I love to read and since the pandemic I've made it a goal to read more. Here's some of what I'm reading now or have read recently.
12/13/2022: My favorite books from 2022:
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. The book contains a number of classic Russian short stories which Saunders then explains. Wonderful and enjoyable.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie. I really enjoyed this novel. It's based on the story of Antigone and involves immigrants accused of being terrorists.
Best Pick by John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky. This is a really fun book. They rate each of the best picture Academy awards and recommend better or equally good movies. I also enjoyed the descriptions of how some of the movies were made. The story of Gone With the Wind was really amazing.
What climate justice means and why we should care by Elizabeth Cripps. An illuminating book on how the climate crisis affects different parts of the population and how to try to cope with it. This is one of the best books about the climate crisis that I have read.
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. A compelling novel about the climate crisis. A great companion to Elizabeth Cripps' book.
There There by Tommy Orange. A novel about urban Native Americans that culminates with a powwow in Oakland. Very powerful and well written.
3/7/2022: Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart. A novel about a billionaire who's trying to fix his messed up life by riding Greyhound buses throughout the country. It's very well written and funny at times. The billionaire is definitely a jerk, though.
How to Forage for Mushrooms by Frank Hyman. It's an identification guide for finding edible mushrooms. I'm planning on trying that this year.
Humankind by Rutger Bregman. His argument is that despite all of the bad news our world has gotten better over time, and we should focus on that. He does write that we need to continue to improve.
2/15/2022: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. I'm really enjoying this book. Saunders teaches writing at Syracuse University and is a very successful writer. This book contains a number of short stories by four classic Russian authors. After each story Saunders explains what makes each story successful and why the writing is so good. I'd kind of like to take a literature class again after reading this.