Category: Book Recommendations
Villa Coco
By Andrew Sean Greer Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini July 1, 2026 Genre: Humorous Literary Fiction, Farce, Modern Bildungsroman Audio Length: 8 hours, 42 minutes đź“– The Blueprint (No-Spoiler Synopsis) Fresh out of an uninspired undergraduate career and utterly broke, an unnamed young archivist takes a seemingly quiet job in the Italian countryside. His directive appears…
The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels
A few weeks ago, I finished listening to Jon Meacham’s The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels. To be candid, during the opening chapters, I wasn’t entirely certain if this title would earn a permanent spot on my recommended list. However, as the narrative progressed, the depth of the historical data took…
Interview with the Vampire
I have just finished, Interview With the Vampire, By Anne Rice. Like the last two books I read, I walked away, then returned; this has become a norm for me. I had book discussions with a couple of my AI consultants and came up with the following book recommendation, Review, and study of Anne Rice,…
Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary By Andy Weir Genre: Hard Science Fiction / Adventure Audio Length: 16 hours, 10 minutes Narrated by: Ray Porter đź“– No-Spoiler Synopsis Ryland Grace wakes up aboard an interstellar spacecraft with acute amnesia. As his memories slowly return through a series of technical flashbacks, he pieces together a grim reality: he is…
And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle
By Jon Meacham Genre: Biography / Narrative History Narrated by: Jon Meacham, Audio Length: 21 hours, 10 minutes đź“– No-Spoiler Synopsis Jon Meacham’s biography is a “moral map” of the sixteenth president. It moves past the simple myths of the log cabin to explore how a self-taught, often melancholy man from the frontier became the…
So, Anyway
I recommend this book for the classic “tongue in cheek” British humor of it’s author, John Cleese (Cheese). It calls to fans of the wacky, outlandish entertainment of the Monty Python era – especially if you’d like relief from the news, heavier reading or just a chance to laugh out loud, who cares who’s looking!…
Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung
Narrated by: Connie Chung Genre: Memoir / Autobiography / Journalism History Posted April 23, 2026 A Note on the Journey: This wasn’t an easy listen for me. About two-thirds of the way through, I hit a wall with the tone of the narrative. I had to stop and process whether the “pity party” I was…
A Gentleman in Moscow By Amor Towles
A book that has been on my shelf for years that was recommended below by AI Gemini who does most of my book and literary research. No-Spoiler Synopsis In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov—an unrepentant aristocrat—is hauled before a Bolshevik tribunal. While many of his peers are executed, the Count is sentenced to house arrest for…
Lonesome Dove By Larry McMurtry
Read this for the character dynamics. McMurtry deconstructs the “myth” of the cowboy and replaces it with something much more human, funny, and heartbreaking. Gus and Call represent the two sides of the American spirit: one lives for the joy of the moment, and the other lives for the satisfaction of the task. For someone…
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
East of Eden is a sprawling family saga that follows the intertwined destinies of two families: the Hamiltons (based on Steinbeck’s own maternal ancestors) and the Trasks. At its core, the novel is a modern retelling of the Book of Genesis, specifically the story of Cain and Abel. It tracks two generations of brothers as…
