I have been able to accelerate my book consumption by both listening to books (per the Washington State Library audio book downloads) during the night when I should be sleeping, and reading hard copy of other books. I’m going through a book in 48 hours now and suddenly I’m running out. I have read about 50 books since my process of stem-cell transplant.
I am mostly interested in well-written fiction, but am open to well-written historical (non-fiction) books.
I will list (as many as I can remember) that I’ve read this summer, with my personal 1-5 rating, (5 = excellent, 1=terrible). I have a lot of 5s because I try to select books carefully. Look at the list and if you have suggestions for others, please put your recommendations under “comments.” This is about half of the the one’s I’ve read, but I can’t think of the others off the top of my head.
- Treasure Island – 3
- Housekeeping – 5
- Hillbilly Elegy – 4
- Little Faith – 4
- How to Change Your Mind – 3
- At the Wolf’s Table – 4
- The Unwinding of the Miracle – 4
- The Living – 3
- Galileo’s Daughter – 5
- Pilgrim at Tinker Creek – 5 (+++++)
- In the Kingdom of Ice – 5
- The Idiot – 4
- Train Dreams – 5
- Sabbath’s Theater -1 (well written, but I had to stop reading it after 2 chapters because it was so disgustingly raunchy)
- Ambush – 1 (terrible but very popular and made a lot of money)
- Endpoint – 5
- Detroit – 4
- The March – 4
- Sapiens – 4
- The Snows of kilimanjaro – 5
- The Canterbury Tales – 4
- The Medusa and the Snail – 5
- The hearts Invisible Furies -4
- Tree of Smoke – 4
- A son of the Middle Boarder – 5
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – 4
- A Higher Loyalty – 4
- Blue Nights – 4
- Caleb’s Crossing – 5
- Eager Allan Poe – 5
- The Man in My Basement – 5
- Memory Man – 3
- The Last Mile – 3
- The Girl in the Spider’s Web – 4
- Water for Elephants – 5
- The Girl on the Train – 4
- The Stones of Summer – 5
- The Year of Magical Thinking – 5
J. Michael Jones 
13 responses to “Ramblings: Help, I’m Running Out of Books!”
Mike, Have you read “Where the Crawdads Sing”by Delia Owens? We think you would like it.
Jack and Candy
LikeLike
No. But I just placed the audio version on hold (not available right now) since I saw your posting.
LikeLike
Have you read anything by Michael D. O’Brien. I have read most of his fiction and have found it hard to put down, even though many of the novels are 600 pages or more. Some are set in Western Canada, British Columbia. Strangers and Sojourners, Cry of Stone and The Father’s Tale are my favorites
.https://ignatiusnovels.com/authors/michael-d-obrien/
Kristin Lavransdatter is a classic not as well known as it should be. The author is Sigrid Undset. It is a trilogy set in Norway in the late Middle Ages.
I think you would also enjoy Wendell Berry, Perhaps Hannah Coulter or Jayber Crow would be a good starting place.
LikeLike
I’ve searched the Washington state library and I found nothing, searching by author and the book titles. I don’t know why. I will have to buy them to read them.
LikeLike
Devil in the White City – Erik Larsen
Educated – Tara Westover
The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides
The Poisoners Handbook – Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York – Deborah Blum
The Stranger Beside Me – Ann Rule
LikeLike
I placed several of those hold as they were not available right now.
LikeLike
Off the top of my head, “A Gentleman in Moscow” was a really good read. I also liked “An Officer and a Spy”….
Have you ever read “Islandia” by Austin Tappen Wright? One of my favorites ever.
Also really loved Anathem by Neal Stephenson
I’ll keep thinking….
Kristi
LikeLike
Of those, I did find A Gentleman in Moscow, in the Washington State Library loans. It is not available but I placed it on hold.. They didn’t have the others and no I have not read Islandia.
LikeLike
Thanks for the recommendations. I’m listening to Atlas shrugged (very long) and reading the Sun also rises
Kevin Brown’s Phone
>
LikeLike
I have Atlas Shrugged on hold (not available right now). I have read the Sun Also Rises, but it has been a while
LikeLike
I’d suggest the other books by Marilynne Robinson, the rest of the Memory Man books, and anything else by Baldacci. You might like the Sharyn McCrumb Ballad Novels which take place in East Tennessee & Western North Carolina, and connect prest day and past events.
LikeLike
I found one of her’s, When I was a Child, which is available now and I downloaded it.
LikeLike
Hi Michael,
I would suggest anything by Mark Helprin, In particular, “Winter’s Tale”, “A Soldier of the Great War”, and “Memoir From Antproof Case”.
For something a little lighter, I would suggest the Flavia de Luce mystery series by Alan Bradley. The writing is superb and I loved the post-WW2 English setting.
Let me say too that I have followed your blog for a while. The realness of your writing has been a source of encouragement for me and I continue to pray for your recovery.
LikeLike