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| Reading Nook: photo by Cliff Hutson |
I made it through fifty-nine books this past year.
Reading Log 2017
- “Night School,” Lee Child
- “Secrets of the Oak Woodland,” Kate Marianchild
- “Potshot,” Robert B. Parker
- “Sage Living,” Anne Sage
- “Island of Blue Dolphins,” Scott O’Dell
- “How to See,” George Nelson
- “Breaking Cat News,” Georgia Dunn
- “An Old Captivity,” Nevil Shute
- “The Kill Clause,” Gregg Hurwitz
- “Deep Blue,” Randy Wayne White
- “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” Robert Galbraith
- “The Silkworm,” Robert Galbraith
- “The Negro Cowboy,” Philip Durham & Everett L. Jones
- “Career of Evil,” Robert Galbraith
- “The Short Drop,” Matthew Fitzsimmons
- “On Trails,” Robert Moor
- “The Big Blow,” Joe R. Lansdale
- “The Pencil Perfect,” Caroline Weaver
- “The Revenge of Analog,” David Sax
- “The Gun Seller,” Hugh Laurie
- “The Highwayman,” Craig Johnson
- “The Redbreast,” Jo Nesbo
- “Nemesis,” Jo Nesbo
- “The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need,” Andrew Tobias
- “Cars & Culture,” Rudi Volti
- “Setting Up Shop: The Practical Guide to Designing and Building Your Dream Shop,” Sandor Nagyszalanczy
- “Murder at the Opera,” Margaret Truman
- “How to be Black,” Baratunde Thurston
- “The Bat,” Jo Nesbo
- “Stuff White People Like,” Christian Lander
- “The Late Show,” Michael Connelly
- “Blind Spot,” Teju Cole
- “A Choice of Weapons,” Gordon Parks
- “Sorted Books,” Nina Katchadourian
- “A Rage in Harlem,” Chester Himes
- “The Real Cool Killers,” Chester Himes
- “The Crazy Kill,” Chester Himes
- “The Heat’s On,” Chester Himes
- “Cotton Comes to Harlem,” Chester Himes
- “Blind Man With a Pistol,” Chester Himes
- “The Cooking Gene,” Michael W. Twitty
- “The Urban Bestiary,” Lyanda Lynn Haupt
- “Deep Freeze,” John Sandford
- “Invisible Beasts,” Sharona Muir
- “Double Play,” Robert B. Parker
- “Two Kinds of Truth,” Michael Connelly
- “Little Green,” Walter Mosley
- “The Yard,” Alex Grecian
- “The Black Country,” Alex Grecian
- “The Devil’s Workshop,” Alex Grecian
- “The Harvest Man,” Alex Grecian
- “Lost and Gone Forever,” Alex Grecian
- “NYPD Red 2,” James Patterson
- “Brunch Is Hell: How to Save the World by Throwing a Dinner Party,” Brendan Francis Newnam and Rico Gagliano
- “White Butterfly,” Walter Mosley
- “Gone Fishin’,” Walter Mosley
- “Charcoal Joe,” Walter Mosley
- “And Sometimes I Worry About You,” Walter Mosley
- “Rose Gold,” Walter Mosley
Most of them were good, but the highlight of the year was what I call the shootout between Chester Himes and Walter Mosley. As I mentioned before Himes was introduced to me by Luke Cage. He made it clear, to me anyway, that he preferred that author over Mosley, partially because the former's stories are based in New York - opposed to Los Angeles. (Note: Mosley also writes books set in New York.) So, as LA is where I was born and grew up I decided that I had to make the comparison for myself by reading the Easy Rawlins series.
Hometown bias aside, I enjoyed reading Mosley's work the most. This is partly due to the fact that his latter stories are pretty much contemporaneous with my life and I like to see his perspectives on those times. Another reason is that he takes the time to contemplate (or comment) on being black in America. Himes ably illustrates what life was like in an earlier era, but offers little reflection on the rampant racism.
One of the final scenes of the first season of Luke Cage has a US Marshal reading The Heat’s On by Chester Himes. Luke comments on it and the marshal asks if he’s ever read Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series. I have read all of the Bosch books over the years and look forward to the next season of Luke Cage for more book suggestions.
Robots
Even though I spent quite a bit of time reading, I carved out enough time to start building three robots. Two were seen through to completion.
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| Some Assembly Required: photo by Cliff Hutson |
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| Insectoid: photo by Cliff Hutson |
