Updated Books List

What's This Page All About?I read a lot. And I get caught up sometimes in obsessive little tasks, like for instance, keeping track of what I've read. So here it is, starting from about October 2005 forward.

Books marked with blue are ones I really enjoyed.

Those marked in orange are titles I didn't even finish, for one reason or another.

The rest...somewhere in between. Anyone with an eye towards statistics will notice the unreasonably high average rating I give these books. There's a reason for that - as noted, I stop reading books I don't like, and I don't give them a rating because I think it's wrong to rate a book you haven't finished. Therefore, it's hard for me to imagine reading a book all the way through and giving it a rating below, say, 5.0, since anything lower than average wouldn't hold my interest long enough to meet that standard. So, were I even geekier than I'll admit to here, I could probably create an adjusted rating by subtracting five from every book here. Therefore, The Tipping Point, a book I really liked, would get three stars out of five, whereas a book I loved, like Kafka On The Shore, would get 4.75 stars out of five. Hm. I might have to do that.Hm. I might have to do that.

Book TitleAuthor Rating (out of 10.0)ThoughtsThe Brass VerdictMichael Connelly8.0First, there's a nice twist in that his main character, Harry Bosch, is a secondary character instead of the narrator. Then, a very entertaining and compelling mystery with an additional twist at the end that promises more. Can't ask for that much more.People Of The BookGeraldine Brooks9.0A great, riveting novel about a Haggadah found in Sarajevo, and it's trace through history -- all told in a casual, modern fun story about the woman tasked with restoring it. I feared this might be dry but it was anything but. Makes me want to read more by this Pulitzer Price winning author.A Wild Haruki Chase: Reading Murakami Around The WorldThe Japan Foundation (collected)6.0I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but this does contain some interesting articles about Haruki Murakami, a great collection of international book covers ... and some academic papers that I really had no interest in reading.The New Kings of NonfictionIra Glass (editor)7.5Largely really good previously published essays and articles by some of my favorite writers (Malcolm Gladwell, Chuck Klosterman, Michael Lewis). Small points off for a few misses plus one or two I realized I'd already read elsewhere.Good PeopleMarcus Sakey7.0Sakey's least satisfying effort, it's still a good suspenseful novel and enjoyable.The Elephant VanishesHaruki Murakami6.5A somewhat uneven collection of stories, including what evolved into the first chapter of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, it's enjoyable but obviously done prior to hitting his stride.Travels In The ScriptoriumPaul Auster5.5A disappointment from one of my favorite authors, Auster is overly cute here and worse yet, not all that interesting. Next!The God DelusionRichard DawkinsN/ADid Not Finish -- as much as I wanted to like this, Dawkins is pretty boring and proud of himself and it's not a great read. Oddly, the only book I started but didn't finish in 2008.NixonlandRick Perlstein9.5Absolutely fascinating account of American politics from 1964-1972 in particular, with Richard Nixon paving the way for the morass that things have largely become. Full review here.At The City's EdgeMarcus Sakey9.0Fantastic second novel by Sakey, a mystery thriller set in Chicago. Sakey is right up there with Lehane, Pelecanos and Connelly in terms of being the best in this kind of novel.The Crying of Lot 49Thomas Pynchon4.5Probably worth reading, but well past it's prime and far too clever for its own good. But I'm glad to notch this one as being finally read.The NineJeffrey Toobin8.0Really interesting non-fiction account of the Supreme Court, notably the last thirty years or so. Well worth reading.The Complete PersepolisMarjane Satrapi9.0Brilliant graphic novel (now a film) about a young woman growing up in and out of Iran during the Islamic Revolution.The Blade ItselfMarcus Sakey9.0Phenomenal. If you like gritty crime novels, Sakey immediately jumps into the landscape here. Just a shockingly good book that is impossible to put down.The Ha-HaDave King7.5An uneven but overall beautiful story about an adult male who lost the power of speech and writing in Vietnam, and how his life changes over a short period of time almost 30 years later.Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie GrasJeff Henderson7.0Certainly an interesting life (from crack dealer to gourmet chef) but that should be slightly more compelling than it was. And the foodie in me wanted more details about the cooking.RiggedBen Mezrich7.0As always, Mezrich is very "readable" but this was my least favorite of his. But I want to go to Dubai.In Defense of FoodMichael Pollan7.5Not nearly the level of "Omnivore's Dilmena" it is still very good and a sad account of what has happened to our food and the way we eat it.The Design of Everyday ThingsDonald A. Norman9.0ReviewThe Wisdom of CrowdsJames Sureowicki7.0Reading it five years after it was written, its insights aren't as new to me as it would have been back then. But still, interesting tings to say about how we learn and operate.Sputnik SweetheartHaruki Murakami7.0While enjoyable, it's probably my least favorite Murakami. It felt a bit sophomoric and undeveloped. Still very good, though.Drama CityGeorge Pelecanos7.0Straight ahead crime story - sad, honest truth about D.C. ("Drama City") from a great author.Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for MillionsBen Mezrich8.0Quite good account of Western bankers running rampant in Southeast Asia in the 1980s and 1990s. Mezrich is unbelievably readable.Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham LincolnDoris Kearns Goodwin9.0ReviewJennifer GovernmentMax Barry7.0Not as good as Company, still a biting satire about our corporate culture.ExileRichard North Patterson4.5ReviewThe Year of Living BiblicallyA.J. Jacobs7.5Not nearly as engaging as The Know It All, this memoir of Jacobs trying to live by the literal rules of the Bible is still quite entertaining.Bridge of SighsRichard Russo8.5Outstanding - which seems to be par for the course for Russo. Woefully underrated author.2008200820082008Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My LifeJohn Sellers8.0A funny memoir detailing the author’s fascination with my own favorite genre of music.Citizen VinceJess Walter8.5A very compelling account of a former gangster, set amidst the 1980 election.The Echo MakerRichard Powers7.5ReviewCommittedMark St. Amant6.5Silly but fun read of an obsessed fantasy football fan. Ahem.A Spot of BotherMark Haddon6.0Disappointing follow-up to 'Curious Incident' but a decent story in and of itself.Dork WhoreIris BahrN/ADid Not FinishHard Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The WorldHaruki Murakami8.5Really good. Full review here.Killing PabloMark Bowden7.0Good, tight story of the hunt for Pablo Escobar.The Yiddish Policemen's UnionMichael Chabon5.5A disappointment. Full ReviewThe OverlookMichael Connelly5.5My least favorite Harry Bosch novel; unsurprised to read in the afterword that it originally was a serial of stories fo a magazine. Just felt that way in novel form.Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is BurningJonathan Mahler8.0Wholly entertaining account of New York in the late 1970s.Hard RevolutionGeorge Pelecanos6.0A bit of a letdown, more of a look back and generally not as interesting as his other novels.Soul CircusGeorge Pelecanos7.0Another good Pelecanos story.Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsJ.K. Rowling9.0Suprisingly amazing. Didn't realize how attached I'd become to the series until the end of this totally satisfying, moving conclusion.Hell To PayGeorge Pelecanos7.0Solid, insightful crime novel by one of the writers of The Wire.Suite FrancaiseIrene Nemirovsky8.5ReviewThe Man of My DreamsCurtis Sittenfeld6.0ReviewThe Draft: A Year Inside The NFL's Search for TalentPete Williams6.5It claims to be the NFL version of Moneyball It ain't, but it's not terrible.The RoadCormac McCarthy9.5ReviewThe Man Who Ate EverythingJeffrey SteingartenN/ADid Not FinishJimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On EarthChristopher Ware8.5ReviewThe Ghost MapSteven Johnson7.5ReviewThen We Came To The EndJoshua Ferris9.0Excellent!after the quakeHaruki Murakami7.0ReviewRandom Acts of BadnessDanny Bonaduce5.5Yeah, I read it. So what?The WishbonesTom Perotta7.5Good, but clearly an early effort.Y: The Last Man - UnmannedBrian K. Vaughan7.0 Chuck Klosterman IVChuck Klosterman8.0 American GodsNeil Gaiman7.5 CompanyMax Barry8.0 The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History in Four MealsMichael Pollan9.0ReviewTalking RightGeoffrey Nunberg7.0 The Brief and Frightening Reign of PhilGeorge Saunders7.5 The Story of My BaldnessMarek Van Der JagtN/ADid Not FinishTwo For The RoadJane & Michael Stern7.0 Wait Till Next YearWilliam Goldman & Mike Lupica9.0ReviewBlood and Thunder (audio)Hampton SidesN/ADid Not FinishThe Mind of Bill JamesScott Gray6.5 Love Is a Mix Tape (audio)Rob Sheffield6.5ReviewThe Nasty BitsAnthony Bourdain8.5ReviewThe RuinsScott Smith4.5ReviewShanks for Nothing (audio)Rick Reilly7.0ReviewThe Reach of a ChefMichael Ruhlman7.0 Special Topics in Calamity PhysicsMarisha Pessl8.5 The KeepJennifer Egan8.5ReviewCandyfreakSteve Almond6.5 Hour Game (audio CD)David Baldacci6.0 The CollectorsDavid BaldacciN/ADid Not FinishHousekeeping vs. The DirtNick Hornby7.5 HeatBill Buford8.0 Wild FireNelson DeMille7.0 Echo ParkMichael Connelly7.5 Julie and JuliaJulie Powell7.0 Consider The Lobster: And Other EssaysDavid Foster Wallace8.0 The Night GardenerGeorge Pelecanos8.5 2007200720072007Candy Girl: A Year In The Life of an Unlikely StripperDiablo Cody6.0 The Final SolutionMichael Chabon6.0 Honeymoon With My BrotherFranz Wisner7.0 Blue LatitudesTony Horowitz7.5 The History of LoveNicole Krauss8.5 Dance, Dance, DanceHaruki Murakami8.0 Touching The VoidJoe Simpson6.5 The Know It AllAJ Jacobs8.0 The Blind SideMichael Lewis9.0ReviewEnder's GameOrson Scott Card6.5 Battle RoyaleKoushon Takami7.5ReviewJohn AdamsDavid McCullough8.5ReviewFlorence of ArabiaChristopher Buckley6.0 No Way To Treat A First LadyChristopher Buckley7.0 Never Let Me GoKazuo Ishiguro9.0ReviewShadow Of The WindCarlos Ruiz Zafon8.5ReviewThe Tipping PointMalcolm Gladwell8.0 Everything ChangesJonathan Tropper7.0 The Book of JoeJonathan Tropper8.5ReviewYou Look Nice TodayStanley Bing6.5 Never Mind The PollacksNeal Pollack8.0 A Ship Made of PaperScott Spencer7.5 A Wild Sheep ChaseHaruki Murakami7.0 A Year In Provence Peter Mayle7.5 Norwegian WoodHaruki Murakami8.0 The Revolution Will Not Be TelevisedJoe Trippi8.0 ConvictionRichard North Patterson6.5 Chasing The DimeMichael Connolly7.0 The Girls of SummerJere Longman N/ADid Not FinishThe Truth (with jokes)Al Franken8.0 The Defining Moment: FDR's First Hundred DaysJonathan Alter8.0 PrepCurtis Sittenfeld7.5 blink: Think Without ThinkingMalcolm Gladwell8.5 How To Make Love Like A Porn StarJenna Jameson7.0 FreakonomicsSteven Levitt and Stephen Dubner 8.5 Lucky: A MemoirAlice SeboldN/ADid Not FinishTwelveNick McDonell7.0 The Year of Magical ThinkingJoan Didion7.5 FantasylandSam Walker8.5 The Wind-Up Bird ChronicleHaruki Murakami8.5ReviewThe Lincoln LawyerMichael Connolly7.0 House of Bush, House of Saud Craig Unger8.0 Lost LakePhillip Margolin5.0 Fraud: EssaysDavid RakoffN/ADid Not FinishFreedomlandRichard Price7.0 Three JunesJulia Glass8.5 Crashing The GateMarkos Moulitsas Zuniga and Jerome Armstrong7.0 The Dante ClubMatthew Pearl8.0 The Fruit of StoneMark Spragg8.0 Love MonkeyKyle Smith 7.0 Lucky GirlsNell FreudenbergerN/ADid Not FinishThe Devil In The White CityErik Larson7.5 The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob GreenJosh Braff6.5 What Was She Thinking? Notes on a ScandalZoe HellerN/ADid Not FinishKafka On The ShoreHaruki Murakami9.5ReviewWho’s Your Caddy?Rick Reilly7.5 The Los Angeles DiariesJames Brown7.5 I Have Chosen To Stay and FightMargaret Cho5.0 Look At MeJennifer Egan8.0 Dreams From My FatherBarack Obama8.0Review The Best American Sports Writing 2005 Mike Lupica (editor)7.0Review Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller6.0Review Triangle: The Fire That Changed America David Von Drehle 5.0Review FatherlandRobert Harris7.0Review Extremely Loud and Incredibly CloseJonathan Safran Foer9.0Review The Brooklyn FolliesPaul Auster8.5Review Killing Yourself To LiveChuck Klosterman6.5Review The Patriots ClubChristopher Reich5.5Review Jonathan Strange & Mr. NorrellSusana Clarke8.5Review2006200620062006The BusinessIain Banks5.5Review Blue BloodEdward Conlon7.0Review Little ChildrenTom Perotta9.0Review Spanking The Donkey Matt Taibbi7.0ReviewThe Last True Story I'll Ever Tell John Crawford8.5ReviewOctober 2005October 2005October 2005October 2005