Reading
Currently reading
Books read
144 books
2026
11 books
Read my review of Maintenance of Everything: Part One
I enjoyed the formatting of the book and the different stories.
Read my review of Mountains Beyond Mountains
Not much of a driving narrative to keep it interesting. Would work as a long form article, but not a whole book.
Read my review of Blood Meridian
I don’t get why this book is highly regarded. Style over substance. It’s like a George Lucas prequel movie. Tons of action with no connection to the characters.
2025
13 books
Read my review of The Double Helix
An interesting insight into the competitiveness of science and probably very candid for its time. Watson clear is a huge sexist asshole and product of his time, but clearly doesn’t leave any doubt to his antiquated misogyny and arrogance.
Read my review of The World of Yesterday
What a treat to read!
2024
17 books
Read my review of Be Ready When the Luck Happens
So the Ina Garten book has an apt title “Be Ready When The Luck Happens”. It’s pretty much her rattling off how lucky she has been (apart from an abusive childhood). She comes off charming, but a little out of touch for someone who could just start flipping houses in her 20s and moving from one thing to another to relative ease. It also tries to be a self-help and business book at points, which I feel is something publishers must push on their writers these days. Not a bad book, but just more ‘golly gee wiz’ than deep.
Read my review of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
I liked how this captured the essence and complexity of creating something with friends and all the drama that can come with it. Also, the settings were very familiar. My only complaint would be that some of the verisimilitude in the book was hackneyed, hitting all the pop culture touchstones of each time period.
Read my review of Madness and Civilization
I thought this book would be more historical and less of a rambling pretensions mess. Hard to get a clear picture of his source material and make a convincing argument. It felt very mystical in its writing. Maybe I just don’t get why this book is well regarded.
Read my review of Lie With Me
Finished in a day. Rarely does a book choke me up. Beautiful.
2023
15 books
Read my review of The Railway Journey
A dense book. Has some slow parts when it comes to discussing “shock” but overall an interesting read.
Read my review of American Prometheus
A page-turner. Really well written and researched. Never got bored reading it.
Read my review of Tropic of Cancer
It’s like if Bel-Ami didn’t make his way up the ranks by sleeping with women and probably more realistic a story of a writer who tries to make a name for himself after moving to Paris.
Read my review of The Story of French
This was an interesting book in the chapters where it dealt with the history and development of the language. However at other parts of the book it felt oddly dated and very early 2000s. Which is something I rarely come across. I get the feeling this book came out after the success of their previous book that sounds like it was popular during the Freedom Fries era of the Iraq War. This book had weaved into it what seemed like the parts a publisher wants to make a mass market book appealing. I wish the book stuck to the more timeless parts then interspersing it with facts from 2005.
Read my review of A Wilderness of Error
I read this pretty fast over four days. The short chapters make it a page turner. Morris' commentary makes you think and is written in a way as if he were in the room with you. It makes one think about how the media and people perceive a suspect of a crime, even if they might be innocent. Trying to find some clue to maybe how they are guilty, even if they are not remorseful for a crime they didn't actually commit. The hardcover edition of this book is also designed beautifully, it's a shame they went for a more 'ripped from the headlines' for the paperback edition.
2022
9 books
Read my review of A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle
A long, but insightful biography of de Gaulle, his times, and his country as a whole.
2021
23 books
Read my review of Dream Story
I didn’t realize how closely Eyes Wide Shut follows this book.
The Premonition
2020
18 books
2019
15 books
2016
1 book
2015
7 books
Read my review of Science is Not Enough
A little dated in some parts. Chapter on Memex and Management were good. Science essays good as well, he's got a very positive outlook on things, The chapter on Baseball physics and statistics was dated.
2012
6 books
2010
1 book
2002
7 books
2001
1 book
