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I’m sharing what I’ve read or listened to each year, what I’m currently reading or listening to, and what’s next on my list. Check back often to see what’s new!
In Progress
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
This is another book club book that I’m listening to on Audible. And with everything happening in 2020, it’s even higher on my priority list to read than when it was first brought to my attention last year. It’s a heavy one, too, like Biased which I read last year, but it’s more important than ever to understand these issues.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
This book is absolutely amazing. Completely perspective altering. Has moved me to tears more than once. I’ve haven’t made much progress on it lately because there’s too much to appreciate for casual listening.
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
It’s such a unique way to examine the course of history, through the impact of one commodity that is essential to human life. Something so many of us take for granted today, as shaped the world in ways we rarely recognize. I’m loving this history!
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
I’m really looking forward to reading this book because the themes seem to tie into very nicely with a variety of topics that have recently caught my attention. I kept seeing the idea of slower thinking pop up all over the place in my life, from dulcimer playing to understanding cognitive bias to conferences. When I’m hammered with the same concept from many different directions, I think it’s a pretty clear sign that it’s important! This seems like a good place to start digging into the idea more, and hopefully it will translate into some actionable ideas!
The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
This one was on sale, so we got the ebook and the Audible version. We’re pretty bird obsessed, so it should be an interesting listen. We started it on our cross-country drive when we moved from Virginia to California earlier this year, but we didn’t finish it. I don’t know when I’ll get back to it.
Will it Fly?: How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don’t Waste Your Time and Money by Pat Flynn
This was recommended to me by my dad when I was debating about what to do with this website. My crochet patterns were getting a lot of unanticipated attention and I wasn’t sure what to do next.
So far the book has been very informative and has challenged how I think about opportunities. There’s lots of “hands-on” activities, and I’m sure if I took the time to work through them all I’d be much better off. Right now I’m still in the read through once and absorb mode, but I’m looking forward to actually working through everything when I get some time in the future.
The Mueller Report by Robert S. Mueller III
Available to read for FREE in PDF format on the Department of Justice website or on NPR.
I’m listening to the FREE audiobook produced by Audible.
Or in ebook format, there’s the Washington Post’s edition which is not free.
So far the most interesting thing I’ve learned is just how much the Russians were doing to shape public opinion, and not just by trying to influence the far right. They were actively influencing the left, too, with the goal of increasing dissension, discord, and polarization. It seems as though the goal is to increase governmental dysfunction by increasing inflammation within the country.
As a result I am starting to question my own contribution to the situation. Not that I am giving up sharing my views when my values and rights are threatened, but taking more time to question the material in front of me. Asking myself, “Am I being manipulated right now? Is someone intentionally trying to rile me up? Is there a different way for me to react in a more constructive manner without compromising my values?”
These concepts are tied into the Daniel Kahneman book that I’m really looking forward to getting into.
No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder
My husband heard about this one listening to an NPR story on the radio. We got the audiobook version, and he mostly listens on his way to and from work. He listens some at home, too, so I’ve been catching snippets. He has finished it, and I may or may not listen to all of it, depends on how much time I have.
This book has been very challenging. My husband usually is a pretty stoic guy. Of the two of us, he’s the calm, level-headed one, and I’m the excitable, passionate one. It takes a lot to ruffle his feathers, but the topics this book covers, the level of pure horror that domestic violence victims experience, it brought my husband to tears. So, small doses are the way to go.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Jospeh Campbell
A classic study, this book traces the common themes of mythology across cultures. Said to have influenced the work of George Lucas and Star Wars. Informative, but tedious.
Up Next
Democracy in America (Volume 1) by Alexis de Tocqueville (Public Domain)
A political science classic! You can read the full history on Wikipedia, but the short story is this was written in the 1800s by a Frenchman sent to America to see what a republic society looked like. One of his major observations of life in America was about “voluntary associations.” My interest is in how that relates to civic engagement today, and I want to hear it straight from the horses mouth.
I’m sure I will follow it up with more research and related reading, starting with the article “The Tocqueville Problem: Civic Engagement in American Democracy” by Theda Skocpol.
My list’s getting a little long, but hopefully I can start these ones soon:
- A Geography of Time by Robert Levine
- Bury My Heart a Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown
- The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan
- The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Birds by the Shore by Jennifer Ackerman
- The Matriarch by Susan Page
- It Worked for Me by Colin Powell
- The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale
Finished
2020
Fiction
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (available for free at Project Gutenberg)
Nonfiction
Marooned by Joseph Kelly
A unique perspective of the first British settlements in North America, this book is about the history of Jamestown settlement. It was an incredibly engaging book that tried to look past the biases of recorded history to see what really happened when America was founded. I was raised in Virginia and spent a lot of time living in coastal Virginia, so I’m pretty familiar with the history of Jamestown, but this book opened my eyes to so much more. I think this book should be required reading for every American – it’s so important for us to understand where our nation really came from, so we don’t fall victim to propaganda and rhetoric.
What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz
A relatively short but engaging read. Lots of approachable science about our current understanding of plant biology, through the somewhat fanciful lens of treating plants as if they were more like animals. For example, discussion of what a plant “sees,” with the idea that it’s not just eyes that “see” but that plants “see” with different cells and mechanisms that respond to different lights.
2019
Fiction
Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard (Public Domain)
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Public Domain)
Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
After finishing Unfinished Tales I couldn’t help but start rereading the old classic!
Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth by J. R. R. Tolkien
Some fiction to wind down before bed. I finished re-reading The Silmarillion earlier in the year, and when this came up free I couldn’t help myself. If you like Lord of the Rings and have gotten tired of reading it over and over again, I’d recommend reading this one after The Silmarillion.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
This was my first time reading this classic. What a page turner! And it’s in the public domain, so you can get a free ebook version at Project Gutenberg!
Nonfiction
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
Another lost expedition tale that we’ve been listening to on road trips. So far so good! A nice balance of history and modern tale that isn’t resorting to cliched tricks to keep the suspense going.
This is a Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle book.
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
A local book club drew this book to my attention. I really appreciate how the author is able to present some pretty challenging material (a lot of the examples in the book are related to police violence and shootings) without being super divisive and inflammatory. It’s a very scientific book and she takes the time to look at the systemic issues at play, as well as individuals, but without playing a blame game.
This book also seems related to the fast/slow thinking of the Kahneman book, especially in terms of how bias is created in our brains, and what people can do to address the negative consequences.
Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong – and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story by Angela Saini
Another book club book that I listened to in audiobook format. I enjoyed listening to it, but was shocked to learn just how pervasive bias against women is in science. I think the author took an impartial look at all the evidence, and was surprised herself to see just how narrow-minded and unscientific some of the “scientific” research really was. Definitely recommend checking it out!
Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition by Paul Watson
Back to a little lighter reading with this one. I started reading over a year ago but life got in the way and I only got a few pages into the introduction.
I did, however, get to see the author speak at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. He didn’t give away too many spoilers, but he talked about how the book came to be and gave some history on the lost expedition. It was truly fascinating.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers either, but what I found most impressive is how respecting native oral history lead to major breakthroughs.
And of course books about the Arctic and ice are super important when we consider the challenges the climate crisis is presenting. Franklin was looking for the illusive northwest passage when he disappeared. It wasn’t a reality in his time, but as sea ice disappears, it’s more and more of a reality every year, and has huge implications for both the economy and national security.
Ancient Civilizations of North America by Edwin Barnhart & The Great Courses
Audible was having a BOGO educational book sale, so I got this book as a bonus! This is the first “Great Courses” book I’ve listened to, and so far I like it. Archaeology has been an interest of mine since about fourth grade, so this is right up my alley. I’m amazed by how much my history classes skipped over as a kid. There’s an incredible amount of archaeology and history to North America that’s been overlooked for a long time.
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides
This was a road trip listen for us this year. We’ve been on a bit of a lost voyages kick I guess between this one and Ice Ghosts. I won’t say too much and spoil anything, but this book was excellent! Kept us on the edges of our seats to see how it all played out.
Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes our Past by Sarah Parcak
I was a little disappointed in this book, but maybe because I didn’t know what it was when I started. I was expecting a bit more science and studies, but it was more of a memoir. The author walked through a lot of her previous research and expeditions, which were interesting, but for a book that I was looking forward to as a book about an exciting emerging field of science, it was a bit too personal and inventive for my taste. It was well written, but not one I’m interested in listening to again.
