Books – Regular Guy

2022 Reading Update #2

brian — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 17:24:36 +0000

Half a dozen books in after the first quarter of the year. My reading always picks up when the weather is nicer, so I feel like last year’s total of 31 is in reach.

Here are the four I have read most recently:

Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization by Edward Slingerland: I am not sure where I saw this, but I put it on my list for the Yule Book Flood that my wife, my daughter and I do each Christmas. This was a pretty deep dive into the history of alcohol from an alcohol-positive perspective. He did spend the final chapter going over all the negatives, but I really appreciated the historical insights into the benefits of a drink or two. He had a pretty good sense of humor about things and added some COVID context, which I appreciated.

The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms: I had read one of her books in 2019 and thought I would give this a try. I didn’t hate it, but I enjoyed the other book more. This tale of a social media influencer who goes off the grid and the social media employee who secretly takes over the influencer’s account had some very serious topics going through it – sibling death, suicide attempts, and difficulty connecting with parents. But the heavy-handed examination of how social media influences our lives just didn’t work for me, especially when one of the critical moments was obvious from a mile away.

Too Much Too Late by Marc Spitz: An inside tale of a fictional rock band is one of my weak spots. Marc Spitz delivered in this one about a band that hits it big years after they broke up. Their attempts to embrace stardom on the back end of their career end up a hilarious (and sad) disaster. I was saddened to learn that Spitz died several years ago because I enjoyed both of his rock fiction books.

The Humans by Matt Haig: Having been blown away by How to Stop Time and The Midnight Library, I wanted to jump into some of Haig’s other work. This 2014 novel tells the story of an alien sent to Earth in order to assume the identity of a mathematician who found the key to advanced civilizations. Initially repulsed by everything on Earth, he comes to embrace our unusual ways, much to the dismay of his overseers. You can see the nuggets of wisdom in this book that make the other two books I mention so compelling. I highly recommend this if you have liked Haig’s other works.

2022 Reading Update #1

brian — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 23:18:48 +0000

My reading journey for 2022 has started a little slower than some other years. I am only two books in with the third one not too far away from the end.

I kept meaning to blog about the first two books, but kept putting it off. Knocking this post out was part of the impetus for trying to blog every single day (except the first one) this month.

I will strive to keep the format of all of my book posts this year consistent, but I can’t promise anything.

The Night the Lights Went Out by Drew Magary: I first started reading Magary 20ish years ago when he was part of the foul-mouth crew who wrote irreverent stuff on a sports blog whose name I won’t use because it isn’t really funny in hindsight.

Anyway, he made me laugh back then and stayed in my consciousness as a writer for Deadspin and other outlets. I was less fond of his juvenile stuff as time went on (even though I am still very juvenile), but also saw some really powerful takes on a number of issues.

That’s why I couldn’t wait to read this book, a memoir/oral history about the traumatic brain injury he suffered several years ago and his recovery. The book is funny, heart-wrenching and brutally honest. He has an incredible gift for writing. I highly recommend this.

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Berry: I am not sure how a book about how the members of a high school girls field hockey team use magic (maybe) to enhance their senior season ended up on my reading list, but I am thoroughly happy I did.

First of all, it is a delightful ride through late 1980s nostalgia. The way Berry uses song lyrics or commercial tag lines seamlessly through the narration just amazed me. She also deftly uses a first-person plural narrator without really distracting from the story.

The sports angle may not be for everyone, but it truly is more about the relationships than the actual games. This book definitely should be on your to-be-read list.

The Final Tally – 31 Books

brian — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 23:45:38 +0000

Wrapping up the year in reading with the final 6 of the 31 books I read this year.

The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin
I am a sucker for a good plot device and Chloe Benjamin nails it with her examination of four siblings from New York. As youngsters, they visit a woman who claims she can tell you when you will die. This impacts their lives in an oversized way and fuels an incredible journey through San Francisco, Las Vegas and upstate New York. The complex connections between siblings ring incredibly true and made this a really fun – if sad – read.

Going Green, Nick Spalding
I am a sucker for these pretty formulaic comedies by Spalding. I thought maybe I had hit my wall with this one – and it does pale in comparison to some of the earlier ones – but a twist at the end had me laughing out loud and made any of the problems earlier in the book mostly go away.

Hell of a Hat, Kenneth Partridge
After working for 10 years at a university press, I know that they can crank out some pretty cool books. This is one of them. Published by the Penn State Press, the book provides a really comprehensive look at the ska and swing scenes in the 1990s. I was not a part of either scene (or the many sub-scenes associated with them, which are also huge parts of the story) so I learned a lot and ended up going down some interesting YouTube and Wikipedia rabbit holes. Anyone who enjoys nerding out on a subject, especially music, would probably enjoy this.

This is How It Feels, Mike Keegan
I think I got to this one from a discussion between some soccer journalists I follow on Twitter. If you want an exhaustive discussion of one soccer club from 1980s England, this is your book. Keegan dissects the rise of Oldham Athletic and their resourceful manager Joy Royle. While some of the game details seemed a little too much at times, the book did provide a great glimpse into the last period before big money really came into British soccer. I really enjoyed the connection between the team and the surrounding community as well as the bizarre stories from a time when pro athletes didn’t have every move documented by the media.

Exciting Times, Naoise Dolan
I am pretty sure that Matthew Norman, one of my favorite authors, recommended this one on Twitter. Dolan provides fascinating character studies in a book where very little actually happens. But the way Ava, Julian and Edith interact and don’t interact had me glued to this one. Sometimes you just need smart insights into human behavior to make a book shine.

Wake Up Happy Every Day, Stephen May
Somehow this one ended up on my list through a search on my library’s e-book app. I loved how what seemed to be a simple story about two men – one rich (Russell) and one questioning almost everything (Nicky) – turned into part comedy, part spy caper, part moral compass. This could have veered into a weirdness like Dave Barry’s Big Trouble or turned preachy, but instead we get into a deep dive of the complexities of life and being a good person.

Read previous posts from this year:

Generation X Holds Up

brian — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 21:14:40 +0000

The moniker “Generation X” can carry some weighty expectations. Latchkey kids, fighting between generations, the ability to program both a VCR and a cell phone. Those things all define my generation.

But at one point, Generation X only referred to a book by a first-time author from Canada. I recently re-read Douglas Coupland’s influential novel, which I purchased when it came out in March 1991. This was my 25th book of 2021.

Back then, I was working for a weekly newspaper and harboring my own writing aspirations. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life at the time. Being laid off a few months later didn’t help much.

I never really broke out from journalistic writing for a number of reasons. I don’t have real regrets because I love the life I live. Reading Coupland’s book again, however, took me back to those feelings of limitless possibility.

The premise of the book is simple. Three people in their late 20s – Andy, Dag and Claire – tell each other stories and consider their place in the world. You can get a lot deeper, but that’s the crux of the story. Andy is the first-person narrator.

In short, I loved the book all over again. I certainly saw some ways that it impacted my conversational writing style. I loved the little definitions and pieces of art throughout the margins. It really managed to tell a story in many different ways.

A few things that jumped out at me:

“Dag says he’s a lesbian trapped in a man’s body.” I know of at least one college friend who used to say this. So trite, but on point for some late 80s, early 90s guys.
“To borrow a phrase from a popular song, he’s loyal to the Bank of America.” You will definitely get in my pants – metaphorically speaking – when you refer to a deep REM cut like “Exhuming McCarthy” as a “popular song.”
“101-ism: The tendency to pick apart, often in minute detail, all aspects of life using half-understood pop psychology as a tool.” He basically predicted social media.
“He owns the marketing rights to those two little buttons on push-button telephones – the star and the box buttons astride the zero.” Before “pound sign” or “hashtag” took over our life.
Cryptotechnophobia: The secret belief that technology is more of a menace than a boon.” Still working this one out, Douglas.

I highly recommend reading the book if you have not, but especially if you have. Sure, pretentiousness abounds, but that is what early 90s Gen X life could be like.

Two Dozen!

brian — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:38:53 +0000

This was a fun run of books in the past couple of months. The first two have some serious similarities. The third one was something I had started and set aside, and the final one is the only non-fiction entry in this update that came recommended by a friend. I’d give a thumbs up to all of these to varying degrees.

Just Like You: I was poking around the York County Library app when I found this Nick Hornby book. I used to LOVE Hornby, especially in my days as a huge soccer fan. I would read Fever Pitch before each season to get excited. I don’t always find his single-mindedness so alluring these days. But this book told the love story of two London residents you might not expect to see together under the stressful backdrop of the 2016 Brexit referendum. Hornby’s skill for character development makes this a really engaging story that will have you guessing about the end all the way to the final page.

Flatshare: Another library find. It may have been in the same search that brought me Just Like You. I had never heard of this book or its author, but want more! This again focuses on two people you might not expect to be compatible. Tiffy and Leon “meet” when they develop a unique roommate agreement that has them sharing an apartment without ever seeing one another. Of course, that changes, but this goes beyond typical rom-com territory with deep looks into abusive relationships, family dynamics and the fairness of the legal system. Don’t let that scare you – O’Leary has a deft touch that also includes plenty of laughs. Definitely recommend this one.

Dry Hard: One more dip into Nick Spalding’s quick and breezy relationship novels. He takes on alcohol dependence in this one, but the way it affects Kate and Scott – the married couple at the center – can surprise you. Throw in some investigation of social media’s intrusion on our lives as well as toxic workplaces, and this one ended a lot better than it started for me.

The Sports Gene: My friend Keith suggested this one, and I am grateful for that advice. It is a little out of date – the original was published in 2013, but the version I bought has an update from a few years later – but it takes a fascinating look at the difficult intersection of genetics, athletic skill and hard work. Author David Epstein literally traveled all over the world to unravel these connections. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think other sports fans will as well. One caveat – if you get the Kindle version, it’s not as long as it looks. A good one-third of the book is footnotes and index. That’s not a problem, just a heads up if you are trying to gauge the length.

So this puts me at 24 books – double my usual goal for a year and three short of my 2020 total. I may go on a re-read binge here. I have started Generation X by Douglas Coupland and may settle into a few books I enjoyed in my 20s just because I feel like it.

Up to 20 Books

brian — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 20:30:36 +0000

We are up to 20 books this year! So many great choices. Hope some of these end up on your list. Let me know if you want more details.

Midnight Library by Matt Haig: Oh, my word. This is the year of Matt Haig. What an amazing story, bending time, place and character. In the first few chapters, I really wasn’t sure how the crux of the story was going to work, but when it started, I could not stop reading. One of the best books I have read in ages.

What Makes You Think You’re Awake by Maegan Poland: I don’t regularly read short story collections, but I might change that after this fantastic book by my niece (she married my nephew in 2020). I thoroughly enjoyed every single story in the collection. The work that went into building so many different worlds floored me. And I loved supporting a family member, a new author and a small press when I bought the book.

I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson: This sat on my wishlist for a long time, and I pulled the trigger as I looked for something which would be a nice easy read at the beach. And it delivered. The chronicle of a three-week road trip across the country she took one summer has a lot of fun stuff, a lot of introspective stuff and just plain old random things. Definitely a good choice.

How Lucky by Will Leitch: I have always liked Leitch’s sports writing and general columns so I figured this would be fun. I did not expect it to blow me away like it did. A thriller that probably goes at a little slower pace than most thrillers, he nailed it with perfect characters, some fascinating hooks and an incredibly detailed inclusion of Athens, Ga., as an extra character. I highly recommend this one.

Midnight Bowling by Quinn Dalton: When I bought Maegan’s book, I wanted to pick something else up from Blair, the small nonprofit press which published the book. This is a few years old, but I liked the idea of someone trying to live up to their parent’s shadow in something as niche as bowling. The book really brought this world to life, including some great 70s-era nostalgia. I didn’t love the shared narration by two characters, but it wasn’t a deal breaker.

The Long Fuse By Don Cook: My wife bought this Colonial-era history book a while back, and I decided to delve in. I went through it a lot faster than I expected since I sometimes take it slow with history to make sure I am really digesting the information. This perspective of how the British lost the war rather than the Americans winning it is really compelling. The constant missteps (coupled with the fact that any orders and advice would take 3-4 months round trip) really shows just how messed up the entire situation was. I may have to look for more on this time period.

Donuts and the Beach

brian — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 20:36:05 +0000

I don’t think I will top Books 13 and 14 for this year. Two of my favorite authors both delivered books that go far beyond my very high expectations.

Warning: I am in no way objective about this first book.

Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love by my friend Jared Reck may be classified as a young adult book, but everyone with a heart will appreciate this engaging story. I have extra love for it because it touches on so many things I love in the community where we live. Since the characters are seniors in high school and my daughter was in the same graduating class (and was close friends) with Jared’s daughter just a few years ago, some of the details struck special chords with me.

But it goes beyond the familiarity. I love Jared’s characters – he has a special insight into kids this age group as a middle school teacher and father of two. Plus, he’s still a big kid. That shows in how we get inside the minds of these kids struggling with pressures that they really don’t need at this time of life.

I teared up on multiple occasions, just like when I read A Short History of the Girl Next Door, his first book. But these were different kinds of tears because this is a different kind of story. You won’t regret it.

After that, I jumped immediately into All Together Now by Matthew Norman. I forget how I first found him, but now I am all in on his work. He is based in Baltimore, and we have connected a little on Twitter. I am a sucker for how he weaves my birthplace into his stories.

This book takes us to the Delaware beaches, a place I have vacationed for most of my life so it sucked me in even more. But again, it’s the depth of the characters in his stories that makes me lobe his books so much.

The folks in this story are messy and real. You can feel the history between them as they navigate a hectic Memorial Day weekend, confronting the past, present and future.

I can’t recommend these books highly enough. And, man, do both have amazing covers as well.

2021 Reading Update

brian — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 16:03:33 +0000

I know I have read 12 books this year. That used to be my yearly goal, but COVID has pushed me further than usual for the second year in a row. I just have more time to read, plus I prioritize it more without places to go. I usually post about the books I read on Facebook these days. But when I went to collate those updates for this post, I found no mention of Books #1 and 2, but three posts talking about Book #3. So the order here might be a bit off, which matters to no one except for me. But here is something about each of the 12 books.

The Story of a Goat: This was recommended my friend Laxmi in a Facebook post where someone asked for translations of books not written in English. So shoutouts to my new worldwide improv friends for widening my horizons. I really, really enjoyed it. I am not sure what percentage is the writing and what percentage is the translation, but this book moved so easily and artfully weaved together humor, insight and allegory. I loved how the POV would seamlessly switch from a human character to the goat and back. I also really appreciate the afterward by the translator to put some things in perspective. Highly recommend this one.

Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing: I love Planet Money so this was a fun read. Money is fake. We need to stop obsessing about it. We need to stop letting people who have the most of this fake thing rig the system so they can create new and weird ways to make more of this fake thing.

Caste: This was a hard, but needed read. It should shake you to your core. Isabel Wilkerson pulls no punches, and we need that. I just wish more people who truly needed to read this book would open their minds to the message and the serious need for change. If you say people need to stop talking about racism, you need to read this book. If you think we all just need to get along, you need to read this book. If you think other folks just need to work harder to better their lives, you need to read this book.

Logging Off: I think this was the fourth book by Nick Spalding that I have read. Some nights when I was reading Caste, I just needed something a little more upbeat and would dive into this. It’s silly and weird and a great tonic.

The Boys of Winter: I have an incredible fascination with the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. I knew I would roll right through this book. While it doesn’t reach the quality of the out-of-print “One Goal,” which I think is the definitive book on the team, I really enjoyed this one. The writer uses literal play-by-play of the game – not kidding, each pass is dissected at times in very close detail – as a gateway into the stories of the American team. Sadly, not all the players were fully cooperative from what author Wayne R. Coffey said, but the there is still a lot to learn about these guys.

A Good Neighborhood: I heard about this one on an NPR podcast which was suggesting books on racial dynamics. Therese Anne Fowler takes a look at the many relationships which come from a black single Mom, her son and their new white neighbors in a North Carolina town. The story is sad, but delves into some of the difficult issues facing people today. I didn’t love the omniscent/Greek chorus narration from an unnamed neighbor who knew the ending of the story, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from appreciating the story.

Anxious People: I kept seeing friends post about this book and really am glad I gave it a shot. I found the writing style of Fredrik Backman engaging and loved the way he told this complicated and ultimately heartwarming story. As a sucker who really believes that good lurks inside all of us, I appreciated the journey that Backman took us on.

How to Stop Time: Damn, this was good. I am a sucker for a narrative that moves back and forth through time. When that also includes a main character who ages on year for every 15ish year he lives, that makes it even better. I am adding Matt Haig to my “gotta read all his stuff now” list. Not only did he create fantastic worlds, but I was a little surprised by some of the final action, which is always fun for a book I found myself invested in.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: I think this slightly missed the mark because I don’t give a fuck about a lot of the things he is trying to encourage people to not give a fuck about. This might have hit me differently at a younger age. I don’t disagree with many of the things he lays out. I just already try to work them into my daily life. Besides, we get it, Mark. You traveled to 50 countries and didn’t feel fulfilled. Stop flexing! I recommend it, kind of. It’s not a hard read at all.

Fleishman is in Trouble: I had wanted to read this a while back, but just never got around to it. When I finished the above book, I saw that this was on sale in the Kindle store so went with it. I like supporting authors and indie bookstores, but a millionaire author who has a TV deal with Hulu will get me to choose the cheapest option. I didn’t hate this book, but I loathed every person in it. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. The lesson seemed to be that a life of excess will never work out, but it seemed like Taffy Brodesser-Akner wanted us to feel sorry for some or all of these people who couldn’t just be carefree twenty-somethings anymore and had to, ugh, spend time with their kids. It did seem to completely revolve around how marriage and kids ruined everything for everyone. That didn’t expose anything bad about the world to me. It just showed these are shitty people and, if they are the examples the author sees in her life, she’s just as empty as they are.

A Stupid and Futile Gesture: I watched the movie based on this book earlier in pandemic times. The film focuses mainly on Doug Kenney and his impact on comedy through National Lampoon magazine and then the Animal House and Caddyshack movies. The book is much more expansive, digging deep into the machinations that made National Lampoon such an influential publication. At times, I felt the book was stilted by its structure of just following the magazine’s changes from year-to-year. But as the narrative builds, you see how that needed to happen to catalogue the events that led to Kenney’s sad death at such a young age. The book is good. There is a TON of information, and I wish it had more visual representations of the magazine’s pages, but I ultimately enjoyed it.

Darling at the Campsite: This is Andy Abromowitz’s third book, and I loved it as much as the first two. He’s a Baltimorean so I have a natural inclination, but he also writes such rich characters and effortlessly pulls you through his stories. This one was a little harder to get into than the first two, but those really had hooks that I related to – rock star dreams and connecting with your child. Rowan Darling is a 30-something record store owner with complicated relationships from the past. When he has to confront them, everything starts to really speed along. What I love about Abromowitz is that the last 50-75 pages really pack a punch. Details you may have forgotten all of a sudden pop back up. Not in a murder mystery kind of way, but in a “the details of life matter” way. I highly recommend this and his other two books.

2020 Books

brian — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 02:58:00 +0000

Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Black Widow by Leslie Streeter
Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman
What in God’s Name by Simon Rich
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
24 Hours in Ancient Rome by Philip Matyszak
The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s by Andy Greene
Checking Out by Nick Spalding
A Beginner’s Guide to Freefall by Andy Abromowitz
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
24 Hours in Ancient Athens by Philip Matyszak
The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump
Conference Room Five Minutes by Shea Seranno
Where Do You Think We Are by Shea Seranno
The Astonishing Life of August March by Aaron Jackson
Grab On To Me Tightly As If I Knew The Way by Bryan Charles
Parents Behaving Badly by Scott Gummer
Mad Love by Nick Spalding
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden
24 Hours in Ancient Egypt by Donald P. Ryan
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
Do It Now: Essays on Narrative Improv by Parallelogramophonograph

2019 Reading Log

brian — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 20:16:36 +0000

I try to average one book a month. With six weeks left in the year, I have already surpassed that number. After the graphic is an update on what I have read in 2019 with short reviews of each one, starting with my most recent book.

Bricking It (Nick Spalding): I needed something light after The Italian Teacher and came upon this one somewhere in my Amazon search. I love light-hearted British silliness and ate this up like it was candy. The story moves along quickly with some obviously absurd nudges, but that’s the point of comedy, right? And the ending didn’t quite track for me, but an unexpected surprise that literally had me laugh out loud made up for all that. He has written a bunch of books so I will probably re-visit his work.

The Italian Teacher: A Novel (Tom Rachman): I enjoyed an earlier book of his so really looked forward to this one. I didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it. The story is kind of long and meandering, but it’s such a nice character study that I kept getting sucked in. The difficult part, for me, was that I really disliked every single person in the book. But that’s life sometimes.

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler (Kelly Harms): I found this one in my exploration of Kindle Unlimited. The story of the librarian getting a chance to free herself from the things that tie us down in life really entertained me. Of course, there were some unrealistic twists and turns, but that’s what I love about make believe! I found the character very engaging, enough so to look into some of harms’ other work.

Not to Mention a Nice Life: A Novel (Sean Murphy): This ended up on my Wish List somehow, and it only cost a few dollars (I generally read on my Kindle), and I regret it. The book was not bad, per se. It’s just that nothing happened. I fell for the description about a corporate coming-of-age story. But it was really just this meandering treatise on corporate meandering and waste. I don’t recommend.

Camino Beach (Amanda Callendrier): My first Kindle Unlimited choice, and a perfect selection for my summer vacation. The madcap capers of the main characters just fit right in as I sat on the beach to read. This is a very unsung book with real characters looking at how to confront not only their past, but the version of the past they have in their heads.

The Best of Adam Sharp (Graeme Simsion): I had this on my Wish List for a long time and then randomly came across it in a small bookstore while on vacation. A very complicated tale of love, lust and memory. I found it really enjoyable, but always have a soft spot for anything which uses music as a reference point. The notion of wondering if a quiet life is enough will ring familiar to most readers, but Simsion adds some special twists.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (Elizabeth Gilbert): I started reading this on the advice of some of my improv friends. At that point, I had no idea she was the author of Eat, Pray, Love. I just heard them going on about Big Magic and got the book. It is tempting to disdain EPL as a trite concept, and some may say the same about Big Magic. But as I explore my creative and positive side, this book hit the mark. Sure, she gets a little mystical and preachy, but she does it in the context of living your best life. I can dig that.

Pirate Robot Ninja: An Improv Fable (Will Hines and Billy Merritt): This has a very niche audience, but it delivers in every way possible. I could not love this book anymore if I tried.

Begin the Begin: R.E.M.’s Early Years (Robert Dean Lurie): I am endlessly fascinated by the stories and mythology from my favorite band. I waited eagerly for this beook and then devoured it. I may not buy into everything (especially since some stories are known to shift over time), but I love a detailed insight into these folks who have had such a huge influence on me.

The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man’s Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America (Tommy Tomlinson): One of my favorite books of the year (correcting for the obvious improv/R.E.M. bias in the previous two selections). An honest and heartbreaking take of a man fighting against himself and society on many fronts. I loved the structure he used to tell his story. I am a sucker for conversational sports columnists like Tomlinson. While I don’t have as big of a weight problem as he had, I can definitely relate to some of his eating habits.

Less: A Novel (Andrew Sean Greer): I usually don’t read the kinds of books that win Pulitzer Prizes, but this one just kind of fell into my Kindle. Honestly, I don’t remember how I came upon it, but I am really glad I read this one. I didn’t love the narrative device, but I found the twists and turns of the story fascinating.

Oh, I Do Like To Be… (Marie Phillips): I came across Marie Phillips about a decade ago when I read Gods Behaving Badly, a hilarious novel about the 12 gods of Olympus living in modern-day London. When I saw she had a new book with a twist on Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors, I had to get it. The cloning concept took a couple of chapters to sink into my head, but once I could keep everyone straight, I had a blast. Probably my favorite book of the year.

I’ll Be There for You (Kelsey Miller): I read this book before everyone had a hot take on whether Friends is important anymore or problematic or worthy of discussion. This spoke to a lot of the issues which have come up throughout the year as people imagine the impending doom of having to watch this show on a different streaming platform in the future. I still love the show even while acknowledging its faults and think Miller does a great job diving into all those things.