Book tracking

Zonker.net


Book tracking

Books I'm reading, books I've read, books I want to read. Some have notes, some don't…

Reading

I Heard You Paint HousesCharles Brandt
Frank Sheeran memoir. (Basis of The Irishman.)

To Read

  • Code Girls – Liza Mundy
  • The Woman They Could Not Silence – Kate Moore
  • Wise Gals – Nathalia Holt
  • Daddy Was a Number Runner – Louise Mariwether

2025

In no particular order…

Nuclear War: A Scenario – Annie Jacobsen
This felt like an article or series of articles stretched into an entire book. A lot of repetition, a fair amount of editorializing. Yes, nuclear weapons are bad. 4/10
Record of a Spaceborn FewBecky Chambers
6/10
Light from Uncommon Stars – Ryka Aoki
Original, fun, and did not play out the way I expected it to. Loved it. In some ways it reminds me of a modernized, novelized verison of the show Soap, which anyone who knows me knows that is a major compliment indeed. Want to read more of Aoki's work, but I fear I've started with the pinnacle. 9/10
A Closed and Common OrbitBecky Chambers
7/10

2024

In no particular order…

Hogfather – Terry Pratchett
The master at the top of his game.
Space Opera – Catheryn Valente
TBD
Slow Time Between the Stars – John Scalzi
TBD
Remanence (Confluence Book 2) – Jennifer Foehner Wells
TBD
The City in the Middle of Night – Charlie Jane Anders
Excellent book, took longer to get into than her first novel. Still, recommend. (7/10)
Hell on the Border – Sidney Thompson
TBD
Black AF History – Michael Harriot
A must-read. Learned a lot that I should've learned decades ago.
The Fuller Memorandum – Charles Stross
TBD
The Last Emperox – John Scalzi
TBD
The Jennifer Morgue – Charles Stross
TBD
Earthlings – Sayaka Murata
Holy shit was this not what I expected. Weird AF. Recommend, but only if a reader has a tolerance for extreme weirdness. (7/10)
Interesting Times (1994) – Terry Pratchett
Good, though Rincewind books are not my favorites. (6/10)
The Consuming Fire – John Scalzi
(7/10)
JPod (2006) – Douglas Coupland
One of Coupland's lesser works. Echos of Microserfs but feels like Coupland ran out of steam. (6/10)
Carrie – Stephen King
Still one of King's best. (8/10)
The Road to Roswell (2024) – Connie Willis
Fun, entertaining, a mix of mystery, sci-fi, and romantic comedy. (6/10)
Home (2021) – Martha Wells
Short story / novella. (6/10)
Soul Music – Terry Pratchett
Lots of fun music references. (6/10)
The Collapsing Empire – John Scalzi
(7/10)
The Long Way to a Small, Angry PlanetBecky Chambers
(6.5/10)
Enemies: A History of the FBI – Tim Weiner
TBD
Network Effect (2020) – Martha Wells
Packs less punch IMO than the first entries in the series. Love me some Murderbot though. (7/10)
Midnight in Chernobyl – Adam Higginbotham
If you've seen the Chernobyl mini-series this is not bringing much to the table. Worth reading before seeing the show if possible. (6.5/10)
Babel – R. F. Kuang
Could not put this down. It's a must-read. (10/10)
Men at Arms – Terry Pratchett
(8/10)
Red Team Blues – Cory Doctorow
Fun. (6/10)
Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves – Sidney Thompson
TBD
The Atrocity Archives – Charles Stross
TBD
I'm Glad My Mom Died – Jennette McCurdy
Not sure how to rate this. I empathize with McCurdy. I hope she's well.
Molly Molloy & the Angel of Death – Maria Vale
(7/10)
Vagina Obscura – Rachel E. Gross
Non-fiction that reminds me of Mary Roach at her absolute best. (8/10)
How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them – Barbara F. Walter
I feel like Walter got stuck on how much research she did and couldn't bring it all to the page. Worth reading, but should've been distilled. Unfortunately, little in the way of recommendations. (7/10)
(no term)
Masscult and Midcult: Essays Against the American Grain – Dwight MacDonald
Witches Abroad – Terry Pratchett
The witches books are some of my favorite Pratchetts. (8/10)
Lords and Ladies – Terry Pratchett
(8/10)
Run Your Own Mail Server (2024) – Michael W. Lucas
Not fiction, good stuff. (7/10)

2007 – 2023 The ebook era

These are books I know I've read via ebook or paper title since the advent of the Kindle. I think I actually bought my first Kindle in 2008, but early in the year.

  • 11-23-63 – Stephen King
  • A Collection of Essays – George Orwell
  • A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989) – John Irving: One of my favorite books of all time. I've lost track of how many times I've read it. I think I first read this not long after its publication, and have read it at least every five years since. It "changes" each time based on my perspective and age.
  • A Religious Orgy in Tennessee (2006)– H.L. Mencken: Mencken's account of the Scopes Monkey Trial.
  • All Families Are Psychotic – Douglas Coupland
  • All Systems Red – Martha Wells: (8/10)
  • All the Birds in the Sky – Charlie Jane Anders (2016): Damn, this book is beautiful. Need to re-read it.
  • Armada – Ernest Cline
  • Artificial Condition – Martha Wells
  • Benjamin Franklin: An American Life – Walter Isaacson
  • Blackout (Newsflesh Book 3) – Mira Grant
  • Boneshaker – Cherie Priest
  • Dandelion Wine – Ray Bradbury
  • Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion – Gary Webb
  • Darkly Dreaming Dexter – Jeff Lindsay
  • Deadline (Newsflesh Book 2) – Mira Grant
  • Devil in the White City – Erik Larson
  • Dexter by Design – Jeff Lindsay
  • Dexter in the Dark – Jeff Lindsay
  • Doctor Sleep – Stephen King
  • Down and Out in Paris and London – George Orwell
  • Eichmann in Jerusalem – Hannah Arendt
  • Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail (72) – Hunter S. Thompson
  • Feed (Newsflesh Book 1) – Mira Grant
  • Fluency – Jennifer Foehner Wells
  • Furiously Happy – Jenny Lawson
  • God is Not Great – Christopher Hitchens
  • Good Omens – Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire –J.K. Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J.K. Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – J.K. Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling
  • Homeland – Cory Doctorow
  • Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets – David Simon
  • I'm Starved for You – Margaret Atwood
  • In One Person – John Irving
  • Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal – Christopher Moore
  • Linchpin – Seth Godin
  • Lisey's Story – Stephen King
  • Lock-In – John Scalzi
  • Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove – Christopher Moore
  • Making Things Happen – Scott Berkun
  • Merchants of Doubt – Naomi Oreskes, Erik Conway
  • Mort – Terry Pratchett
  • Mortality – Christopher Hitchens
  • Nation – Terry Pratchett
  • Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) – Scott Meyer
  • Old Man's War – John Scalzi
  • On Writing – Stephen King
  • Orange is the New Black – Piper Kerman
  • Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue – John McWhorter
  • Packing for Mars – Mary Roach
  • Palm Sunday – Kurt Vonnegut
  • Peace on Earth: The Christmas Truce of 1914 – David Boyle
  • Pygmy – Chuck Palahniuk
  • Rage – Stephen King
  • Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
  • Rogue Protocol – Martha Wells
  • Shake Hands with the Devil – Roméo Dallaire
  • Small Gods – Terry Pratchett
  • Sourcery – Terry Pratchett
  • Stiff – Mary Roach
  • Tar Baby – Toni Morrison
  • The Big White Lie: The Deep Cover Operation That Exposed the CIA Sabotage of the Drug War – Michael Levine, Laura Kavanau-Levine
  • The Cider House Rules – John Irving
  • The Color of Magic – Terry Pratchett
  • The Corner – David Simon
  • The Dispatcher – John Scalzi
  • The Enemy – Christopher Hitchens
  • The Forever War – Joe Haldeman
  • The Goal – Eliyahu Goldratt
  • The God Engines – John Scalzi
  • The Godfather – Mario Puzo
  • The Golden Notebook – Doris Lessing
  • The Gum Thief – Douglas Coupland
  • The Gun – C.J. Chivers
  • The History of English – Scott Shay
  • The Human Division – John Scalzi
  • The Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick
  • The Martian – Andy Weir
  • The Men Who Stared at Goats – Jon Ronson
  • The Missionary Position – Christopher Hitchens
  • The Next 100 Years – George Friedman
  • The Night of the Gun – David Carr
  • The Phoenix Project – Gene Kim, et al.
  • The Princess Diarist – Carrie Fisher
  • The Serpent of Venice – Christopher Moore
  • The Shining – Stephen King
  • The Stand – Stephen King
  • The View from Flyover Country – Sarah Kendzior
  • The World of Kurt Vonnegut: Peace in Amber – Hugh Howey
  • Thomas Jefferson: Author of America – Christopher Hitchens
  • Thomas Jefferson: Eminent Lives – Christopher Hitchens
  • Unlocked – John Scalzi
  • Vice: One Cop's Story of Patrolling America's Most Dangerous City – John R. Baker, Stephen J. Rivele
  • What If? – Randall Munroe
  • Wishful Drinking – Carrie Fisher
  • Wyrd Sisters – Terry Pratchett
  • Yes, Please – Amy Poehler
  • You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir – Felicia Day
  • Zoe's Tale – John Scalzi

Pre-2008

List books here that I can recall having read somewhere between birth and having bought a Kindle… things get sketchy beyond here.

  • Mother Night – Kurt Vonnegut
  • Galapagos – Kurt Vonnegut

-—

Not quite finished or abandoned

A People's History of the United States – Howard Zinn
Need to finish this one of these days. Best sipped in small doses.
The Two Charlies – Larry J. Hausner
Just didn't care for it. The writing and structure was mediocre at best and it was not holding my attention at all.