So I like to read a lot.
I read to fall asleep. I read on days off. I read out in the sun. I read on vacation. I read while traveling. I read while I’m driving.
OK, that last one was a lie. Except for text messages.
Anyway, as 2015 winds down, here are the books that I enjoyed reading the most:
5. Geronimo Johnson, Welcome To Braggsville. It’s hilarious until it’s not. In the middle of a laugh-out-loud parody of academia’s political correctness, Johnson twists the plot in ways both unexpected and unforgettable. The result is a “Southern” novel that feels universal.
4. Hampton Sides, The Kingdom Of Ice. Sides is one of the best writers of historical non-fiction we have. The Kingdom Of Ice melds geography and cartography into a harrowing tale of Arctic exploration and human resilience in the late 1800s.
3. Andy Stanley, The New Rules For Love Sex & Dating. Andy Stanley’s tour de force in support of celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in heterosexual marriage. If you want to learn how to write and speak well, read this book. If you want to learn how to write and speak well about sex, read it twice.
2. Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven. Page-turning and thought-provoking all at the same time. Who knew the end of the world as we know it could be such fun?
1. Edmund Morris, The Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy. In a year of binge reading — five straight Steven King novels and three consecutive Richard Nixon bios, for example — none were as captivating as Morris’ comprehensive three volume study of our 26th president.
