Books of February 2022
The more books I read that I actually like, the more books seem to fall into that category, and the happier I am.
I’ve also found that I seem to be able to get through just as many books with my new goal of “reading books I like more” even despite the fact that I have put hours of time into several and then put them aside (whether that is forever, or until I decide to go back to reading boring books at some time in the future, only time will tell). I suspect that this is because I make up for that time spent on books I don’t like by finding extra time to read the ones that I do like - because I actually want to read them.
I probably shouldn’t be too surprised by these revelations, and I guess I largely am not. But I am seriously enjoying this excuse to read and seek out genuinely good books - or at least, ones that fall into that category for me. This month, the books that I read and finished (and thus, fall into that category), are as follows:
The Killer's Shadow: The FBI's Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer - 4 Stars. This book by John Douglas was different than his usual since it dove so deeply into a particular case. However, I appreciated getting to see many of the principles and ideas that I have read about in his other works applied to this one and getting to know the occurrences in such detail. It was even more exciting when I came across a discussion of this case in one of my grad school textbooks while I was reading this book. The events depicted are truly despicable, and books like this always make me so glad for the agencies and individuals who work together to protect our country and the citizens thereof.
Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style - 3 Stars. As a long-time lover of Kurt Vonnegut, I was intrigued by this book and excited to read his encouragements for writers. Even more so because I so enjoyed reading On Writing by Stephen King last year, even though I haven’t read really any of his writing. I was disappointed that it is really just a compilation of articles, letters, and excerpts from his larger pieces that have been stitched together by Suzanne McConnell, one of his students. There is certainly advice for writers here, although the one pulled from the title is, and I expect will remain, largely the most memorable for me. However, some of the advice feels like a stretch, and the book felt overly drawn out, I suspect this is because the book acknowledged that Kurt Vonnegut’s words had to make up 60% of it for him to be considered an author, while the co-author still had much that she wanted to say. It also provided deeper recognition for me of Vonnegut’s beliefs and messages underlying much of his work that I was unaware of before. That will certainly provide much deeper understanding for me the next time I read one of his writings, although I suspect that most of his advice to me as a writer will be forgotten.
Escape from Falaise - 4 Stars. I’ve been a long-time fan of the Ranger’s Apprentice series, and now the spin-off, the Royal Ranger series. When I saw at Barnes & Noble (while wandering around with a friend to find books we wanted to read - which is also where I found the previous book on this list and a few others I read this month), I saw that there was a new release in the series and instantly bumped it to the top of my to-read list. This book picked up mid-action where its predecessor left off, which felt like a bit of weakness since I then had to remember everything that had happened before when I read the previous book over a year ago. However, once I got back into the story, I was captivated by the familiar writing style and characters and enjoyed the progression of the story. Although my favorite characters did not really have center stage in this part of the saga, I enjoyed seeing their supporting roles, and the other characters were interesting enough. I’m not sure where the series will go from here, but I do know that I eagerly await the next installment.
The Maid - 3 Stars. A friend had mentioned that the plot of this book looked interesting, and I agreed and eagerly dove in. Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to my anticipated excitement. The characterization was remarkable, but again the titularly referenced character was not my favorite. I also never appreciate when the story is re-written and re-interpreted in the last couple of pages. Until that point, I was enjoying the story more than I was when I discovered that the mystery hadn’t occurred as told, and actually makes the subsequent actions appear quite different. The book did, however, bring to mind the idea of what occurs when someone witnesses a crime but doesn’t recognize it as a crime, and that is an idea that I have thought much about since.
Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenet and the City of Boulder - 3 Stars. Although JonBenet Ramsey died before I was born, I have a distinct memory of hearing about the story as a young child and I’m positive that I have a newspaper clipping of her story somewhere in one of my memory boxes from that period. Since then, however, I haven’t learned or read much about what occurred. Since it is largely in line with what I have been reading and enjoying lately, I decided it was a story I needed to learn more about. I picked this book because it was one of the shorter ones on the topic, and as such, I believe provided a sufficient overview. However, it did not do a very good job of differentiating between all the people involved and I was constantly having to go back and try to remember. It also gave a lot of attention to one particular reporter, which I found odd and frustrating, but I guess further reading on the subject will help me determine if it was warranted. The book also ended abruptly, and while it implied it would discuss the Grand Jury, it ended before sharing anything that occurred from that point on. Although I still have hope that this case may be solved at some future time, it is heartbreaking to see that the fact it hasn’t been solved yet, is largely what makes it a “perfect” murder, although I would argue that is at least partially because of the far-from-”perfect” town where it occurred.
The Lost Night - 4 Stars. Much like the other book by Andrea Bartz I recently read, I enjoyed this one. She does a great job developing characters, although I will admit, the protagonists normally aren’t my favorite - and are largely similar. I also saw the big twist in this one coming, so wasn’t too surprised, and it felt like the end was unnecessarily drawn out, especially after the big reveal. However, I still enjoyed the story and the suspense, as well as the depiction of life in the late 2000s (that discussion of Flip camcorders, anyone!?), and again in the late 2010s (pre-pandemic, luckily). It was also an interesting look at friendship, life in the digital age, and what it means to be an adult.
Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It - 3 Stars. Since self-talk is something that we all deal with every day, and something I deal with quite a bit in my work as a coach, I felt like this was a book that I should read. It was mildly interesting, with relevant research, and practical application steps. However, it didn’t feel like it was a complete look at the topic, and at times, the content itself felt like chatter, and my mind wandered frequently. If transforming your self-talk is something you are undertaking, this could be a beneficial guide, but if you are not, then you likely want to fill your mind with a different kind of chatter.
Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living - 4 Stars. I fell in love with this book pretty much from the first page. Although there were some sections that weren’t quite as compelling, I was captivated by Robert A. Jensen and hearing about his experiences in recovery over the years. It also tied in closely with another book I am reading - they both covered some of the same content when I read both in the same day and even referenced the institutions described in each, which was particularly interesting. The book covers things to the current day, including the COVID pandemic, and discussions on trauma and how it affects people differently. Although it takes particularly special people to do what Robert A. Jensen and his team do, I am imminently grateful for that work, much of the necessity of which had never even occurred to me.
The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward - 4 Stars. I love Daniel Pink books, so as soon as I heard that this one was out, it was another that flew to the top of my “to read” list. As opposed to many others who take a somewhat obscure sociological topic and compile research to illustrate their perspective on it, Daniel Pink does it in a way that is memorable and feels meaningful. Although I initially didn’t agree with the premise of the book, feeling like I really don’t have many (if any) regrets, by the end I had come around to his side of the issue. I can see the value of having regrets, recognizing, and learning from them.
Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer - 4 Stars. Although I had read about the Green River Killer in other books, I was curious to read more about this case specifically, particularly since it took place so close to home, albeit largely before I was born. Hearing about the case from the perspective of Sheriff David Reichert, who was the lead detective, was extremely valuable, especially since many of the authors of the books I have read recently have been at some distance from the happenings. This book was a great example of giving victims the reverence they deserve and it was interesting to see the case reviewed from the perspective of being solved, highlighting interactions with the killer long before they knew he was the individual they were after. However, I felt like the book skipped over much of what occurred between the start of the case and when DNA analysis evolved far enough that it could be solved. Also, the Sherriff indicated he knew who the killer was before opening the DNA analysis to read it, but I felt unsure as to where his confidence in the matter came from since it seemed they had complied little evidence against him to that point. Regardless, since that solve came twenty years after the initial murders, I was left hopeful that other cases, such as that of JonBenet Ramsey, might yet be solved at some point in the future.
Although when I set the goal to just generally “read books I like more” this year, I didn’t put any hard numbers or statistics with it, one that has come to mind several times in the last couple of months is to not read any 2-star books this year.
Looking back at the last several years, it is easy to see that a lot of books fall into that category. And as mentioned earlier, I have certainly started some this year, but quickly gave up and moved on so that I could stay in alignment (my word of the year) with my reading goal. It doesn’t seem practicable to not read any 3-star books, and I’ve already violated that idea, but I do think I should strive to stop reading any books that seem to be falling into that 2-star category, or even those that would be 3-stars but that I am unmotivated to finish. And since 1-star books (of which there have luckily been very few) are the only ones I’ve ever stopped reading before, I suspect that there won’t be too many of those to contend with.
It is very like me to continue to tighten a goal once it has already been set, and I am unsurprised that this one is not an exception to that. However, I think this addition, or footnote, to my goal will continue to push me to put down books I don’t like and reach for more of the ones that I do - and that, after all, is the entire point.
Until next time,