Hands down, The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. Very long but very engaging story of characters engaged in events leading up to the start of WWII. The book ends with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I was so impressed that I found a used copy of War and Remembrance to read later this month. Highly recommend.
I bought that one too! I so remember the movie with Humphrey Bogart. I’ve decided that this will be a year of long books. Almost done with Nicholas Nickleby.
The Prize, by Daniel Yergin. It was a door stopper, and much enjoyed. The detail made the book very informative. It was amazing the way oil has influenced politics in the various nations. Highly recommend the book for folks who are curious about the history of oil.
I finally caught up with Conrad and his Heart of Darkness earned a well-deserved place on my bookshelf chronicling the best works I have ever read: https://www.tomwhitenoise.com/bookshelf
I listened to “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” by Jesse Sutanto. A delightful, cozy mystery that made me want to head over to Vera’s tea shop for a hot cup of specially made tea!
Tagging on the Herman Wouk comment, Youngblood Hawke was a favorite. Still haunts me. Also Jeremy, it's delightful to watch your kids sort of "grow up" through literature.
Easily it was "All the Light We Cannot See." It generated some excellent and deeply introspective conversation at CCLS.
Runner up would be Ted Conover's "Cheap Land Colorado," which is a first-person perspective on the realities of life in the San Luis Valley. It's one of the most interesting places in the state and I learned a ton. It'll certainly make the experience of driving through the valley feel different the next time I go.
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. I read it for an online bookclub and enjoyed it. It was quietly funny. It was my first Barbara Pym, and was published in 1952.
I love, love, love Excellent Women. I "discovered" EW about 10 years ago and felt cheated for having gone so long in my life never having heard of EW or Barbara Pym. She has a treasure trove of novels that are also worth reading but none (in my opinion) quite touch EW.
Leas Than Angels provides glimpses of the characters in Excellent Women and Quartet in Autumn Won all sorts of awards, but I think my second favorite is Jane and Prudence. Excellent Women is my favorite.
A 5-star biography, with the added bonus of cold war politics and hard science. The movie adaptation was my favorite film of 2023, so I'm due to rewatch it now that I've finished the book.
Speculative Fiction - Your earlier excellent recommendation: Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario. Sobering, to say the least.
Nonfiction - Edith Wharton: A Biography by R.W.B. Lewis. This insightful look at one of the great late 19th to early 20th century writers also acts as a great companion biography to Leon Edel’s Henry James masterpiece.
Science Fiction - A Canticle for Lebowitz by Walter Miller. I understand why this classic is must read for the post apocalyptic aficionado.
The Art Thief may be the best I’ll read this year, I can comfortably make that call now. Sometimes a book comes along and checks a lot of boxes of what you enjoy to read, this one nailed about every single one. That book is a lot of fun.
I loved that book as well. You might want to check out The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century. It was excellent as well and similar to the Art Thief.
Hands down, The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. Very long but very engaging story of characters engaged in events leading up to the start of WWII. The book ends with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I was so impressed that I found a used copy of War and Remembrance to read later this month. Highly recommend.
So so good! What a gem. The Caine Mutiny is also really good.
I bought that one too! I so remember the movie with Humphrey Bogart. I’ve decided that this will be a year of long books. Almost done with Nicholas Nickleby.
These are my dad’s and my favorite novels. Heartbreaking and beautiful.
I haven't read War and Remembrance yet... this year!
My favorite January read was Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. I See You Called In Dead was on my list of five star books for 2025. Loved it!
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. An oldie but a goodie, since it was new to me. I loved the atmosphere and the message.
I just read that book. One of his best!
Ah, so good! I have a prized signed copy on my shelf.
The Prize, by Daniel Yergin. It was a door stopper, and much enjoyed. The detail made the book very informative. It was amazing the way oil has influenced politics in the various nations. Highly recommend the book for folks who are curious about the history of oil.
Waiting for me on my Kindle.
I finally caught up with Conrad and his Heart of Darkness earned a well-deserved place on my bookshelf chronicling the best works I have ever read: https://www.tomwhitenoise.com/bookshelf
I’m currently reading the biography of Graham Greene and he frequently references Conrad as an inspiration. Heart of Darkness is on my TBR stack
Move it up! :)
I listened to “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” by Jesse Sutanto. A delightful, cozy mystery that made me want to head over to Vera’s tea shop for a hot cup of specially made tea!
Tagging on the Herman Wouk comment, Youngblood Hawke was a favorite. Still haunts me. Also Jeremy, it's delightful to watch your kids sort of "grow up" through literature.
Easily it was "All the Light We Cannot See." It generated some excellent and deeply introspective conversation at CCLS.
Runner up would be Ted Conover's "Cheap Land Colorado," which is a first-person perspective on the realities of life in the San Luis Valley. It's one of the most interesting places in the state and I learned a ton. It'll certainly make the experience of driving through the valley feel different the next time I go.
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. I read it for an online bookclub and enjoyed it. It was quietly funny. It was my first Barbara Pym, and was published in 1952.
I love, love, love Excellent Women. I "discovered" EW about 10 years ago and felt cheated for having gone so long in my life never having heard of EW or Barbara Pym. She has a treasure trove of novels that are also worth reading but none (in my opinion) quite touch EW.
What Barbara Pym should I read next?
Leas Than Angels provides glimpses of the characters in Excellent Women and Quartet in Autumn Won all sorts of awards, but I think my second favorite is Jane and Prudence. Excellent Women is my favorite.
American Prometheus by Bird and Sherwin.
A 5-star biography, with the added bonus of cold war politics and hard science. The movie adaptation was my favorite film of 2023, so I'm due to rewatch it now that I've finished the book.
So good. It has really stayed with me.
The People's Library which I read as an Amazon First Read. I bought a hard copy before I finished the ebook
Paradise Lost
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa.
I Cry Over Spilled Ink by Black Noise
Read a number of books in Jan, but my top were:
Speculative Fiction - Your earlier excellent recommendation: Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario. Sobering, to say the least.
Nonfiction - Edith Wharton: A Biography by R.W.B. Lewis. This insightful look at one of the great late 19th to early 20th century writers also acts as a great companion biography to Leon Edel’s Henry James masterpiece.
Science Fiction - A Canticle for Lebowitz by Walter Miller. I understand why this classic is must read for the post apocalyptic aficionado.
The Art Thief may be the best I’ll read this year, I can comfortably make that call now. Sometimes a book comes along and checks a lot of boxes of what you enjoy to read, this one nailed about every single one. That book is a lot of fun.
I loved that book as well. You might want to check out The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century. It was excellent as well and similar to the Art Thief.