#54: 2nd Quarter 2021 Post Mortem
Because the year is more than half over!
First off, I want to say welcome to new readers! It is great to have you here. My friend Jeremy graciously mentioned me this week in his Read More Books newsletter. I highly recommend you head over to readmorebooks.substack.com and subscribe to his insightful weekly reviews.
Alright, let’s get to it!
Second Quarter 2021
Quick Stats:
Books Read: 12
10 fiction, 2 non-fiction
5 female authors, 7 male authors
Pages Read: 4,313
Favorites this quarter: Caliban’s War, The Underground Railroad, Becoming, Project Hail Mary
Salt Fat Acid Heat - No progress. This is very bad. I had one goal this year. ONE. I need to recommit.
I'm still enjoying War and Peace with the online book club The Big Read. I’m still on track! Passed the halfway point a couple of weeks ago. It’s amazing how there are so many nuggets of genius and such rich commentary on human nature. My buddy Jeremy (yes the same Jeremy!) sends weekly commentary that makes the reading experience even better.
I'm also on track with my study of The Doctrine and Covenants. My Sunday School lessons with the 16 and 17-year-olds are now in person! It’s the best.
Other books on my reading plan:
I finished book 2 of The Expanse, Caliban’s War. It was great! The series is proving to be satisfying and exciting. On to Abaddon’s Gate!
I finished Michelle Obama's Becoming! I loved it! I listened to the audiobook exclusively which was read by Mrs. Obama herself. She’s a good, hard-working person and a good mom. My respect for her only grew after finding out the kind of First Lady she was trying to be in her own words. I’ve started Barack's A Promised Land and I’m equally impressed with him.
I’m done with Hamilton! I finished a couple of weeks ago. It was everything that I dreamed and hoped it would be. Chernow has such a strong, confident voice. It’s something I think every American should read. Theodore Rex, The Notorious RBG, and The River of Doubt are 2nd half of the year reads.
Haven’t started (and probably won’t attempt) any Russian History books this year. Turns out Massie’s trilogy is HUGE. I checked out Peter the Great from the library and was instantly discouraged at its size. (It was fun to heft around though).
The fun books on my plan:
The Night Gardener - I thought this was pretty good. An array of characters and plots interwoven and coming together at the end in a satisfying climax. Didn’t love it and probably won’t recommend it but glad it was on my list.
I plan to read Gilead, Lolita, and All the Light We Cannot See later this year. In fact, I’m preparing to read both Amor Towles books (Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow) in preparation for his November release of The Lincoln Highway. I’m also going to read All the Light We Cannot See in preparation for Anthony Doerr’s September release of Cloud Cuckoo Land.
I know this is late but thanks for bearing with me. It’s a delight to create a reading record and share it with other book lovers.
Kyle