Welcome to a new year of reading!
I read 28 novels and 26 graphic novels last year. Not bad! This year, I’m putting recent acquisitions and reads at the top. That does not mean READING order, just PILE order. As of 12.31.25, I’ve read 36 novels and the Courtney series of GNs.
King Sorrow, Joe Hill. EXCELLENT read. It’s a cross between Dark Tower and Fairy Tale by Joe’s dad. :) Good stuff. Not quite finished (1/3) but leaving on 2025.
Enshittification, Cory Doctorow. His book that breaks down the total destruction of the internet and how corporations have managed to do this. It covers Meta, Amazon, Twitter, and pretty much everything else that we’ve watched turn to SHIT. Everyone should read this book.
Blood, Bones & Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton. Byline “The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef”, which was why I bought it. A very good read! I saw a LOT of myself in her – not the work parts, but the interaction with people parts.
The Book of Salt, Monique Truong. You might remember her from Bitter In the Mouth that I read last year. This is her first novel and it is NOTHING like I was expecting! This is a story of a man who travels the world as a cook in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is a pretty good read, but I liked Bitter more.
The Sweetest Fruits, Monique Truong. She fascinates me.
The Secret Life of Groceries, Benjamin Lorr. Byline “The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket”. I watched a documentary about groceries recently, so this caught my eye. Very interesting so far. He did a TON of research for this book! He rode with truckers, worked in stores, talked to execs. It’s well done.
Gifted from the Kiss My Acid Goodbye guy:
Prison Break, Jason Goldman. While I truly do like JG, and the KMAG product does help with VSG GERD, he has a background in coaching, so he tends to be a little on the rah-rah side. Not my bag. This book is all about not being a victim (he uses prisoner) and taking charge of your shit (he uses self leadership). Nick and I are “self leaders” from way back, so all I do is nod at the obvious (TO ME) and do a lot of skimming. I can see how this sort of coaching would be helpful for LOTS of people — just not me in particular. It’s a conversational style, easy read. If you have GERD, you should look into kissmyacidgoodbye.com. You’re welcome.
Ollie’s Hurl September 2025
Find Me, André Aciman. This is the guy that wrote Call Me By Your Name, which was made into a movie that I did not see. I might get that book, too, though, because this book is quite good! It’s set in Italy but the main character is American. The characters are well written and the dialog is good, too. I’ve just started this one.
A Bright Ray of Darkness, Ethan Hawke (yes, THAT guy, who is also a writer!). This was an odd book, but a pretty good read. It’s about an actor and all his angst. Worth a shot if you come across it.
Dream Girl, Laura Lippman.
The Golden Gate, Amy Chua.
Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus. I’d seen comments that this book was terrible, as compared to the limited series on AppleTV and I’d have to agree. Every single character in the book is unlikeable. She also gives the dog full character status, as in: the dog is given the ability to reason like a human and has running commentary. Skip the book and watch the limited series with Brie Larson and Lewis Pullman (yes Bill Pullman’s look alike son).
Attainable Sustainable Pantry, Kris Bordessa. EXCELLENT cookbook for assembling your pantry and canning foods. The canning section is SO well done! It’s all vetted for proper canning info. I love it!
When the Moon Hits Your Eye, John Scalzi. I had to start this as soon as I got it. It’s an absurd notion, housed as if it really happens and people have to deal with it. It’s got plenty of Scalzi humour and I’m liking it, despite its silly premise. In mid-read.
Never Flinch, Stephen King. This was a surprise from Amazon, we’d pre-ordered! I started it immediately after I finished Bazaar of Bad Dreams. It is another Holly book – he just can’t quit her!! This novel was good – not great. I do fervently wish the next book is called Two For Flinching, however.
After, Amy Efaw. The main character is 15, so I assume this is YA – I get a lot of that from Ollie’s! The book had a good flow and it’s a great insight into a teen mind and the juvenile justice system. It was a pretty good read despite the shitty ending. It felt like the author couldn’t think of a good ending, so she just stopped writing. Meh.
Little Deaths, Emma Flint. This is mostly a police procedural with heavy character studies. I didn’t care for the ending – I mean, the LITERAL last two sentences. The outcome was somewhat expected but the last words of the novel are stupid AF. It’s just an OK read.
Everything You Want Me To Be, Mindy Mejia. This was a good read. It’s a murder mystery, but very character driven. It’s told from the POV of the 3 main characters in two timeframes, so you have to pay attention! It is not a murder mystery like Agatha Christie, it’s a story about the characters, one of whom is murdered. If that makes sense? Anyway, I liked the novel and will get more Mejia if I come across it.
The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever, Jeff Strand. Started this one and it reminds me of the movie Super 8. It’s Super 8 from the kids’ points of view. Short and fun read!
Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout. The slow start was indicative of a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Anything that is “literary” tends to be ponderous, IMO. This novel is about 90% dialog, some of which is directed to the reader as asides, to fill in about the characters. It’s a little odd, but with this particular book, a nice break from the constant chatter of the characters. Despite the overall slowness of the book, it is still a good read and a good study on dialog driven narrative.
Country of Origin, Don Lee. This one is hard to describe. The core of the book is racism, and Lee narrows it down to Japanese/American racism. But the story is about a mysterious disappearance and one character’s problems with relationships. It was a pretty good read. Definitely had a surprise ending.
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King. This is a re-read. It’s a short story collection – a style that King excels at. The foreword has valuable info about writing the short story and a bit about his process. Nick has been on a King binge, so I thought I’d join him.
Taste / My Life Through Food, Stanley Tucci. Yes, this is a second read of his memoir. It is SO GOOD. He is extremely witty and you’ll read it in his voice. He shares family recipes along the way. HIGHLY recommend. I recommend viewing Searching for Italy, his 2 season 20 ep exploration of Italian regions. It is REALLY GOOD.
Burn the Place, Iliana Regan. Yes, I did read this a couple of years ago, but I picked it up again at Ollie’s. Memoir of being a self taught chef, rising to Michelin heights. It’s about being a queer, self taught chef. STILL a great read. Found the other copy in a pile that Nick moved. WORTH getting twice!
Home, Marilynne Robinson. Pulitzer Prize winning author. This book is one of Oprah’s, so I look forward to reading it. Eh, well, it’s as wordy as you’d suspect for a Pulitzer Prize winning author. It’s slow and ponderous, and feels English to me, despite the author being American. It’s just OK. Finally finished. Not a fun read by any means. Her catchphrase is “he put his hands to his face”. WAY overused, as is a character crying on every other page and saying “it doesn’t matter”. UGH. Probably will not read the other one (below).
Lila, Marilynne Robinson. Same author, same reason for getting it. Probably will NOT read this one.
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, Zoraida Córdova. This author does a lot of fan fic and even writes romances under another name. She is from Ecuador but lives in New York. I think this is a fantasy book set in Ecuador. And IT IS. This novel is about family and heritage, BUT there is a huge magical component as well. It is quite good. Recommend!
Bad Axe County, John Galligan. This author has a long pedigree of novels and mystery series. This book is the first of the Bad Axe County novels, which center on a female sheriff in Wisconsin. A good read, but ultimately forgettable. I had to go back and flip through it to remind myself I’d read it. It has a lot of action and plenty of suspense, but somehow it didn’t really stay with me. Still a good read, though.
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen, Marcella Hazan. This is a cookbook by “the Julia Child of Italy”. Published in 1985, it’s a little dated, but the recipes are interesting and very authentic. She preaches about tomatoes, Reggiano and risotto just like the Italian chefs of today! The book is written from a perspective of Americans not having access to authentic Italian ingredients, which is not a thing in 2025. But some interesting dishes I intend to make! Frittata pasta is of particular interest.
Food for Thought, Alton Brown. His current memoirs in an essay collection. He’s a conversational writer, which I enjoy. It’s an easy read and a fun book. Get it!
The Piano Tuner, Cheng Naishan. An old novel (1989) by a famous Chinese writer. It’s called New Chinese Fiction.
Road of Bones, Christopher Golden. This guy is known for his horror novels (Snowblind, Dead Ringers) so I hope I like it!
Re-reading On Writing by Steve King. It’s time! Done!
The Revenant, Michael Punke. Yes, the book that the movie is based on. I have a niche like of Westerns set in the great expansion West period. This one is well written – it’s my treadmill book, which means it’ll be finished in Jan 25. FINISHED! It did not end particularly well as far as wrapping shit up, but it is still great for historical semi-fiction (main character is real as are others and the locations). At least the afterword finished the story up. Not sure why he didn’t finish it IN the novel? Anyway, well written.
Bitter in the Mouth, Monique Truong. Got this one for xmess and it is EXEMPLARY. Truong is an excellent writer. This book explores Lexical-gustatory (LG) synesthesia, which is the condition that makes words have tastes. This was my initial interest in the book, but the book is about finding oneself and family. This is Truong’s second novel, the first is The Book of Salt, which I will acquire shortly. I also like that her books all relate to TASTE.
Fuzzy Nation, John Scalzi. SO GOOD! It’s a quick read because it is highly entertaining. The ending was a little blah, but I loved this book! It’s about corporate greed and sentient life. Good stuff!
You Like It Dark, Stephen King short stories. Almost finished. I’m lukewarm on this story collection. I feel as if SK just dusted off some old stuff and published it. A couple are good, but nothing is really jumping out at me as great.
From 2024 list:
Learning to Bow, Bruce Feiler. Subtitled Inside the Heart of Japan. I got this one for the look inside Japanese culture, but this guy writes a lot of Christian crap, so we’ll see how it goes. It seems to be less novel and more guide? I’ll report. Started this as my treadmill book. It is a slightly outdated (1991) look inside Japanese culture. It’s written well and a fairly good read! It is from a teacher’s point of view, so lots of info about Japanese schools, which is fascinating.
Courtney Crumrin, Ted Naifeh. ALL READ!
Courtney Crumrin Vol 4: Monstrous Holiday
The Crumrin Chronicles Vol 1: The Lost and the Lonely Love me some Courtney!
The Crumrin Chronicles Vol 2: The Charmed and the Cursed Great!
The Crumrin Chronicles Vol 3: The Wild and the Innocent Nice wrap up!
The Drowning Kind, Jennifer McMahon. This is a mystery/horror story – and a fairly good one. McMahon is a decent writer, but she still falls back on a couple of phrases a bit too much – barking laughs is one. UGH. Death to adverbs!! But it’s a pretty good read nonetheless.
The Woman in the Window, A.J. Finn. “A Netflix film”. Sounds like a derivative of Rear Window to me.
Leaving Time, Jodi Picoult. This was a surprisingly good read. A bit uneven in pacing, but it has a nice twist. Bonus: you get to learn A LOT about elephants! It’s YA, I think, since the main character is a teen, but it doesn’t feel like it.
Four Hours of Fury, James M Fenelon. The story of WWII’s largest airborne invasion and the final push into Nazi Germany.
Bunker, Bradley Garrett. Building for the end times. This is a look at prepper communities around the world and how they prepare for the apocalypse. Timely, no?
Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite, Roger Daltrey. His memoir.
Alice Hoffman’s Magic Series
NOT reading these, as two have magically disappeared. I don’t remember loaning them out, so I’ve no idea why they are gone from the read pile. ??? The gremlins apparently do not want me to read them. So be it. I was lukewarm anyway.
Paper Son, S.J. Rozen. A good start! Finally getting to this one Feb 16, 2025. A good read! It’s a detective novel, first and foremost, but also historical. I learned a lot about Chinese groceries in the Mississippi Delta.
On Gold Mountain, Lisa See. Started 2/24/25. This is actually a memoir of sorts. It is all about See’s family history. She worked years to interview hundreds of family members and assemble this information. The book was published in 1995, so pretty old. She does a great job weaving her storytelling in with the actual info about her family.
Born Standing Up, Steve Martin. His autobiography/memoir. I’ve read some of his fiction – he’s a good writer.