So Much to Read
"A man ought to read just as inclination leads him, for what he reads as a task will do him little good."—Samuel Johnson



I've always loved a page turner
Books Reviewed (alphabetical by author)
Superior Women Alice Adams
Castle Barebane Joan Aiken
Ten Little Indians Sherman Alexie
Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That? Henry Alford
The Annie Year Stephanie Wilbur Ash
All Grown Up Jami Attenberg
The Middlesteins Jami Attenberg
The...Mormon Singles Halloween Dance Elna Baker
A Box of Matches Nicholson Baker
Substitute Nicholson Baker
Big Trouble Dave Barry
One! Hundred! Demons! Lynda Barry
The Idiot Elif Batuman
In the Fall They Come Back Robert Bausch
Personals Thomas Beller, editor
Bike Snob BikeSnobNYC/Eben Weiss
Postville Stephen Bloom
Passionate Minds David Bodanis
Behind the Beautiful Forevers Katherine Boo
The Almost Nearly Perfect People Michael Booth
The Material Camille Bordas
Mystery Ride Robert Boswell
The Climb Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt
My Husband Betty Helen Boyd
Drop City T.C. Boyle
The Inner Circle T.C. Boyle
Paying For It Chester Brown
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson
Kindred Octavia Butler
Long For This World Michael Byers
He's Gone Deb Caletti
In Cold Blood Truman Capote
The Skeptic's Dictionary Robert T. Carroll
All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost Lan Samantha Chang
Shoplifter Michael Cho
My Education Susan Choi
The Hopefuls Jennifer Close
Heart, You Bully, You Punk Leah Hager Cohen
Mrs. Bridge Evan S. Connell
Mr. Bridge Evan S. Connell
We Keep the Dead Close Becky Cooper
Embassy Wife Katie Crouch
River Thieves Michael Crummey
My Misspent Youth Meghan Daum
The Problem with Everything Meghan Daum
The Quality of Life Report Meghan Daum
The Unspeakable Meghan Daum
The Gift of Fear Gavin de Becker
A Thousand Pardons Jonathan Dee
Burnt Bread and Chutney Carmit Delman
Nothing to Envy Barbara Demick
American Voyeur Benoit Denizet-Lewis
Brother Iron, Sister Steel Dave Draper
Galileo's Middle Finger Alice Dreger
Crunchy Cons Rod Dreher
Turbulent Souls Stephen Dubner
House of Sand and Fog Andre Dubus III
The Dud Avocado Elaine Dundy
The Arrangement Sarah Dunn
It's Not You Sara Eckel
Bait and Switch Barbara Ehrenreich
Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich
Travels with Lizbeth Lars Eighner
Rethinking Sex Christine Emba
The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides
The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving Jonathan Evison
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Anne Fadiman
Beautiful Thing Sonia Faleiro
Kick Me Paul Feig
The Stranger in the Woods Michael Finkel
True Story Michael Finkel
Time and Again Jack Finney
Days of Awe Lauren Fox
Friends Like Us Lauren Fox
Still Life With Husband Lauren Fox
Bad Times in Buenos Aires Miranda France
All I Love and Know Judith Frank
The Corrections Jonathan Franzen
Freedom Jonathan Franzen
Jew vs. Jew Samuel G. Freedman
Jews Without Judaism Daniel Friedman
Muscle Samuel Fussell
A Terrible Country Keith Gessen
The Country of Marriage Anthony Giardina
White Guys Anthony Giardina
Baby Proof Emily Giffin
Love the One You're With Emily Giffin
Something Borrowed Emily Giffin
Stumbling on Happiness Daniel Gilbert
Committed Elizabeth Gilbert
The Last American Man Elizabeth Gilbert
The Signature of All Things Elizabeth Gilbert
Stern Men Elizabeth Gilbert
Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress Susan Jane Gilman
Blink Malcolm Gladwell
How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less Sarah Glidden
The Chairs Are Where the People Go Misha Glouberman
The Odd Woman Gail Godwin
Bee Season Myla Goldberg
The Search for God at Harvard Ari Goldman
Marry Him Lori Gottlieb
And the Heart Says Whatever Emily Gould
Friendship Emily Gould
Awake Elizabeth Graver
The Curious Incident of the Dog... Mark Haddon
Sapiens Yuval Noah Harari
The Life Intended Kristin Harmel
Holy Days Lis Harris
Early Morning Riser Katherine Heiny
The Believers Zöe Heller
What Was She Thinking? Zöe Heller
The World Without You Joshua Henkin
Blackout Sarah Hepola
American Fire Monica Hesse
Challenger Adam Higginbotham
The Best Man Kristan Higgins
On Second Thought Kristan Higgins
The Orchard David Hopen
Confederates in the Attic Tony Horwitz
Waltzing the Cat Pam Houston
The Awful Mess Sandra Hutchison
Meaty Samantha Irby
Shining Through Susan Isaacs
Nocturnes Kazuo Ishiguro
The Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro
The Last Chance Rona Jaffe
The Room-Mating Season Rona Jaffe
Mona in the Promised Land Gish Jen
Le Divorce Diane Johnson
A Death in Belmont Sebastian Junger
A Round-Heeled Woman Jane Juska
John Stuart Mill in Love Josephine Kamm
The Vegetarian Myth Lierre Keith
Subwayland Randy Kennedy
Sideways on a Scooter Miranda Kennedy
The English Teacher Lily King
The Pleasing Hour Lily King
In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist Ruchama King Feuerman
Seven Blessings Ruchama King
Blood Will Out Walter Kirn
Alice K.'s Guide to Life Caroline Knapp
Ultimate Fitness Gina Kolata
Admission Jean Hanff Korelitz
The Devil and Webster Jean Hanff Korelitz
Into the Wild Jon Krakauer
Under the Banner of Heaven Jon Krakauer
Tell Me Everything Erika Krouse
The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri
Leftover in China Roseann Lake
Close to the Bone Jake Lamar
Shadow Work Craig Lambert
Here I Go Again Jen Lancaster
Stuff White People Like Christian Lander
The Girls Lori Lansens
The Devil in the White City Erik Larson
The Good House Ann Leary
The Body of Jonah Boyd David Leavitt
Random Family Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
Free Food for Millionaires Min Jin Lee
Pachinko Min Jin Lee
Mystic River Dennis Lehane
If You're Not Yet Like Me Edan Lepucki
The Geography of Time Robert Levine
Love, in Theory E.J. Levy
Indecent Sarah Katherine Lewis
A Sense of Direction Gideon Lewis-Kraus
The Inn at Lake Devine Elinor Lipman
Absolutely American David Lipsky
The Madwoman in the Volvo Sandra Tsing Loh
Inconspicuous Consumption Paul Lukas
Foreign Affairs Alison Lurie
Disrupted Dan Lyons
My Ex-Life Stephen McCauley
I'm Not the New Me Wendy McClure
I've Seen the Future and I'm Not Going Peter McGough
Lonesome Dove Larry McMurtry
After the Workshop John McNally
The Early Arrival of Dreams Rosemary Mahoney
Early Work Andrew Martin
Shopgirl Steve Martin
Love, Inshallah edited by Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi
The Family That Couldn't Sleep D.T. Max
Home Comforts Cheryl Mendelson
The Trouble with Diversity Walter Benn Michaels
The Outside World Tova Mirvis
The Naked Truth Leslie Morgan
Florence Gordon Brian Morton
Starting Out in the Evening Brian Morton
Tasha Brian Morton
The Long Haul Finn Murphy
Short Girls Bich Minh Nguyen
Her Fearful Symmetry Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger
The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club Laurie Notaro
The Last of Her Kind Sigrid Nunez
Signs and Wonders Alix Ohlin
The Faded Blue House Phyllis B. Olson
All the Houses Karen Olsson
The Orchid Thief Susan Orlean
After the Parade Lori Ostlund
The Bigness of the World Lori Ostlund
The Dive From Clausen's Pier Ann Packer
Re Jane Patricia Park
The Nordic Theory of Everything Anu Partanen
State of Wonder Ann Patchett
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage Ann Patchett
Truth and Beauty Ann Patchett
The Murder of King Tut James Patterson, Martin Dugan
Little Children Tom Perrotta
Next Year for Sure Zoey Leigh Peterson
The Botany of Desire Michael Pollan
Blue Clay People William Powers
Whispering in the Giant's Ear William Powers
The Wild Trees Richard Preston
Blue Angel Francine Prose
A Changed Man Francine Prose
Music Through the Floor Eric Puchner
The Marriage Pact Trilogy M.J. Pullen
Don't Get Too Comfortable David Rakoff
My Salinger Year Joanna Rakoff
I'm Glad About You Theresa Rebeck
In the Little World John H. Richardson
Out of America Keith B. Richburg
Stiff Mary Roach
Them Jon Ronson
The Unknowns Gabriel Roth
Mating Norman Rush
Empire Falls Richard Russo
Straight Man Richard Russo
The Israelis Donna Rosenthal
Kissing in Manhattan David Schickler
The Three Weissmanns of Westport Cathleen Schine
Time of My Life Allison Winn Scotch
Me Talk Pretty One Day David Sedaris
A Return to Modesty Wendy Shalit
Beggarman, Thief Irwin Shaw
Rich Man, Poor Man Irwin Shaw
The Dangerous Husband Jane Shapiro
Big Brother Lionel Shriver
Property Lionel Shriver
Lake Success Gary Shteyngart
The Size of the World Joan Silber
American Wife Curtis Sittenfeld
Eligible Curtis Sittenfeld
The Man of My Dreams Curtis Sittenfeld
Prep Curtis Sittenfeld
Sisterland Curtis Sittenfeld
Before the Knife Carolyn Slaughter
Name All the Animals Alison Smith
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith
The Actress Amy Sohn
My Old Man Amy Sohn
Prospect Park West Amy Sohn
Disgruntled Asali Solomon
A Ship Made of Paper Scott Spencer
The Man Who Ate Everything Jeffrey Steingarten
High-Tech Heretic Clifford Stoll
Perfectly Miserable Sarah Payne Stuart
Evening News Marly Swick
The Goldfinch Donna Tartt
The Secret History Donna Tartt
The Mismeasure of Woman Carol Tavris
Blankets Craig Thompson
Undateable Sarah Title
A Complicated Kindness Miriam Toews
Summer Blonde Adrian Tomine
The Men and the Girls Johanna Trollope
One-L Scott Turow
Lena Finkle's Magic Barrel Anya Ulinich
Working Fire Zac Unger
My Own Country Abraham Verghese
The Tennis Partner Abraham Verghese
The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls
No Cheating, No Dying Elizabeth Weil
Best Friends Forever Jennifer Weiner
Good in Bed Jennifer Weiner
Then Came You Jennifer Weiner
Girls Like Us Sheila Weller
The News from Spain Joan Wickersham
The Paper Anniversary Joan Wickersham
He Is...I Say David Wild
Stoner John Williams
Eastern Chipmunks Lawrence Arndt Wishner
The Right Stuff Tom Wolfe
Old School Tobias Wolff
Belzhar Meg Wolitzer
The Interestings Meg Wolitzer
Marjorie Morningstar Herman Wouk
Youngblood Hawke Herman Wouk
Generation Kill Evan Wright
A Good School Richard Yates
Excellent Daughters Katherine Zoepf
Reviews by Year
Space tragedy: 2024
Beach reads and art heists: 2023
Thinking and rethinking sex: 2022
I've seen the future: 2021
Stayed home and read: 2020
Ebola, online extremists: 2019
Russian-American men: 2018
Open relationships, chipmunks: 2017
D.C., politics, work: 2016
The Scandinavian utopia: 2015
Israel, Germany, Tahiti: 2014
Psychic twins: 2013
Muslim women in love: 2012
Murder, bad dates: 2011
Eating meat, riding a bike: 2010
Mormons, lawyers, King Tut: 2009
Neil Diamond, Laura Bush: 2008
Fatal familial insomnia: 2007
Crunchy conservatives: 2006
China, Africa, bodybuilding: 2005
Skepticism, the subway: 2004
Graphic fiction, Indian Jews: 2003
Dwarfs, extremists: 2002
Poverty in America: 2001
Humor, housekeeping: 2000
Argentina, modesty: 1999
Time Travel, J.S. Mill, Everest: 1998
The Mismeasure of Woman: 1997

"There was so much to read, for one thing, and so much fine health to be pulled down out of the young breathgiving air...I was rather literary in college—one year I wrote a series of very solemn and obvious editorials for the Yale News—and now I was going to bring back all such things into my life and become again that most limited of all specialists, the 'well-rounded man.' This isn't just an epigram—life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all."—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby