Augustus, by John Williams

Title: Augustus

Author: John Williams

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 7/16/2023

Finished: 7/21/2023

After really enjoying William's Butcher's Crossing, I looked into other works by the man. Augustus sounded interesting and somehow it was even better than BC.  

A great companion to I Claudius in some ways.  Really enjoyable. 

Butcher's Crossing, by John Williams

Title: Butcher's Crossing

Author: John Williams

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 7/9/2023

Finished: 7/14/2023

I absolutely loved this book.  Had I the time I wouldn't have out it down.  But even breaking it up over several days I found myself looking forward to getting an hour or so devoted to it.  

The Grand Banks Cafe, by Georges Simenon

Title: The Grand Banks Cafe

Author: Georges Simenon

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 7/3/2023

Finished 7/6/2023

Enjoyable mystery featuring Inspector Maigret. 

The Last Mile, by David Baldacci

Title: The Last Mile

Author: David Baldacci

Gift from neighbor, paperback

Started: 6/22023

Finished: 6/29/2023

Second in the Amos Decker/Memory Man series.  This one was terrible, a real slog, even though all plot points were obvious.  Neighbor gave me several more in the series so I'll read them, but I'm not expecting much.  

Memory Man, by David Baldacci

Title: Memory Man

Author: David Baldacci

Gift from a neighbor in paperback

Started: 6/18/2023

Finished: 6/20/2023

Neighbor gave me several books to read while convalescing after shoulder surgery.  This was one of thoe, but he also gave me the next three books in the Memory Man series as  well.  So expect to see a few more entries here as I work through them. 

Decent, easy thrillers.  This first one lays the ground work, so curious to see if the next in the series are better mysteries.  

Dont Fear the Reaper, by Stephen Graham Jones

Title: Don't Fear the Reaper

Author: Stephen Graham Jones

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook and Kindle Edition

Started: 5/24/2023

Finished: 5/17/2023

The follow up to My Heart is a Chainsaw, I listened to the first two thirds on audiobook slowly over time as I convalesced after shoulder surgery when it was too painful to hold a book up.  Pain and fatigue made it hard to listed for long periods of time.  As I've gotten better, I switched to the Kindle Edition and knocked the final third out in a day. 

Overall I liked this one, but not as much as the first one.  

Game of Snipers, by Stephen Hunter

Title: Game of Snipers

Author: Stephen Hunter

Borrowed from a neighbor in hardback

Started: 5/24/2023

Finished: 6/11/2023

Started this one the day I had shoulder surgery, too hard to read a hardback in my recovery, so took me a few weeks to pick it back up. 

Slow start but the book was otherwise a slow, easy, enjoyable read.  

The Late Monsieur Gallet, by Georges Simenon

Title: The Late Monsieur Gallet

Author: Georges Simenon

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 6/5/2023

Finished: 6/6/2023

A tweet from Nathan Ballingrud turned me into this French detective series.  A very short, enjoyable read. 

Mapping the Interior, by Stephen Graham Jones

Title: Mapping the Interior

Author: Stephen Graham Jones

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 6/2/2023

Finished: 6/5/2023

A melancholy novella, well written and haunting. 

Ill Will, by Dan Chaon

Title: Ill Will

Author: Dan Chaon

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 5/24/2023

Finished: 5/29/2023

I thought this was well written, but I wasn't in the right head space to really enjoy it. 

Night of the Mannequins, by Stephen Graham Jones

Title: Night of the Mannequins

Author: Stephen Graham Jones

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 5/22/2023

Finished: 5/26/2023

Decent novella., Not my favorite. 

Targeted, by Stephen Hunter

Title: Targeted

Author: Stephen Hunter

Borrowed from neighbor hardback

Started: 5/20/2023

Finished: 5/23/2023

Easy page turner. Neighbor loves these books and other similar authors, expect I'll be reading a lot of them in the bear future.  

My Heart is a Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones

Title: My Heart is a Chainsaw

Author: Stephen Graham Jones

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 5/13/2023

Finished: 5/18/2023

After finishing The Only Good Indians (and loving it) I wanted to try another SGJ book.  My Heart is a Chainsaw was also great, I understand now the hype around SGJ.  Guy is a hell of a writer.  

The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones

Title: The Only Good Indians

Author: Stephen Graham Jones

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 5/9/2023

Finished: 5/13/2023

Have had this one on my list for a while, wondering if it could live up to the hype.  Happy to say it exceeded my expectations, this was a spectacular book.  Going to be thinking about this one for a while. 

The Last Town, by Blake Crouch

• Title:  The Last Town
• Author: Blake Crouch
• Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
• Started: 5/9/2023
• Finished: 5/10/2023

Book 3 of the Wayward Pines trilogy, more of a novella than a full length book.  I'm torn on this one -- it was exciting and I didn't want to put it down, but it all became so coincidental and focused on Ethan & his family.  So exciting and I couldn't put it down, but I liked Ethan a lot less in this book, and became somewhat bored by the dynamic between him, his wife, ex-lover, and her ex-lover.  

The Donut Legion, by Joe R Lansdale

Title: The Donut Legion

Author: Joe R Lansdale

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 5/4/2023

Finished: 5/9/2023

Enjoyable Lansdale standalone novel. 

Isolation - The Horror Anthology, by Dan Coxon

Title: Isolation - The Horror Anthology

Editor: Dan Coxon

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 5/1/2023

Finished: 5/5/2023

Strong selection of stories of isolation, many focused on the pandemic/post pandemic world.  Good stuff. 

Episode 13, by Craig DiLouie

Title: Episode 13

Author: Craig DiLouie

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition 

Started: 4/27/2023

Finished: 5/1/2023

Pretty good found footage-ish horror novel.  

Burner, by Mark Greaney

Title: Burner

Author: Mark Greaney

Borrowed from

Started: 4/17/2023

Finished: 4/25/2023

Latest in the Grey Man novel series, one of the best of the bunch.  Hats off to Greaney for knowing what his readers wanted and giving it to us.  Very enjoyable. 

Growing Things and Other Stories, by Paul Tremblay

Title: Growing Things and Other Stories

Author: Paul Tremblay

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 4/15/2023

Finished: 4/23/2023

Enjoyed this short story collection, a few standouts but none were a bust.  Really enjoying Tremblay's work lately.  

Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St John Mandel

Title: Sea of Tranquility

Author: Emily St John Mandel

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started:  4/10/2023

Finished: 4/13/2023

Really enjoyed this one, liked it even more than Station Eleven, which was also great.  

The Pallbearers Club, by Paul Tremblay

• Title:  The Pallbearers Club
• Author: Paul Tremblay
• Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library (Audiobook)
• Started: 4/9/2023
• Finished: 4/12/2023

I really liked this one -- much more coming of age than horror.  One of the few "is it supernatural or all in their head" books where I am pretty certain of the answer (not supernatural).  Of course Tremblay may say otherwise, but that's my take.  

A somewhat bittersweet book, wish those two friends could have healed each other.  Good stuff.

How Can I Help You, by Laura Sims

Title: How Can I Help You

By Laura Sims

Hardback advance proof from a library convention

Started: 4/9/2023

Finished: 4/9/2023

Serial killer in a public library setting. Decent quick read, us librarians have to support each other.  Good beach read.  

Wayward, by Blake Crouch

Title: Wayward

Author: Blake Crouch

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle edition

Started: 3/31/2023

Finished: 4/2/2023

Book two in the Wayward Pines trilogy, enjoyed this one and so far the series as a whole. 

The Strange, by Nathan Ballingrud

Title: The Strange

Author: Nathan Ballingrud

Purchased from Amazon hardback

Started: 3/25/2023

Finished: 3/27/2023

Pre-ordered this one because I liked Ballingrud's previous short story collections so much.  This book wasn't what I expected, but it is still just as good as those other short works.  Very glad to have happened upon his work.  

Heat 2, by Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner

Title: Heat 2

Author: Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 3/19/2023

Finished: 3/21/2023

My wife and I watched Heat a day before I started this book. First time I'd seen the movie since it was in theaters in 95.  

I was in my 20s back in 95 and didn't love the movie.  Watching it now I felt completely different -- really enjoyed the movie, story, characters. I lost myself in the world of this movie. 

So moving onto Heat 2 was a smooth transition, absolutely loved this book.  Impossible not to read all of Hanna's lines in Al Pacino's voice.  Just a phenomenal nail-biter of a book.  

Fantasticland, by Mike Bockoven

Title: Fantasticland

Author: Mike Bockoven

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition 

Started: 3/6/2023

Finished: 3/8/2023

Extremely fun read (fun may seems inappropriate given the subject matter), this was a random rec and surprised by how much I like it.  

Revelator, by Daryl Gregory

Title: Revelator

Author: Daryl Gregory

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition 

Started: 3/3/2023

Finished: 3/6/2023

Decent Appalachian horror novel.  I've always loved Cades Cove, so fun to read a book set in a fictional version.  

Sierra Six, by Mark Greaney

Title: Sierra Six

Author: Mark Greaney

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 2/282/2023

Finished: 3/2/2023

This was a very entertaining Gray Man book, one of the better entries in the series.  

The Last Time I Lied, but Riley Sager

Title: The Last Time I Lied

Author: Riley Sager

Paperback from take one/leave one library

Started: 2/28/2023

Finished: 3/2/2023

Decent page turner, lots of red herrings.  

FOUND: An anthology of found footage horror stories, by Andrew Cull

Title: FOUND: An anthology of found footage horror stories

Author:  Andrew Cull

Purchased from Amazon.com Kindle Edition

Started: 2/24/2023

Finished: 2/25/2023

Really wanted to love this book since I enjoy found footage movies so much.  I give the editors credit for flagging the absolute best movie in their prologue, Lake Mungo.  But the stories themselves were overall not very good.  Most had the inkling of a good story in them, but the execution was off for all but 2 or 3.  

Sliver, by Ira Levin

Title: Sliver

Author: Ira Levin

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 2/24/2023

Finished: 2/25/2023

Ira Levin is just a fantastic writer, this is one of the few I had not read, glad I did so now.  Probably seemed far fetched when he wrote it, but doesn't seem so now. 

Hokuloa Road, by Elizabeth Hand

• Title: Hokuloa Road
• Author: Elizabeth Hand
• Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition
• Started: 2/2/0/2023
• Finished: 2/23/2023

Book started off ok but was overall terrible.  I kept at it b/c it was an easy read, but did not enjoy this one at all.

Pines, by Blake Crouch

Title: Pines

Author: Blake Crouch

Borrowed from DC Public library Kindle Edition

Started: 2/19/2023

Finished: 2/19/2023

Quick, easy read.  Decent but not amazing, first in the trilogy.  

No Plan B, by Andrew Child

Title: No Plan B

Author: Andrew Child

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 2/13/2023

Finished: 2/15/2023

Decent Reacher book.  

Cunning Folk, by Adam Neville

Title: Cunning Folk

Author: Adam Neville

Purchased from Amazon Kindle Edition

Started: 2/5/2023

Finished: 2/11/2023

I've read several by Neville recently, this was solid but probably lower on my list of his best works.  Some hard to read scenes (one in particular), but that's been true of all his works. 

So I liked it, just didn't love it. 

Blood on the Chesapeake, by Randy Overbeck

• Title: Blood on the Chesapeake
• Author: Randy Overbeck
• Purchased from book store in Easton, MD in paperback
• Started: 10/1/2023
• Finished: 1/341/2023

This one wasn't my kind of book.  Bought it on a whim on the Eastern Shore of MD having spent a lot of time in the area for the last 15 years.  Didn't expect great things, but had hoped it would be a fun beach-type read.  But took me three months to slog through it.

Those Across the River, by Christopher Buehlman

• Title:  Those Across the River
• Author: Christopher Buehlman
• Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
• Started: 1/26/2023
• Finished: 1/27/2023

Like this one a lot, almost as much as The Lesser Dead, but not quite.  

The Suicide Motor Club, by Christopher Buehlman

• Title:  The Suicide Motor Club
• Author:  Christoper Buehlman
• Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook
• Started: 1/24/2023
• Finished: 1/25/2023

I liked this one ok, it's a decent aside to "The Lesser Dead" but not great as a stand alone novel.  

The Blacktongue Thief, by Christopher Buehlman

Title: The Blacktongue Thief

Author: Christopher Buehlman

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 1/21/2022

Finished: 1/23/2022

I'm not much of a fantasy book guy, but I like smartassed banter. So while I wasn't much for the setting of this one, the characters were entertaining.  

The Lesser Dead, by Christopher Buehlman

• Title: The Lesser Dead
• Author: Christopher Buehlman
• Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook
• Started: 1/18/2023
• Finished: 1/20/2023

This was a pleasant surprise.  Normally not a vampire book fan, and never, ever, ever, a fan of audiobooks read by the author.  Those are never good, it's a firm rule.

And of course there has to be an exception that proves said rule.  This is that one, Buehlman is an outstanding performer.  Great book.

When Things Get Dark, Edited by Ellen Datlow

Title:  When Things Get Dark

Author (Editor): Ellen Datlow

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 1/15/2023

Finished: 1/18/2023

I've read several anthologies edited by Datlow, but this has to be my favorite.  Great combo of authors and stories.  Like many, the final story (Skinder's Veil, by Kelly Link) was a stand out.  But I enjoyed them all.  

Mr. Monk in Outer Space, by Lee Goldberg

Title: Mr. Monk in Outer Space

Author: Lee Goldberg

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/10/2023

Finished: 1/12/2023

Another pretty terrible entry in this series.  I'll finish the series, but not now, need a break.  

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants, by Lee Goldberg

Title:  Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants

Author:  Lee Goldberg

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 1/7/2023

Finished: 1/9/2023

This one was pretty terrible, and makes me feel even more embarrassed about reading so many of these in a row.  But not so embarrassed as to stop me from continuing, at least until I find something better.

Mr. Monk and the Blue Fin, by Lee Goldberg

Title: Mr. Monk and the Blue Fin

Author:  Lee Goldberg

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/4/2023

Finished: 1/5/2023

Not as good as the Hawaii one, and definitely not as good as the TV show, but certainly an easy way to pass the time.

Mr. Monk goes to Hawaii

Title: Mr. Monk goes to Hawaii

Author: Lee Goldberg

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/3/2023

Finished: 1/4/2023

This was better than the first, more like a normal Monk episode.  But I've seen a few comments on Reddit about the fixation on women's bodies in these books and I have to agree.  It doesn't fit the Monk vibe to have so much talk about boobs/asses.  

Mr. Monk goes to the Firehouse, by Lee Goldberg

Title: Mr. Monk goes to the Firehouse

Author: Lee Goldberg

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/2/2023

Finished: 1/3/2023

A little embarrassed to be starting the Monk book series.  Always enjoyed the TV show, but this feels almost like giving up.  

But I've been in a bit if a reading slump, and something easy, fun, and comfortable sounds good right now. So that's where I've found myself...

Book was only so-so. 

Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge

Title: Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge

Author: Mike Resnick

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library eBook

Started: 12/5/2022

Finished: 12/6/2022

Extremely enjoyable sci-fi/apocalyptic novella.  This one was incredible. 

Horrorstor, by Grady Hendrix

Title: Horrorstor

Author: Grady Hendrix

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition 

Started: 12/1/2022

Finished: 12/5/2022

Fun concept (horror set in Ikea), but overall didn't take to this one. 

Slow Horses, by Mick Herron

Title; Slow Horses

Author: Mick Herron

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started;  11/20/2022

Finished: 11/28/2022

Decent spy thriller, but I didn't this one as much as other, I suspect,given it was popular enough to spawn a TV series.