Rants and Raves

Tag: books

Book Recs from 2024

A number of friends and contacts have posted their 2024 reading lists and recommendations. Some of my friends with really long lists of completed books whittled them down into a top 10. 

Also – I was slightly surprised to see folks posting on Instagram that they read 50 to 75 books as that’s a lot of reading time. It makes me curious to know if they were only books, or if they also listened to audiobooks. I tend to discount audiobooks for some reason that I need to explore more.

I took a look at my own list (full list below) – but I’m not sure I have enough titles to create a top 10 list. I read 25 or so books in 2025. Whittling that down just means I’d have to knock off just over half of the titles. 

I also changed how I was picking some titles this year, and this will continue into 2025. The big change was joining a book club. When we pick books we each nominate a few titles and then vote on what to read. So I got exposed to titles that I would not have normally sought out.

That said- here are my notable titles:

Non-fiction of note:

Hands of Time by Rebecca Struthers. I picked up this title after listening to an interview of Struthers on a podcast I listen to about watches.

My Effin’ Life by Geddy Lee. A great gift from my brother. I thought it’d be interesting, but it was much more than I thought it’d be. I thought I knew a lot of Geddy’s background and story, but I only knew a small part.

Fiction:

The Peacock and The Sparrow  by I.S. Berry. 

A book club pick (that I would have likely picked up anyway- I probably nominated it). Not your typical spy novel. Well crafted.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

I did not think I would like this book for some reason. It may have been too recommended if that makes sense. I wound up getting in to it and liking it quite a bit. Good story telling. 

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

The second book by Towles I’ve read. I got sucked in and really enjoyed the characters, the references and the story. 

My full list is available here on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2024/586174

EOY Book Notes

Looking back at my list of the books I read this year I have a few standouts. I likely have some recency bias but I really enjoyed Hernan Diaz’s two books- In The Distance and Trust. Both are incredibly well-written. Of the two I think I’d recommend Trust more, as some of my friends may not enjoy the story in the earlier book. But they’re both great.

The cover of the book Trust
cinema speculation by quentin tarantino

I’d also recommend any of the Ray Celestin books in the City Blues Quartet; Outlive (although I think I’d lower my previous score- but it did have a lot to think about (maybe I’ll revisit that in a later post); and Quentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation.

You can see more of what I read last year under the links to my Goodreads Profile – and I think I have a widget on my About page.

Best Books (That I Read) of 22?

I was taking a look at my list of books that I read in 2022 on Goodreads. I think the two that I enjoyed most were Breath by James Nestor and Sunset Swing by Ray Celestin.

Do you have a fave or two from last year?

 

Sunset SwingSunset Swing by Ray Celestin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I knew I’d like this only a few pages in due to the author’s writing style. After that I just kept my hopes up that I’d stay engaged. I didn’t know it was the 4th of a series though- it was fine as a standalone novel, but now I want to get the author’s other works.

Breath: The New Science of a Lost ArtBreath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very interesting look at how we breath and how that’s changed over time. One of the most interesting books I’ve read in a while. I even try to incorporate some of the ideas in my day-to-day life during sports and meditation.

View all my reviews

Quick Links – Dec 2022

A post about from a writer who wears a smartwatch on one wrist and a traditional watch on the other. It’s tempting me to get a smartwatch. I keep thinking about getting an Apple Watch or a Whoop device.

Kareem’s blog and newsletter– if you’re not a subscriber, you should be. His blog makes me want to work at becoming a better writer.

NYT’s Best Books of 2022 (And the Staff Picks for 2022)

Goodreads.com Best Books of 2022 (Based on User Choice)