I always get reflective about my year in reading in late December, and I thought it might be a nice change of pace to take a brief break from the “What Is Editing” series to share some of what I’ve been reading this year.
I read 37 books for pleasure and an additional 16 manuscripts for work.
When I’m reading for fun, I tend to go on reading binges, some of them more eccentric or obscure than others, and this year my choice in books was brought to you by some longstanding recurring interests (World War II, Cold War espionage, Soviet history, the American West, historic true crime, and classic rock history).
I discovered a new favorite author (Ben Macintyre), made time to read the latest release from a longtime favorite author (Jeff Guinn), and reread an old favorite book (Mildred Pierce).
Anyway, without any further preamble, here are some of the books I found particularly interesting, enjoyable, excellent, and/or thought-provoking, as well as a list of some that piqued my curiosity but that I didn’t get around to reading.