The books that I finished reading in the month of January 2026
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| January 2026 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Showing posts with label crime fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime fiction. Show all posts
Monday, February 2, 2026
Monday, May 5, 2025
Reading Log: April 2025
The books that I read in the month of April 2025
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| 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
All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.
Monday, April 7, 2025
Reading Log: March 2025
The books that I finished reading in March 2025:
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| March 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Monday, February 10, 2025
Reading Log: January 2025
The books that I read in the month of January 2025
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| January 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
"50 States, 1000 Eats," Joe Yogerst
"¡Ask a Mexican!," Gustavo Arellano
"Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny," Garrison Keillor
"Mapping California," Susan Schulten
Monday, January 13, 2025
Reading Log: 2024
A Year of Books
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| 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?
Monday, January 6, 2025
Reading Log: December 2024
The books that I read in the month of December 2024
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| December 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Monday, November 11, 2024
Reading Log: October 2024
The books that I read in the month of October 2024
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| October 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Monday, October 7, 2024
Reading Log: September 2024
The books that I finished reading in the month of September 2
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| September 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Monday, September 9, 2024
Reading Log: August 2024
The books that I finished reading in the month of August 2024:
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| August 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Arguably one of the funniest books on golf ever written. I am certain that all of the stories are true; give or take a lie or two.
A lot of people really like this book; I am not one of them. I will say that it is better than the movie, but that bar is set pretty low.
I really enjoyed the essays in this book. I had not read any of Updike's work prior to this and my dissatisfaction with the excerpts from his "Rabbit" novels may explain that.
For my money, this is by far the weakest entry in the Chet and Bernie mysteries.
"A Farewell to Arfs," Spencer Quinn
Having finished this book, which is the latest in the series, I feel assured about my assessment of "Woof Top". But, do note that I believe that all are worth reading.
Monday, August 5, 2024
Reading Log: July 2024
The books that I finished reading in the month of July 2024
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| July 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Monday, May 6, 2024
Reading Log: April 2024
The books that I finished reading in the month of April 2024
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| April 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Monday, April 29, 2024
Reading Log: March 2024
Better late than never?
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| March 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Monday, December 11, 2023
Reading Log: November 2023
The books that I finished reading in the month of November 2023 -
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| November 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Cliff's Notes:
"Belt" and "Drop"
As previously noted, I have very much enjoyed Stewart's Miami Jones series. And, I believe that finishing these two brings me current. They did not disappoint.
Part of my enjoyment stems from Miami being a former pro athlete who frequently muses on what was and what could have been. Also, each book in the series revolves around a different sport. These cover boxing and surfing respectively. Both of them offer an interesting story offering humor and insights into life.
"Ghost Bear"
I have a great interest in natural history and Stark's book has expanded my knowledge about an animal that I have vaguely aware of for decades, but knew very little about.
The bear in the title is the prehistoric North American giant short-faced bear. I say that I was familiar with it as I once lived within walking distance of the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles where the remains of thirty some-odd individual bears have been found. The author devotes a couple of chapters to the scientific work done there and his visit to the George C. Page Museum. He seems as bemused as I was over the cartoonish statue of a short-faced bear on the park grounds.
This book is a great guide to the Pleistocene and one of the more spectacular animals that during that time.
"Gods"
This book is a "Lincoln Lawyer" novel. I like Connelly's work, but much prefer the Harry Bosch books. But, this is an engaging read filled with a lot of ins, a lot of outs, and a lot of what-have-you's. A reader with a limber mind should enjoy it.
Monday, November 6, 2023
Reading Log: October 2023
The books that I read in the month of October 2023
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| October 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
"Judgement Prey," John Sandford
"The Ninth Inning," A.J. Stewart
"Big Thaw," A.J. Stewart
"Devil's Backbone," A.J. Stewart
Cliff's Notes
"Judgement"
This is another book in John Sanford's "Prey" series. Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up to solve the cold blooded murder of a judge and his two sons.
"Naming"
As a volunteer "nature interpreter" at a botanic garden I experienced first hand the disconnect between the way visitors viewed the world and that of the professional staff. The author does a good job of discussing this and trying to reach some common ground.
"War and Peace
What did Abraham Lincoln mean by A house divided against itself cannot stand"?
Lincoln paraphrased the following passage from the Bible, Matthew 12:25, when he spoke of a house divided:
And Jesus knew their [the Pharisees'] thoughts, and said unto them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."
Lincoln’s ‘House Divided’ speech teaches important lessons about today’s political polarization, the main point made by this book.
Miami Jones mysteries
Miami Jones is my favorite Florida based private detective. These stories are not only really good crime fiction they also can impart some interesting information such as what goes into making ice for a hockey rink or the running of a fishing tournament.
Monday, October 16, 2023
Reading Log: September 2023
The books that I finished reading in September 2023:
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| September 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Cliff's Notes:
"Shuffle" & "Manifesto"
"Harlem Shuffle" is apparently the first book in The Harlem Trilogy. And, "Crook Manifesto" is the second. They set stories about a furniture store owner against actual events. What is most interesting to me is that they offer an explanation of why an intelligent person may turn to a life of crime.
"Mysterious Beings"
I just have to mention that "The Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings" is well ahead in the running for the worst book that I will read this year. Even believers in mysterious creatures and the paranormal will start to doubt themselves after slogging through the "evidence" presented by this author.
"White People"
Spoiler alert: White people in America did not coalesce as a group until Malcolm X achieved national prominence.
"Fuzz"
An engrossing discussion of ongoing conflicts between humans and the species that happen to get in our way. But, no "laws" are actually broken.
Monday, September 11, 2023
Reading Log: August 2023
The books that I finished reading in August 2023:
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| August 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
"Righteous Prey," John Sandford
"The Green Ripper," John D. MacDonald
"Free Fall in Crimson," John D. MacDonald
"Cinnamon Skin," John D. MacDonald
"The Lonely Silver Rain," John D. MacDonald
Cliff's Notes
Monday, August 7, 2023
Reading Log: July 2023
It was a very slow month -
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| July 2023 Book: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Cliff's Note:
I finished just one book in the month of July. A meager defense is that I have been reading a couple of literally dense books, both in size and subject matter. It will probably take another couple of months before I will be able to tick those off.
A lamer excuse is that I have got caught up in streaming such shows as "Ted Lasso", "Hijack", and "The Afterparty". Not to mention Major League Soccer and FIFA Women's World Cup games.
Anyway, "Copper Sea" was a fun read. A mystery story with a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous that I picked up after reading a review by David Allen (my favorite local writer and inspiration for my posts about books).
Monday, June 5, 2023
Reading Log: May 2023
The books that I finished reading in the month of May 2023
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| May 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson |
Monday, May 22, 2023
Reading Log: Two two two months in one
Catching up on my reading
March 2023
April 2023
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| "Exodus": photo by Cliff Hutson |
"The Unknown American Exodus: A Walk of Hope and Despair to Freedom," Natalie Goodrich Amato
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