Books of September 2022
Maybe I was just excited to dive back into nonfiction, maybe I subliminally was picking shorter books, but this month I somehow got through 18, which feels like several more than usual. It could also be the more frequent gray skies, the slowly turning leaves, or the hint of cold in the air permeating the mornings and evenings - but fall is certainly around the corner and that does always make me more inclined to bundle up and occupy myself with a great book.
Regardless of what I can credit as the source, however, those 18 books included:
The Maze - 4 Stars. I started this book at the very end of my month of fiction, and since the calendar had not yet clicked over to September, I got started. This continued my progress in the series by Catherine Coulter but returned me back to the beginning - the second book, to be precise. I enjoyed seeing the origin of one of the greatest characters in the series, as well as explanations for some of the events that were alluded to in the later books I’ve already read. Some of the events in the book felt like a bit of a stretch, even for fiction, and a few characters lacked some of the consistency that they attain in an attempt to give them a bit more depth - which I understand, even if I don’t appreciate it. Since I was ready to return to nonfiction, I decided to put the series on hold, and although I enjoyed this early installment, I was ready for a break anyway.
A Wanted Man - 3 Stars. Although nonfiction books were begging for my attention, I had this one from the library and wanted to finish it before it needed to be returned. Plus, since this has almost become the summer of Jack Reacher for me, it allowed me to hold onto the last vestigates of summer just a bit longer. This was a unique book, and I enjoyed the way that the story unwound, with several twists that I did not see coming. However, like some of the other books in this series, the central tenants of the climax felt like a bit of a stretch. A fun, if not exactly light read, but one that propelled me into the nonfiction books I had waiting.
Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels - 3 Stars. I appreciate a good piece of investigative journalism. This book definitely fits that bill. However, with all the detail, I did feel like it got a bit stuck in the weeds at points, and I probably would’ve preferred to just read the original pieces on the topic, rather than an entire book on them. Related, the book ended up adding information about another investigation part of the way through, which was definitely related, but I did not feel like it was integrated very well. On the whole, the work by Paul Pringle and his team was fantastic, especially in light of the opposition they faced bringing this important story to light. And I enjoyed getting back into this kind of book. But I was also reminded that not every book necessarily needs to be one.
Jar of Hearts - 3 Stars. I really liked Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier when I read it last month, so I was excited to dive into more from her. I liked this book for the same reasons I liked that one, the well-written characters, the familiar setting, and the twisting story, but the moral ambiguity/moral dubiousness that was at the heart of the other book was a bit more pronounced in this one and there were some truly disturbing elements. That, combined with the notably more explicit nature of some aspects of the story, caused me to downgrade my rating of this book. This is the first time I can remember lowering my rating for such factors, but I did not feel like a 4-star designation was appropriately cautious or expressed the full range of my feelings for this book.
Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer - 3 Stars. The last nonfiction book I read before my month of fiction was A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming. I knew I also had this one waiting for me, so I was ready to dive straight into this one when I finished the other, but since I had entered the month of fiction, I forced myself to stick to the plan and got started on this one as soon as I could. Compared to the other books by John Douglas, this was not my favorite. It felt almost indulgent and basically went over everything twice - a general overview and then more detailed coverage as John Douglas went through the journals and other evidence left behind by BTK. There was certainly some valuable insight, and it was interesting to read this book from such a different perspective (compared to the last one). But now I definitely feel like I have well-rounded knowledge on this case and don’t plan to read any more on it.
The Midnight Line - 3 Stars. Another Jack Reacher book that I wanted to read before returning it to the library. This one was weirder than most of the others, or at least had a much more tenuous basis for the story. There were some well-written peripheral characters, and I enjoyed them more than usual, but some elements of the story felt out of character or unnecessary, which made me enjoy it less.
The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking True Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy - 3 Stars. This was another nonfiction book that I’d been dying to read, but since this month had seemed to settle into a rhythm of a nonfiction book followed by a fiction book, I didn’t get to it until a few weeks into the month. It was another unique perspective on a prominent case. I’d finished watching a related docuseries at the end of July, so this was another book I had to put off until now. Although that had felt like a long docuseries, and this book did still feel a bit longer than necessary, I appreciated the additional information, detail, and nuance that this book provided. It also gave appropriate credence and respect to the victims and their stories, an area where many similar books fall short, and one that might seem unlikely given the author’s connection to Ted Bundy. Although I don’t intend to dive fully into her writing, there are a few more books by Ann Rule on my list, and I am more inclined to read them after seeing how well she handled this one.
One of Us Is Dead - 4 Stars. This is another book that I rated hesitantly. I almost docked a star because just like Jar of Hearts, I thought that this book was more explicit and morally debauched than one I could fully recommend. However, I did still enjoy the core of the story, the setting, and the characterizations. While there are really no characters to love, there are plenty to dislike - and some to thoroughly hate. I didn’t even mind the character changes and time shifts in this one. And although I saw the twist coming, I wouldn’t have guessed quite how it played out, so I was still quickly turning through the pages until the very end.
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team - 3 Stars. I’m not sure why I suddenly felt compelled to read this book, particularly since it’s September (not exactly a time when I’m thinking a lot about winter), and it has been on my list for months. However, I suddenly bumped it to the top of my list and dove in. Although I might have been somewhat swayed by a review that I randomly happened to see, I agree with that random reviewer that the book itself is not exactly well-structured. It jumped back and forth between overview, related history, a play-by-play of the vital games in question, and intensive backgrounds on individual players. It was all interesting, but often hard to keep track of and impossible to tell where it was going. The most interesting part has been mentioning the book in conversation and seeing how well other people remember that Olympics and this win in particular - at least for those who were alive at that time, as I was not. The best part of the book was towards the end, where I felt like the deepest analysis was given as to what made this win so spectacular and what set apart the team that achieved it. Unsurprisingly, the book has further deepened my love of hockey, and I need to go add a few more related books to my list.
Carrie Soto is Back - 4 Stars. It feels like I have heard about nothing but Taylor Jenkins Reid for months, and this was the first book by her that I’ve read. I would have been even more excited going in had I known that tennis was a central feature of the book, and it is another sport that I totally adore. However, even as much as I love tennis (playing it, watching it), apparently, I don’t enjoy reading about it quite as much because there is a lot of the book solely dedicated to narrative about exercises, practices, and matches. I could follow it, and even enjoyed most of it, but it was definitely overdone and got to the point where it almost felt like someone just trying to display their knowledge of the sport. The book was well-written, and I loved the father-daughter relationship, but I’m not quite sold on the Taylor Jenkins Reid hype. However, I did start out not liking the book (I almost put it down), and it did slowly grow on me until I was willing to give it 4-stars, so I guess there might be some accuracy behind the Taylor Jenkins Reid fandom after all.
My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror - 3 Stars. I am familiar with most of the cultural events surrounding the time I was born, but I knew little about the person behind one of the crucial government agencies at that time. Louis J. Freeh has an interesting story, and although some parts of the book were definitely slow, he provided a different perspective on this turbulent time. Additionally, I thought it was fascinating to see some of the echoes from this book in the books I read earlier this year by James Comey. I shouldn’t be surprised, given the position they hold in common and the world they were both operating amid, but I was. Since the book was written in 2005, many of what Louis J. Freeh predicted would come to pass in the ensuing decade did not, however, given his position and experience, even the potential those ideas held provides added layers of information from which to view the world in which we do currently live.
Past Tense - 4 Stars. Compared to most other books in the Jack Reacher series, this one kept two distinct plotlines for an extremely long time. It also kept me guessing much longer than usual - which is only partly because I ended up doing that thing where I started in the middle again (don’t ask - it’s a long story). I wasn’t ultimately surprised when he arrived right on time, but the incorporation of old personal history was definitely a nice change of pace and added a unique dimension. The antagonists in this book actually felt much more dimensional than some of the other peripheral characters, which doesn’t really bother me, especially since (spoiler alert), they die in the end.
101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think - 3 Stars. This book has a lot, a lot of very important information. I can definitely say that if the ideas the book shares are new to you, they would definitely have the potential to change your life. As a coach and someone who spent years reading every personal development book she could get her hands on, there was very little about this book that was unique or original to me, but it did pull together a lot of valuable material. However, the book was very repetitive, sometimes even using the same exact examples, and some of the “essays” were really just lists - making it seem like more content was added to get to the nice round “101” essays for the title. It also felt like the focus of the essays shifted somewhat over time - sometimes they were presented as educational material, and at other times they came across like a journal entry. While that isn’t a bad thing, it did make the book feel inconsistent. There were also some points shared that I don’t exactly agree with. However, while my life wasn’t changed, I can see why the book has the title that it does.
Night School - 4 Stars. As much as I enjoy reading about the modern world through the eyes of Jack Reacher, it is almost more fun to return to his roots as an MP. The thought processes of the character even feel younger and are less developed, something that I’m not positive is intentional, but that I suspect might be. Plus, I love it when Frances Neagley is in the book, as she remains probably my favorite side character, and I also love when they go overseas - another plus to this book. Although the core plot of this one seemed a bit far-fetched, it didn’t cast an air of unreality over the story as has happened in some other earlier books. Plus, I was kept guessing for most of the book, unsure of exactly where the story would end up.
The Anatomy of Motive: The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals - 3 Stars. Although I had already read another John Douglas book this month, it is never too early to read another. This one took a unique approach to the topic, discussed some lesser-known cases, and didn’t feel overly repetitious, which sometimes happens when you’ve read so many books by one author. The book was sectioned well too, and even had some exercises to complete at the end, which was a fun addition. I didn’t find this book as compelling as some of John Douglas’ other works, but it is definitely one that will stick with me.
Things We Do in the Dark - 3 Stars. I loved Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier so much, and I was thrilled to have another one of her brand-new books to read so soon. Unfortunately, this one did not live up to the high standard of the first one, but I did not dislike it for the same reasons I didn’t like Jar of Hearts . This one did have a content warning, however, and harsh language and depictions of abuse are not something that is ever easy to read, but they do reflect reality and provide layers to the story in that way. Rather, what irritated me was the lack of suspense in the book - even the twists had enough foreshadowing not to be a surprise. I do continue to appreciate Jennifer Hillier’s writing, characters, and Seattle setting, however, so I know I will keep reading her books for those reasons alone.
Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia - 3 Stars. A true crime classic, this book somehow had not even made my list until it came to mind, and I instantly decided to dive right in. Although the book is short, I did still have some difficulty keeping all the players straight. Also, it didn’t bother me, but since this book contains a lot of direct quotes from those individuals, the language is beyond colorful, but it doesn’t feel overly excessive - I mean, it is, but in a very in-character way. I enjoyed this glimpse into the undercover world, something I haven’t read too much about recently, and it is fascinating that while this feels like ancient history, it really is quite the opposite.
Blue Moon - 4 Stars. What can I say, the Jack Reacher character just keeps getting better and better. Some of the earlier stories felt a bit too stock - and while this one did remind me of one or two others, there was still a lot that was unique about this book. I felt like the relationship aspect of this one was a bit overdone, but I appreciated the overall relational quality - there haven’t been too many older characters in the series, and it was nice that these ones were brought into this story. There weren’t too many surprises in this one, but I was on the edge of my seat to see how it would end!
Although this whole year has felt almost packed to capacity, October is definitely going to be a contender for the craziest month yet. It does include a nice vacation early on, but that is part of what will make everything else so intense before and after I return home. Combined with several other unique opportunities and all the regular requirements of daily life, October will likely have a lower-than-usual book count. However, if I have learned anything about myself from reading (and writing about my reading), often it is in the busiest times that I turn to reading as the greatest escape. So, I guess we will see.
Either way, October is sure to be interesting.
Until next time,