I mentioned that I’ve been looking for some books to read so I went through my Goodreads list and thought it might be interesting to see what I’ve been wanting to read lately. Some of these books are pretty new and aren’t out yet, and some are old and just hard to get a hold of. Of course I could buy the books but I prefer to find them in Little Libraries. I prefer non-fiction so you may see a common theme in my selections. I won’t list every single book on my current list, but most of them. So without further ado, let’s get to the current list and if you have read any of these or have more suggestions, let me know!
How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication – I always had a fascination with whales and have read a bunch of books about them. Leviathan was one of the better ones. They are pretty much the only reason I wanted to visit Nantucket a few years ago, which reminds me that I need to get back there one of these days.
Reading allows us to see and understand the world through the eyes of others.
– Chris Riddell
Split Decision: Life Stories – A book by Ice-T! We all love him as Finn on SVU and he has a pretty good and controversial music career as well. Anyways this book looks interesting to me as it details his life but also parallels it with one of his friends growing up and how they ended up in different places and that he could have ended up there too if certain decisions were made.
Are All Lives Equal?: Why Cost-Benefit Analysis Values Rich Lives More and How Philosophy Can Fix It – I’m not totally sure why I added this one? It just seems somewhat fascinating that someone somewhere can decide mathematically what they think a person is worth?
Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks – Well, I watch a lot of crime documentaries and this book looked interesting in that vein to me.
Blood Orange Night: My Journey to the Edge of Madness – A do love a good memoir now and again, and this one seems to deal with a woman and her addiction to benzodiazepine.
For everyone, a book is a search and hopefully a discovery.
– Shelby Foote
Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex – “Explorations into age-old questions and bizarre trivia around birth control, aphrodisiacs, STIs, courtship rituals, and more establish that, when it comes to carnal pleasures and procreation, there’s never been a normal, and sex isn’t something to be scared of.” That was enough of a teaser to get me interested in reading this.
Unmasked: My Life Solving America’s Cold Case – As I mentioned before, crime docs are all the rage and cold cases seem to really grab us. A lot of work goes into solving things like this and I think this book describes that.
The Gift of Rumi: Experiencing the Wisdom of the Sufi Master – I love the quotes I’ve seen from this guy. Someone who is so eloquent with words like that is someone that I can learn from. So I think it would be interesting to see who this person actually was and how he saw life around him.
Birds and Us: A 12,000 Year History, from Cave Art to Conservation – Along with whales, which I’ve liked for a long time, I also grew to like birds, although I got into birding a lot more recently. It all started with noticing different backyard birds and there’s something thrilling about noticing a bird you haven’t seen before, at least that’s how I feel.
Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late – I was more interested in reading this when it first came out. It’s kind of dimmed on me now but it still might be a good read just to see what a clown show that was going on.
Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals – We’re going to somehow visit this place in Jersey someday. LD and I like to visit the rescue animals at the farm and this book details some of what it takes to run places like that. It’s a lot of work and a labor of love, I am sure.
Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them – Cults I find fascinating. Like, what makes people just join them and get blinded by whatever it is? Vulnerability I suppose could be one reason. A need to belong? The book also looks closely at the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. Sounds like it’s up my alley.
One of the best things about reading is that you’ll always have something to think about when you’re not reading.
– James Patterson
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty – They are one of the richest families in the world, known for their lavish donations to the arts and sciences. The source of the family fortune was vague, however, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and marketing OxyContin, a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis. I’m interested in learning that story.
The Memory Thief: The Secrets Behind How We Remember—A Medical Mystery – Memory is such a fickle thing. Hell, I know that from my own recall of memory.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents – a fascinating subject that I think would benefit me to learn more about.
And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records – A bet there’s a lot of crazy stories in this book, from a record company that housed the likes of KISS, Donna Summer and George Clinton, to name a few. A banquet of hedonism and self-indulgence that sounds like a good read.
Well, that’s my list so far. I hope to get to read some or all of these over the next few months. Once again, let me know what you think about my list and if anything on it interested you.