#2016readinglist

[kaywillruns]

I finally finished my 26th book if 2016 (just two days late!). Over 8,000 pages. Even though that's largely a useless measurement since the pages were far from consistent, it still sounds impressive. I started 2016 with a list of 10 books. I finished those and many more. I'm quite proud.

[talietoxic]

Sooo..

I started reading the first book in The Infernal Devices trilogy and it seems like everyone else loves Will...What about Jem!? I love Jem!

[kevinflavin-blog]

Currently.

[airwreckyha]

Shaking the Tree 🌳✨✊🏾👸🏾🤓 #NowReading #RecommendedReading #2016ReadingList Also by Danquah: Willow Weep For Me 👀📖

[kaywillruns]

Also, I finished my 3rd book for November so at least I hit that goal! It was a short one, but a good one. It was Tolstoy's The Life and Death of Ivan Ilyich. I'm also now almost half way through the 900 page Outlander I'm reading. I'd like to finish that and two others in December.

[airwreckyha]

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer 💡🍦 (sn: my niece calls it The IceCream Book) #book #currentlyreading #bookworm #2016readinglist #jonahlehrer #bookstagram #recommendbook

[kaywillruns]

2016 Reading List

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

American Spy by E. Howard Hunt

Children of Monsters by Jay Nordlinger

Without Vodka by Aleksander Topolskh

Ordinary Men by Christoper Browning

Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes

Understanding the Times by Jeff Myers

Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner

The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan

On Tocqueville by Alan Ryan

The Mingling of Souls by Matt Chandler

Woohoo! Finished another book. I had completely fallen behind on my reading list, both because I was reading less and because I’m reading books that aren’t on the list, but I’m sort of back on track.

Last night I finished Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, which is the 3rd book in the Outlander series. Holy crap. SO MUCH HAPPENED. This one pulled me in so much faster than the second one did. There was also a lot less unnecessary sex, which I kind of appreciated. And it was nice to have actors in my head since I’ve seen the first season of the Starz show. I was able to hear the Scottish accents in my head more, which was fun. I can really see how this show is going to continue to be successful. 

I can’t really say much more than this without giving a ton of spoilers, but I’m excited for the next book. There are eight currently i believe. Sadly I’m not going to run out buy the next book. I need to finish the two books I’m currently on (which aren’t on this list) and then some books on this list before I buy anything else! 

This wasn’t much of a review, but such is life. I really enjoyed this giant book!

[kaywillruns]

2016 Reading List

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon Voyager by Diana Gabaldon This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis American Spy by E. Howard Hunt Children of Monsters by Jay Nordlinger Without Vodka by Aleksander Topolski Ordinary Men by Christoper Browning Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes Understanding the Times by Jeff Myers Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan On Tocqueville by Alan Ryan The Mingling of Souls by Matt Chandler

Last night I finished American Spy by E. Howard Hunt. My husband picked this up at a used bookstore a few years ago without really knowing much about it aside from it being an account of a guy in the CIA. As it turns out, Hunt was one of the guys who did Watergate. I’m not sure how accurate his autobiography is and I’m sure a ton of people have problems with it, but I enjoyed the story of it.

The reality is, the man had a fascinating life. After serving in WW2, he joined the precursor to the CIA and eventually the CIA working in Mexican, Japan, and elsewhere. He did a lot with covert propaganda, which was interesting to learn about. The CIA does (or has done) a lot of things you may not think about like publishing books, making movies, etc. Hunt was also one of the leads of the botched Bay of Pigs invasion and I don’t think he ever forgave himself or JFK for the way JFK ensured its failure. 

The pre-watergate sections of the book were the most interesting to me because of what it revealed of the interworking of some of the CIA and other intelligence organizations. The rest of the book is the Watergate operation and the aftermath. The story of the Watergate operation was interesting to read. Some of the aftermath such as the trials, congressional hearings, and jail time was interesting to but I feel like it dragged a bit. The last chapter was the one I liked the least. I was really not interested in learning about what Hunt thought about Bush and Iraq. 

I enjoyed this as a story, but it also made me angry at Nixon. Nixon was pardoned for his crimes. The people he ordered to do his crimes were not. They served jail time. Hunt served over 30 months (thankfully was released early), but in those months left his children parentless (his wife died in a tragic plane crash just before his trial began) and accumulated over $800,000 in legal fees. That’s insane. 

I didn’t take a bunch of life lessons from this book; I don’t think that was the intention. I enjoyed it for what it was: an old man telling his story. It was a good one.

[kaywillruns]

If you’re bored, care about reading a lot, or want some suggestions, I just added a page that includes my reading list, links to reviews, and additional books off my reading list that I’ve been reading so feel free to check that out! Link on my page.