I only remembered to update my
2018 Book List three times, in January, July, and today, which means I really have to work hard to remember what I read. (Thank goodness my public library sends me e-mails reminding me of what books I took out! Fortunately most of my reading comes from the library.)
So I guess my GOAL for 2019 isn't to read any particular number of books, but just to do a more timely job of updating the list. I hereby resolve to update at least once a month in 2019.
To start off this year's list, I have only one book, which I was reading on New Year's Day:
1.
The Colors of All the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith
(The latest Mma Ramotswe mystery novel)
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Edit: Update February 12, 2019
Books Read from my Public Library:
2.
You Welcomed Me by Kent Annan
(A pithy little book exploring the command to "welcome strangers, for you were once strangers yourselves", and the Gospel parable's "I was a stranger and you welcomed me".)
3.
Love Undocumented by Sarah Quezada
(The author discovers the often frustrating and opaque process of navigating the US immigration system at the side of her Guatemalan fiance, later husband.)
4.
Wheels of Change by Sue Macy
(Though shelved as a YA book, this is a lively and informative exploration of how the bicycle played a role in the emancipation of women around the turn of the 20th century.)
LibriVox Audiobooks I Participated in Reading:
5.
New Hampshire by Robert Frost
(Wonderful collection by a great 20th century poet whose poems were part of my life thanks to my dad. I recorded several favorite poems, listened to the whole collection when finished.)
LibriVox Audiobooks I Just Listened To:
6.
Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
(The classic horror novella, gorgeously read by Phil Chenevert).
7.
Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates by Charles Brooks
(Side-splitting silliness in this little play that happily spoofs every pirate tale you've ever read.)
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Edit: Update March 1, 2019
Books Read from my Public Library:
8.
City on the Edge: Buffalo New York by Mark Goldman
(A survey of the city next door to my own from 1900 to the present.)
9.
Lake Effect: Tales of Large Lakes, Arctic Winds, and Recurrent Snows by Mark Monmonier
(For those of us living next to the Great Lakes, this explanation of the dreaded "lake effect snow" phenomenon is fascinating.)
LibriVox Audiobooks I Just Listened To:
10.
Democracy and Education by John Dewey
(An important book in the history of educational philosophy, exploring the role of education as something more than passing along factual information.)
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Edit: Update June 1, 2019
Books Read from my Public Library:
11.
El Norte : the Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America by Carrie Gibson
(From the early 16th century to the present in the 21st century, this thick volume is chock full of stories worth reading.)
12.
Biography of Rattlesnake Pete by Charles Stilson
(Slim little volume on the life of one of our legendary local history characters, recently reprinted from a 1923 original.)
13.
God is Young by Pope Francis
(Interviews with the pope, centering on the gifts of youth to both the younger and older generations.)
14.
Trailblazer: A Pioneering Journalist's Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America by Dorothy Butler Gilliam
(Autobiography of a black newspaperwoman in the 20th century; the book's subtitle sums it up perfectly.)
15.
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor
(A favorite author explores how teaching a class on world religions led her to fresh perspectives on both her own faith and other faiths.)
16.
The Great Lakes Water Wars by Peter Annin
(This account of the battles over the use and management of the biggest freshwater resource in the world was interesting to this Great Lakes resident.)
LibriVox Audiobooks I Just Listened To:
17.
Time Telling Through the Ages by Harry Chase Brearley
(A history of timekeeping from sundials to waterclocks to modern watches.)
18.
Understanding Climatic Change by U.S. Commission for Global Atmospheric Research
(This report was written in 1975, but is very current today, clearly laying out the subject for the non-scientific reader.)
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Edit: Update December 31, 2019
Well, it looks as if I didn't keep to my goal of updating my book list once a month, after all. Now I'll have to go through my library records and try to remember what I've read since June!
Books Read from my Public Library:
19.
Devotions: Selected Poems by Mary Oliver
(A compendious collection of selected poems from the entire life's writings of one of my favorite poets.)
20.
Upstream by Mary Oliver
(Not poems this time, but reflective essays on the natural world and the creative life of the mind and heart.)
21.
The Esperanza Fire by John Maclean
(An account of the 2006 wildfire, which led to the deaths of a fire crew and the first murder conviction in a wildfire arson trial.)
22.
Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America by Gurinder Singh Mann, Paul Numrich, & Raymond Williams
(A brief YA book, under 200 pages, giving a general overview of the subject.)
23.
The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
(Interesting 1924 novel, about a husband and wife who exchange roles as bread-winner and home-maker, each finding satisfaction, while worrying about social opinion.)
24.
The Federal Impeachment Process : a Constitutional and Historical Analysis by Michael Gerhardt
(A very thorough deep-dive into the history of the impeachment process, giving attention not only to the impeachment of presidents but also of judges and others.)
25.
Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies by Ginger Strand
(An account of Niagara Falls that wanders through geology, history, technology, ballyhoo, hydroelectricity, cultural kitsch, political power, and various other topics.)
26.
Tin Horns and Calico by Henry Christman
(Utterly fascinating account of the 1840's tenants' revolt against the landed patroons of New York State.)
(I've just launched it as my new LV solo.)
27.
Solito, Solita: Crossing Borders with Youth Refugees from Central America edited by Steven Mayers & Jonathan Freedman
(Powerful collection of first-hand accounts of teenage immigrants who made the journey from Central America unaccompanied.)
28.
The Time is Now : a Call to Uncommon Courage by Joan Chittister
(Essays by a Benedictine sister, calling us to bring energy, compassion, and justice to the way we live, to confront the cruelty, noise and despair of the world.)
29.
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner
(Fastball, curve, changeup, cutter, sinker, slider, splitter, screwball, spitball, and knuckleball, in case you were wondering.)
(I read this in October, while rooting for my team the Washington Nationals en route to victory.)
30.
Birdmen by Lawrence Goldstone
(The rivalry between the Wright Brothers and Glenn Curtiss over aviation patent rights, played out amid the larger story of the early years of aviation.)
My Own Books Read:
31.
Winterbound by Margery Williams Bianco
(A cozy re-read of a book I loved as a teen, about three girls who deal with everyday life during a New England winter in the 1930's.)
32.
The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric Kelly
(Another nostalgic re-read of an old childhood favorite, an adventure tale of spies and alchemists, set in 15th century Poland.)
LibriVox Audiobooks for which I Read or Edited:
33.
Fires and Fire Fighters by John Kenlon (My latest solo project, cataloged on Christmas Day.)
(Written in 1913 by the then-chief of the New York City Fire Department, the history and techniques of the science of fire-fighting as it stood at that time.)
34.
LibriVox 14th Anniversary Collection (Group project; I recorded one section, listened to the whole thing when cataloged.)
35.
LibriVox Insomnia Collection Volume 4 (Group project; I recorded one section, listened to several others when cataloged, though I kept dozing off!)
36.
Final Report of the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (Group project; I recorded several sections, listened to the entire thing after cataloging.)
37.
LibriVox Christmas Short Works Collection 2019 (Group project; I recorded two sections, listened to the entire collection when it was cataloged.)
38.
Dave Brings Home a Wife by Steele Rudd (Dramatic reading. I did not read for this one, but served as an editor, and then listened to the whole thing when it was done.)
LibriVox Audiobooks I Just Listened To:
39.
Wild Bird Guests by Ernest Baynes (A general guide to wild birds, their environment, and their needs.)
40.
A Surgeon in Arms by Robert Manion (Memoir of a Canadian doctor who served in World War I.)
41.
Supreme Cases from 1803 to 2018 (Decisions of the US Supreme Court in 21 historically important cases.)
42.
A Christmas Miscellany 2019 (Collection of short Christmas-themed stories.)
