Here we go again. It's 2020 and time to reset the book reading challenge. Let's all try to read one book a week this year, but if that's too much just list whatever you read because reading is fun. Also, try to rate the books you finish from 1 to 10 so other people can see what might be a good book to pick up.

1) Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan - Scott Horton - 9/10
2) Currently Reading - Thunderbird (Miriam Black #4) - Chuck Wendig

1/5/2020 11:53:27 AM

Would like to participate this year

1) Currently Reading: AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order - Kai-Fu Lee

1/5/2020 1:23:30 PM

^Welcome

1) Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan - Scott Horton - 9/10
2) Thunderbird (Miriam Black #4) - Chuck Wendig - 6/10
3) Currently Reading - The Raptor & the Wren (Miriam Black #5) - Chuck Wendig

1/7/2020 12:18:58 AM

I’m in

1) Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris 6/10
2) Currently Reading: Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire- Kurt Anderson

1/7/2020 1:08:06 AM

Not going to make 52, but here I go:

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Currently reading: Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast

1/11/2020 1:03:44 PM

1) Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan - Scott Horton - 9/10
2) Thunderbird (Miriam Black #4) - Chuck Wendig - 6/10
3) The Raptor & the Wren (Miriam Black #5) - Chuck Wendig - 6/10
4) Vultures (Miriam Black #6) - Chuck Wendig - 7/10
5) Currently Reading - Pile of Bones (The Legends of the First Empire 0.5) - Michael J. Sullivan

1/31/2020 1:42:24 PM

1) Currently Reading - The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer


I just wanted to pop in here before the end of the first month. I'm still reading this same book I started nearly two months ago--It's a big ass book, plus I've had some distractions, like getting myself an Oculus Quest, which has taken up a fair chunk of my time. I'ma stay with this reading list, though.

1/31/2020 4:09:39 PM

Not going to make 52, but here I go:

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) Currently reading: To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway

2/4/2020 10:12:16 AM

1) All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr - 8/10
2) Currently reading Insomnia - Stephen King

I've got some catching up to do.

2/4/2020 1:07:08 PM

There is no way I can do 52 books in a year. For better or worse, I just do not have the time. But I do enjoy reading and squeeze it in as much as I can.

1) Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, the Flesh, and L.A.: Tales - Eve Babitz (7/10)
2) A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories - Lucia Berlin (9/10)
3) Currently Reading: I'll Give You The Sun - Jandy Nelson


[Edited on February 4, 2020 at 2:05 PM. Reason : ]

2/4/2020 2:04:04 PM

1) Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris 6/10
2) Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire- Kurt Anderson 8/10
3) Currently Reading: The Cost Of These Dreams: Sports Stories and Other Serious Business- Wright Thompson

2/8/2020 4:36:32 PM

Not going to make 52, but here I go:

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Currently reading: Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling

2/11/2020 11:15:52 PM

1) Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan - Scott Horton - 9/10
2) Thunderbird (Miriam Black #4) - Chuck Wendig - 6/10
3) The Raptor & the Wren (Miriam Black #5) - Chuck Wendig - 6/10
4) Vultures (Miriam Black #6) - Chuck Wendig - 7/10
5) Pile of Bones (The Legends of the First Empire 0.5) - Michael J. Sullivan - 6/10
6) Currently Reading - Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway - Jonathan Parshall, Anthony Tully

2/17/2020 12:29:25 AM

1) Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris 6/10
2) Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire- Kurt Anderson 8/10
3) The Cost Of These Dreams: Sports Stories and Other Serious Business- Wright Thompson 10/10
4) Currently Reading: Unfamiliar Fishes- Sarah Vowell

2/18/2020 11:03:50 PM

Not going to make 52, but here I go:

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10 (very funny but too topical to be highly re-readable)
5) Currently reading: The Code Book - Simon Singh
6) Currently reading: Washington's History: The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest - Harry Ritter

2/23/2020 12:13:55 AM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) Currently Reading - 14 - Peter Clines

3/8/2020 10:58:22 PM

Not going to make 52, but here I go:

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10 (very funny but too topical to be highly re-readable)
5) The Code Book - Simon Singh - 7/10 (better than average pop-science book)
6) Currently reading: Washington's History: The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest - Harry Ritter

3/11/2020 11:48:23 PM

Not going to make 52, but here I go:

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10 (very funny but too topical to be highly re-readable)
5) The Code Book - Simon Singh - 7/10 (better than average pop-science book)
6) Washington's History: The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest - Harry Ritter - 3/10 (meh)
7) Currently reading: The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

Time to dig out some of those books I've tried to read but never finished.

3/17/2020 1:48:54 AM

Not going to make 52, but here I go:

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10 (very funny but too topical to be highly re-readable)
5) The Code Book - Simon Singh - 7/10 (better than average pop-science book)
6) Washington's History: The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest - Harry Ritter - 3/10 (meh)
7) Currently reading: The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner - I'll skip Benjy's part next time
7) Currently reading: In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick

3/18/2020 2:05:04 PM

Not going to make 52, but here I go:

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10 (very funny but too topical to be highly re-readable)
5) The Code Book - Simon Singh - 7/10 (better than average pop-science book)
6) Washington's History: The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest - Harry Ritter - 3/10 (meh)
7) The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner - I'll skip Benjy's part next time
7) In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick - 7/10 (better than Moby Dick)
8) Currently reading: And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie

3/21/2020 2:34:09 AM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) 14 - Peter Clines - 8/10
3) Currently Reading - Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling

3/25/2020 8:22:37 PM

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10 (very funny but too topical to be highly re-readable)
5) The Code Book - Simon Singh - 7/10 (better than average pop-science book)
6) Washington's History: The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest - Harry Ritter - 3/10 (meh)
7) The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner - I'll skip Benjy's part next time
7) In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick - 7/10 (better than Moby Dick)
8) And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie - 8/10 (easy and entertaining)
9) Currently reading: Sleeping Murder - Agatha Christie
10) Currently reading: Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnought Era - Norman Friedman

3/26/2020 12:34:47 AM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) 14 - Peter Clines - 8/10
3) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10
4) Currently Reading - The Twisted Ones - T Kingfisher

4/6/2020 12:55:47 AM

^^moby dick is the best cliffs notes written

4/6/2020 12:57:25 AM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) 14 - Peter Clines - 8/10
3) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10
4) The Twisted Ones - T Kingfisher - 8/10
5) Currently Reading - Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond

4/15/2020 1:36:30 AM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) 14 - Peter Clines - 8/10
3) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10
4) The Twisted Ones - T Kingfisher - 8/10
5) Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond - 9/10
6) Currently Reading - Les Misérables - Victor Hugo

5/3/2020 1:49:57 AM

"Guns, Germs, and Steel" was a pretty cool book

5/3/2020 1:57:18 PM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) 14 - Peter Clines - 8/10
3) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10
4) The Twisted Ones - T Kingfisher - 8/10
5) Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond - 9/10
6) Les Misérables - Victor Hugo - 8/10
7) Currently Reading - Suldrun's Garden - Jack Vance

6/11/2020 1:07:03 AM

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10 (very funny but too topical to be highly re-readable)
5) The Code Book - Simon Singh - 7/10 (better than average pop-science book)
6) Washington's History: The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest - Harry Ritter - 3/10 (meh)
7) The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner - I'll skip Benjy's part next time
7) In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick - 7/10 (better than Moby Dick)
8) And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie - 8/10 (easy and entertaining)
9) Sleeping Murder - Agatha Christie - Distracted by other things and the e-book expired
10) Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnought Era - Norman Friedman - 5/10 (Interesting, but very dry. I thought there would be more math.)
11) Energy: A Human History - Richard Rhodes - 7/10
12) What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions - Randall Munroe - 7/10 (stick with xkcd)
13) Ubik - Philip K. Dick - 8/10
14) The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick - 7/10
15) Currently Reading: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing

6/18/2020 12:21:25 AM

1) The Great American Novel - Philip Roth - 8/10 (good chunks of it were 11/10)
2) Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast - 7/10 (last third dragged)
3) To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway - 8/10
4) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10 (very funny but too topical to be highly re-readable)
5) The Code Book - Simon Singh - 7/10 (better than average pop-science book)
6) Washington's History: The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest - Harry Ritter - 3/10 (meh)
7) The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner - I'll skip Benjy's part next time
7) In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick - 7/10 (better than Moby Dick)
8) And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie - 8/10 (easy and entertaining)
9) Sleeping Murder - Agatha Christie - Distracted by other things and the e-book expired
9) Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnought Era - Norman Friedman - 5/10 (Interesting, but very dry. I thought there would be more math.)
10) Energy: A Human History - Richard Rhodes - 7/10
11) What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions - Randall Munroe - 7/10 (stick with xkcd)
12) Ubik - Philip K. Dick - 8/10
13) The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick - 7/10
14) Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing - 9/10 (fantastic story, well written)
15) The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster - 10/10 (children's book I read with my kiddo)
16) Currently Reading: Delilah - Marcus Goodrich

6/23/2020 11:31:27 PM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) 14 - Peter Clines - 8/10
3) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10
4) The Twisted Ones - T Kingfisher - 8/10
5) Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond - 9/10
6) Les Misérables - Victor Hugo - 8/10
7) Suldrun's Garden - Jack Vance - 9/10
8) Currently Reading - The Green Pearl - Jack Vance

6/29/2020 2:34:22 AM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) 14 - Peter Clines - 8/10
3) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10
4) The Twisted Ones - T Kingfisher - 8/10
5) Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond - 9/10
6) Les Misérables - Victor Hugo - 8/10
7) Suldrun's Garden - Jack Vance - 9/10
8) The Green Pearl - Jack Vance - 8/10
9) Currently Reading - Madouc - Jack Vance

7/19/2020 2:45:09 AM

1) The Big Book of Classic Fantasy - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer - 8/10
2) 14 - Peter Clines - 8/10
3) Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling - 8/10
4) The Twisted Ones - T Kingfisher - 8/10
5) Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond - 9/10
6) Les Misérables - Victor Hugo - 8/10
7) Suldrun's Garden - Jack Vance - 9/10
8) The Green Pearl - Jack Vance - 8/10
9) Madouc - Jack Vance - 8/10
10) The End of October - Lawrence Wright - 8/10
11) Incandescence - Greg Egan - 7/10
12) Only Forward - Michael Marshall Smith - 8/10
13) North American Lake Monsters - Nathan Ballingrud - 8/10
14) Currently Reading - The Sandman Box Set - Neil Gaiman

It's good to be back!

11/4/2020 1:07:45 AM