Some bloke on social media posted to celebrate hitting his 10-book milestone for the year. It made me reflect on my own. I don’t keep a running tally, but I do use Goodreads, so I reviewed my list. I share it here. Evidently, I’ve read 22 so far. In all honesty, I cheated, because I won’t finish The Second Sex until later this evening or tomorrow morning. Sue me.
The Second Sex —Simone de Beauvoir
In its day, I may be given this 4 stars. NONFICTION. Today, perhaps 3, but it’s a seminal work, so I’ll give it 3½.
Notes from Underground —Fyodor Dostoevsky
5 stars. FICTION. Perhaps 4½, rounded up. This came with Apropos of the Wet Snow, where it all falls apart (in a satisfying way).
The Death of Ivan Ilych —Leo Tolstoy
4 stars. FICTION. Led me to Notes from Underground.
The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface —Donald Maass
4 stars. NONFICTION. Not quite up my street, but I found it useful.
High-Rise —J.G. Ballard
3 stars. FICTION. This was another ChatGPT suggestion*. Meh.
Crash —J.G. Ballard
3 stars. FICTION. This was a ChatGPT suggestion*. Generous 3. Probably a 2½ if I’m being honest.
Acceptance —Jeff VanderMeer
3 stars. FICTION. This was not as good as Annihilation, but it got the bad taste of Authority out of my mouth. It closed the loop in the Southern Reach universe.
Authority —Jeff VanderMeer
1 star. FICTION. This was horrible. I wanted to read more about the Southern Reach universe. This prequel should have been an email.
Annihilation —Jeff VanderMeer
4 stars. NONFICTION. This was a ChatGPT suggestion*. I liked it. Much better than the movie with Natalie Portman.
Never Let Me Go —Kazuo Ishiguro
4 stars. NONFICTION. This was a ChatGPT suggestion*. It took a few chapters to see where this was going, but it was worth the wait.
Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think —George Lakoff
4 stars. NONFICTION. This is simultaneously dated and relevant, if a bit reductionist. Still worth a read.
The Society of the Spectacle —Guy Debord
2 stars. NONFICTION. Probably only 1½. Very little worthwhile content.
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory —David Graeber
4 stars. NONFICTION. A generous 4, but the idea has relevance.
Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism —Yanis Varoufakis
4 stars. NONFICTION. A deserved 4.
Snow Crash —Neal Stephenson
4 stars. FICTION. This was a ChatGPT suggestion*. Not dated, per se, but naïve, written in the early 1990s.
Neuromancer —William Gibson
2 stars. FICTION. This was a ChatGPT suggestion*. Evidently started the Cyberpunk genre. Not a Gibson fan.
A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains —Max Solomon Bennett
4 stars. FICTION. I liked this when I read it. Honestly, I don’t remember much about it.
Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? —Mark Fisher
4 stars. NONFICTION. As relevant as when it was published in 2009.
Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground —Kurt Gray
3 stars. NONFICTION. Reductionist and derivative. Follows on the coattails of Jonathan Haight. Not a fan… of either.
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI —Yuval Noah Harari
3 stars. NONFICTION. Reductionist. In a different league than Sapiens. Some mates recommended I read this. ChatGPT has given me better choices.
On Liberty —John Stuart Mill
4 stars. NONFICTION. Pleasantly surprised.
Don’t Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate: The Essential Guide for Progressives —George Lakoff.
3 stars. NONFICTION. This is Moral Politics stripped down for mass consumption. Read the full version.
Abandonned
The Left Hand of Darkness —Ursula K. Le Guin
3 stars. FICTION. This was a ChatGPT suggestion*. Read 8 or 9 chapters. Didn’t realise it was #7 in a series. Was OK. Not a Sci-Fi fan. Love her short stories.
Measure What Matters —John Doerr
2 stars. NONFICTION. Business self-help pablum. Hard pass.
English after RP —Geoff Lindsey
3 stars. NONFICTION. I liked this book and the author, but I can’t justify completing a linguistics reference book at this time. Maybe later.
* ChatGPT recommendations stem from my feeding draft manuscripts and prompting who it reads like.
Ridley Park 