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ReadingList

Page history last edited by peterga 1 week, 6 days ago


Current  

 

Books I consider most important to read

 

Set Aside or Reading Very Slowly 

 

Recently Completed

(Previously read list: Pete's Book Reference) 

 

  1. The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men - Jon Ronson 
  2. Our Inner Ape: The Best and Worst of Human Nature - Franz de Waal 
  3. The Overstory: A Novel (Pulitzer) - Richard Powers
  4. Oscar Wilde's Last Stand: Decadence, Conspiracy, and the Most Outrageous Trial of the Century - Philip Hoare
  5. Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump - Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan 
  6. Demian - Hermann Hesse 
  7. The Partisan Republic: Democracy, Exclusion, and the Fall of the Founders' Constitution, 1780s–1830s (New Histories of American Law) - Gerald Leonard, Saul Cornell 
  8. Hitler's American Friends - Bradley W Hart 
  9. Boise Baseball: The first 125 Years - by Arthur A Hart 
  10. Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID - Nicholas Enrich
  11. A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness - by Michael Pollan 
  12. The Day the Klan Came to Town - Bill Campbell 
  13. Hitler's Children: Sons and Daughters of Leaders of the Third Reich Talk About Their Fathers and Themselves - Gerald Posner  (Evocative)
  14. God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican - Gerald Posner  (Good insights into the IOR and recent popes, but much more budget and process detail than I care about)
  15. Taverns of Yesteryear - C. Schmidt & Sons Inc.
  16. Civil War Pittsburgh: Forge of the Union - Len Barcousky (Author), Andrew E. Masich  (not a good historical source, but does provide some insights from a Pittsburgh POV)
  17. Merchants in the Temple: Inside Pope Francis's Secret Battle Against Corruption in the Vatican - Gianluigi Nuzzi (informative, but too much budgetary details for my tastes) 
  18. Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers - Caroline Fraser  (grim but intriguing)
  19. Allegheny: A Tavern, a City, and the North Side - by Douglas Diegelman   (could have really used an editor)
  20. Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church - Gareth Gore   (a good book on the subject) 
  21. The Burning of Moses Seattle - David Norman Lewis  (A bit amateurishly written, but an interesting look into an odd piece of Seattle's overlooked history)
  22. Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed –  Chad V. Meister   (excellent in descriptions of the problem(s), not so much on the favored resolution) 
  23. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - by Amanda Montell  
  24. Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II - Jason Berry and Gerald Renner
  25. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro  
  26. When the Emperor Was Divine - Julie Otsuka 
  27. Gentlemen Bootleggers: The True Story of Templeton Rye, Prohibition, and a Small Town in Cahoots - Bryce Bauer
  28. The Cross and the Lynching Tree - James Cone (Highly recommended)
  29. I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life - Ed Yong  
  30. Front Page Pittsburgh: Two Hundred Years of the Post-Gazette - Clarke M. Thomas
  31. Poverty, by America - Matthew Desmond  (Informative and important, highly recommended)
  32. Carrion Comfort - Dan Simmons - (Mike T. recommendation, 767 pages, not for me) 
  33. Brunswick: The story of an American company from 1845 to 1985 - Rick Kogan
  34. White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy - Tom Schaller, Paul Waldman
  35. Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics - Tom Scioli 
  36. Wild West Bartender's Bible -  Byron A. Johnson and Sharon Peregrine Johnson (Some rare and very helpful history on the gilded age of saloons)
  37. Neal Adams, Master Illustrator - Alex Grand and Bill Field 
  38. The Witches are Coming - Lindy West 
  39. Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler – Lynne Olson
  40. Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind - Annaka Harris 
  41. Free Will - Sam Harris
  42. The Johnstown Flood - David McCullough  (Amazing)
  43. Never Understood: The Jesus and Mary Chain - William Reid and Jim Reid 
  44. The Brain and the Meaning of Life - Paul Thagard 
  45. The Illusion of Conscious Will - Daniel M. Wegner
  46. Subliminal - How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior - Leonard Mlodinow  
  47. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania - Erik Larson   
  48. The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies - Alan Taylor
  49. New England Tiki - Kevin Quigley (autographed copy from Ohana 2024) 
  50. The Golden Elixir of the West - Sherry Monahan, Jane Perkins 
  51. The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern - James McPherson 
  52. Liberty and Power: The Politics of Jacksonian America Paperback – Harry L. Watson 
  53. The Marvel Age of Comics 1961-1978 - Roy Thomas  
  54. Gen X Pittsburgh: The Beehive and the ’90s Scene - David Rullo
  55. The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War - Peter Guardino  (Informative and excellent)
  56. From Farmland to Card Shop - Jason Kirin 
  57. We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson  
  58. Meet Me at Ray's: A Celebration of Ray's Place in Kent, Ohio - Patrick J. O'Conner 
  59. Guns at the Forks - by Walter O'Meara  
  60. An Assassin in Utopia - Susan Wells  
  61. Stone House Legends & Lore - Marci Lynn McGuinness 
  62. A History of the Amish - Steven M. Nolt
  63. A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears) -  Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling 
  64. Pittsburgh Drinks - Codey McDevitt and Sean Enright
  65. Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance -  Mark Whitaker 
  66. An Alternative  History of Pittsburgh - Ed Simon 
  67. Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System -  Ryan J. Reilly   
  68. The Whiskey Rebellion and the Rebirth of Rye - Mark Meyer and Meredith Meyer Grelli
  69. B.A. Stevens: Billiard and bar goods - Richard M Bueschel 
  70. Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America - Will Sommer 
  71. The Lives of Lowbrow Artists, Vol. 1 - Fritz Costa 
  72. Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer
  73. The Splendid and the Vile - Erik Larson 
  74. The Case Against Reality - Donald Hoffman (I couldn't completely understand it, but fascinating)
  75. Seattle Prohibition: Bootleggers, Rumrunners & Graft in the Queen City - Brad Holden
  76. Marvel Comics: The Untold Story - Sean Howe
  77. Latah County - Julie R. Monroe
  78. A Proper Drink - The Untold Story of How a Band of Bartenders Saved the Civilized Drinking World - Robert Simonson  (Very good history of the subject)
  79. The Saloon on the Rocky Mountain Mining Frontier - Elliot West
  80. Elmer Ogawa: After Hours with Seattle's Forgotten Photographer - Todd Matthews (Ogawa's amazing and valuable photos of a lost Seattle era)
  81. Stranger In Town: A Guide to Taverns in Oregon and Southwest Washington - Philip and Barbara Ree Thompson 
  82. Seattle Justice: The Rise and Fall of the Police Payoff System in Seattle - Christopher Bayley
  83. Post Office - Charles Bukowski
  84. Once Upon a Time in Seattle - Emmett Watson
  85. The Guns at Last Light - The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 - Rick Atkinson
  86. The Barringtons: White Water Skippers of the North - Nancy Warren Ferrell
  87. One Hundred Years of the "Waterland" Community - A History of Des Moines, Washington - Ed. Richard T. Kennedy and Gretchen F.Schmidt
  88. Taverns West - An enjoyable look at the finest watering holes to be found along the West Coast - Michael H. Caldwell
  89. The Dry Years: Prohibition & Social Change in Washington - Norman H. Clark
  90. America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns, Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops - Christine Sismondo
  91. Gay Seattle: Stories of Exile and Belonging - Gary L. Atkins
  92. Pioneer Square - Seattle's Oldest Neighborhood - ed. Mildred Tanner Andrews 
  93. Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns of Northeastern Washington - N.L. Barlee
  94. A Billion Wicked Thoughts - What the Internet Tells Us About Sexual Relationships - Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam 
  95. Scoundrels and Saloons: Whisky Wars of the Pacific Northwest, 1840-1917 - Rich Mole
  96. Fugitives and Regugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon - Chuck Palahniuk
  97. Coal Towns in the Cascades - John C. Shideler
  98. Boom Towns & Relic Hunters of Northeastern Washington - Jerry Smith
  99. Before Seattle Rocked: A City and its Music - Kurt E. Armbruster
  100. Calabash: A Guide to the History, Culture & Art of African Americans in Seattle and King County, Washington - Esther Hall Mumford
  101. McCall's Historic Shore Lodge - Darcy Williamson and Marlee Wilcomb
  102. Early Ballard - Julie D. Pheasant-Albright
  103. Among The Truthers: A Journey through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground - Jonathan Kay
  104. Early Seattle Profiles - Henry Broderick
  105. Doc Maynard - Bill Speidel
  106. Watering Holes of the Northwest - Michael Caldwell
  107. The Strangest Tribe: How a Group of Seattle Rock Bands Invented Grunge - Stephen Tow
  108. In the Garden of Beasts - Eric Larson (very good)
  109. Jackson Street After Hours - The Roots of Jazz in Seattle (very good)
  110. Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street  Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street - Michael Lewis(good)
  111. Losers - The Road to Everyplace but the White House - Michael Lewis (good)
  112. Heavier Than Heaven - A Biography of Kurt Cobain - Charles R. Cross (good)
  113. The Big Short - Michael Lewis (very good)
  114. Hedonists in pursuit of pleasure and happiness - a 1970 guide to Seattle bars and restaurants - Ed. Wm. L. Hailey
  115. Just Kids - Patti Smith
  116. 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior - Scott O. Lilienfeld et. al.
  117. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime - John Heilemann, Mark Halperin (very good)

  118. Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (good)

  119. We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson (good)

  120. Kafka - Robert Crumb and David Zane Mairowitz

  121. Sarah from Alaska - Scott Conroy, Sushannah Walshe

  122. Storm of Steel - Ernst Junger (very good)

  123. Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy  (very good)

  124. On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not - Robert A. Burton

  125. The Wine Trials - Robin Goldstein (excellent)

  126. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (okay) 

  127. Devil in the White City - Erik Larson (very good)

  128. The Invention of Air:  A Story of Science, Faith, Revolution, and the Birth of America - Steven Johnson (good)

  129. The Pluto Files:  The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet - Neil deGrasse Tyson (good)

  130. Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) - Tom Vanderbilt (very good)

  131. The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 - Thomas Ricks (excellent)

  132. The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America - David Hajdu (good) 

  133. The Tartar Steppe - Dino Buzzati (very good)
  134. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape our Decisions -- Dan Ariely (excellent)
  135. Letter to a Christian Nation - Sam Harris (okay)
  136. What Americans Really Believe - Rodney Stark (good)
  137. Chance - A Guide to Gambling, Love, the Stock Market & Just About Everything Else (very good)
  138. I am a Strange Loop - Douglas Hofstadter (okay)
  139. Bad Moon Rising: How Reverend Moon Created The Washington Times, Seduced the Religious Right, and Built and American Kingdom - John Gorenfeld (good)
  140. Worlds of Their Own: A Brief History of Misguided Ideas: Creationism, Flat-Earthism, Energy Scams, and the Velikovsky Affair Robert J. Schadewald (good)
  141. Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture Daniel Radosh (very good)
  142.  Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets - Nassim Nicholas Taleb (okay)
  143. The Drunken Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives - Leonard Mlodinow (excellent)
  144. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance - Barack Obama (very good)
  145. Smells Like Dead Elephants: Dispatches from a Rotting Empire - Matt Taibi (very good)
  146. Breaking the Spell: Religion as Natural Phenomenon - Daniel Dennett (very good)
  147. The Wisdom of Crowds - James Surowiecki (very good)
  148. Follies of the Wise: Dissenting Essays - Frederick Crews (excellent)
  149. Blind Side - Michael Lewis (very good)
  150. What Is Intelligence? - James R. Flynn (good)
  151. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Nicholas Taleb (disappointing)
  152. A Tragic Legacy: How A Good VS Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency - Glenn Greenwald (a good summary, but little new info for people paying attention at the time)
  153. A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness:  From Imposter Poodles to Purple Numbers V.S. Ramachandran (very good)
  154. Beautiful Crescent: A History of New Orleans - Garvey and Widmer
  155. Conversations on Consciousness: What the Best Minds Think about the Brain, Free Will, and What it Means to be Human - Ed. Susan Blackmore (excellent)
  156. Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us about Human Behavior - Nancy L. Segal (very good)
  157. Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong - Marc D. Hauser
  158. Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction - David Kuo (very good; should be read by every religious conservative)
  159. State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III - Bob Woodward (overrated, considerably inferior to Hubris or Fiasco)
  160. Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War - Michael Isikoff and David Corn (very good)
  161. Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq - Thomas E. Ricks (excellent)
  162. A World Without Time - The Forgotten Legacy of Godel and Einstein (good)
  163. Foundations of Vision (very good)

 

 

In the queue 

 

 

Partially read / Never quite finished

  1. UniverCity - The Story of the University District in Seattle - Rob Nielsen
  2. Puyallup: A Pioneer Paradise - Lori Price and Ruth Anderson 
  3. Proust Was a Neuroscientist - Jonah Lehrer
  4. Harvard Business Review on Knowledge Management - Peter Ferdinand Drucker, David Garvin, Dorothy Leonard, Susan Straus, John Seely Brown
  5. Pagan Christianity - Frank Viola, George Barna
  6. The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber - Mel Gordon
  7. Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know about the Game is Wrong - Ed. Johan Keri
  8. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
  9. Utopias on Puget Sound, 1885-1915 

  10. Psychobabble and Biobunk: Using Psychology to Think Critically about Issues in the News

 

 

 

Pete's Book Reference

 

 

 

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