In descending order of most to least enjoyed.
All the Light We Cannot See (2014): First half is a bit slow, but I really enjoyed the 2nd half…. Blind French girl lives through destruction of Paris and Saint-Malo in Brittany. Saved by German radio hunting Werner, there’s a hunted jewel and museums and kindness amidst evil, destruction, and death. (Goodwill $2 purchase, given to friend, then to a LFL)
4.50 Stars
Read What Hoang Has Read (1/1)
New York Times Readers Top 100 (5/100)
Pulitzer Prize Winners (5/100)
A Reverence for Wood, Eric Sloane (1965): Sentimental Americana little book about wood. That’s it. Short, insightful, and the illustrations are excellent as Sloane’s always are. Addresses Dudleytown in 1965! Full CTMQ Review here. (Picked up free somewhere, given to a LFL.)
4.25 Stars
“Read That Non-Fiction Shelf!” Challenge (4/25)
Connecticut Books List (88/200)
Outcasts United, Warren St. John (2009): Touching, enlightening story of GA towns’ refugee kids from horror countries banding and bonding under a caring Jordanian woman to play and succeed at soccer. The story of the Fugees since is extraordinary. (Gifted, given to LFL.)
3.75 Stars
“Read That Non-Fiction Shelf!” Challenge (2/25)
100 Sports/Hiking Books (18/100)
Born a Crime, Trevor Noah (2016): It’s hard to be funny about Apartheid, racism, classism, physical abuse, and extreme poverty, but I did expect more funny here. Oka, that’s not fair, but more about Noah’s success would have been interesting though. (From a LFL, given to a LFL.)
3.75 Stars
“Read That Non-Fiction Shelf!” Challenge (3/25)
100 Biography/History/Memoirs (10/100)
Roadwork, Stephen King (1980): Hm. King can be really quite boring. Not sure why this book was published (then bestseller as King over Bachman). Angry guy angry his son died and eminent domain is taking away his house so he goes a little nuts and doesn’t even kill anyone but himself. Dumb. (February’s library book)
2.00 Stars
Read all Stephen King Works Challenge (32/117)
March of the Hooligans, Dougie Brimson (2010): This book is like if your Geezer drunk uncle sat you down and attempted to tell you all he knew about hooliganism in English football for an hour or two. Rambling and dumb, but somehow still readable. (Gifted, given to a LFL)
2.00 Stars
“Read That Non-Fiction Shelf!” Challenge (5/25)
100 Sports/Hiking Books (19/100)
Mind Gym, Gary Mack (2002): Trite self-help for athletes that is 225 pages of “I think I can, I think I can” claptrap. Scant science, no case studies with citations, just the author’s doofy stories about pro athletes who suck, then get a pep talk, then succeed. Thank goodness the person who highly recommended this for my son will never see this. (Actually purchased, given to a LFL)
0.50 Star
“Read That Non-Fiction Shelf!” Challenge (6/25)
Naruto Volumes 10 – 21: Our hero becomes more and more heroic and magical and tough and now things are really heating up. I’m enjoying it. (Library loans)
2025 “Orange” Book Challenge (Ongoing 72 volume series that only counts as 1 book)
Best of Manga List (Ongoing)
Self-Imposed 2025 Reading Challenges:
1. Read at Least 25 Non-Fiction Books I Own (6/25)
2. Read All 10 “Strange” Books (3/10)
3. Read All 7 “Orange” Books* (1/6)
4. Read 5 Stephen King Works (3/5)
5. Read What Hoang and Calvin Read From My Lists (1/3 so far)
6. Read 1 National Book Award Winner (0/1)
7. Read 1 Pulitzer Prize Winner (1/1)
8. Only Borrow 1 Library Book per Month^ (Complied!)
*includes 72 Volume Naruto manga
^so as to focus on own bulging shelves
Books, manga volumes, and short stories read so far in 2025: 34
January 2025 Books
March 2025 Books
CTMQ’s Books & Reading Challenges
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