I have read 29 books this year and 16 of those have been non-fiction, so more than half. I will list them here, then make a few comments:
1. The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto, Bernard Devoto
2. Roots & Rhythm, Charlie Peacock
3. The Riverside Boys, Thomas Fuller
4. Here be Dragons, Melanie Shankle
5. The Fix, Ian Cron
6. Will the Circle be Unbroken, Sean Dietrich
7. You are My Sunshine, Sean Dietrich
8. My Sojourn, Mike Cosper
9. Challenger, Adam Higginbotham
10. Little Miss Diagnosis, Erin Nance
11. Oath of Honor, Liz Cheney
12. The Last Sweet Mile, Allen Levi
13. A Fever in the Heartland, Timothy Egan
14. Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis
15. Help, Thanks, Wow, Anne Lamott
16. How to Test Negative for Stupid, Senator John Kennedy
I enjoyed all of these. As I have stated previously, I have a 50-page rule, meaning if I don't like it at 50 pages, I decide to take a pass. That rarely happens because I have usually done enough research to know I will probably like the book.
While these were all good, my favorite is #9, Challenger, by Adam Higginbotham, about the explosion of the space shuttle of the same name in 1986. As I posted on my Substack when I recommended it there, that occurrence is of particular significance to me as it took place the day we brought our firstborn home from the hospital. We head news reports of it as we walked down the halls to make our exit.
In addition to the narrative about the Challenger and details about crew members and their families, the author offers glimpses into NASA and the space program in general at the time. I found it fascinating.
I also very much enjoyed a rereading of #14, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis's account of his conversion to Christianity.
The Last Sweet Mile, by Allen Levi, author of Theo of Golden (my favorite fiction from 2024), describes the last year of Levi's brother's life, and the sweet times they shared together. It's a tearjerker for sure, but worth the tears, in my opinion.
I will offer a disclaimer for #16, How to Test Negative for Stupid, by Senator John Kennedy, Republican from Louisiana. This book was passed on to me by a friend who is more conservative than I, and who knows my feelings about the Republican party in general today, and Donald Trump in particular.
But as I told my friend when he handed it to me, I am willing to consider a point of view different from my own, and I can learn something from most people, even those with whom I largely disagree.
That would be the case with this book. I enjoyed Kennedy's take on serving in the Senate and his view of Washington, D.C. There were points he made, especially about dysfunction in government, with which I agreed. I enjoyed his description of life in Louisiana, a state less than 20 miles from where I grew up in south Arkansas, and the state in which I attended college.
But like most political memoirs, his narrative was self-serving. While Kennedy portrays himself as an independent-minded senator, his MAGA colors shine through.
The most fun book on the list is #1, The Hour: a Cocktail Manifesto. First published in 1948, the author explores what he perceives as the many benefits of spirits and the cocktail hour. Read in the right frame of mind, the author's tongue-in-cheek humor should please imbiber and teetotaler alike.
Again, I enjoyed all of these, and I would recommend all of them (with the disclaimer I just made for #16). If you would like more information on any of them, send an email and I'll be glad to engage.
Back soon with fiction for 2025.
Also, Merry Christmas!
