Reading Log 2017 (Plus Robots)

Reading Nook: photo by Cliff Hutson

I made it through fifty-nine books this past year.

Reading Log 2017

1. “Night School,” Lee Child
2. “Secrets of the Oak Woodland,” Kate Marianchild
3. “Potshot,” Robert B. Parker
4. “Sage Living,” Anne Sage
5. “Island of Blue Dolphins,” Scott O’Dell
6. “How to See,” George Nelson
7. “Breaking Cat News,” Georgia Dunn
8. “An Old Captivity,” Nevil Shute
9. “The Kill Clause,” Gregg Hurwitz
10. “Deep Blue,” Randy Wayne White
11. “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” Robert Galbraith
12. “The Silkworm,” Robert Galbraith
13. “The Negro Cowboy,” Philip Durham & Everett L. Jones
14. “Career of Evil,” Robert Galbraith
15. “The Short Drop,” Matthew Fitzsimmons
16. “On Trails,” Robert Moor
17. “The Big Blow,” Joe R. Lansdale
18. “The Pencil Perfect,” Caroline Weaver
19. “The Revenge of Analog,” David Sax
20. “The Gun Seller,” Hugh Laurie
21. “The Highwayman,” Craig Johnson
22. “The Redbreast,” Jo Nesbo
23. “Nemesis,” Jo Nesbo
24. “The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need,” Andrew Tobias
25. “Cars & Culture,” Rudi Volti
26. “Setting Up Shop: The Practical Guide to Designing and Building Your Dream Shop,” Sandor Nagyszalanczy
27. “Murder at the Opera,” Margaret Truman
28. “How to be Black,” Baratunde Thurston
29. “The Bat,” Jo Nesbo
30. “Stuff White People Like,” Christian Lander
31. “The Late Show,” Michael Connelly 
32. “Blind Spot,” Teju Cole
33. “A Choice of Weapons,” Gordon Parks
34. “Sorted Books,” Nina Katchadourian 
35. “A Rage in Harlem,” Chester Himes
36. “The Real Cool Killers,” Chester Himes
37. “The Crazy Kill,” Chester Himes
38. “The Heat’s On,” Chester Himes
39. “Cotton Comes to Harlem,” Chester Himes
40. “Blind Man With a Pistol,” Chester Himes
41. “The Cooking Gene,” Michael W. Twitty
42. “The Urban Bestiary,” Lyanda Lynn Haupt
43. “Deep Freeze,” John Sandford
44. “Invisible Beasts,” Sharona Muir
45. “Double Play,” Robert B. Parker
46. “Two Kinds of Truth,” Michael Connelly
47. “Little Green,” Walter Mosley
48. “The Yard,” Alex Grecian
49. “The Black Country,” Alex Grecian
50. “The Devil’s Workshop,” Alex Grecian
51. “The Harvest Man,” Alex Grecian
52. “Lost and Gone Forever,” Alex Grecian
53. “NYPD Red 2,” James Patterson
54. “Brunch Is Hell: How to Save the World by Throwing a Dinner Party,” Brendan Francis Newnam and Rico Gagliano 
55. “White Butterfly,” Walter Mosley
56. “Gone Fishin’,” Walter Mosley
57. “Charcoal Joe,” Walter Mosley
58. “And Sometimes I Worry About You,” Walter Mosley
59. “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.

Some Assembly Required: photo by Cliff Hutson

Insectoid: photo by Cliff Hutson