I read thirty-seven books in 2024, six fewer than last year. The list does not include four books I started reading but didn’t finish. Nor does it include the gazillion or so articles, newsletters, and white papers I’ve read about current events. This is the primary reason I neglected to read what interests me most. I’ve spent countless hours wringing hands and grieving about what appears to be the collapse of our world. I’ve already done what I think I can do to counter that, but I finally recognize that it is beyond my power to change things on a macro scale. My new year’s resolution is to focus on the micro scale. Little actions can make a difference. I’m up for that.
My 2024 book list consists of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and—since I stayed with the local banned books club—several more of those. I still don’t understand why many of them were banned. I now have a fairly good idea of what sorts of books are most commonly censored. I continue to disagree with book banning. But . . .
This year I turned seventy, and I realize more acutely than ever that it is unlikely I will live long enough to read all of the books on my wish list. So, although I’ll probably read a few more banned books, I think it’s time to turn my focus on the books I truly want to read. And I still have several books of my own to finish writing.
My favorite pastor often imparts this advice: “Life is short. We do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who make the journey with us. So…be swift to love, and make haste to be kind.” I believe we all will need much love and kindness during the years to come.
Wishing you all a new year brimming with love, kindness, and good reading.
The list appears below. I’ve refrained from rating them. I liked most of them, a few not so much. You decide for yourself.
* Bennett, Lorraine Martin. Darla. Austin Macauley Publishers, LLC. New York. 2024.
* Busch, Lonnie A. Project Übermensch. UBiQ Press. North Carolina, USA. 2024.
* Cheek, Angie, L. Nix, editors. The Foxfire 40th Anniversary Book: Faith, Family, and the Land. Anchor Books. New York. 2006.
* Clancy, Tom. Games of State. Berkley Books. New York. 1996.
* Davis, Tom (editor). Good Old Days: A Poetry and Prose Anthology. Old Mountain Press, Sylva, NC. 2024.
* Davis, Tom (editor). Reading & Writing for the Holidays: A Poetry and Prose Anthology. Old Mountain Press, Sylva, NC. 2024.
* Davis, Tom (editor). You Ain’t Gonna Believe This BUT . . .: A Poetry and Prose Anthology. Old Mountain Press, Sylva, NC. 2024.
* Eaton, Lane. Georgia Park Experiences and Grand Canyon Stories. Self-published. Orlando, FL. 2024.
* Hartstone, Emily. Submit, Publish, Repeat: How to Publish Your Creative Writing in Literary Journals. 2024. Authors Publish website.
* Higgenbotham, Adam. Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. New York. 2020.
* Homer. The Iliad. Translated by A. Pope, 1720. Chiltern Publishing, Hertfordshire, UK, 2023.
* Howe, Neil. The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This Crisis Will End. Simon & Schuster. New York. 2023.
* Jenyns, David. Systemology: Create Time, Reduce Errors and Scale Your Profits with Proven Business Systems. Systemology. Australia. 2020.
* Jones, Randell (editor). Curious Stuff—personal stories—of mementos, treasures, white elephants, and junk. Personal Story Publishing Project. Daniel Boone Footsteps, Winston-Salem, NC. 2022.
* Jones, Randell (editor). Foolhardy—about derring-do, desperation, and disaster—or not. Personal Story Publishing Project. Daniel Boone Footsteps, Winston-Salem, NC. 2024.
* Jones, Randell (editor). Luck and Opportunity—personal stories between “if” and “if only.” Personal Story Publishing Project. Daniel Boone Footsteps, Winston-Salem, NC. 2021.
* Jones, Randell (editor). Now or Never—about courage and regret, danger and desire, about choosing. Personal Story Publishing Project. Daniel Boone Footsteps, Winston-Salem, NC. 2024.
* Jones, Randell (editor). Trouble—personal stories—causing, avoiding, getting in, and getting out. Personal Story Publishing Project. Daniel Boone Footsteps, Winston-Salem, NC. 2021.
* King, Gilbert. Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America. Harper Collins. New York. 2012. Banned book club selection.
* Murray, Pauli. Song in a Weary Throat. Harper & Rowe. New York. 1987. Banned book club selection.
* Mystal, Elie. Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution. The New Press. New York. 2022. Banned book club selection.
* Noah, Trevor. Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Random House. New York. 2016. Banned book club selection.
* Orwell, George. 1984. General Press. New Delhi. 2019. Originally published in 1949. Banned book club selection.
* Plunkett, David. Poisoned Pawn. Self-published. Young Harris, GA. 2022.
* Reece, Charles S. An Early History of Cherry County. Plains Trading Company. Valentine, Nebraska. 1992. Replica Edition of 1945 original, published by Bluestem Books. Limited Edition No. 692 of 1000.
* Reynolds, Jason. Long Way Down. Simon & Schuster. New York. 2017. Banned book club selection.
* Richardson, H. C. Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Viking. 2023.
* Richardson, H. C. How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America. Oxford University Press. 2022.
* Snyder, Timothy. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Tim Duggan Books. New York. 2017. Banned book club selection.
* Spira, Timothy P. Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains & Piedmont. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill. 2011.
* Taylor, Carroll S. Facing Toward the East: Poems of Redemption. Redhawk Publications, Hickory, NC. 2024.
* Theroux, Paul. Deep South. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. New York. 2015. Banned book club selection.
* Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. Harper Collins, Balzer + Bray. New York. 2017. Banned book club selection.
* Weiss, Grace M. Along Pioneer Trails. Self-published. Ainsworth, NE. 1964.
* Westwood, David A. Bitternut Creek. DavidAndrewWestwood.com, Los Angeles, CA. 2023.
* Williams, Elizabeth McCutchen, editor. Appalachian Travels: The Diary of Olive Dame Campbell. University Press of Kentucky, 2012.
* Wilkerson, Isabel. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Random House. New York. 2020. Banned book club selection.
#bookworm #books2024 #booklover #booklist
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