2024 Reads

The cover of a book titled "Have a Little Faith: The John Hiatt Story" by Michael Elliott, with a foreword by Elvis Costello. The cover features a side profile of an elderly man sitting on a chair, wearing a hat and a dark coat, with his hands raised as if praying or in thought.

Have A Little Faith | Michael Elliott

A biography of my all-time favorite musician was an easy sell. What surprised me was how personal it felt. Through a series of conversations with the author, John Hiatt comes across as thoughtful, self-aware, and remarkably honest.

When Hiatt announced an acoustic show in Iowa City for October 2024, of course I had to drive down to take Isaac to his first John Hiatt show. It’s a father’s obligation.

Book cover titled "A Village in the Third Reich" by Julia Boyd with co-author Angelika Patel. The cover features a mountain landscape with a bird flying and a village with houses and a church. The subtitle reads "How ordinary lives were transformed by the rise of fascism."
Book cover titled "A Village in the Third Reich" by Julia Boyd with co-author Angelika Patel. The cover features a mountain landscape with a bird flying and a village with houses and a church. The subtitle reads "How ordinary lives were transformed by the rise of fascism."

Village in the Third Reich| Julia Boyd

An evocative story of ordinary people living in a picturesque Bavarian village under Nazi rule during World War II.

It's easy to judge people living through history. Much harder to know what I would have done in their place.

A red book cover with black and white text. Title: "CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties". Subtitle: "New York Times Bestseller". Author: Tom O’Neill with Dan Piepenbring. Bottom left corner has black and white photograph of people walking, including children and adults.
A red book cover with black and white text. Title: "CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties". Subtitle: "New York Times Bestseller". Author: Tom O’Neill with Dan Piepenbring. Bottom left corner has black and white photograph of people walking, including children and adults.

Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the ‘60s | Tom O’Neil

It is a dense read that took another step toward deepening my mistrust of government.

I just noticed that it is now a Netflix documentary. Added to the watchlist — I'm not done going down this rabbit hole.

Book cover for 'Last Bus to Wisdom' by Ivan Doig featuring a person sitting on rocks and looking at a sunset sky.
Book cover for 'Last Bus to Wisdom' by Ivan Doig featuring a person sitting on rocks and looking at a sunset sky.

Last Bus to Wisdom| Ivan Doig

I’m a sucker for a story about the open road, coming-of-age and misadventures that inevitably follow. What would you expect from an 11 year old boy riding the Greyhound from Montana to Wisconsin during the summer of 1951?

Cover of the novel "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver, featuring illustrations of various objects and scenes including birds, a snake, a skeleton, a sunrise over water, a bicycle, and plants, with the author's name prominently displayed.
Cover of the novel "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver, featuring illustrations of various objects and scenes including birds, a snake, a skeleton, a sunrise over water, a bicycle, and plants, with the author's name prominently displayed.

Demon Copperhead | Barbara Kingsolver

I remember struggling through Charles Dickens' David Copperfield in high school. Even so, when I heard about this modern Appalachian version, I had to give it a shot.

It humanizes the opioid crisis and life in places that are equal parts beautiful and messed up.

I ended purchasing this for several people.

Book cover titled 'Prague Spring' by Simon Mawer, with a background of a purple and pink sky, silhouettes of statues on either side, and a faint cityscape in the distance.
Book cover titled 'Prague Spring' by Simon Mawer, with a background of a purple and pink sky, silhouettes of statues on either side, and a faint cityscape in the distance.

Prague Spring | Simon Mower

Sex, politics, espionage, and betrayal, all set in the year I was born: 1968.

I was already working on plans to live in Europe before crossing paths with this book. It gave urgency to those plans.

Book cover of 'The Son' by Philipp Meyer with a landscape image of horses running through a dry, desert-like area.
Book cover of 'The Son' by Philipp Meyer with a landscape image of horses running through a dry, desert-like area.

The Son | Philipp Meyer

I abandoned this book after starting it a few years earlier.

Filled with American Western imagery, this multi-generational story of ruthlessness, cruelty, power, and wealth had me enthralled the second time around. I couldn’t put it down.

Book cover of "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy with a black and white photo of a horse's head on the bottom half and a gold badge that says "National Book Award Winner"
Book cover of "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy with a black and white photo of a horse's head on the bottom half and a gold badge that says "National Book Award Winner"

All the Pretty Horses | Cormac McCarthy

The Son whet my appetite for stories filled with wild Texas imagery. The best way to keep it going was with some Cormac McCarthy.

It was everything I expected from Cormac McCarthy.

The book cover of "All the Broken Places" by John Boyne, featuring a dark, cloudy sky with flying birds and an old, ornate building at the bottom.
The book cover of "All the Broken Places" by John Boyne, featuring a dark, cloudy sky with flying birds and an old, ornate building at the bottom.

All the Broken Places | John Boyne

This was an interesting twist on “you never know what someone is dealing with.” In this case, a German girl who escaped Nazi Germany and her questionable parents at age twelve.

It reminded me that everyone has a story. Some are just darker than others.

Book cover for 'The River We Remember' by William Kent Krueger, featuring a person standing near a river through a misty, wooded landscape at sunrise or sunset.
Book cover for 'The River We Remember' by William Kent Krueger, featuring a person standing near a river through a misty, wooded landscape at sunrise or sunset.

The River We Remember | William Kent Krueger

I really enjoy William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mystery series. I have read at least a half dozen of them. But what I enjoy even more, however, are his stand alone books.

This one has all the ingredients: mid-century America, mystery, small-town life, and characters dealing with demons from their past.

Book cover titled 'Freezing Order' by Bill Browder, with subtitle describing a story of money laundering, murder, and survival of Vladimir Putin's wrath, featuring a silhouette of a man running in front of a modern city skyline.
Book cover titled 'Freezing Order' by Bill Browder, with subtitle describing a story of money laundering, murder, and survival of Vladimir Putin's wrath, featuring a silhouette of a man running in front of a modern city skyline.

Freezing Order | Bill Browder

I was enthralled with Red Notice, so reading the follow-up was an easy decision. It's an amazing story of Russian duplicity, corruption, and the brutal nature of Vladimir Putin.

However, Bill Browder needs to stop being so self-important. Yeah, you’re great. I get it.

Cover of the book 'Ordinary Grace' by William Kent Krueger. It features a scenic landscape with a bridge over a river and a sky with clouds, celebrating the 10th anniversary.
Cover of the book 'Ordinary Grace' by William Kent Krueger. It features a scenic landscape with a bridge over a river and a sky with clouds, celebrating the 10th anniversary.

Ordinary Grace | William Kent Krueger

You already know I enjoy William Kent Krueger’s books. This is no exception.

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