Okay, these are ALL the books I read in 2017. I got stuck on a few.
And so, for 2018, let it be known: I'm reading the first 20 pages of a book, and only finishing them if I'm hooked. If a book doesn't suck me in so I take it everywhere and devour it in a day or two, I'm moving on.
Have you read any books like that?
Sure you have. What are they? Leave a comment, drop me an email, text, call, whatever. Tell me the books you've read the fastest - the ones you couldn't you put down, you read in line in supermarket, the car, the kitchen...everywhere!
Book recommendations - I need them!
OK, so here's the list from 2017, in no particular order except that I sorted them into three groups: Read These Now, Maybe Check Out One Or Two, and Maybe Don't Read These (Unless You Really Want To).
Enjoy?
READ THESE NOW
Killer in the Rain - Raymond Chandler
Amazing for Chandler fans. A collection of short stories that served as the basis for Chandler's classic novels. So this is how these stories got started! Missing scenes! I loved it all the way through, but I'm a huge Chandler fan (See: My Ranking of All of Raymond Chandler's Novels).
If you're not a huge Chandler fan, well, you may want to read something else. But you should be a fan. He's one of the greatest American authors, and certainly the best author to write about Los Angeles. Read FAREWELL, MY LOVELY, or THE HIGH WINDOW and see if you don't agree.
Alright, enough about Chander, let's look at some things written by mortals.
We Were Eight Years in Power - Ta-Nehisi Coates
Another important book by Coates. And by "important" I mean, important for white people to read. Seriously.
Armada - Ernest Cline
What if aliens had been attacking Earth since the 1970s and that's why Star Wars, Video Games, and alien movies came into existence - to train us to fight them!
With all the bad reviews, I was reluctant to give this a read. But I loved READY PLAYER ONE so much, I eventually gave in. And though not as well written - or original - it's still addictive as all hell, especially if you love 80s culture, video game, or well, a nerd around my age. (Hey!)
Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass - Fredrick Douglass (duh)
We read so few first-person accounts of slavery, this book is a powerful reminder. I can't believe I hadn't read it until last year. So powerful and vivid - I wish I would have read it 20 years ago. Or 10. Or 5. Don't be me. Read it this year.
Why We Can't Wait - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Be honest, have you read much of what King has written besides what you were forced to read in school?Turns out this MLK guy can write. Really gives you appreciating for the thought and work that goes into a sustained protest.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Steig Larson
So I'm a few years late to this party, but what a party! Hacker girls! 40-something journalists out to topple big corporations! Serial killers! And all, in Sweeden! (Spoiler?)
Open - Andre Agassi
Get it? He plays in the U.S. Open and now he's being "open" about his past.
Bad father, but intriguing stuff, especially if you grew up playing tennis in the 90s. (Or if you worked out next to Agassi at the Wooden Center one time in 2000! That was me! Hey Andre!)
MAYBE CHECK OUT ONE OR TWO OF THESE IF THE DESCRIPTION SOUNDS PROMISING
Eating the Dinosaur - Chuck Klosterman
So this is what "think pieces" are...mixing pop culture with history and social observation to turn banal parts of American society into interesting...idea...sandwiches? Think pieces and idea sandwiches.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Steig Larson
The second book in the series - slightly less addictive than the first. (Spoiler: More killings.)
The Fall - Albert Camus
"In short, you see, the essential is to cease being free and to obey, in repentance, a greater rogue than oneself." Serious, philosophical stuff! I think. At least, I felt philosophical while reading it...
Middle Men - Jim Gavin
Short stories. Gave me flashbacks to my 20s, espeically post-college LA in the 2000s. So, mostly good?
The Looming Tower - Lawrence Wright
Stopped at page 150. So well written, but so hard to get through, mostly because I've come to realize I've burned out on history books. (Thanks grad school!)
The Course: Serious Hold 'Em Strategy for Smart Players - Ed Miller
No Limit Hold 'Em book. Never read one before, and this one's not all that serious, despite the title. Lots of fun, actually. Also, you don't have to be a smart poker player to read it, because, well, I read it.
The Raymond Chandler Papers - Raymond Chandler
Collection of Chandler's letters. Great stuff on writing; not so great stuff when generalizing about other races of people.
The Girl Who Played With Fire - Steig Larson
Yes, I read the whole damn series last year. The last book isn't as good as the rest, but how are you not going to read the last book in a trilogy.
The Honest Toddler - Bunmi Laditan
A little long and repetitive for book that is essentially one joke - parenting advice from the perspective of a toddler. Good jokes, though, just a little long and repetitive. Did I say that already? That's what the book is like!
MAYBE DON'T READ THESE (UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO)
Arthur Ashe on Tennis - Arthur Ashe
On tennis and life. Mostly tennis, though.
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - Richard Carlson
Some good words of wisdom...that I promptly forgot. On my desk at work sits this book and The Art of War by Sun Tzu. I'm hoping business is some combination of the two.
The Art of War - Sun Tzu
Interesting, but, a little dated. Uses examples from Chinese generals that to most Westerners (such as this one) might seem a bit obscure.
Shut Up and Live! - Marion Downs
Bought this book by a 93 year for my parents. She has the secrets of living a healthy older life! Kind of. Turns out the secret to a long life is to stay positive and exercise. Exercise a lot.
George Washington's Book of Virtues - George Washington
Picked this one up randomly after seeing Hamilton and errantly believing for a moment I was interested in Colonial America. This list of manners is mostly about being respectful to others. Includes such gems as not killing bugs in front of other people when they crawl on you, and not cutting bread with a greasy knife.
And...
That's it! If you were counting, it was a mere 20 books...
And, oh no, it's 2018 already. Send me your recommendations, I'm already behind.
See you at the library, (Of course, I mean, Amazon)
Your Humble Servant,
-N.D.
