5-Star Books (Ranked within Fiction and Nonfiction):
The Searchers - Alan Le May
Slow Horses Mick Herron
Fight Night - Miriam Toews
Joe Country - Mick Herron
Nightfall - David Goodis
London Rules - Mick Herron
French Braid - Anne Tyler
The Bomb Maker - Thomas Perry
Cobra - Deon Meyer
Spook Street - Mick Herron
Devil's Peak - Deon Meyer
The First Stone - Carsten Jensen
Trunk Music - Michael Connelly
Endangered - C.J. Box
Red Bones - Ann Cleeves
The King Is Dead - Ellery Queen
Raven Black - Ann Cleeves
The Junction Boys - Jim Dent - NF
To Hell with Honor - Larry Sklenar - NF
The Splendid and the Vile - Erik Larson - NF
One Damn Thing After Another - William P. Barr - NF
Stolen Focus - Johann Hari - NF
4-Star Books:
Black Ice - Michael Connelly
Crime Hits Home - Various Authors
Little Big Man - Thomas Berger
Wednesday's Child - Peter Robinson
Get Back - The Beatles
Cold Earth - Ann Cleeves
Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead
Tennison - Lynda La Plante
Innocent Graves - Peter Robinson
White Nights - Ann Cleeves
Cry Macho - N. Richard Nash
Dead Water - Ann Cleeves
Red Handed - Peter Schweizer
The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green
The Silence - Susan Allott
Murder in Mykonos - Jeffrey Siger
Open Season - C.J. Box
One Writer's Beginnings - Eudora Welty
Grave's End - William Shaw
Angry Mobs and Founding Fathers - Michael E. Newton
Pudd'nhead Wilson - Mark Twain
Last Stand at Saber River - Elmore Leonard
Rediscovering Travel - Seth Kugel
Dolphin Junction - Mick Herron
The Hag - Marc Eliot
Dead Lions - Mick Herron
Death Be Not Proud - John Gunther
Hidden Depths - Ann Cleeves
The List - Mick Herron
Blank Pages - Bernard MacLaverty
Thirteen Hours - Deon Meyer
The Trawlerman - William Shaw
The Ranger - Ace Atkins
Seven Days - Deon Meyer
We Came, We Saw, We Left - Charles Wheelan
Real Tigers - Mick Herron
A String of Beads - Thomas Perry
The Burglar - David Goodis
Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
Isaac's Storm - Erik Larson
Cold Is the Grave - Peter Robinson
Black Fly Season - Giles Blunt
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow - Olivia Hawker
All That's Left Unsaid - Tracy Lien
Silent Voices - Ann Cleeves
Bad Actors - Mick Herron
The Woman They Could Not Silence - Kate Moore
3-Star Books:
Expats - Christopher Dickey
The Kings of London - William Shaw
The Illusion of Simple - Charles Forrest Jones
Final Account - Peter Robinson
The Mountain Lion - Jean Stafford
The Dutch Shoe Mystery - Ellery Queen
Black Money - Ross Macdonald
Blue Lightning - Ann Cleeves
Rizzio - Denise Mina
Thin Air - Ann Cleeves
Wild Fire - Ann Cleeves
Maigret in New York - Georges Simenon
Blood at the Root - Peter Robinson
Savage Run - C.J. Box
Indemnity Only - Sara Paretsky
1979 - Val McDermid
Old Man Country - Thomas R. Cole
The Madness of Crowds - Louise Penny
Back of Beyond - C.J. Box
The Good Daughters - Joyce Maynard
Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old - Steven Petrow
Bridge of Spies - Giles Whittell
Blood Safari - Deon Meyer
In a Dry Season - Peter Robinson
Leave the Grave Green - Deborah Crombie
Vanishing Act - Thomas Perry
Wrong Place, Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister
Bookends - Zibby Owens
Mourn Not Your Dead - Deborah Crombi
Our Country Friends - Gary Shteyngart
The Graduate - Charles Webb
Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield
Last Summer Boys - Bill Rivers
The Maid - Nita Prose
The Long Way Home - Karen McQuestion
Stargazer - Anne Hillerman
Uprooted - Grace Olmstead
2-Star Books:
The Words Between Us - Erin Bartels
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections - Eva Jurczyk
Shadows of Pecan Hollow - Caroline Frost
Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel
Tyrus: A Memoir - Tyrus
The Babes in the Wood - Ruth Rendell
The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery - Amanda Cox
The Woman in the Library - Sulari Gentill
Packing My Library - Alberto Manguel
January 2022
- Black Ice - Michael Connelly - Harry Bosch #2
- Crime Hits Home - Various Authors - Short Stories
- Little Big Man - Thomas Berger - Classic Western Novel
- Wednesday's Child - Peter Robinson - Inspector Banks #6
- Get Back - The Beatles - Documentary Companion Book
- Cold Earth - Ann Cleeves - Jimmy Perez #7
- The Illusion of Simple - Charles Forrest Jones - Crime Novel
- Expats - Christopher Dickey - Nonfiction
- The Kings of London - William Shaw - Breen & Tozer #2
- Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead - Crime Novel
- Raven Black - Ann Cleeves - Jimmy Perez #1
- The Words Between Us - Erin Bartels - Thriller Romance
February
- The King Is Dead - Ellery Queen - 1952 Classic Mystery
- The Searchers - Alan Le May - 1954 Classic Western
- Final Account - Peter Robinson - Inspector Banks #7
- Tennison - Lynda La Plante - Jane Tennison #4 - Prequel
- The Mountain Lion - Jean Stafford - 1947 coming-of-age novel
- Innocent Graves - Peter Robinson - Inspector Banks #8
- White Nights - Ann Cleeves - Jimmy Perez #2
- Stolen Focus - Johann Hari - Big Tech impact on ADD
- The Dutch Shoe Mystery - Ellery Queen - 1931 Classic Mystery
- Black Money - Ross Macdonald - 1965 - Lew Archer #13
- Red Bones - Ann Cleeves - Jimmy Perez #3
March
- The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections - Eva Jurczyk - Novel about thefts from a university library
- Cry Macho - N. Richard Nash - 1975 novel & 2021 coming-of-age movie starring Clint Eastwood (brilliant book/so-so movie)
- Blue Lightning - Ann Cleeves - Jimmy Perez #4
- Shadows of Pecan Hollow - Caroline Frost - Predictable crime/coming-of-age novel set in Southeast Texas
- Dead Water - Ann Cleeves - Jimmy Perez #5: Jimmy is back
- Red Handed - Peter Schweizer - How prominent Americans are bribed by the Chinese government and what they do in return
- The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green - A revealing memoir disguised as 44 short, unrelated essays
- Rizzio - Denise Mina - novella, 16th century historical fiction
- Thin Air - Ann Cleeves - Jimmy Perez #6
- The Silence - Susan Allott - British mystery set in Australia
April
- The First Stone - Carsten Jensen - Danish novel about Afghani war
- Wild Fire - Ann Cleeves - 8th & Final Jimmy Perez novel - flat
- The Junction Boys - Jim Dent - Coach Bear Bryant's infamous 1954 football camp at Texas A&M (favorite sports book ever)
- Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel - time-travel novel in which I never felt a connection to any of the characters
- Maigret in New York - Georges Simenon - Maigret #27 (1947)
- Endangered - C. J. Box - Joe Pickett #15; excellently plotted
- Murder in Mykonos - Jeffrey Siger - CI Andreas Kaldis #1
- Open Season - C.J. Box - Joe Pickett #1 - Perfect introduction
- One Writer's Beginnings - Eudora Welty - memoir in three parts
- Grave's End - William Shaw - Alex Cupidi # 4 - well written, character-driven crime novel
- Blood at the Root - Peter Robinson - Inspector Banks #9
- Angry Mobs and Founding Fathers - Michael E. Newton - a revealing look at the American Revolution
May
- Savage Run - C.J. Box - Joe Picket #2 - modern range war
- Pudd'nhead Wilson - Mark Twain - slave-baby & master's-baby switched at birth - lots of social commentary of the times
- Indemnity Only - Sara Paretsky - V.I. Warshawski #1 - good introduction to series main characters, but mediocre plot
- 1979 - Val McDermid - OK 1st book of proposed 10-book series
- One Damn Thing After Another - William P. Barr - at almost 700 pages, it answered all the questions I had about truth in politics
- Last Stand at Saber River - Elmore Leonard - excellent character-driven post Civil War novel set in Arizona
- Old Man Country - Thomas R. Cole - Interviews of elderly men about living into the "4th Age" - somewhat disappointing
- Rediscovering Travel - Seth Kugel - travel stories and tips from a professional traveler
- The Madness of Crowds - Louise Penny - Unnecessarily long, dark post-pandemic novel; Penny may have "jumped the shark"
- Tyrus: A Memoir - Tyrus - short memoir that completely manages to ignore the author's marriages and children
- The Babes in the Wood - Ruth Rendell - excellent mystery until Rendell ruins it by having Wexford recount its climax second-hand: show me, don't tell me
- Slow Horses - Mick Herron - excellent tale about group of MI5 castoffs with ideas of their own - Book #1 in Slough House series
June
- Dolphin Junction - Mick Herron - collection of short stories & novellas featuring his series characters - uneven, but fun
- The Hag - Marc Eliot - maybe the definitive Merle Haggard bio
- Dead Lions - Mick Herron - "Slough House" #2 - excellent story about Soviet sleeper agents who "wake up" after two decades
- Trunk Music - Michael Connelly - Harry Bosch #5 in which Harry reconnects with ex-FBI agent Eleanor Wish and they marry
- Death Be Not Proud - John Gunther - memoir of a father who watched his son fight a brain tumor for 15 months (1947 death)
- Hidden Depths - Ann Cleeves - Vera Stanhope #3 (2007)
- The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery - Amanda Cox - heavy-handed Christian novel with boring final third
- The List - Mick Herron - Novella, "Slough House" #2.5
- French Braid - Anne Tyler - Gradual changes in family-tightness over four generations of a Baltimore family
- Nightfall - David Goodis - New York noir classic from 1946
July
- Devil's Peak - Deon Meyer - Benny Griessel #1 - South African
- Blank Pages - Bernard MacLaverty - 12 memorable short stories from an excellent Irish author
- Thirteen Hours - Deon Meyer - Benny Griessel #2 - Two American teens run for their lives in South Africa
- The Trawlerman - William Shaw - Alex Cupidi #5
- Back of Beyond - C.J. Box - Standalone set in Yellowstone
- The Ranger - Ace Atkins - Introduces the Quinn Colson series
- Seven Days - Deon Meyer - Benny Griessel series #3
- Cobra - Deon Meyer - Benny Griessel series #4
- The Splendid and the Vile - Erik Larson - WWII history (1942) focusing on Churchill, Hitler, Goring, and Roosevelt
- The Bomb Maker - Thomas Perry - crazy bomb-maker tries to wipe out entire LAPD bomb squad
August
- The Good Daughters - Joyce Maynard - Two very different families share a huge secret for over 50 years
- We Came, We Saw, We Left - Charles Wheelan - man travels around the world for 9 months with wife & 3 teens - Nonfiction
- To Hell with Honor - Larry Sklenar - Brilliant explanation of what happened at The Little Big Horn and who was responsible
- Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old - Steven Petrow - writer vows to practice what he learned from watching his parents age
- The Woman in the Library - Sulari Gentill - Disappointing mystery using novel-inside-a-novel structure that is stupefyingly formulaic
- Real Tigers - Mick Herron - #4 in the terrific Slough House series
- A String of Beads - Thomas Perry - Jane Whitefield #8 - Jane hides he childhood Seneca best friend from cops and killers
- Bridge of Spies - Giles Whittell - Account of U-2 pilot Gary Powers, his capture by Russia and exchange for Russian spy
- Blood Safari - Deon Meyer - Second novel in Meyer's Lemmer series about a South African bodyguard
- In a Dry Season - Peter Robinson - Inspector Banks #10 - a case going back to World War II; Banks meets DS Annie Cabbot
- Packing My Library - Alberto Manguel - Argentinian author's 10 essays and 10 "digressions" on packing away his personal library
September
- The Burglar - David Goodis - '50s noir at its best - really gets into the heads of the gang members and what motivates them
- Leave the Grave Green - Deborah Crombie - Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James #3 - in which the pair get "romantic"
- Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë - the classic anti-Jane-Austen-novel; filled with dark, cruel, and egotistical characters
- Isaac's Storm - Erik Larson - nonfiction account of the September 8, 1900 hurricane that almost wiped out the city of Galveston
- Spook Street - Mick Herron - #5 in Slough House series - proves that this series really does need to be read in order; it's brilliant
- Vanishing Act - Thomas Perry - Jane Whitefield series #1; Jane fails a client - does not feel as formulaic as the more recent books
- Wrong Place, Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister - "Can you stop a murder after it happens?" One woman sure hopes so.
- Cold Is the Grave - Peter Robinson - Inspector Banks #11 - Banks's chief nemesis has his whole family destroyed
- Bookends - Zibby Owens - found it difficult to feel a lot of empathy for the author of this memoir; not bad, otherwise
- Mourn Not Your Dead - Deborah Crombie - rather simple mystery in this 4th Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series novel
October
- Fight Night - Miriam Toews - novel about a nine-year-old and her grandmother, each who thinks she's taking care of the other
- Black Fly Season - Giles Blunt - #3 in six-book Canadian detective series featuring John Cardinal of Algonquin Bay
- One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow - Olivia Hawker - two women are forced to share a single homestead in 1876 snowbound Wyoming if they are to survive - and one hates the other
- Our Country Friends - Gary Stheyngart - Friends gather at a New York state estate to quarantine as the world tries to deal with COVID-19 in early 2020
- The Graduate - Charles Webb - Pretty much the same plot as the movie, but "Ben" is an obvious sociopath and "Elaine" has mental problems of her own. Now I need to re-watch the movie.
November
- Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield - After being trapped in a submarine for five months, a woman returns to her wife
- Last Summer Boys - Bill Rivers - coming-of-age novel about three brothers and their city-boy cousin in rural PA
- The Maid - Nita Prose - a somewhere-on-the-spectrum maid in a big hotel discovers a murder victim then plays with everyone's minds, including the reader's
- The Long Way Home - Karen McQuestion - 4 women, all strangers, drive from Wisconsin to Las Vegas
- All That's Left Unsaid - Tracy Lien - Set in 1996 small town Australia; explores the Vietnamese immigrant experience
- Stargazer - Anne Hillerman - Bernie Manuelito does not believe her old college roommate when she confesses to murder
December
- Silent Voices - Ann Cleeves - Vera Stanhope #4, in which a woman is strangled in the steam room of Vera's hotel health club
- Uprooted - Grace Olmstead - nonfiction - the author considers going back to Idaho - a look at declining family farm industry
- Bad Actors - Mick Herron - When a Russian mole is discovered working with the PM, the scramble to get rid of her is frantic
- London Rules - Mick Herron - North Korean terrorists use MI5 game-plan in London
- The Woman They Could Not Silence - Kate Moore - Nonfiction account of woman wrongly confined to insane asylum by husband
- Joe Country - Mick Herron - Slow Horses' search for son of former colleague's son culminates in bloody Wales snowstorm
Currently Reading:
- The World Played Chess - Robert Dugoni
- The Marylebone Drop - Mick Herron
Categories:
- E-books - 32
- Audiobooks - 32
- Abandoned - 9
- Translations - 7
- Library Books - 79
- From My Shelves - 28
- Review Copies - 3
- Amazon Prime Loans - 5
- Fiction - 91
- Nonfiction - 24
- Male Authors - 73
- Female Authors - 41
- By Both - 1
- American - 59
- British - 39
- Canadian - 6
- Danish - 1
- French - 1
- South African - 5
- Irish - 1
- Australian - 2
- Argentinian - 1
- 2022 - 19
- 2021 - 18
- 2020 - 3
- 2010s- 31
- 2000s - 14
- 1990s - 14
- 1980s - 1
- 1970s - 1
- 1960s - 3
- 1950s - 4
- 1940s - 4
- 1930s - 1
- 1920s - 0
- 1910s - 0
- 1900s - 0
- 1800s - 2
Pages Read:
- Jan - 3,348
- Feb - 3,559
- Mar - 3,326
- Apr - 3,466
- May - 3,316
- Jun - 3,229
- Jul - 3,702
- Aug - 3,265
- Sep - 2,774
- Oct - 1,738
- Nov - 2,082
- Dec - 1,991
- Total - 35,896