Reading
Books I've read, grouped by year with a star rating and a short note. ★ = 5-star scale, half-stars allowed.
2026
Inferno
Pretty good one. Another Robert Langdon book.
The Da Vinci Code
Interesting read. Provocative from a religious standpoint.
The Lost Symbol
I liked this one. Lots of history about the Freemasonry.
The Secret of Secrets
Pretty good. The newest installment in the Robert Langdon series.
Flash Boys
Fun read. Provides interesting insights into the origins of High Frequency Trading
Origin
Interesting read. The main thing I didn't like is that a cliff-hanger spans almost the whole book. I had to spoil it for myself after enough teasing of the big reveal.
Digital Fortress
This one was a tough read. Too many glaring inconsistencies with reality.
2025
Angels & Demons
The first Robert Langdon book, and in my opinion, the best one. Covered a lot of history of the Illuminati.
The Source
A mammoth book, but an incredible story.
The Screwtape Letters
A creative idea: a senior demon writing letters to instruct his nephew on how to lead a human into temptation. It was recommended to me, but I found it just okay.
Ghost Wars
Interesting content, but tough read. It details CIA activities in the Middle East that preceded and motivated the 9/11 attack.
The Art of War
I had been looking forward to this one but ultimately found it underwhelming. It it just a collection of insights about armed conflict.
2024
Dolores Claiborne
Entertaining and a unique style. The story is told as a continuous, breathless, unedited, first-person monologue.
The Long Walk
Pretty entertaining read. The movie wasn't bad either, better than its 6.7/10 IMDB rating. Oddly, the movie significantly altered the ending, perhaps to make it more cinematic.
Never Split the Difference
Interesting read by a former FBI hostage negotiator.
Outliers
Intriguing read. Sensible explanation for the why some individuals among us are outliers.
Holly
I had high hopes for this one when I heard it was in development. Ultimately I was underwhelmed
Salem's Lot
I didn't care for it.
The Running Man
Sort of a fun story, but not a favorite. Book was about the same caliber as the movie that was eventually made, 6.4/10 on IMDB.
2023
Hawaii
It took me an entire year to read this book. It is an incredible tale of Hawaii, from the origin of the islands to the mid-1900s. One of James Michener's best.
2022
Finders Keepers
An excellent read. Years later, I still vividly remember many details of the story.
The Outsider
This one was pretty good. Quite a mystery and fairly entertaining throughout.
End of Watch
Third book in the Bill Hodges trilogy. It was decent, but I didn't care much for the paranormal activity content when the first two books didn't have any.
Mr. Mercedes
Fun. Intriguing. A good read. The first in a series featuring detective Bill Hodges.
The Innocent Man
Non-fiction tale about a man freed from conviction by DNA evidence after 11 years on death row.
Cujo
I heard positive things about this one, but it just did not land for me.
2021
11/22/63
One of the best books I've ever read. A man goes back in time to attempt to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on 11/22/63. It's a lengthy book, but it hooks you in right away and there is rarely a dull moment.