I love reading books and book reviews are the heart of Panorama of the Mountains. I’ve been keeping track of the books I read since I was a teenager and I’ve attempted to catalog every book I’ve ever read at LibraryThing.
One of my big reading projects is Around the World for a Good Book, where I’ve been attempting to read an original work of fiction from every nation in the world.
On this page I’ve provided links to posts about my favorite books as well as my running lists of books I’ve read this year. If there’s a book you’d like to discuss or think I should read, let me know in the comments!
Favorite Books by Year:
Favorite Books of All Time (2009 List)
Favorite Books of All Time (2020 List)
Complete List of Books Read in 2023
The books are rated on a scale from 1 to 5 stars with links to summary reviews. (A) is for audiobook.
Here’s a thumbnail of what the ratings mean:
- 5 stars – all-time classic (I’m very stingy with these)
- 4 stars – a particularly interesting, well-written, or important book
- 3 stars – a good book from start to finish
- 2 stars – not a good book on the whole but has some good parts
- 1 star or less – basically a bad book with no redeeming values
January
- The Number Ones by Tom Breihan – ***1/2
- Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphani Yanique – **1/2
- How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn (A) – ***
- Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (A) – ****
- Death Is Hard Work by Khaled Khalifa (A) – ***
- Cosmos by Carl Sagan – ****
February
- Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (A) – ***1/2
- Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott (A) – ***
- She Would be King by Wayetu Moore – ***
March
- Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray (A) – ***1/2
- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle (A) – **1/2
- It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders and John Nichols (A) – ***1/2
April
- Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil Degrasse Tyson (A) – ***
- Boom! by Mark Haddon (A) – ***
- Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (A) – ***
May
- Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (A) – ****
- Breadfruit by by Célestine Vaite – ***1/2
- Terry Pratchett: The BBC Radio Drama Collection by Terry Pratchett (A) – ***1/2
- Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne – ***
- The Discworld Graphic Novels: The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett – ****
- Cat Sense by John Bradshaw – ***1/2
June
- The Reactionary Mind by Corey Robin (A) –
- The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin –
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