Book Club Introduction
Over the last few months, I’ve started to get back into reading and wanted to start a weekly blog to talk about it. I was an avid reader when I was younger and have still kept up with it over the years, but I wanted to exercise my brain more this year. My goal has been to read one book per week. Let’s go over what I’ve read so far this year.
Shadowed by Carl Dueker
Full disclosure, this book is written for 14–18-year-old boys. I’ve read every book Carl Dueker has written since I first read High Heat back in 2009. It’s an easy way to spend the afternoon. He might be losing me a bit though, this was kind of mediocre.
Score: 3.5/5.0
Alex Rider: Nightshade Revenge by Anthony Horowitz
See the above explanation, it’s applicable here. I’ve read the Alex Rider books since I was a kid and they’re still great when I’m 30. This one seemed to tie up a lot of lose ends, I hope it isn’t the last one.
Score: 4.5/5.0
Red Notice by Bill Browder
This was one I skimmed a few years ago, and I’m really glad I decided to read it thoroughly. An incredible story that is even more important today given global political tensions. This book gave you some history, some economics, some politics, and told in a way that read like a thriller. I can’t recommend this enough.
Score: 5.0/5.0
The Wager by David Grann
I really enjoyed this. I was worried at first it would be too expository, but the storytelling and the way the author weaved history into it made for an awesome experience. I was captivated by this story, so much so that I approached a museum about buying an artifact from the shipwreck. They declined to negotiate. Anyways, I learned a ton about shipwrecks, Patagonia, the British Navy, and survival. Anyone who is interested in those things will love this book.
Score: 4.5/5.0
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
I read this on the recommendation of my friend Spencer, and I loved it. Similar compliments here to what I gave The Wager; it’s an awesome blend of history and storytelling. I never knew much about German U-Boats, or commercial wreck diving. Once I got about halfway, I read it nonstop over the weekend because I had to find out the answer to the mystery they were investigating. I’ve added several more of Robert Kurson’s books to my read list, I can’t wait to see what else he’s written about.
Score: 4.5/5.0
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
One of the best sci fi stories I’ve ever read. There are no big space battles, just an incredible story that goes about space exploration in a way I’ve never seen done before. This will be made into a movie next year and I’m worried it won’t translate to film – but I’m still excited to watch. Discussing details here would give too much away, go read it!
Score: 5.0/5.0
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
I have been reading the Alex Rider books since I was a kid, so I wanted to try to give one of Anthony Horowitz’s other projects a read. The gold standard for “Whodunnits” is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which is one of my favorite books. I give credit to Horowitz here; it was a creative and unique story that I had to finish as soon as I could. I guess I just don’t love the genre much anymore.
Score: 3.0/5.0
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
My co-workers are sick of me talking about salt, but this book was so interesting! It didn’t have a lot of narrative, most of it was expository history. I still enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who wasn’t a fan of non-fiction history. People need to respect salt more, it’s the most valuable mineral humans have ever found.
Score: 4.0/5.0
I’m currently reading Trading Bases by Joe Peta, and plan on having a blog on it next week. Thanks for reading!
