LATE DECEMBER
No nonfiction read during this time.
JANUARY
Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, by Charles Panati (1987)
Short recaps of the origins of everyday things, from bread to marbles to socks and sunscreen.
Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman (2013)
There's a lot of interesting science behind competitiveness.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 2.
FEBRUARY
Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn't Make Sense, by Paul David Tripp (2018)
Life doesn't make sense a lot of the time. Paul Tripp is always a worthwhile read.
"Daddy's Gone To War": The Second World War in the Eyes of America's Children, by William M. Tuttle Jr (1993)
This was a very interesting angle to approach it from, especially having read Our Mother's War about six months earlier.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir, by Bill Bryson (2006)
Bryson's account of growing up in the Iowa of the 1950s and 1960s. One of his better works.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 5.
MARCH
Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's, by Ray Kroc and Robert Anderson (1978)
Ray Kroc's autobiography. He was an appalling man.
Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings, by Diana Pavlac Glyer (2016)
Rewritten from a scholarly work as a condensed version of the same material for a general audience, this could have been better. It felt a little scattered and unfocused.
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business, by Dick Van Dyke and Todd Gold (2011)
This was pretty good for a celebrity memoir.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 8.
APRIL
Franklin: The Man Behind the United States Commando Dogs, by Matthew Duffy (2017)
This was awful writing, but interesting to see the level of detail that goes into training military-grade working dogs. Reviewed for Dog O'Day.
Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, by Larry Tye (2009)
This was ponderous and fairly dull, but if you didn't know much about baseball it could have potentially been interesting.
Plane Insanity: A Flight Attendant's Tales of Sex, Rage and Queasiness at 30,000 Feet, by Elliott Hester (2001)
An interesting look at the life of flight attendants pre-9-11.
Vanished Arizona: Recollections of the Army Life of a New England Woman , by Martha Summerhayes (1908)
At her children's request, a woman retells in written form the stories of being an Army wife during the settling of the Old West. It's a good premise, but rather tiresome to read.
Lacrosse for Dummies, by Jim Hickson and Joe Lombardi (2010)
An explanation of the rules and tactics of the sport of lacrosse.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 13.
MAY
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor, by Brad Gooch (2009)
A very thorough biography of Flannery O'Connor, contrary traditional Catholic, written by a gay atheist English professor. Odd juxtaposition, that, which she probably would have found amusing.
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marty Becker and Carol Kline (1998)
A variety of sweet and somewhat sappy small essays from a variety of people both obscure and famous.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 15.
JUNE
Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know About a Galaxy Far, Far Away, by
A very thorough look at everything Star Wars, skimming across the surface of essentially every facet possible.
Buyology, by Martin Lindstrom and Peter Steele (2008)
An interesting look at the neuroscience of marketing.
In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson (2000)
Bill Bryson exploring through Australia. I want to go there now.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 18.
JULY
All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football and the Miracle Season, by Kurt Warner and Michael Silver (2000)
For a sports memoir, this was decent.
One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan, by Pen Farthing (2009)
A British marine's story of how he started a rescue for abandoned dogs while serving very far away away from home.
The Garner Files: A Memoir, by James Garner and Jon Winokur (2011)
A memoir of James Garner. Very interesting and entertaining.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 21.
AUGUST
Roads: Driving America's Great Highways, by Larry McMurtry (2000)
He explores the highways of America, comparing them to the rivers the pioneers traversed.
84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff (1970)
A delightful book of letters between a freelance writer in New York City and the employees of a used bookstore in London, spanning twenty years.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 23.
SEPTEMBER
To Indy and Beyond: The Life of Racing Legend Jack Zink, by Dr. Bob L. Blackburn (2008)
A rather dull biography of 1950s IndyCar owner Jack Zink of Tulsa. Good to know for racing and state history, but not an enthralling read.
Concussion, by Jeanne Marie Laskas (2015)
The story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian immigrant who discovered the brain disease CTE, incurring the wrath of the NFL.
The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World, by Jere Longman (2000)
A thorough, riveting account of the 1999 Women's World Cup final.
Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV, by Brian Stelter (2013)
Behind the scenes of the battle for TV supremacy between The Today Show and Good Morning America.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total to 27.
OCTOBER
Duty: A Father, His Son and the Man who Won the War, by Bob Greene (2000)
Bob Greene deals with the passing of his father and learns more about the mindset of World War II soldiers thanks to his friendship with the pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives, by Tanya Biank (2005)
I've thought that about the only thing worse than being in the Army would be being married to someone who was. This book confirmed that impression, though it also provided an interesting look at how like works on a military base.
All the News Unfit to Print: How Things Were....and How They Were Reported, by Eric Burns (2009)
A lighthearted and breezy look at bad journalism, both intentional and accidental, throughout history.
Three Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager, by Buzz Bissinger (2005)
A look at the St Louis Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa during one series in the middle of the 2003 National League season.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total to 31.
NOVEMBER
So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading, by Sara Nelson (2004)
An editor of a women's magazine (who's married to the production designer on Saturday Night Live) chronicles the books she read in a year, the ones she meant to read, and the ones life threw at her.
Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball, by Bob Costas (2001)
I don't care enough about baseball to care about Bob Costas' detailed plans to try to fix what ails Major League Baseball (didn't realize wild cards in the playoffs were a problem, for one), but I think enough time has passed that it can't be fixed. Which makes me slightly sad for him.
The Story of Oklahoma Newspapers, by L. Edward Carter (1984)
This was depressing, given the state of journalism in the past 35 years and the book's hopeful tone for the future..
Heretics, by G.K. Chesterton (1905)
Chesterton talks about his friends and contemporaries among writers and preachers of the day and explains why they're wrong.
The Andy Griffith Show, by Richard Kelly (1981)
A thorough, slightly dull history of the show.
A Bridge of Childhood: Truman Capote's Southern Years, by Marianne Moates (1989)
The author lived in Monroeville, Alabama around the time of To Kill a Mockingbird's publishing, and became friends with a cousin of Truman Capote's named Jennings Faulk. Jennings, Truman and Nelle's adventures as kids provided a lot of the inspiration for Jem, Scout and Dill.
X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe, by Michael Mallory (2011)
A nice general history of the X-Men, found at the Okmulgee Public Library book sale.
Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives, by Dr. Laura Schlessinger (1997)
Most of this wasn't very applicable, since I'm not married or a parent, but it was all right.
Total read this month: 8, bringing total to 39.
DECEMBER
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, by Jacques Pepin (2003)
This was an interesting memoir, especially the parts about his WWII childhood and adventures as a young man.
Cronkite's War: His World War II Letters Home, edited by Walter Cronkite IV and Maurice Isserman (2013)
Excerpts from Walter Cronkite's letters to his wife as a young newspaper journalist in London during World War II. A side of the war we don't often think of.
The Art of Cars, by Michael Wallis (2006)
A look behind the scenes at the process of creating the art of Pixar's movie Cars.
The Art of Monsters University, by Karen Paik (2013)
A look behind the scenes at the process of creating the art of Pixar's Monsters University.
An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood, by Jimmy Carter (1999)
This was excellent, about growing up in the Depression/WWII in rural southwest Georgia.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005)
This very exhaustive but mostly readable history of mid-nineteenth century politics is well worthy of the Pulitzer Prize..
The Dangerous Book for Dogs: A Parody, by Rex and Sparky (actually written by Joe Garden, Chris Pauls, Janet Ginsburg, Anita Serwacki and Scott Sherman; illustrated by Emily Flake) (2007)
A parody of The Dangerous Book for Boys, written by Onion and WordGirl staff writers, this includes chapters like "The Formal Rules of Fetch," "Creative Pee Stains," and "How to Make Your Owner Look Like an Idiot."
The Daring Book for Cats: A Parody, by Fluffy and Bonkers (actually written by Joe Garden, Janet Ginsburg, Chris Pauls, Anita Serwacki and Scott Sherman; illustrated by Emily Flake) (2008)
From a feline perspective, this parody of The Daring Book for Girls includes chapters like "The Laws of Petting," "Reasons You Meant to Do That," and "Cats and Arch-Villains."
King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, by Tim Keller (2011)
The Gospel of Mark is kind of overlooked, making this an enjoyable and instructive read.
The Complete Shih Tzu, by Victor Joris (1994)
This rather dry history of the breed was informative.
Total read estimated this month: 10, bringing total for the year to at least 49.
Total fiction estimated read this year: 56, bringing total for the year to around 105.
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