured the bleakness doesn‘t end there. This reads like a gangsta rap song until you realize the sociology behind the story being told. Come for the action, stay for the analysis of poverty and crime in America.

Memoirs built around music are my jam. This was one of the harder ones to read because the narrator is faced with so many trials and tribulations. Rather than find inspiration in the music, I found inspiration in his love story. His soundtrack makes for an interesting playlist, sure. But it is his partnership with Nora that is award winning.

Good writing and good story telling come together in this novel because Towles writes with porpoise. The plot is very good, but the structure, style, care and craft of his storytelling is beautiful. I wonder what the middle of my story is.

“You live to be a hundred… and there wont be another day like this one. As soon as he said it he was sorry.”

A book by McCarthy is destined to end bleak. This one is no different. But I do find some hope in this violent, dreary novel: Positive change in society can happen if the youth step up and make it so. (Although they probably won‘t.)

The book is essentially about four days in the main character‘s life. But it won‘t take you that long to read it. This is a wonderfully paced noir novel.

Time to see the movie.

Intense and chilling, this true story reads like a tall tale. Real-world heroism, a brotherhood of camaraderie and optimism, and survival skills all play a role in this adventure. Lansing‘s words are so descriptive, I found myself layering my clothes to warm myself while reading about the Antarctic expedition gone wrong.