Here’ my annual report on books read.
In 2022, I set out to read 50 books and I read 70 books all told, though some were repeats. One book,Woke Racism, really grabbed my interest and since it was timely, available and the perfect length for long drives drives, I listened to five times. A couple others are re-reads to, because they were favorites and I was at ends. I discovered Harlan Coben and ran through many of his. I finally got around to Jonathan Franzen and didn’t hate him as much as I thought I would, I liked it in fact. Cixin Liu’s now classic trilogy lived up to the hype and Graeme Samson’s lovely Rosie books are delightful. My own work appears on the list and I must say I am very fond of my writing. Highly recommended. I read classics and bleeding edge, young adult, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, literary, non-ficiton—all kinds of things.
A good year all told for my book consumption.
The List:
Turn of the Screw, Henry James
The Last Painting of Sara De Vos, Dominic Smith
Ramayana, Valmiki
Of Civilized, Saved and Savages, Johnny Worthen
Blood Grove, Walter Mosley
5
Mermaid Confidential, Tim Dorsey
Animal Farm, George Orwell
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan
The Maid, Nita Prose
10
The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner
Hermit of Big Horn County, Johnny Worthen
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake
15
The Farthest Shore, Ursula K. Le Guin
All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion
Nine Lives, Peter Swanson
Tehanu, Ursula D. Le Guin
20
The Rosie Effect, Graeme Simsion
The Rosie Result, Graeme Simsion
The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
Tales from Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
The Hunting Party, Lucy Foley
25
Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
The Doors of Perceptions, Aldous Huxley
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo
The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz
Woke Racism, John McWhorter
30
Silverview, John le Carré
Woke Racism, John McWhorter
The Haunting of Maddy Clare, Simone St. James
The Devil and the Dark Water, Stuart Turton
Start Where You Are, Pema Chödrön
35
Woke Racism, John McWhorter
Teachings on Love, Thich That Hanh
Eleanor Script, Blake Casselman
When the Bough Breaks, Jonathan Kellerman
The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah
40
The Hermit of Big Horn County, Johnny Worthen
Deal Breaker, Harlan Coben
Mindfulness for Beginners, Jon Bat-Zinn
Meditation for Optimum Health, Andrew Weil & Jon Bat-Zinn
Drop Shot, Harlan Coben
45
Fade Away, Harlan Coben
Rotters, Daniel Krauss
Back Spin, Harlan Coben
Of Heroes, Homes and Honey, Johnny Worthen
The Three-Body Problem, Cixin Liu
50
One False Move, Harlan Coben
Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles
The Final Detail, Harlan Coben
Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury
Darkest Fear, Harlan Coben
55
Plato and Aristotle, Aryeh Kosman
Promise Me, Harlan Coben
Long Lost, Harlan Coben
Food of the Gods, Terence McKenna
Chakras for Beginners, Brown Kadmon
60
The Issue at Hand, Gil Fronsdal
The Dark Forest, Cixin Liu
Death’s End, Cixin Liu
Stolen Focus, Johann Hari
Still Life, Louise Penny
65
Fairy Tale, Stephen King
Why Buddhism is True, Robert Wright
Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
Never Let Me Go, Kazua Ishiguro
Coconut Cowboy, Tim Dorsey
70
Next year, the goal is again fifty.
—J
