The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

This was less formulaic than expected in that the main characters were not just underdogs but also jerks. I enjoyed reading it.

The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch

Hilarious . . . and hit pretty close to home.

The Midnight Assassin by Skip Hollandsworth

Fascinating, and I loved the local color.

Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith

Quite interesting.

Why Buddhism Is True by Robert Wright

Very, very interesting.

Plutopia by Kate Brown

Very interesting.

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

I didn't like this book.

Against Empathy by Paul Bloom

Very, very interesting.

The Last 100 Days by David B. Woolner

Decent.

Royal Sisters by Anne Edwards

Decent.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

This was really good.

Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King

An amazing book about a horrible story.

Book of Ages by Jill Lepore

This was fantastic.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

On the one hand, this was ridiculous. But on the other hand, I kind of loved it.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

This book does not live up to the hype. It's decent, but not great. 

Glamorous Powers by Susan Howatch

In a sense, this was kind of lame. But in another sense, I loved it and can't wait to read the next one.

The Hello Girls by Elizabeth Cobbs

Fascinating. 

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

I wanted to cry through most of this. It's incredibly well done, and it's incredibly depressing.

The Big Sort by Bill Bishop

Fascinating and depressing.

Saving Normal by Allen Frances

Interesting.

Daughter of Empire by Pamela Hicks

I really enjoyed listening to this.

The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz

On the one hand, this was completely over the top. On the other hand, this was really fun to read.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Sex and the Constitution by Geoffrey R. Stone

Fascinating.

Artmeis by Andy Weir

I loved this. It was awesome in all the same ways that The Martian was but without being redundant.

A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki

This is one of those books that everyone should read.

Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein

Very, very interesting. Recommended.

It's All Relative by A. J. Jacobs

I love Jacobs, and I thought this was great fun.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair by William Elliott Hazelgrove

Mildly interesting.

The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley

Very interesting. 

A Magnificent Obsession by Helen Rappaport

I loved this so much. (I feel vaguely embarrassed about my obsession with English royalty.)

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

This was very well done.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Solid, interesting. But not extraordinary.

Fowl Language: The Struggle Is Real by Brian Gordon

Funny.

Review copy provided b publisher.

The Man Who Knew Everything by Marliee Peters

I read this to Truman. It was OK, very mediocre.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Taste of Empire by Lizzie Collingham

I loved this so much.

The Color of Money by Mehrsa Baradaran

I really enjoyed reading this, in the sense that it left me completely outraged and depressed.

Miss Kopp's Midnight Confession by Amy Stewart

So not exactly great literature, but it was fun to read.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent

Very well done--the plot was solid, the characters interesting.

Review copy provided by publisher.

American Tapestry by Rachel L. Swarns

Decent.

Days of Night by Jonathan Stone

I really, really enjoyed this. I will definitely be looking for his other books. It felt like much more than just a genre mystery. There were all sorts of interesting issues here and well-developed characters.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Science Blind by Andrew Shtulman

Absolutely fascinating.

One Hot Summer by Rosemary Ashton

I loved this so much.

Tomlinson Hill by Chris Tomlinson

Very interesting, especially since the hill is so close to here.

Pandemic by A. G. Riddle

Entertaining, but the end got a bit squirrelly. 

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Very interesting.

Abigail Adams by Woody Holton

Very interesting.

Kick by Paula Byrne

Really interesting. 

The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women by Elizabeth Norton

Very, very interesting.

The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver

I thoroughly enjoyed this (despite one weak plot point).

When the English Fall by David Williams

Fascinating premise with a somewhat lackluster execution.

Review copy provided by publisher.