Previous edition: 2023
I was proud of the quantity and quality of books I was able to finish in 2023. Reading is something that, as a child and teen, I loved. I would ride my bike to the library and check out as many books as I could cram into my backpack. It was different back in the 1980's and early 90's – no distractions from glowing screens being the biggest one.
Once Twitter/X started to devolve in late 2022/early 2023, my screen time went way down. I found myself with an opportunity to return to hobbies, and reading was one of the first things I picked back up.
The following is a chronological list of the books I've read and a few thoughts on each.
A brief disclaimer
I didn't read nearly as many books this year as I did last – mainly because work overwhelmed me in the second half of the year. But those are excuses, and I need to be a better manager of my time.
That said, on to the books!
Victory City - Salman Rushdie
I wanted to read Rushdie's latest and while it was tremendously entertaining, it wasn't my favorite of his. Pampa Kampana was gifted a 247-year lifespan and uses her magical powers to create Bisnaga, a magic city / feminist utopia. Bisnaga eventually falls (woah! Spoiler alert!) for the same reason most empires fall, but the way Rushdie tells it is, well, classic Rushdie.
When I said it wasn't my favorite Rushdie offering, I don't want you to get the impression it wasn't good (it was!), but it's not at the same level as Midnight's Children, The Moor's Last Sigh, or The Satanic Verses, some of my favorite Rushdie books.
Thrawn - Timothy Zahn
Look, I can't quit Star Wars non-canonical-turned-canonical fiction. And you can't make me. They're fun, easy reads and a great chaser to a heavy book like Victory City. Plus, the dude's name is Mitth’raw’nuruodo and that rolls right off the tongue.
I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series. Then, I may give Star Wars a break and go deep somewhere else.
Cities of the Plain - Cormac McCarthy
I wanted to finish the Border Trilogy last year, but wasn't able to power through the third book in late December. That's ok, though - I felt like this one needed to breathe a bit, as we had to say goodbye to John Grady Cole after he (spoiler alert!) was fatally wounded after killing Eduardo the pimp in a knife fight. Snoop was right: Pimpin' ain't easy.
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
I have very fond memories of listening to the Norse Mythology audiobook while driving around Hawaii with the family in 2019. I think we must have listened to it twice while hopping around Kaua'i, Oahu, and Kona in our rental cars. When we got back, I picked up the paperback from Left Bank Books and it sat on my shelf. I wanted to give it another go, so I picked up and, like other Gaiman books, devoured the tales of Loki and Thor, and of course, Ragnarok.
Cunk on Everything - Philomena Cunk
So in 2023, I discovered the Cunkiverse thanks to Netflix's Cunk on Earth. I don't think I laughed harder at anything I've seen on Netflix, well, ever, and it must have left a lasting impression with my wife, who bought me the book for my birthday.
Endless Endless: a Lo-fi History of the Elephant 6 Mystery - Adam Clair
My wife also bought me this book for my birthday, another offering in the long-line of "do I know what this guy likes or what?" gifts. I love all of the bands in the Elephant 6 Collective, and have - like a lot of guys in their 40's - always loved Neutral Milk Hotel (ok, just Aeroplane, because On Avery Island is pretty mid).
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism - Tim Alberta
What a banger. This book really gets to the heart of the Trump problem that America is facing this November (regrettably, again).
The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran
I needed a mind-wipe after Tim Alberta's The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory, and The Prophet was just that cleanser.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI - David Grann
Okay, so I'm back on the hard to read stuff. Admittedly, this was an audiobook because I wasn't positive I'd have the attention span to pick up the book and give it a full read. I wish I would have read this instead of listened.
How High We Go In The Dark - Sequoia Nagamatsu
I'm not sure how I thought reading a series of short vignettes about people recovering from - or helping to research - the origins of a plague released from thawing permafrost would be a good summer read, but I'll be damned if it wasn't entertaining.
Dilla Time - Dan Charnas
You can imagine my surprise when I saw Dilla Time at Target. I didn't clock Target as a retailer that would have a hip hop producer's biography in paperback by the Taylor Swift records! Dilla Time importantly explains what made J Dilla such an important producer through a series of clap-and-stop exercises in the book. As a musician and percussionist, this was a crazy good idea to break down a hard concept to grok like syncopation to a lay reader.
2024 Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook + 2024 Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide
I love to play D&D, so this was essential reading. I bought the digital + print editions so my kids could also read the sourcebooks. I'm eagerly awaiting the 2024 (2025?) Monster Manual to release in a few short months.
That's a wrap
I'm looking to read a bunch more books next year, time willing!
