Whether you stopped by once or were a return visitor, thanks for being a part of my book reading and reviewing hobby this year.
“A Christmas Carol” and the Other Classics I Read This Year
All told, I read 10 classics this year, which accounted for about 13 percent of my total books read – my English teachers would be so proud!
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
Expectation: A science-fiction version of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
Reality: A deeply emotional, highly philosophical and ultimately feel good “what if” story.
The Houseplant – Jeremy Ray
“The Houseplant” proves that you can pack as much story, character development and emotion into a 5,000-word standalone story as some full-length novels.
Do You Have Literary Genre Bias?
How often do you step outside your literary comfort zone?
Ready Player Two – Ernest Cline
Expectation: Another trip down memory lane with hefty doses of geek culture.
Reality: Enjoyable and more accessible – from a pop culture perspective – but missing the energy that propelled the first novel.
Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart
Expectation: A bleak, yet heartfelt story about overcoming obstacles and discovering who you are.
Reality: This would be the most depressing book I’ve ever read if “Betty” didn’t take the crown last week.
Betty – Tiffany McDaniel
Expectation: The female “A Little Life.”
Reality: The most depressing book I’ve ever read, yet there was something still beautiful about its pain and misery.
Recommended For: People that like character driven stories, especially those about Americana.
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Robert Dugoni
Expectation: A coming-of-age story about friendship.
Reality: A decades-spanning novel that explores faith, fate, friendship and love that is always enjoyable but also a bit far-fetched.
Recommended For: I saw one reviewer on Goodreads compare it to “Forrest Gump,” and while I never read the book, I can certainly see comparisons to the film. So, if you like a character that ends up in implausible situations with tidy endings, you’ll enjoy this.
You Think It, I’ll Say It – Curtis Sittenfeld
Expectation: A darkly comedic take on how judgmental our inner dialogue can be.
Reality: A surprisingly solid collection that easily alternates between funny and melancholy with a fair amount of hope thrown in.
Memorial – Bryan Washington
Expectation: Based on the book promo: A funny, sexy, profound dramedy about two young people at a crossroads in their relationship and the limits of love.
Reality: A beautifully written, but meandering dual-perspective story that often loses focus.
Sting-Ray Afternoons – Steve Rushin
Expectation: A self-pretentious memoir about moving up and moving on from where you came from.
Reality: Laugh out loud funny nostalgia served with a side of pop culture and sports history.
Trust – Pete Buttigieg
In "Trust," Mayor Pete outlines the many ways in which Americans have grown distrustful - of politics, of science, of media, of each other, etc. - and how foreign actors and partisan politics have exploited the schism.
Surrender Your Sons – Adam Sass
Expectation: A “Lord of the Flies”-esque novel about survival at any cost.
Reality: A pandering, mediocre and problematic novel that represents everything that’s wrong with young adult fiction.
The Bright Lands – John Fram
Expectation: Small town secrets brought to life in a queer take on “Friday Night Lights.”
Reality: You can’t write a synopsis without giving away the twists, but it has the tone of “American Horror Story” with the bonkers plot twists of the best Blake Crouch and Stephen King novels.
Flamer – Mike Curato
Expectation: A quick read about those early moments when you start to accept that you might be gay.
Reality: A beautifully drawn, impeccably written and emotionally raw graphic novel that many queer people will find relatable.
The Saturday Night Ghost Club – Craig Davidson
Expectation: A story of outcast teens saving Niagara Falls from what lurks in the shadows – basically a Canadian "Stranger Things."
Reality: The only ghosts present are the ones that haunt us, but the story hits enough of the right notes to keep you interested.
A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles
Expectation: An historical fiction epic with an enthralling main character giving us a window to the realities of life in Communist Russia.
Reality: A pretentious and emotionally distant experience, possibly hindered by the audiobook format.
Leave the World Behind – Rumaan Alam
Amanda, Clay and their two teenage children have barely begun to enjoy the secluded AirBnb on Long Island when the home’s owners show up late at night after fleeing New York City. Seemingly cut-off from the rest of society, the group must navigate a sequence of stranger and stranger occurrences while questioning if they are entering the end of times.
FKA USA – Reed King
I’m not going to tell you anything about this book other than it is the worst one I’ve read this year and probably in the top three worst books I’ve actually finished.