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.

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: 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: 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?

Reading Log: August 2024

 The books that I finished reading in the month of August 2024:

August 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"The Bogey Man," George Plimpton

    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.

"Golf in the Kingdom," Michael Murphy

    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.

"Golf Dreams," John Updike

    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.

"Up on the Woof Top," Spencer Quinn

    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. 

Reading Log: June 2024

 The books that I read in the month of June 2024

June 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Unnatural Habitat: The Native and Exotic Wildlife of Los Angeles," Craig Stanford


"Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging," Sebastian Junger


"The Last Rose of Shanghai," Wein Dai Randel 


"Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food," Paul Greenberg


Reading Log: April 2024

 The books that I finished reading in the month of April 2024

April 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"The Big Goodbye," Sam Wasson

"Ten Birds That Changed the World," Stephen Moss

"Shock Wave," John Sandford

"Basketball (and Other Things)," Shea Serrano 

Reading Log: March 2024

 Better late than never?

March 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

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

"The Seed Detective," Adam Alexander

"The Secret," Lee Child and Andrew Child

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

Reading Log: 2023

 A Year of Books

Books From My Past: photo by Cliff Hutson

The past year was a slow one in terms of the number of books that I read, a total of a mere fifty. This paled in comparison to local writer David Allen who's total was 63 books: 33 fiction, 30 nonfiction. However, I’m apparently in the top 1% of people in the USA as a reader of 50 books or more. So, I seem to be noteworthy after all.

The reader of this blog will already have noted that each month I post a "log" of the books I read in the prior month. What follows is a unified list:

1. "Zone One," Colson Whitehead 
2. "Dignity," Ken Layne
3. "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator," Edwin Lefèvre 
4. "The Old Gringo," Carlos Fuentes 
5. "Sea of Tranquility," Emily St. John Mandel
6. "The Plot," Jean Hanff Korelitz 
7. "Gaia," James Lovelock
8. "The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us," Dr. Lucy Jones
9. "The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living with Less,' Christine Platt
10. "The Forgotten Man." Robert Crais
11. "Racing the Light," Robert Crais
12. "Baseline Road," Orlando Davidson
13. "Myth America," edited by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer
14. "Rugby for Dummies," Mathew Brown, Patrick Guthrie, Greg Growden 
15. "The Unknown American Exodus," Natalie Goodrich Amato 
16. "The Moving Target," Ross Macdonald
17. "No Plan B," Lee Child and Andrew Child
18. "Picnic in the Ruins," Todd Robert Petersen 
19. "Swamp Story," Dave Barry
20. "The Drowning Pool," Ross Macdonald
21. "Soccer for Dummies," Tom Dunmore and Scott Murray
22. "Chasing Giants," Zeb Hogan and Stefan Lovgren 
23. "Clean," James Hamblin 
24. "The Empty Copper Sea," John D. MacDonald
25. "Righteous Prey," John Sandford
26. "Black in White Space," Elijah Anderson
27. "IQ," Joe Ide
28. "The Green Ripper," John D. MacDonald
29. "Free Fall in Crimson," John D. MacDonald
30. "Cinnamon Skin,"  John D. MacDonald
31. "The Lonely Silver Rain,"  John D. MacDonald
32. "Harlem Shuffle," Colson Whitehead
33. "The History of White People," Nell Irvin Painter
34. "The Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings," John A. Keel
35. "Crook Manifesto," Colson Whitehead
36. "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law," Mary Roach
37. "Judgement Prey," John Sandford
38. "Naming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science," Carol Kaesuk Yoon
39. "War and Peace and War: The Rise and Fall of Empires," Peter Turchin
40. "The Ninth Inning," A.J. Stewart
41. "Big Thaw," A.J. Stewart
42. "Devil's Backbone," A.J. Stewart
43. "Below the Belt," A.J. Stewart
44. "Making the Drop,"  A.J. Stewart
45. "Chasing the Ghost Bear: on the Trail of America's Lost Super Beast," Mike Stark
46. "The Gods of Guilt," Michael Connelly
47. "True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America," Betsy Gaines Quammen
48. "Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains," Bethany Brookshire
49. "Hondo," Louis L'Amour 
50. "Out There: The Science Behind Sci-Fi Film and TV," Ariel Waldman 

How was your own year in reading? What are your reading goals for 2024? Comment if you like. I'm listening.

 

Reading Log: December 2023

The books that I finished reading in the month of December 2023: 

December 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America," Betsy Gaines Quammen

"Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains," Bethany Brookshire

"Hondo," Louis L'Amour 

"Out There: The Science Behind Sci-Fi Film and TV," Ariel Waldman 

Cliff's Notes

"True West"

I was very disappointed in this book, thinking that it would contain more history than personal stories. The author maintains, based on her personal experiences, that America can be brought together if we meet our fellow Americans where they are.

That may be easy for a well to do, somewhat noted, white woman to say. It is not so practical in a land where a service station in Arizona refused to sell me gas, or where my wife were seated in a restaurant in Idaho Falls but never served. 

She does write well though.

"Pests"

"Pests are what happens when we think that we've got nature all figured out, and nature decides to give us the finger."

This was both an entertaining and informative read.

"Hondo"

My newspaper of record recently devoted several paragraphs to a discussion of the movie of the same title and the novel as they both mention a local community - San Dimas. I decided to watch the movie and then read the book, which was based on the movie rather than the usual sequence. They were both pretty darn good. Each in its own way.

See how they differed was illuminating. A novelist can use extensive character description and metaphors.  A screenplay has to solve the problem of how to put necessary information in to the mouths of characters whereas a novel can just tell the reader about it.  

So, at bottom, I will say that I enjoyed the book more. Mostly because it gave me some leeway to enjoy the landscape as it were, rather than have it relegated to the background as I keep an eye on the actors. But, let me go on record as saying that I will never give up one form for the other.

"Out There"

Another enjoyable read. But, then I seem to have an inborn fascination with the juxtaposition between science fiction and real science. I came of age during a time when many of the things first hinted at in books and movies became (more or less) actual technological advances. This book limns the way real life and science fiction may intersect. 

Reading Log: September 2023

 The books that I finished reading in September 2023:

September 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Harlem Shuffle," Colson Whitehead

"The History of White People," Nell Irvin Painter

"The Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings," John A. Keel

"Crook Manifesto," Colson Whitehead

"Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law," Mary Roach

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.

Reading Log: August 2023

The books that I finished reading in August 2023: 

August 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Righteous Prey," John Sandford

"Black in White Space," Elijah Anderson

"IQ," Joe Ide

"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

Reading Log: July 2023

 It was a very slow month -

July 2023 Book: photo by Cliff Hutson

"The Empty Copper Sea," John D. MacDonald

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).

Reading Log: Two two two months in one

 Catching up on my reading

March 2023

March 2023 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Racing the Light," Robert Crais

"Baseline Road," Orlando Davidson

"Myth America," edited by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer

"Rugby for Dummies," Mathew Brown, Patrick Guthrie, Greg Growden 

April 2023

"Exodus": photo by Cliff Hutson

"The Unknown American Exodus: A Walk of Hope and Despair to Freedom," Natalie Goodrich Amato 

"The Moving Target": photo by Cliff Hutson

"The Moving Target," Ross Macdonald