In no particular order…

Monsters – Claire Dederer

About consuming art by horrible people… or "monsters," as it were. Not quite what I expected, but glad I read it. Worth reading if you wrestle with enjoying art by people who've done horrible things. Is it OK to watch Roman Polanski movies? Should you feel guilty if you still listen to music by someone who abused women? Ultimately, it didn't really change my calculus on any of these things, but it did give me additional perspective. It was also nice to know someone else's thought process was not entirely unlike mine.

Assassins Anonymous – Rob Hart

What if there were an "assassins anonymous", like Alcoholics Anonymous, and a world-class hitman tried to go "sober" from killing? That's pretty much the gist of this novel, imagine Martin Q. Blanke trying to kick the habit, but it does wrestle more with the morality of being a hitman. Not, you know, enough to keep the author from making the protagonist a sympathetic character, but enough to at least suggest that it's a questionable thing to do. Aside from the premise, there's some plot elements that require a bit suspension of disbelief / willingness to attribute unlikely things (needed to resolve the book) to sheer luck.

Consider Phlebas – Iain M. Banks

A bit messy. Some sub-plots that, AFAICT, never resolve.

Womb City – Tlotlo Tsamaase

a DNF. Solid ideas, clunky clunky writing and relentless piling-on of worldbuilding - lots of "tell don't show" and not enough character. Pretty ham-fisted. I'm entirely sympathetic and onboard with the message the author is trying to convey, but I don't need to read the entire thing to absorb it when it's basically just repeating the same things ad naseum.

The Jakarta Method – Vincent Bevins

A look at cold war era anti-communism campaigns, beginning with the Indonesian mass killings in 1965-1966 that were supported by the CIA. Also looks at similar campaigns from Cuba to Africa. Horrific and terrible to realize few in the U.S. know about these things. (Including me until I read this…)

The Apocalypse Codex – Charles Stross

More "Laundry Files" fun. This one didn't grab me quite as much as the others in the series.

Thinner – Stephen King

Originally under the "Richard Bachman" pseudonym, this is a non-essential entry in the King catalog. It could have been edited down a bit to give it more punch.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye – John Scalzi

Quite silly. Fun read, but not essential.

Maskerade – Terry Pratchett

Discworld book focusing on the witches. Pratchett in top form.

The Drowning House – Cherie Priest

Interesting slow-burn mystery/horror book that would make a great movie.

From a Certain Point of View – 43 authors

Anthology of short stories from the perspectives of background characters in Star Wars: A New Hope. There were one or two clunkers in this one, but overall a solid collection of short stories. Fun.

Yellowface – R. F. Kuang

Couldn't put this one down. I was never quite sure where the story was going or how it'd end up, which is rare. Need to re-read this one soon.

The Day of the Dissonance – Alan Dean Foster

Part of Foster's Spellsinger series. This was a re-read, though it's been close to 40 years. This series would be ripe for a TV show adaptation, if done correctly. A bit dated, cringy in a few spots, but I'm fond of the characters and story.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate – Becky Chambers

Nice standalone sci-fi novella. Chambers spins a good yarn.

Damned – Chuck Palahniuk

13-year-old girl, child of a narcissistic film star and a billionaire dies and goes to Hell. Then works on taking it over. Twisted and definitely not for everyone.

The Woman They Could Not Silence – Kate Moore

Did not finish the entire book. May return to it later. It really was unsettling to think of how easily a person could be committed for no reason.

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War – David Halberstam

The Korean War is largely overlooked compared to WWII and Vietnam. That's a mistake–you can't really fully understand the conflicts that followed or current geopolitics without understanding the Korean War. Highly recommended. (Wikipedia)

The Imaginary Girlfriend – John Irving

A memoir by Irving. Fun if you are into his work.

I Heard You Paint Houses – Charles Brandt

Frank Sheeran memoir. (Basis of The Irishman.) 7/10

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 Few – Becky 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 Orbit – Becky Chambers

7/10

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 Planet – Becky 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)

• Code Girls – Liza Mundy

• Capital – Thomas Piketty
• Seasonal Velocities – Ryka Aoki
• Wise Gals – Nathalia Holt
• Daddy Was a Number Runner – Louise Mariwether
• Homeland – Cory Doctorow
• The Ways of White Folks – Langston Hughes

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: Short review on blog (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

Books that I can recall having read somewhere between birth and having bought a Kindle. Things get sketchy at this point. Obviously incomplete and adding to the list as time allows. Does not include comics.

• Another Fine Myth – Robert Asprin
• Mother Night – Kurt Vonnegut
• Galapagos – Kurt Vonnegut
• Ringworld – Larry Niven
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick
• Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret – Judy Blume
• Superfudge – Judy Blume
• Wifey – Judy Blume
• Cujo – Stephen King

Books that I have either abandoned, or have read part-way through but need to return to.

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.