50 Books Review of 2022
1. Moon Over Soho - Ben Aaronovich
Another great story in this series. Funny, adventurous and entertaining.
2. Anthem - Noah Hawley
Ooof, this guy needs a god damn Xanax. Things aren’t this bad my guy. Do not recommend.
3. Double Solitare - Craig Nova
Great pulp crime novel. Pretty, pretty, pretty good. Short and sweet.
4. Empire (Howard Hughes Biography) - Donald L Barlett
Skip this and go watch Leo in the Aviator.
5. Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion
Love Joan’s writing, no one was doing it like her back in the day and it still stands up.
6. Midnight Riot - Ben Aaronovich
Again see, book number 1
7. Self-Compassion - Kristin Neff
Everyone should read this. Love thyself people. Be kind to thyself.
8. Bullet Train - Kotaro Isaka
Fun and fast paced book. Didn’t see the movie but heard it was good too.
9. Time’s Arrow - Martin Amis
What a trip this one was. A book told/lived in reverse. Really makes you think.
10. The Neon Rain - James Lee Burke
This was his first big success and I loved it.
11. The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu - Tom Lin
This to me was boring AF. Interesting idea, the writing was awesome but the story was flat.
12. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
A classic, what else can I say.
13. A Man with One of Those Faces - Caimh McDonnell
Love me some Irish street gang crime novels and this one hits the spot.
14. On Writing - Stephen King
Great mix of how he does his thing and personal stories, like the one where he was hit by a van and about died.
15. Ruthie Fear - Maxim Loskutoff
Local author from the Bitterroot. I loved this book.
16. Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
One of his most surreal and funniest novels.
17. The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
The creator of the Watchmen definitely read this a bunch of times. Lots of similarities.
18. Someone in Time - Johnathan Strahan
Collection of short stories about love/time travel. Great concepts. Solid book.
19. Out of Sight - Elmore Lenard
What a great and fun read.
20. Every Cloak Rolled in Blood - James Lee Burke
Jimmy took a dark and scary turn here. Stephen King like but still written well. A lot of hurt and grief in this one.
21. Shane - Jack Schaefer
Great dramatic/friendship book disguised as a western. Highly recommend.
22. Bluebeard - Kurt Vonnegut
Not his best but had a great pay off.
23. Whispers Under Ground - Ben Aaronvitch
See book 6 and 1
24. Fellowship of the Ring - JRR Tolkien
My first time reading it and I didn’t realize how much singing there is in the books! Still awesome though.
25. Trust - Hernan Diaz
This was awesome. I was so god damn lost in the beginning but it doesn’t matter because it pays off huge.
26. Winter Counts - David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Crime drama set on a reservation. Excellent book.
27. Highfire - Eoin Colfer
Funny, super funny. Not many books are truly funny. This one was funny. Did I mention it was funny. Read it. Funny.
28. The Death of Jim Loney - James Welch
Not many books leave me crushed but this one took a few days to get over. Amazing.
29. Fools Crow - James Welch
His best work IMO, a true classic.
30. My Name is Lucy Barton - Elizabeth Stout
If you have a weird/difficult relationship with your mom this one will hurt a little. Love how it was structured and written.
31. The Two Towers - Tolkien
Less singing, more battles and for fuck sake, listen to it on the audio book with Andy Serkis narrating. It’s fucking amazing.
32. The Night Watchmen - Louise Erdrich
Loved the soul of this book. Great representation of Native lives.
33. Heat 2 - Michael Mann
Best action novel I have ever read. Stands up to the movie
34. Beneath a Scarlet Sky - Matt Sullivan
Still haven’t figured out if this is fiction or not, either way it is the wildest ww2 story I’ve read (I have not read many though).
35. Return of the King - J.R.R Tolkien
See Book 31. (seriously, listen to this book on audible. The best reading of a book i’ve ever heard)
36. Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself - David Lipsky
Story about Lipsky interviewing David Foster Wallace while on tour. Great insight to a master writer.
37. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Wonderful novel. Multi-generational story that left me feeling like I had lived a whole life. Long but worth the read
38. Ghost Story - Peter Straub
I think this was one of the first great modern horror novels and I loved it.
39. Sarah - JT LeRoy
Read this to see what the hoopla was about and it was interesting for sure. A view into a life I hope no one ever has to live. Lots of weird backstory to the author that’s worth looking into
40. The Secret History - Donna Tarot
This was alright. Extremely slow start but it gained speed and wrapped up nicely. Stick with it if you read this one.
41. The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy
This one left me wanting and needing to read it again. His work is always so dense but it was also hilarious. Great dialog. Just glad this genius released more work.
42. The Murderer’s Son - Joy Ellis
Great detective novel, the first in a long series. Decent twists and turns but written very well.
43. John Dies at the End - David Wong
This was a wild book. Gross, funny and chaotic but ultimately the story petered out for me. Thinking of giving his other work a shot.
44. The Club - Joshua Robinson, Jonathan Clegg
Interested in how the English Premier League soccer (football) industry works? Then this is the book for you.
45. Among the Thugs - Bill Buford
Brutal and violent true story about soccer hooligans. Wild culture and some nice through exercises in why hooligans exist.
46. Maradona - Jimmy Burns
One of soccers GOATS had a truly tragic life. The classic fame/money/success/talent does not equal happiness story.
47. Boleyn Boy - Mark Noble
Decent bio about a soccer player in England who played his entire career with one club. Unheard off now, but it was sweet to see his commitment and love for his hometown/home club.
48. Dr. No - Percival Everett
Hard pass. Stupid and actually led to me to leave a shitty review. I’ve never left a review on anything in my life. That’s how much I hated this one.
49. The Enigma of Room 622
Awesome book. Lots of fun twists and turns and kept me engaged and guess the whole time. Nice pay off and great writing.
50. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel
A fictionalized telling of Henry VIII’s life through the eyes of an English lawyer named Mark Rylance. It’s not a barn burner of a book but still interesting to read the dynamic of church and monarchy in England/France/Rome at the time.