The Secret Lives of Introverts by Jenn Granneman

 

This was lame. You should read Susan Cain's book instead.

Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature As an Adult by Bruce Handy

 

This was so funny and and so interesting, not to mention a trip down memory lane.

The Nine of Us by Jean Kennedy Smith

 

So, clearly hagiography, but still kind of interesting.

Progress by Johan Norberg

 

While I agree that in general things are getting better in most ways, I thought the author played fast and loose with some of the specifics here.

The Happiest Kids in the World by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison

 

 This was super-interesting -- always fascinating to see what is "normal" in other cultural contexts.

The Sum of Small Things by Elizabeth Currid-Halkett

 

 Very interesting reflections on class distinctions in the US.

Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate by Rose George

 

 Kind of dull.

Forhed in War by R. David Lankes

 

 Some interesting background, but a lot of this went beyond war . . . maybe a different title would have helped set expectations.

Before the Storm by Rick Perlstein

 

I usually love Perlstein, but this was kind of boring.

Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson

 

Interesting, but also already seems a bit dated.

The Ever-Changing Past by James M. Banner

 

Super interesting -- a really important book with great stories.

Land by Simon Winchester

This was a very intriguing book -- sort of stream of consciousness, but some interesting stories.

Mom Genes by Abigail Tucker

 

Fascinating content in a hilarious book. Highly recommended.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

 

This is a super-fun, light, predictable beach read.

Mutualism by Sara Horowitz

 

Mutualism is an interesting idea, but the book was redundant and short on specifics.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

 

So, so good. I really should read more Hank Green.

My Robot Gets Me by Carla Diana

 

Very interesting perspective on human-robot interaction . . . especially since I bought a robot vacuum/mop this week.

Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher by Brandy Schillace

 

Very odd. An interesting story.

The Family Gene by Joselin Linder

 

A very interesting book -- a good combo of family memoir and medical mystery.

The Guarded Gate by Daniel Okrent

 

A fascinating book -- it's intense to see learn that every horrible thing said about current immigrants was said about my people a hundred years ago. Highly recommended. (And the writing is great.)

The Tyranny of Merit by Michael Sandel

 

This was stunning. Everyone should read this.

The Rationing by Charles Wheelan

 

I still can't decide if I liked this.

Dream Girl by Laura Lippman

 

This was outstanding. Great characterization, interesting plot, social commentary that wasn't painful, etc. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Written in Bone by Sue Black

 

Fantastic stories and background, if a little gruesome.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

 

This was banal -- definitely not up to the hype.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper

 

Objectively ridiculous.

The Heartbeat of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

 

This was weird.

Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows

 

I am leaning toward the conclusion that systems thinking in general is BS.

Freedom by Sebastian Junger

 

An odd, almost stream-of-consciousness collection, but decent enough.

Murder under the Microscope by Jim Fraser

 

Unremarkable.

The Premonition by Michael Lewis

This was fantastic. It isn't just a rehash of pandemic headlines -- it's a fascinating backstory. Highly recommended.

The Secret History of Home Economics by Danielle Dreilinger

 

Super disappointing, possibly because of the narrator.

On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed

 

Amazing. This is one of those books everyone should read. Probably meant more to me since I grew up near the place where she did.

Ethel Rosenberg by Anne Sebba

 

A fascinating story matched by top-notch writing. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister

 

A fascinating book.

Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown

 

Fascinating. I recommend this one.

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

 

This was super disappointing; I'm surprised I finished it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Just My Type by Simon Garfield

 

Ah, I loved this. I'm sure it would have been better not as an audiobook, so I could see the fonts, but still.

Better, Not Bitter by Yusef Salaam

 

Great writing, interesting story, the self-help-ish parts were not for me.

Barnum by Robert Wilson

 

A really interesting biography, especially to see how many other major 19th century figures he interacted with -- and how many fires he experienced.

The Mansion of Happiness by Jill Lepore

 

I don't know that the chapters cohere into one theme, but they were each fascinating in their own right. Recommended.

The Upswing by Robert D. Putnam

 

Fascinating historical analysis.

Prophetic City: Houston on the Cusp of a Changing America by Stephen Klineberg

 

Fascinating.

The Triumph of Nancy Reagan by Karen Tumulty

 

Really interesting.

Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert

 

Very interesting.

Jackpot by Michael Mechanic

 

Super interesting.

The Address Book by Deidre Mask

 

So, so, so good. Highly recommended.

How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson

 

I'm a total HCR fangirl, so I couldn't figure out why I wasn't liking this. I decided: the title is wrong. It led me to expect a book about the rise of Jim Crow, but instead the book in an overarching history of attempts at oligarchy in the US.

Breath by James Nestor

 

Interesting.

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass Sunstein

 

Fascinating.