2022 Reading

Troubled Water - Seth M. Siegel. I bought this from the local Little Village Toy & Book Shop. The back room is a discount area with 50% off books and I thought I wanted to learn more about climate change and concerns to our water supply. I didn't, really. Now I know all about the microplastics in every sip of water I drink. It was incredibly informative and depressing and I wish the EPA had the teeth to regulate industry and keep people safe.

Bringing Down the House - Ben Mezrich. A LFL book that tells the true story of MIT students and their teacher who used math to win from Las Vegas and other casinos. I can't imagine winning - and losing - millions. The movie "21" is based on this book and if I find it on tv or streaming, I'd watch it.

Slow Burn - Julie Garwood. A LFL book I read because it was based in Charleston/Savannah. Definitely chick-lit.

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - Patrick Radden Keefe. I ask for anything off the Washington Post or NYT bestseller/year end book lists every year for Christmas. This is a gripping story about the Irish troubles and how people died and disappeared. I don't think I grasped how much this affected people in Belfast for three decades.

Ordinary Justice: How America Holds Court - Amy Bach. This took me a couple attempts to get through because it hit so close to home about some of the failures of the criminal justice system. If you like Season 3 of Serial, this book is for you. This should be required reading for public defenders or prosecutors, along with Just Mercy.

The Dry Grass of August - Anna Jean Mayhew. A LFL book about 1950s living in the south. It gave me insight into a world very different than my own childhood. Some DV.

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle - Amelia Nagoski. This book was a refuge in May when I was contemplating quitting my job and taking some time to think about what I wanted to do with my life. Fortunately, I was able to take a month off and start a new, fulfilling position.

The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown. A fun, quick LFL read about the 1936 Olympic men's rowing team. It's being adapted into a movie and I found that my mom and several other people read it this fall as well, so it was nice to talk about it with others.

Where the Deer and Antelope Play - Nick Offerman. I won a $25 gift card to the Little Village Toy & Book Shop for winning Littleton's cupcake eating contest! I treated myself to the first book that caught my eye, on the new releases table - a book from Park & Rec and Making It's Nick Offerman about getting outdoors, being less materialistic, and eating ethically raised meat. I don't agree with ALL of it (for example, the quantity of meat being consumed) and Nick could at times get pedantic, but overall I loved that it supported my newly found impulse to get outside more and just BE in nature.

Wish You Were Here - Jodi Picoult. I borrowed this from my mom, and I think it's the first Jodi Picoult book I've thoroughly enjoyed. I was hooked all the way through the twist. I wasn't annoyed like I was with Small Great Things or A Spark of Light.

The Rent Collector - Camron Wright. My mom really enjoyed this book, and when I borrowed it last year, I had trouble getting started because of the negative imagery of the slums of Mumbai and the human suffering. Once I got moving, it was an immersive story.

A Beautiful Mind - Sylvia Nasar. I finally got through this book! It took a year or two. It was interesting but dense, and, obviously, had a lot of depressing mental illness.