I’ve always love to read. Sometimes I read for work; sometimes for pleasure. Here are some books that I’ve read or am reading. Although this is mostly for me (and my family), I thought that some may find it of interest.
The book list is searchable by using the search boxes above each column. Each column can also be sorted.
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
Ray Bradbury
| Year | Month | Title | Author | Thoughts | Format | Genre |
| 2026 | Jan | The Correspondent | Virginia Evans | Hardcover | Fiction | |
| 2026 | Jan | The Secret Hours | Mick Herron | Part of the series that Slow Horses is based upon, this is a nice thriller. The characters are well constructed. The story is interesting without being over the top. The "thriller" part is pretty subdued and set within an investigation that is slowly developed. The investigation is called "Monochrome" and was started by a Prime Minister who wanted to get some "dirt" on the secret service for Britain. The investigation is quickly turned pretty useless when the lead investigators are told that they have to have the **exact** filing name of anything that they want. Since this is the secret service, that is impossible information to get. Still, they continue on for two years. Then, a file is passed to them. Whereas they have been interviewing people with little to share, the file is a bombshell. If you are a Slow Horses fan, "The Secret Hours" includes the back story of one of the characters included in the T.V. show. The story moves between time frames and characters, but is interesting. If you are looking for a "James Bond", car crashing, villian feature, this isn't going to be it. If you like well-crafted stories (bonus if you are a fan of Slow Horses), give it a go. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2025 | December | Black Bottom Saints | Alice Randall | Black Bottom is a neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. At least, it was a neighborhood. There was much controversy when I-395 was constructed through the neighborhood. Black Bottom was a successful, thriving area. The common thread throughout the book is the author, Ziggy. These are all Ziggy's Saints. This is Ziggy's story to tell. Each saint has an introductory story, that often centers on the narrator, and then a couple of pages about why they are a saint. The construct of the book is to take real people, in fictionalized accounts, and explain what made them (and by extension, Black Bottom) wonderful. Even though the book is titled "Saints", clearly these were not perfect, saintly, people. There are fifty-two "saints" recounted in the book. Each saint chapter ends with a drink recipe. Largely due to the structure, the book is very easy to pick up and put down. Since each chapter is just a page or two, generally, and focused on a particular person, one could easily skip around. There are several chapters were I really wanted to know more about the person. All in all though, this is an interesting and good read. If you are interested in **real** history, it is worth a read. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2025 | October | Diverent Mind : Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You | Jenara Nerenberg | Interesting treatise on HSP (Highly Sensitive People), Autistic, and other neurodivergent individuals. The focus on the book is on women. This is actually a very personal book, as the author describes how these situations impact her. It definitely gets repetitive, but it is an interesting piece. | Paperback | |
| 2025 | September | Bel Canto | Anne Pratchett | An interesting study. A poor nation in Central America invites a world famous opera singer in order to attract businessman to their country. Resistance warriors infiltrate the home of the Vice-President, where the performance takes place. All of the attendees are taken hostage since the President, who was the target, isn't present (he never showed up, nor intended to). The story takes place over several months. The revolutionaries and the captives become friends. Several couplings and falling in love happen. There is an examination of what love is and how one finds it. The ending seems of a stretch for me, Gen and Roxanne get married, but the story was interesting and well written. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2025 | August | The Water-Method Man | John Irving | I like this one quite a bit. The story follows Fred "Bogus" Trumper. This is a rich, complex story of love, honesty, and self-discovery. Bogus gets a woman pregnant, marries her, cheats on her, divorces her, finds a new love, ends up marrying her and finds some peace. All of this in the middle of his employer making a movie of his life. There is a lot going on in this story, and that just helps further reveal Bogus (and by extension, us). This is a wonderful story. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2025 | July | The Perfectionists | Simon Winchester | An interesting look at "perfection" through the lens of measurement and production. Clocks were a persistent theme. I especially found the bit about creating replaceable parts for pulleys interesting. This led to the loss of jobs for the artisans who previously created the pulleys. Each chapter is centered around a product(s), thus allowing the chapters to be read out of order. | Paperback | Non-fiction |
| 2025 | June | My Friends | Fredrik Backman | Finally, a new book by Fredrik Backman. I'll admit that this one started just a little bit slow for me. I felt that Louisa wasn't as fully formed as I would like. However, the book quickly rounds out into a great story. This is the story of teenage friends, and eventually friends across time. One friend becomes a world famous artist. How he got there, what his first famous painting was, where the friends end up, what is the meaning of art, what is friendship, and more is revealed along the way. Great story as usual. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2025 | May | Setting Free The Bears | John Irving | Hardcover | Fiction | |
| 2025 | March | A Memoir of My Former Self | Hilary Mantel | Hardcover | Autobiography | |
| 2025 | Feb | Three Days in June | Anne Tyler | The "problem" with an Anne Tyler book is that it is so well written that it is hard to put down. This is another excellent story by Anne Tyler. Gail Baines is a socially awkward woman in her sixties. The book opens with her potentially losing her job as she lacks "people skills". The story centers around three days involving her daughter's wedding; the day before, the wedding day, and the day after. The story involves Gail's ex-husband, who shows up with cat in tow and thus ends up staying at Gail's house. Like all of Anne Tyler's books, this is a great unveiling of characters. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2025 | Feb | And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer | Fredrick Backman | I should know better than to read a Fredrick Backman book without being prepared for an emotional strike. Mr. Backman states in the prologue that this story wasn't intended to be shared. Rather, he wrote it as a way of understanding. The story centers on Grandpa, who is dealing with his "brain getting smaller". One line that really stuck with me is "I'm going to go away, before I go away" (may not be the exact quote, but that was the idea). Like all of Mr. Backman's books, this is well written and proved an emotionally powerful read. | Ebook | Fiction |
| 2025 | Feb | The Life Impossible | Matt Haig | What is extra-terrestrials come to Earth to help? Why does a seventy year old suddenly inherit a house from a fellow teacher who was only on staff for a very short time. Does friendship need lots of time, or can short interactions mean the whole world? This thoughtful book on what is means to be live provides some answers. Grace inherits a house on an island when Christina, a teaching mate who spent a weekend with Grace, sends a letter stating that she (Christina) is gone. Grace leaves for a Mediterranean Island since she has no one left (her husband has recently died, and her son died long ago). The whole story is couched as an answer to an email from a previous student. There is otherworldliness, talents that go way beyond what is commonly accepted, and interesting characters. Each chapter is very short, and you'll want to keep reading. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2025 | Feb | On The Bright Side - The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 Years Old | Hendrik Groen | This is a continuation from the 83 1/2 diary. Hendrik is a member of the "Old But Not Yet Dead" group at a retirement home. The cast of characters includes realistic descriptions of people of certain age. The book doesn't glorify the age, but provides a wonderful primer on how to age but still have fun and excitement. I enjoyed the characters, the theme, the treatment, and the story. | Digital | Fiction |
| 2025 | Jan | The Faithful Executioner | Joel F. Harrington | This is based off a journal kept by an executioner from the mid 1500's until the early 1600's. It was very unusual for someone in that role to keep a journal. However, the "Faithful Executioner" has several rare features about him. His family was thrust from a more noble occupation into the role of an executioner by a member of royalty. His, and his father's, fight was to return the family name back to respectability. He ends up not partaking in drink and other activities in order to be that respectable member of society. The author does a very nice job of setting the stage in many ways through the book. For example, the author explains how executions became acceptable and how society was formed and run at that time. I thought that this was a wonderful read. | Digital | Non-fiction |
| 2025 | Jan | The Memory Palace | Nate Dimeo | Hardcover | Non-fiction | |
| 2024 | Dec | The Dirty Tricks Department | John Lisle | Centered on WWII and the creation of the CIA, this book covers the creation and development of some of the clandestine and controversial topics around war and fighting. The first part of the book is the strongest. The beginning focuses on finding a "Professor Moriarty", i.e. someone who can create "dirty tricks". Since most of the documents of the time have been declassified, I would've loved even more detail in this section. The last half of the book deals with the morality of nuclear war, chemical, and biological warfare. Oh, and there is a good bit of the development of the CIA as well. | Hardcover | Non-fiction |
| 2024 | Dec | Fluke | Brian Klaas | An extremely interesting book. This deals with Chaos. Specifically, the book addresses the ideas of contingency (changes that can happen from randomness) and convergence (things will happen as they "are supposed to", or predetermined). Fluke is a very thoughtful book. I enjoyed the idea of randomness; of how things could be very different if one makes a slightly different idea. The concept that if one literally stops to smell a flower, that could lead to not being in an accident (or being in one). Klaas takes on many different philosophical ideas by grounding them in scientific ideas. The last couple of chapters extend the book to into the area of what it means to be human, which I think lowers the effectiveness a bit. Altogether a thoughtful and wonderful book. | Hardcover | Non-fiction |
| 2024 | Nov | Hold Still A Memoir with Photographs | Sally Mann | Sometimes you go into a book with a certain expectation. This book was recommended in a round about way by photographers. Sally Mann is a photographer and the book covers a bit of her photography and how she became a photographer, but less than expected. That said, it was an interesting book. She has led an interesting life (and comes from an interesting family). I enjoyed the book tremendously. She does provides bits and hints of what it means to be a photographer and the emotions and meanings that go along with that. | Digital | Non-fiction |
| 2024 | Oct | Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story | Chris Nashawaty | Interesting, light read of the making of Caddyshack. Lots of interviews with the major players led to a well rounded book on how Caddyshack came to be made. The book also puts the movie in historical perspective. | Hardcover | Non-fiction |
| 2024 | August | Start with Why | Simon Sinek | An interesting book about why some companies are stronger and more resilient than others. Essentially, the message is "great companies know WHY they exist and WHY their customers will take advantage of their products/services". Simon Sinek bases this on some interesting thoughts. Our brains aren't wired completely logically, there is an emotional appeal that works as well. Simon makes the points and then, well, kind of repeats that points. | Paperback | Non-fiction |
| 2024 | July | Recollections of My Nonexistence | Rebecca Solnit | An excellent read. | Hardcover | Autobiolography |
| 2024 | June | One I Was You | Maria Hinojosa | Interesting autobiography. This focuses on immigration and immigration issues. Maria Hinojosa was born in Mexico and grew up in the United States. She is a well known and renowned journalist. At times, the story is a bit jumbled in timeline or context. However, it is generally well written and powerful. | Hardcover | Autobiography |
| 2024 | May | North by Northeast | Maine Writers | This is a collection of various new short fiction pieces by Maine Writers. I found this a mixed bag. Some stories were delightful. A couple just didn't do it for me. All of the stories have a Maine connection or theme (frequently the setting is in Maine). | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2024 | April | The Faraway Nearby | Rebecca Solnit | This was an interesting read. It is certainly NOT a straight-forward story. It is, however, interesting. The reader is taken on a journey with the author. The story starts with the dealing with Alheimer's and the Apricots that come from the mother's tree. It then winds into Frankenstein, Iceland, The Tale of a Thousand Stories, and more. The relationship between the daughter and mother is revealed. Mostly, we learn about the daughters journey, along with Frankenstein, Scheherazade's story (thousand stories), as she comes to grip with what life means. | Paperback | Autobiography, Memoir |
| 2024 | March | Oh William! | Elizabeth Stroud | A wonderful read. Focusing on Lucy Barton and her ex-husband William. This book tells the story of Lucy Barton from her childhood in extreme poverty (both financially and emotionally), to her marriage to William, to her divorce and remarriage, to the loss of her second husband, and the reconnection with William. We get an fascinating look at her self-observation. She packs lots of information into well done asides. Our view into her inner most thoughts is revealing and joyful. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2024 | Feb | Hidden Potential | Adam Grant | Adam Grant’s book “Hidden Potential” is a generally quick and easy read. There wasn’t a ton of new information (learning styles, don’t exist, it’s OK to fail, etc) for me, but lots of good reminders. For example, I know that it’s OK to fail, and actually more productive, but I fail to implement that in my life (see what I did there). It was a great reminder for me to get out of my comfortable level and try things, fail at them and work on improving. | Hardcover | Non-fiction |
| 2024 | Jan | The Lincoln Highway | Amor Towles | Paperback | Fiction | |
| 2023 | Dec | On Looking - Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes | Alexandra Horwitz | This is a good book to share with students and the younger people in your life. (*Nothing wrong with those older reading it too, it’s just like the adage that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago.) | Hardcover | Non-Fiction |
| 2023 | October | Red Team Blue Team | Cory Doctorow | Nice quick read of a mystery with a point. | Ebook | Fiction |
| 2023 | August | Jazz | Toni Morrison | Paperback | Fiction | |
| 2023 | July | 10 MINDFRAMES FOR LEADERS | John Hattie & Raymond Smith | Paperback | Education | |
| 2023 | July | Lead From Where You Are | Dr. Joe Sanfelippo | Paperback | Education | |
| 2023 | July | Britt-Marie Was Here | Fredrik Backman | As always with books by Fredrik Backman, a wonderful read. Britt-Marie is a character in "my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry". I have to admit that she was not my favorite character. Likewise, the beginning of "Britt-Marie Was Here" was less than exciting for me. However, knowing Mr. Backman's writing, I stuck with it. I'm so glad that I did. The beginning of the story actually helps set up the character and the storyline. Britt-Marie leaves her husband after she can no longer internally deny his affair. She has a good bit of peculiar characteristics. She takes a job with a small town that changes her and the town. Once again, I highly recommend. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2023 | July | The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World | Jonathan Freeland | Not exactly a light summer read, this is a powerful book on Auschwitz. The structure is a bit different, not quite a straight chronology. It really works well. The book is really well written and powerful. Freeland helps unpack Rudi Vrba (Walter Rosenberg), and his life. I really enjoyed following his life beyond the escape. The book powerfully explains what Walter Rosenberg went through in getting to Auschwitz, surviving, and then escaping. I highly recommend this one. | Hardcover | Biography |
| 2023 | July | Project Hail Mary | Andy Weir | This is an interesting, light read. Ryland Grace is a phenomenal scientist who ends up teaching middle school. He awakes from a coma to discover that he is alone on a spaceship. The two other astronauts who were with him have died. He ends up remembering that his mission is to save all of humankind. He ends up meeting an "alien", or is he the alien? He solves many problems, is saved by his new alien friend, has to decide whether to return to Earth, or go save his alien friend. It is an entertaining read, and not heavy at all. In the end, he chooses to save his new alien friend and live out his life on a far off planet. The whole teaching stuff is a bit much. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2023 | June | The Winners | Fredrik Backman | This is the third in the series. Having enjoyed the first two, I knew that this one was going to be an emotional ride. It did not disappoint. The Winners builds on the previous two books. The characters are rich and well developed. The story is wonderfully simply complex, or complexly simple. The stories of Beartown and Hed, Maya and Benji, Peter and Kira, Maya and Anna are so well developed, so powerful, that you feel as though you know them. I took some time reading this, first letting it sit for a bit, then consciously not rushing, as I knew that this is the last book in the story. These are emotional stories. Fredrik Bachman paints them (and the communities) with such a wonderful brush that they connect directly to you. This is not a short book, but one could see where it could've been even longer. That's because I cared about the people, the community, and the tangent stories. Read the series, but know that you are in for an emotional experience. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2023 | Feb | Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause | Ty Seidule | This is a powerful reflection from someone who grew up in the South. Ty Seidule ended up teaching at West Point. His perspective of going through life without questioning the stories and legends, and how that changed, is interesting. He points out how important history, our view of history, and how/what we teach really is. This book really helps share perspectives on our environment today. America's constant quest to be better and our basis in what we think the past is is a crucial point. The book does get a bit repetitious though. | Paperback | Biography |
| 2023 | Feb | River Man | An American Odyssey | Ben McGrath | The true story of Dick Conant as uncovered and told by Ben McGrath. Ben met Dick Conant by chance. That is a huge part of Dick's story. Dick traveled far and wide via a canoe. He met a wide swath of people. Almost all of the people that he met remembered him. He left a wake of stories and good feelings. | Hardcover | Biography |
| 2023 | Jan | Us Against You | Fredrik Backman | Fredrik Backman has done it again. This is a wonderful book. This continues the story of Beartown. I found myself rooting for everyone (well, almost everyone). Just a terrific read. There is some sadness involved, but a powerful story. This continues the story of a small town who's lifeline is hockey. There hockey team is about to be taken away and there is great tension with a neighboring town. Characters are fully developed and relatable. How will Maya continue to deal? Benji (probably my favorite character) has his secret get out. Can he survive? Will Kira get to live her dream? How does a family cope with destructive events? How does a marriage survive? What does it mean to give your all? Who are we? And how is that defined? | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2023 | Jan | Poguemahone | Patrick McCabe | Still reading this. It takes a bit to get into, but once in, it is utterly fascinating. Keeping track of the characters, the place, and the time can be a challenge, but this has me hooked. This is free verse. No chapters. The story centers around Dan Forgarty and his sister Una. There are lots of concerning references, but this is a joy ride to read. | Paperback | Fiction, Novel Verse |
| 2022 | Nov | Moose Memoirs and Lobster Tales As True as Maine Stories Ought to Be | John McDonald | This is a series of newspaper articles about Maine and Maine life. Some are quite good, some are well, OK. | Paperback | Humor |
| 2022 | Oct | Beartown | Fredrik Backman | Everything that I've read by Fredrick Backman is top notch. This is no different. Excellent characters, richly developed. The story line is impactful and extremely well done. This is a story about hockey, sports, rape, relationships and more. As a father, parts of this story are not easy to read. However, they are so well done that I had trouble putting this down. Peter, the town son who has come back to revive the hockey club (and thus the entire town) is a central character. His wife who comes to this remote town is another central character. Maya, their daughter, is the very center of the story. Also important: Kevin, the new hockey phenom, Benji, his best friend and counter, Benji's family, and the entire town all play a role. How does the town decide who to believe? Does hockey and it's importance, override justice and "good"? Do parents live through their children? Is it OK to be gay in a hockey town? Is hockey more important that life itself? Does hockey skill override being an outsider? All of these themes are brought out during the novel. I highly, highly recommend. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2022 | Oct | The Plot | Jean Haff Korelitz | Jacob Finch Bonner is a writer. He writes one book that labels him as an "up and comer". However, his next two books languish. He is teaching writing and a student shares a marvelous, "can't miss" story. Jacob doesn't think about it much. Eventually, he finds out that the student has died and never published his story. He writes the story using the plot shared by the student, but the story is all his. The story is a rousing success. However, he starts receiving notes that indicate someone knows that he has "stolen" the plot. **** The story ends with a somewhat predictable twist. On one hand, I wish that his wife's character was a bit more developed. On the other, that would've substantially changed the story. The argument of "stealing" a plot was pretty much a non-starter. There is no passionate argument made that one could "steal" a plot. I think largely for that reason, the middle of the story got a bit long for me. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2022 | Sept | GenderQueer | Maia Kobabe | This book is currently on the potential "Book Ban" list. Thus, I needed to read it. The graphic novel revolves around the experience of Maia. It is an interesting exploration of the process that Maia went through. There are some graphic parts (menstruation, sex acknowledgement) but there is really nothing that high schoolers shouldn't have access to. The fear that this book will "turn" kids gay, transexual, or otherwise change them is ridiculous. However, it is true that this may actually provide some real information to high schoolers who need it. | Graphic Novel/Online | Biography |
| 2022 | July | If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? | Allan Alda | Interesting take from Mr. Alda. The focus is on communicating and understanding. Alda makes the tie in with acting, specifically Improv. He argues that Improv really helps us become better communicators. | Paperback | Self-Improvment |
| 2022 | June | Come to Me | Amy Bloom | Paperback | Short Stories | |
| 2022 | June | The Executioner #1 | Don Pendleton | I picked this up from John K. King book store before the pandemic started. This was a book that I remember reading in elementary school. I probably read a good bit of the series. The series was apparently a "monthly men's series" starting in 1969. Essentially, Mack Bolan ("The Executioner") returns from Vietnam, where he earned the nickname "The Executioner", to bury most of his family. The Mafia is involved, so Mack Bolan takes retribution in hand (though he has specific thoughts about good and evil). The book includes a few very specific descriptions of an adult themes (sex) that I'm not positive an elementary kid should've read. I enjoyed the book, but this isn't great literature. I seem to remember reading #34 (not sure why I remember that number), so I may pick that up as well at some point in the future. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2022 | June | Twenty-one Truths About Love | Matthew Dicks | This was a quick read. The book is formatted as a bunch of lists. Dan has given up a teaching job to own and run a bookstore. He is married to a wonderful person who is a widower. This complicates his life as he deals with that and live in general. There is lots of honest and humor here. Some of the life advice is pretty precious. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2022 | May | my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry | Fredrik Backman | WOW. Fredrick Backman has done it again. Meet Elsa, a different almost eight year old. Elsa's Grandmother is truly a character (and avid defender of Elsa). When Elsa's Grandmother dies, she sends Elsa on a journey to learn about those around her. That journey involves delivering letters to tell those around that the Grandmother is sorry about things that she has or hasn't done. The story is couched in the fairy tales that the Grandmother has told Elsa (some of which Elsa knows has been "lifted" from other writers). The fairy tales feature a wurse, drunks, monsters, and more. This is a powerful book that fills your heart and head. The story is extremely week crafted. Elsa may be different, but she is present in all of us. (I looked this up on Wikipedia, so I know it's true - a reference to Elsa). | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2022 | May | Vactionland: True Stories from Painful Beaches | John Hodgman | A wonderful book. I was hesitant as his Areas of My Expertise wasn't for me. However, this one was an enjoyable listen. Having moved to Maine recently, several of the stories ring incredibly true. The story of getting trees cut down for instance. John calls the guy, not text or through the web, and doesn't hear back. Then the guy just shows up. No price is agreed upon. The guy does the work, then hands him the bill (which is less than expected). Lots of short, humorous stories. Find out how John and his wife became "accidental" boat owners. Oh, and. the reason behind Yankee ingenuity. Definitely worth your time. | Audiobook | Humor |
| 2022 | April | Barn 8 | Deb Olin Unferth | I can't say that this one had me absolutely enthralled, but I did find it interesting. This is not a mystery. The plot of the story is pretty well explained and laid out. The story is dependent upon the character of Janey. Janey is a teenager who finds out that her father is actually alive. She goes to visit him and her mother is killed in an accident prior to returning home. Janey then becomes a chicken auditor and develops a plan to save a million chickens. The story then introduces a couple of different characters who make up the story. I would've like a bit more focus and development of these characters. They feel fundamental but underdevelope. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2022 | Feb | Indian Lawyer | James Welch | This is the story of Sylvester Yellow Calf with appearances by Jack Harwood, and Patti Anne. Sylvester is raised by his grandparents, becomes a star basketball player and lawyer. He is deciding whether or not to run for Congress when he gets caught up in a potential blackmail scandal. The story is character rich. Sylvester is well written. You get a realistic feel for what it means to be an Native American in the West. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2022 | Feb | Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon | Malcom Gladwell | It's always interesting to hear from experts in a field.Paul Simon is a master songwriter, musician, and performer. This is a mix of conversations with Paul Simon and observations from Malcolm Gladwell. At times, the observations are insightful and helpful; giving context and a way to think about what Paul is saying. At times, I wanted to hear more from Paul Simon. | Audiobook | |
| 2022 | Feb | The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All | Josh Ritter | A wonderful story told from the perspective of a 99 year old (Weldon Applegate). His story of growing up as a lumberjack has terrific narrative. Josh Ritter is wonderful at paining a picture for the reader to enjoy. *Warning, there is a lot of swearing in the book. Stories of various times come together nicely. One of the "villains" in the story is a wonderful riff on lumberjack fables as well. This is a folk tale for our modern days. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2022 | Jan | Anxious People | Fredrick Backman | "This is a story about idiots". This is the story of a bank robber who fails miserably. Then, the bank robber fails at taking hostages. This is a terrific novel. The characters are richly drawn. The descriptions are excellent. The story does have a narrator that talks directly to you. There seems to be a slight change part way through where the narrator addresses the reader less, but the structure works. There is wonderful humor. The stories of the individual characters all intersect. Preconceived notions will be challenged. This is a feel good, entertaining read. I highly enjoyed this one. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2022 | Jan | While Justice Sleeps | Stacey Abrams | This is a fun read for someone who likes a political thriller. Avery is an intern for a Supreme Court justice who puts himself in a coma. Avery is given Power of Attorney and tasked to solve several riddles to protect our democracy. There's even a romance involved. The clues revolve around Chess strategies and knowledge. All in all, this is a good "beach read". | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2022 | Jan | The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War | Malcolm Gladwell | Focused on the development of air warfare, specifically bombers, this one tickled my love of history. I was fascinated on how the development of bombers was predicated on how things were "going to be" and not how they were. Mr. Gladwell bases the story on two generals, Gen. Hansell & Gen. LeMay. General Hansell was a believer in precision bombing with the idea of saving civilians lives while quickly and effectively winning a war. General LeMay was a pragmatist who ends up using Napalm on 67 cities in Japan (with devastating results). There are no easy answers here. What is "right" when it comes to war? I end up comparing things to education and did so again with this. Is Technology just not quite ready yet? Will technology in education eventually become highly "targetted in the future? And will that bring additional challenges? This was designed as an audio book first and then converted to a convention book. Get the audio book on this one. | Audiobook | History |
| 2022 | Jan | The Morning Star | Karl Ove Knausgaard | I really need to chat with someone else who has read this book. It if very engrossing, with several different plot lines. The unifying aspect of the novel is "The Morning Star" (i.e. a bright "star" that appears one evening in the sky, even whether or not is it a star is not resolved). The book is divided into three parts, First Day, Second Day, and On Death and the Dead (an article written by one of the characters). There are nine main characters who we are following. Some of their stories overlap, some don't. The stories include many strangers who become part of the tale. Several of the stories include experience with death. This seems to be a consistent theme and the tie that binds the stories together. There is no resolution within the end of the story. I want to stress though that I was fully engrossed in the stories. The writing is very sharp and detailed. It is easy to "fall into" the stories. Even though several of the stories are left unresolved, they are fascinating. The reader is left to put together the threads of the stories. Thus, I really could use a good discussion about this book. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2021 | Dec | Bright's Passage | Josh Ritter | I greatly enjoyed this. There is an intermixed timeline, you shift from past to present. The story is of Henry Bright. Henry fought in World War I, which is a major aspect of the story. Combined with the story of a family torn about through a "Colonel", there is such a rich story. An "angel" figures predominately in the story. The reader is left to figure out the angel. There is also a nice conversation with Neil Gamin at the end. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2021 | Dec | Life Among Giants | Bill Roorbach | This was an interesting book. I almost gave up as there is a good bit of sex in the book. That part comes back into play with the last section of the book. The characters are interesting and well written. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2021 | Nov | 10% Happier | Dan Harris | The first few chapters are kind of brutal. The focus in on introducing the reader to the author. He seems to be an overpriviledged, self-centered, sufferable, successful news anchor. Then, he starts on his discovery of self enlightenment (a bit more on that later). I do like that he shares the paths that he went down, Eckart Tolle, Depak Chupra, etc. and how those didn't work out. | Audiobook | Self-Help |
| 2021 | Nov | The Northern Reach | W.S. Winslow | The Northern Reach follows several members of family. There is a helpful family tree to start each chapter. This is a variety of short stories tied together by a familial connection. This is definitely not a Maine is great, small towns are wonderful tomb. Rather, there is great disappointment, sadness, and tragedy. The focus of this book is on characters. I found some of the characters relatable and interesting. I found this an enjoyable read. The setting and the characters were well drawn. | Hardcover | Fiction - Maine author |
| 2021 | Nov | The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West | David McCullough | I really enjoyed the writing and the history of those that moved from the newly formed United States and settled the Ohio area. The focus is truly on traditional American perspective, but the fight to stop slavery from being allowed in the Ohio area was interesting. This is not the "woke", broad, honest view of the settling of the Ohio area. This is really from a perspective of "Americans". Given that, and understanding what it is, the story is interesting. | Hardcover | History |
| 2021 | Nov | Twilight | Elie Wiesel | Hardcover | History | |
| 2021 | Nov | The Culture Code : The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups | Daniel Coyle | Audiobook | Non-Fiction | |
| 2021 | Oct | The Power of Habit | Charles Duhigg | This is a well written book that spotlights, well, the Power of Habit. There are a couple of business examples that help illuminate how habits can be ingrained even if we aren't trying. The book includes a structure of changing habits. The appendix, where an example of a habit and how it was changed, is really useful. I kind of wish that the example had come earlier. Overall though, I thought that this was a useful read. I'm also considering how I can use some of this information in effecting change. If we can create good habits for teachers, could we help make their jobs easier and more successful? | Audiobook | Psychology |
| 2021 | Sep | Chasing Shakespeare | Sarah Smith | A well written, engaging story. A research follows a path that may lead to Shakespeare's work being written by someone else. This an adventure story about research, love, follow your passions, and more. Much is very believable. Anyone who has done any research will appreciate the appeal of uncovering clues and potentially rewriting history. This was an extremely enjoyable read. The characters are relatable and engaging. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2021 | July | The Future of Teaching and the Myths That Hold It back | Guy Claxton | Paperback | Education | |
| 2021 | July | Keys to the Truculent Me (And Other Things That Drive Me Crazy) | John Branning | This is a series of articles of observations about life. John Branning lives in Maine and muses about Maine and being of a certain age. I thoroughly enjoyed the articles. Many are laugh out loud funny. Since each article is usually a page or two, it is a great book to pick up and put down. It was fun to read about places that I've been or seen as well. I'd like to meet Mr. Branning and buy him a beer (yep, that's a book reference, but also true). | Paperback | Humor |
| 2021 | April | The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir | Susan Power | This is a powerful book about the life of Susan Power. She has lived an interesting and impactful life. I enjoyed learning about how she came to be a UN ambassador. Books like this really remind us that being smart, dedicated, and a hard worker can lead you to great places. From the depths of her father's alcoholism to heights of being an ambassador, Susan shares her journey in a powerful way. She is very relatable. I highly recommend this book. | Paperback | Biography |
| 2021 | March | Who Thought This Was A Good Idea? | Alyssa Mastromonaco | This was a refreshingly light read. Take a look at being a woman working in the White House. Her goal is to inspire young women to reach for jobs in the White House and other places. Frequently these are male-dominated. She shares some humorous stories, some career advice, and general thoughts. | Hardcover | Non-fiction/humor |
| 2021 | March | The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onada | This was a slow start for me. The format is responses to an interviewers questions (without the questions). The book centers on a family murdered by poison during a a birthday party. The family is a well respected, long connected medical family in Japan. The story moves around different respondents. Like any good mystery, there are plenty of clues as to who has masterminded the murders. The end of the story wraps everything up, but it seems a bit rushed. Overall, this was a "readable" book. I didn't find it one of my favorites, but I didn't give up on it either. | Electronic | Fiction |
| 2021 | Feb | Redhead by the Side of the Road | Anne Tyler | Another story by my favorite author. Ms. Tyler writes wonderful character driven stories. Here, we meet Micah. Micah’s world is very organized. His outlook comes under scrutiny with a realization about others that has aluded him. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2021 | Jan | Atomic Habits | James Clear | Very practical. There isn’t really a lot that is new in the book. However, it is a really good reminder and overview. I like the reminder of “Habit Stacking” and visioning. | Hardcover | |
| 2021 | Jan | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | A wonderful read. Very interesting just how divided Congress was and acted. Although this is specifically written from President Obama’s point of view, there is plenty of historical documentation that backs up the thoughts and examples included. There is another book planned, and I look forward to that one as well. | Hardcover | |
| 2020 | Dec | How To Be An Anti-Racist | Ibriham X. Kendi | A very personal and enlightening book written from Dr. Kendi's point of view. This is a powerful book that allows one to reflect on their own thoughts and beliefs. | Softcover | Political |
| 2020 | Dec | Trouble is What I Do | Walter Mosby | A fun, light-weight, detective story. | Hardcover | Suspense |
| 2020 | Oct | The Perfect Blend | Michelle Eaton | This reinforced many of my ideas. Michelle Eaton brings many common-sense strategies to the blending of online tools with in-person teaching. Her work is based on the previous work of Michael Horn. She incorporates the ISTE Standards as a basis for the book. I really like that she focuses on student learning and shies away from lots of "shiny" tools (although she does also mention quite a few tools to pick from). | Kindle | Education |
| 2020 | July | Stamped From the Beginning | Ibram X. Kendi | Where does racism come from? This is a comprehensive, powerful compendium of five historical figures from the racist perspective. There is a robust discussion about assimilation, racism, and anti-racism. This is one of those books that really allows you to think deeply. | Softcover | Political |
| 2020 | June | The Collected What If? | Robert Cowley | A true collection of couterfactual events. What if takes a variety historical events and asks “What if” something had been done or gone differently. A popular theme is the weather. What if it hadn’t rained? What if it had? Written by a wide variety of authors, the reader gets different styles and voices. However, there is enough of consistency so that it works. This is actually two “What If?” Books in one. A lengthy read that is broken up into sections. Perfect for picking up and putting down. | Hardcover | History |
| 2020 | March | Chicago | David Memet | Another slow starter for me. I found the dialog a bit confusing at times. I had some different expectations for the book (not really sure why). The story is very solid though. A love story? A crime story? A detective story? A bit of all them. The ending of the story pulled things together nicely. It was worth the read (but some of the dialog). | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2020 | Feb | Me Talk Pretty One Day | David Sedaris | I found this uneven. Parts of this were laugh out loud funnny. Other sections feel completely flat. This is a collection of stories related to his life. This was a bit of comic relief from a series of more serious stories. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2020 | Feb | Sudden Sea | The Great Hurricane of 1938 | R.A. Scotti | This is the story of a hurricane that hit the North East Coast of the U.S. (mostly Rhode Island, Massachusetts area). The author has pulled together several different accounts to present as a single story. The devastation is incredible. The story is pretty matter of factly told. A solid story and a hope that our weather prognostication and communication has improved. | Paperback | History |
| 2020 | Jan | The Book of Lost Saints | Daniel José Older | I had a tough time starting this book. The story centers around a specter. The opening of the book is very obtuse. I'm glad that I stuck with the book though. It becomes clearer and clearer as the story develops. The specter here is based out of the revolution of Cuba. The other main character is a DJ and hospital security guard who channels the specter. Characters are well developed. Family and forgiveness are major themes. Choices that made and consequences are revealed. This ended up being a beautiful book. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2020 | Jan | The Nickel Boys | Colson Whitehead | Powerful, moving, well written. This tells to story of a young African-American in Florida. Accepting a ride to college in a car that he didn't know was stolen, leads him to end up at a "reform" school. What happens there is based on a real school in Florida. A story that you must read to the end. Although the story is fiction, it really isn't. Like many good fictional accounts, the truth is more prevalent and powerful than the fiction itself. There are several links to real history. The idea of how a young African-American should act is cleverly related. A strong recommend for all. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2020 | Jan | Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers | Andy Greenberg | This is the story of the many online attacks that we are currently facing. The story unfolds around the attack of the Ukraine by the Russian government. It appears that digital war is condoned by all. Although these are hard things to understand, it is crucial that voters really do understand what is really happening. | Hardcover | Non-Fiction, Political, Current Events |
| 2020 | Jan | The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win | Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford | An interesting book about the importance of IT in every business. The book is really about Agile process and the Three Ways, but it really shows how crucial IT has become everywhere. Understanding IT should be a core competency and a fundamental part of every organization. | Electronic (Kindle) | Business |
| 2019 | Dec. | The World According to Garp | John Irving | A wonderful book. Surprisingly relevant to today (given that it was written in 1977 and discusses feminism quite a bit). I should've read this a long time ago. Nicely developed characters. Great view on living and the life of your family. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2019 | Nov. | The Alice Network | Kate Quinn | Bouncing back between two times, WWI and post WWII, and two storylines, Kate Quinn has written an engaging and fascinating novel. Evelyn Gardiner has lived a fascinating life, but mostly that centers on a few months as a spy in World War I. The intervening years have been painful and filled with regret. Charlotte St. Clair comes along with a problem of her own. They join forces to solve many issues: - Is Rose (Charlotte's cousin) still alive? - If Rose isn't alive, what happened to her? - What really happened during World War I with the "Alice Network? - What happens with Charlotte's "little problem"? The stories unfold, turn back on each other, and reveal surprises all around. The book keeps you well engaged, even with a condensed timeline of putting three characters together. A very enjoyable book. Everything is wrapped up very neatly at the end. Some might say a bit too neatly. *Parts of the book are based on real people and real events. | Electronic | Historical Fiction |
| 2019 | Oct. | Americanah | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | An interesting book that explores the relationship between two characters. This story centers around a love that transcends time. The main character is immigrates to America. This is the story of Americaness, racial divides and African heritage. However, it is also the story of two characters who meet, fall in love, chase a better future separately, then come back together. There is nothing simple or clean about the story. | Paperback | Fiction/Bio |
| 2019 | Sep. | The Faraway Nearby | Rebecca Solnit | Lots of different stories tied together with the theme of the authors life. This is a very reflective book. | Hardcover | Biographical |
| 2019 | Sep. | The Sonderberg Case | Elie Wiesel | Part history, part character driven fiction. This wanders a bit, but ties everything up in the end. | Hardcover | Historical Fiction |
| 2019 | Sep. | The Reckless Oath We Made | Bryn Greenwood | There are no Stepford Wives here. A part-time drug dealer from a family that is no stranger to the law meets her knight (literally). There are well developed characters with believable story lines. Even though the autistic presentation is a bit formulaic, it works within this story. Definitely worth your time. | Hardcover | Fiction |
| 2019 | August | A Gentleman in Moscow | Amor Towles | Probably my favorite so far this year. Read my thoughts here. | Hardcover | Historical Fiction |
| 2019 | July | Gods of Jade and Shadow | Silvia Moreno-Garcia | This is a wonderful sci-fi read. The story is well developed. The characters held my interest. I enjoyed the descriptions and plot development. | Hardcover | Sci-fi |
| 2019 | July | The Man Who Could Be King | John Ripin Miller | A book about how George Washington turned down the opportunity to be King. History is filled with events that could’ve gone very differently. This book focuses on something that didn’t happen. | Electronic | Historical Fiction |
| 2019 | June | The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down | Anne Fadiman | An interesting discussion of cultural beliefs and biases. This is a great book for a book club discussion. | Paperback | Culture |
| 2019 | May | A Brief History of Every Who Ever Lived | Adam Rutherford | A view of genetics and how those genetics play out in all of us. Dr. Rutherford makes the case that genetics make a difference on the macro level, but much less so on the micro. That is, genetics are of interest to the large group, not so much the individual. The second half gets a bit repetitious, but this is a good read. | Paperback | Science |
| 2019 | March | The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old | Hester Velmans (Translator) | An interesting read. Hendrik is the main protagonist. He gives us hope for living and enjoying life. The book also balances the real progression of aging. Not an overly jubilant book, but one that provides for hope and joy. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2019 | Jan | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Excellent read. Highly recommended. | Electronic | Biography |
| 2019 | Jan. | Gods Without Men | Hari Kunzru | See my thoughts in a post about the book that I've completed. In short, a recommended read. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2019 | Feb. | The Design of Everday Things | Don Norman | A classic. Here's my write up. All in all, a good read for anyone who designs anything (including educational material or lessons). | Paperback | |
| 2019 | Jan. | When - The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing | Daniel Pink | Fascinating read on the importance of timing. I can heartily recommend this for students and staff. | Hardcover | Psychology |
| 2019 | Doing Good Better | William Macaskill | Paperback | |||
| 2018 | Dec. | The Borgess Boys | Elizabeth Stanton | An excellent read. This is the story of family and appearances. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2018 | Dec. | Before We Were Yours | Lisa Wingate | The story of a family of young kids adopted by force from their family. Powerful story based on true events. A highly recommended read. | Electronic | Historical fiction |
| 2018 | Nov. | An American Marriage | Tayari Jones | An interesting look at race. The middle was a bit slow for me. By the end was worth the read. I found myself thinking about the issues and characters after I'd finished the book. | Electronic | Fiction |
| 2018 | Nov. | Made With Creative Commons | Paul Stacey and Sarah Hinchliff Pearson | Open Source book on Creative Commons. Very practical and useful. Available for free to download and reuse. | Electronic: https://creativecommons.org/use-remix/made-with-cc/ | Instructional |
| 2018 | Oct. | My Name Is Lucy Barton | Elizabeth Strout | I felt that I needed to read "My Name Is Lucy Barton" after reading "Anything is Possible". I enjoyed Elizabeth Strout's writing style and characters. I greatly enjoyed this book as well. This is the story of one Lucy Barton. Lucy grows up in abject poverty. She manages to make it in New York City. Lucy gets ill and needs her mother to come and visit her. No Hallmark movie time her though. Instead, the reader is rewarded with a powerful character of real life. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2018 | Oct. | Anything Is Possible | Elizabeth Strout | A fascinating story of a small town (Amgash, Illinois) and the people who live in it. This story focuses on children and hardships. This story also led me to read "My Name Is Lucy Barton" as "Anything Is Possible" references Lucy Barton. This is Lucy Barton's hometown. Elizabeth Strout is a fantastic writer. She creates believable and identifiable characters. | Paperback | Fiction |
| 2018 | Nov. | The Innovators Mindset | George Couros | Hard cover | Education | |
| 2018 | Oct. | The Fred Factor | Mark Sanborn | I read this for work. It certainly focuses on how little things can make a big difference. Genuinely caring about people is the major theme. | Hard cover | Inspirational |
| 2018 | Aug. | Robin | Dave Itzkoff | Biography of Robin Williams. Good read. Robin led a fascinating life. This is a balanced presentation of Robin’s life. | Hardcover | Biography |
| 2018 | July | Dark Matter | Blake Crouch | Story of alternate universes. What happens when a different version of you kidnaps you? An excellent read. | Paperback | Science fiction |
| 2018 | If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face | Alan Alda |
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