Books I Read in 2018

Spellbinding heartbreaker! An attention-grabbing debut (1994).

Fine debut (2002) novel.

A real page-turner.

Superb. Authentic individuals caught up in the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Imaginative tale of the spirits active in the after-death of President Lincoln's son Willie. A successful, if at times creepy, experiment in historical fiction. Winner of the 2017 Man Booker Prize.

Classic science fiction. Freed orphan slave becomes wealthy galactic abolitionist.

Meditate. It will help you become at least 10% happier. An informative, entertaining, convincing memoir.

Wonderful exploration of what we know about our universe plus exciting glimpses into the so far unknown.

Fine collection of very well told stories about the struggles and misadventures of our Spokane Indian brothers and sisters.

Satisfying story.

Gripping page-turner reimagines the historical Underground Railroad. Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner.

Boyle is one of our master storytellers! Off the wall. Out of the box. Top drawer!

A gripping memoir! Westover struggled relentlessly to distance herself from a violent, insane family that allowed her no formal education before the age of 16. She painfully reinvented herself, graduated from BYU and went on to earn a Ph.D from Cambridge University.

Well done, original characterization of a unique standup comic as he talks of his tragic past in a nightclub performance.

Well constructed tale of a challenging marriage relationship told from three different authentic points of view.

Uplifting. Filled with entertaining anecdotes involving interesting people. Luck is a "lifetime of moments we make."

Pleasant read. Politics can be gracefully and fairly encompassed by wonderful art.

Outlines the importance of the partnership between mathematics and science, especially cosmology and astronomy.

Superior. Up close and personal look at the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on a family of close friends.

Strong, emotional TM sales pitch. No mention of costs or how to do it.

Excellent collection of essays. 2011 Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize winner. "Empathy is always perched precariously between gift and invasion."

Where does truth end and fiction begin? Did he do it? Still thinking about it.

Two fine, intimate, poignant novellas.

Amazing debut novel! We are challenged to think. How are these characters, times, places related?

Risible, rewarding read. 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner.

Excellent. Strong work.

Good stuff. Serious and funny. Light and dark. Indecisiveness. Winner of 2018 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction.

Very well-told, classic tale!

Chilling, science fiction adventure. Wonderful, likable, authentic characters.

Merton's faith and his book are gifts from God.

Strong debut story collection!

Brilliantly structured and elegantly written! Impossible to put down. Timely and timeless. Winner of the 2016 Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. "Sometimes we're so wrapped up in our own story that we don't see how we're supporting characters in someone else's."

Historical fiction award winner. "I am only the Chickadee. Yet small things have great power. I speak the truth."

Superb piece of work. Modern Russian history we can taste and feel. Gessen makes it real. 2017 National Book Award winner.

Brilliant, sad, funny portrait of life told through letters of recommendation written by down-to-earth, outspoken, ingenuous Creative Writing Professor, Jay Fitger. Winner of the James Thurber Prize for American Humor.

Explores the origins of the unfortunate cult of "safetysm" infecting many of our colleges today. Describes how we might properly respond to reverse this dangerous trend. "Young people are antifragile. Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child. We are all prone to emotional reasoning and the confirmation bias. We are all prone to dichotomous thinking and tribalism. The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being." See TheCoddling.com

Trevor is a true master of the short story.

Continuation of the thoroughly entertaining misadventures of that inimitable English Department Chair, Jay Fitger. Sensitive, unstoppable, hilarious page-turner by a very talented storyteller.

Well referenced, cogent explanation from one of our education gurus.

Wonderful story. Read aloud to my two oldest sons. 1968 Newbery Medal winner.

An historically important, currently relevant story of the family of a young woman who emigrated to Russia from America in the 1930s.

"Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy - and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood." With lots of supporting data clearly presented. Valuable read for today's parents, teachers and employers.

Design master Lee teaches us how to "bring joy back into the heart of our lives." See The Aesthetics of Joy.

The story of Little Women and why it still matters. All about the ongoing relevance of perhaps the most influential book ever written by an American woman.

Six gorgeous gems. Eisenberg is a star story teller.

Moving story of Salva, a Sudanese 'lost boy' who persevered until he was able to return to help many others.

Reliability Centered Maintenance, RCM, is the way to go.

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