Reading Log: August 2026

 The books that I read in the month of August 2026

August 2026 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

“Bass Reeves Frontier Marshal Volume One,” Ron Fortier, editor

“Argo,” Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio

“Accidentally Wes Anderson,”  Wally Koval

“Spycraft,” Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton

“The Shadow Friends,” Tess Gerritsen

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

Reading Log: July 2026

 The books that I finished reading in the month of July 2026

July 2026 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

“The Secret,” Lee Child and Andrew Child

“Don’t Know Jack,” Diane Capri

“MIKE4,” J.R. Seeger

Reading!

Reading!: photo by Cliff Hutson

I recently purchased an issue of a publication called "Mountain Gazette".  The mailer included this amusing little sticker. 

Reading has long been a very important part of my life. Skateboarding, not so much.

National Fortune Cookie Day

Each year on July 20, Americans celebrate the cookie that is a traditional part of meals at old school Chinese restaurants, and some take out places.

Sometimes you get two fortunes for the price of one. And, these two seem well matched.

Other times it looks like that your future is all used up; like Hank Quinlan's in "Touch of Evil".

I am recommending this book as an added bonus to my trove of perhaps not so useful information.

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

National Fortune Cookie Day

Reading Log: May 2026

The books that I finished reading in May 2026

May 2026 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

“Casino Royale,” Ian Fleming 

“In a Pickle,” A.J. Stewart

“Cat on a Hot Tin Woof,” Spencer Quinn

“The Hunt for Red October,” Tom Clancy

“Ironwood,” Michael Connelly

“First In,” Gary C. Schroen 

Reading Log: April 2026

 The books that I finished reading in April 2026:

April 2026 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

“Extremely Happy Holidays,” Devin C. B. McEwan

“The Spy Coast,” Tess Gerritsen

“The Summer Guests,” Tess Gerritsen 

“Smiley’s People,” John le Carré 

“Casino Royale,” Ian Fleming 

Reading Log: March 2026

 The books I finished reading in March 2026

March 2026 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

“Culpability,” Bruce Holsinger 

“Crown City,” Naomi Hirahara

“See No Evil,” Robert Baer

“James,” Percival Everett 

“The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning,” Margareta Magnusson 

Reading Log: February 2026

 The books that I finished reading in the month of February 2026

February 2026 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

“Fair Play: the Moral Dilemmas of Spying,” James M. Olson

“Clown Town,” Mick Herron

“Damascus Station,” David McCloskey 

Reading Log: January 2026

 The books that I finished reading in the month of January 2026

January 2026 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

“Red Sky Mourning,” Jack Carr

“Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles,” Elizabeth Ward and Alain Silver

“Pork Pie Pandemonium,” Steve Higgs

“The Thin Man,” Dashiell Hammett

“Horology: An Illustrated Primer,” Barry B. Kaplan

“Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror,” Robert Young Pelton 

“The Doomsters,” Ross Macdonald 

Reading Log: December 2025

 The books that I finished reading in December 2025

December 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

“Spook Street,” Mick Herron

“London Rules,” Mick Herron

“Joe Country,” Mick Herron

“Bombs Away: The Story of a Bomber Team,” John Steinbeck

“Slough House,” Mick Herron

“Bad Actors,” Mick Herron

“The Secret Hours,” Mick Herron

Reading Log: November 2025

 The books that I finished reading in the month of November 2025

November 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Chasing the Dime," Michael Connelly

"2054," Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavrids 

“The Proving Ground,” Michael Connelly

“Exit Strategy,” Lee Child and Andrew Child

“Dead Lions,” Mick Herron

“Real Tigers,” Mick Herron

Reading Log: October 2025

 The books that I finished reading in the month of October 2025

October 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"The Targeter," Nada Bakos 

"Cry Havoc," Jack Carr

"Agents of Innocence," David Ignatius 

"Slow Horses," Mick Herron

"Pariah," Dan Fesperman 

Reading Log: September 2025

 The books that I finished reading in September 2025

September 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"True Believer," Jack Carr

"Savage Son," Jack Carr

"2034," Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavrids 

"Sheepdogs," Elliot Ackerman

"The Gray Man," Mark Greaney 

Fire Challenge Coin (Front): photo by Cliff Hutson

Fire Challenge Coin (Reverse): photo by Cliff Hutson

Reading Log: July 2025

 The books that I finished reading in the month of July 2025:

July 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Celtic Empire," Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler

"The Art of Trader Joe's," Julie Averbach 

"All Systems Red," Martha Wells

"Bat Out of Hell," edited by Don Bruns

"Artificial Condition," Martha Wells

Musical Coda:

Speaking of a Bat Out of Hell:

Reading Log: June 2025

The books that I finished reading in the month of June 2025

June 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Return to Sender," Craig Johnson

"Mecca," Susan Straight

"Depth Charge," Jason Heaton

"Sweetwater," Jason Heaton

Bulova Snorkel Watch: photo by Cliff Hutson

National Corvette Day

Celebrating An American Icon

The Corvette is a sports car that first came off a GM Flint, Michigan assembly line on June 30, 1953. Some years ago the date was designated National Corvette Day to comemeorate that event and honor a classic automobile.

By the way, the Corvette logo is two flags on crossed poles. One of the flags is checkered to symbolize the race, while the other is the American stars and stripes flag to symbolize the place of its production.

P.S. In other news, “Gone with the Wind” was published on this day in 1936.

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

Reading Log: May 2025

 The books that I finished reading in the month of May 2025

May 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

 

"Parable of the Talents," Octavia E. Butler

"Nightshade," Michael Connelly

Reading Log: April 2025

 The books that I read in the month of April 2025

April 2025 Books" photo by Cliff Hutson

"Sacramento Noir," edited by John Freeman

"Parable of the Sower,"Octavia E. Butler

"The Art of Trader Joe's," Julie Averbach

"Also On View," Todd Lerew

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

Reading Log: March 2025

 The books that I finished reading in March 2025:

March 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Angel City Beat," edited by Barb Goffman

"The Underground Man," Ross Macdonald

"Gettin' Old Ain't for Wimps," Karen O'Connor

"Dog Gone," A.J. Stewart

Reading Log: February 2025

 The books I read in the month of February 2025

February 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Of Ice Packs and Men," Rick Bass

"Orange County," Gustavo Arellano

"How to Change Your Mind," Michael Pollan

The paucity of books this month can be chalked up to my trying to put a dent in the weeks old pile up of the "The New Yorker" magazine.

Reading Log: 2024

A Year of Books

A Book: photo by Cliff Hutson

Here’s my annual list of all the books I read the previous year. (For comparison, this is the one for 2023.)  I read 48 books of fiction, science fiction and nonfiction. While it was two sort of my goal, that seemed like a decent total. But, it is said that; "Comparison is the thief of joy". Thus I felt a bit down when I saw that David Allen, whom I have been measuring myself against for the past few years, read 55.

However, this morning, when The Guardian saw fit to print a headline proclaiming ‘I read 35 books this year!’ I perked up a bit.

Anyway here is my list:

1. "The Hammer of God," Arthur C. Clark

2. "My Gun Has Bullets," Lee Goldberg

3. "Dead Space," Lee Goldberg

4. "The Left Hand of Darkness," Ursula K. Le Guin

5. "A People's Guide to Orange County," Gustavo Arellano et al.

6. "Bombs Away: The Story of a Bomber Team," John Steinbeck

7. "Lives of Weeds: Opportunism, Resistance, Folly," John Cardina 

8. "Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories," Elmore Leonard

9. "The Seed Detective," Adam Alexander

10. "The Secret," Lee Child and Andrew Child

11. "Basketball for Dummies," Richard "Digger Phelps, et al.

12. "The Big Goodbye," Sam Wasson

13. "Ten Birds That Changed the World," Stephen Moss

14. "Shock Wave," John Sandford

15. "Basketball (and Other Things)," Shea Serrano 

16. "Movies (and Other Things)," Shea Serrano

17. "The Four Foundations of Golf," Jon Sherman

18. "Sacred Mounds," Jim Metzner

19. "The Talk," Darrin Bell

20. "Unnatural Habitat," Craig Stanford

21. "Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging," Sebastian Junger

22. "The Last Rose of Shanghai," Wein Dai Randel 

23. "Four Fish," Paul Greenberg

24. "Farewell Amethystine," Walter Mosley

25. "Wildlife Preserves: A Far Side Collection," Gary Larson  

26. "Eats, Soots & Leaves," Lynne Truss

27. "The Perfect Protein," Andy Sharpless and Suzannah Evans

28. "The Invention of Prehistory," Stefanos Geroulanos 

29. "The Bogey Man," George Plimpton

30. "Golf in the Kingdom," Michael Murphy

31. "Golf Dreams," John Updike

32. "Up on the Woof Top," Spencer Quinn

33. "A Farewell to Arfs," Spencer Quinn

34. "Paper Lion," George Plimpton

35. "The Silk Roads," Peter Frankopan 

36. "Outside Lanes," A.J. Stewart

37. "The Waiting," Michael Connelly

38. "Football for Dummies," Howie Long, John Czarnecki 

39. "Women," Charles Bukowski 

40. "The Backyard Bird Chronicles," Amy Tan

41. "The Downhill Lie," Carl Hiaasen

42. "Hoops," Walter Dean Myers

43. "Falling Is Not An Option," George Locker

44. "Black Ball," Theresa Runstedtler 

45. "Tooth and Claw," Craig Johnson

46. "Big Jim and the White Boy," David F. Walker, Marcus Kwame Anderson

47. "The Breaks of the Game," David Halberstam

48. "Evergreen," Naomi Hirahara 

Does anybody care to share what they read last year?