2014 Reading

I really like to read.  When I was little I would stay up extremely way to late reading.  When busted by parents who saw my light on I resorted to a little key chain flashlight I would hold in my teeth, clenching down to keep the light on.

I don't have the hours and hours to read these days but I do still read (and listen to on audio) a fair amount.

Here is a run down of the books I read in 2014.  This year I actually kept track through the year so the list is more comprehensive than it was for 2013.  It also has a bit more about what I thought of the book and is organized into categories; Novels, Brain Candy, Short Stories, Non-Fiction and then the books I only partially read.  The ones with links are my top recommendations.

What have you read lately that you recommend?


Novels

The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri. Beautiful, ethereal and exquisitely written.  It felt like reading a complex and emotionally evocative poem but the ultimate thread was such a quiet sadness that I didn't enjoy the unfolding or ultimate conclusion.

Joyland, Stephen King.  Fun, interesting, well written, quick read.

Doctor Sleep, Stephen King.  Sequel of a sorts to The Shinning.  Really great.

Bad Monkey, Carl Hiaasen.  Classic Hiaasen, fun, quirky, laughed out loud frequently.

Run River, Joan Didion.  Beautiful but very sad to read.

The Dinosaur Feather,  SJ Gazen.  I was expecting something better.  The story seemed like it would be interesting but in the end I found some of the writing to be so so, the characters thin and much of the plot tired and predictable.

What the Body Remembers, Shauna Singh Baldwin.  A beautiful book.

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt.  Amazing and interesting novel for about 90-95% of the book.  I was very disappointed in the wrap up.

A Mercy, Toni Morrison.  Full of soul and seemed more of a poem to me than a novel.

The Invention of Wings, Sue Monk Kidd.  I picked it up without knowing anything about it and didn't even read the description.  It was great.  Extremely well done historical fiction that brought true history to life as well as doing everything a wonderful fiction write like Sue Monk Kidd is able to do.

Faithful Place, Tana French.  I like the murder mystery stuff, but only really good well written ones. Tana French is an amazing writer.  Fascinating stories, great characters, amazing voice, and so on and so forth.  I've loved her two earlier books and look forward to the couple of newer ones I've not caught up on.

Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn.  Extremely great writing, interesting and twisted plot.  Not for the faint of heart.  I look forward to catching up on her other books (most notable Gone Girl.)

Star Island, Carl Hiaasen.  A classic Hiaasen and an example of everything I love about his writing.

Souless, Gail Carriger.  Steampunk, alternate 19th century period piece, part vampire, part satire, part murder mystery, slice of romance and a strong leading lady.  I wanted to like it more than I did.  Just didn't quite tickle my particular funny bone.  I almost set it aside but the plot was just interesting enough to keep me reading.  I won't pick up the rest of the series.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou.  I somehow missed this one until now.  Amazing woman, amazing writer.

The Secret Place, Tana French.  At first I wasn't digging it as much as her other books.  But as I got into it I started to love the woven structure and pacing and how wove the narrative.  Also a good tale.

Broken Harbor, Tana French. I am now, officially, caught up on my Tana French reading.  She is so good.


Brain Candy

The Associate, John Grisham. Seemed to be shaping up as a classic fun Grisham but ended very flat.

Takedown Twenty, Janet Evanovich.  Classic Stephanie Plum.  Like cotton candy for my brain.  Wonderful wonderful cotton candy.

The Running Man, Richard Bachman.  For someone who loves unicorns and rainbows, yoga and sunshine it might seem odd that I love me my Bachman books.  An early pen name of Stephen King's, Bachman books are coarse and harsh, raw and violent.  And great.

The Fifth Witness, Michael Connelly.  I love these sorts of thrillers.  True pulp and so so good.

Top Secret Twenty-One, Janet Evanovich.  More Stephanie Plum and more cotton candy for my brain and this one has a pack of ferrel attack Chihuahuas!

Heart Sick, Chelsea Cain.  Murder mystery set in Portland.  Unique story line in a lot of ways and really well done.  The first of a few and I'll probably try to find the others.

The Black Ice, Michael Connelly.  The second Harry Bosch novel featuring the hard boiled LAPD detective.  This one involves Mexican drugs and a nice weave of multiple subplots.

The Concrete Blond, Michael Connelly.  The next Harry Bosch book.  Very predictable reliable.  Lots of twists and turns and red herrings and all that.  Fun times.

Drawing Conclusions, Donna Leon.  20th in a series of Venice Police Commissioner Guido Brunetti novels.  A bit thin but very fun, especially as I lived in Italia for a spell, and well done.


Short Stories

Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Karen Russel.  A collection of short stories, some better than others.  A couple of very great (and dark) gems.

Selected Shorts, Volume 19.  Extremely well read and produced audio book with six or seven classic short stories.

Tenth of December, George Saunders.  I wanted to like it more than I did.  Very proficient, excellently written, interesting set of short stories but they didn't stir my passions.

Dear Life, Alice Munro.  Maybe I don't like short story collections.  Interesting snippets and also very well written but this didn't satisfy my appetite.


Non-Fiction

Personal Kanban, Jim Benson.  Stop reading this and go buy it now.  Maybe because I've already read a string of workplace engagement, positive psychology, etc. books and been tinkering around with the principles of "Agile" already but it was super practical, useful and a quick and easy read.

The Dip, Seth Godin.  Very short, simple.  Interesting food for thought but not much substance.

Placebos, Seth Godin.  Even shorter, ebook.  But great.  Reminded me of the Amy Cuddy TED talk.

Whole Grain Mornings, Megan Gordon.   The recipes were pretty uninspiring and despite the "whole grain" title a lot of the recipes were mostly white all-purpose flour with some "whole grains" added in.

Kitchen Table Wisdom, Rachel Remen.  Really nice.  Like "Chicken Soup for the Soul" without the cheeze and on a much much much deeper level.

Transform Your Habits, James Clear.  A short ebook but a great kickstart.  There is a lot out there about habits and I found this to have some different perspectives and really useful, pragmatic ways to approach the idea and to get started.

How Full is Your Bucket, Tom Rath.  From the people of StrengthsFinder and the StrengthsFinder survey.  A great short read with very good reminders.

A More Beautiful Question, Warren Berger.  I'm pretty sure this book changed my brain.

Daring Greatly, Brene Brown.  Love her, loved the book.

Cool Layer Cakes,  Ceri Olofson.  Food porn but such delightful food porn.  I tend to focus more on the taste and ingredients but this book was super inspiring to make pretty and fun looking delights.  The pinata cake was the one that most tickled my fancy.

The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown.  I'm a junky.  I love Brene Brown.  This one didn't change my life but it is a good read and one I expect I'll come back to.

Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink.  Interesting read and interesting how screwy our little brains are.

Against Football, Steve Almond.  I really need to stop watching football...  Which I knew but now I really know.  But I can't... stop... GO DUCKS!

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami.  I wanted to like it more than I did.  Mostly his voice and perspective didn't really resonate with me.  I want to try one of his novels.

The First 90 Days.  Timely, practical, interesting and helpful.

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, Karen Abbott.  A history (non-fiction) book about four women during the civil war who were bad ass.  It was great.

Power of Vulnerability, Brene Brown. Loved it loved it loved it.  It is an audio recording of a multi-part seminar.  I like her books but love her talking.

Oh She Glows, Angela Liddon.  A cookbook and gift from a friend.  Really great healthy recipes.  Mostly (or all?) vegan and gluten free and all that jazz too.


Partial Reads

Hardwiring Happiness, Rick Hanson.  I didn't get all the way through it but really nice.  If anything a bit too heavy on the "positive affirmations" thing.  Perhaps most applicable for those who are hardest on themselves but those who are hardest on themselves will probably not have patience for it.  Boh.

Tales of the Unexpected, Roald Dahl.  A collection of stories for grown ups that I really didn't get. Maybe I need to be British and/or cynical to enjoy it.

The Leftovers, Tom Perrotta.  High acclaim, interesting premise.  Found it so tedious and not at all engaging.

Where the God of Love Hangs Out, Amy Bloom.  Nice writing but the stories and characters really annoyed me.  Again, seems I don't often enjoy collections of short stories.

Die Empty, Todd Henry.  Like the guy, like the ideas but it didn't catch my attention.