An idiosyncratic look at my year of reading
Once more, following the example of my friend Brad Berens, I will recap some of the books that I read this year. It’s not a comprehensive list and it is most certainly not objective or scholarly. It’s more of a walk down memory lane reminiscing about books that I thought were interesting, different and/or affected me .
There were many other books that were trashy, technical or boring. At this point in my life, if I am not enjoying a book or learning something worthwhile, I will drop it.
Jerusalem: The Biography — Simon Sebag Montefiore
Our friend, Josh Hoyt, recommended this one and it is fascinating. We currently think of Jerusalem as being significant to the three great monotheistic religions and often contentious. But its fortunes have ebbed and flowed over three thousand years. This books is comprehensive. I must confess that there were several hundred years of dueling Arab dynasties that were hard to track or care about. But the overarching story of how this city became the pivot point of history is compelling.
Montefiore blends political power, religious fervor, and intimate human drama to show how the city has been endlessly destroyed, rebuilt, and contested. He’s not for or against any nation or religion. At many points there was no one to root for. At times, the city faded into insignificance. And yet it always came back. This is atypical. Most cities achieve importance because they control a strategically important harbor or river or promontory. Or because they are the storehouse of riches. Jerusalem has persisted a a significant city because of its symbolic importance.
This book is an important way to understand this city at the crossroads of history.
A Walk in the Park — Kevin Fedarko
There was a moment when I needed an interlude in the three millennia of Jerusalem’s history and I turned to Kevin Fedarko’s epic hike through the Grand Canyon. I was a huge fan of Fedarko’s earlier book, the rip roaring Emerald Mile. This one lived up to that high standard. Fedarko captures the physical brutality of the landscape while reflecting on friendship, obsession, and the moral imperative to preserve wild places.
Fedarko and his partner, Pete McBride, set a goal of hiking the length of the national park. Think about this— more people have stood on the moon than have traversed the Canyon on foot. It’s that tough of a goal. Fedarko could not have made it without the support of a cadre of hardcore hikers including the legendary Rich Rudow.
I have spent a lot of time in the Grand Canyon (best guess 60 nights below the Rim) and have experienced blizzards, blazing heat, explosive rapids, endless climbs, indecipherable trails and vast waterless stretches. It is a glorious but dangerous place. I sweated and shivered along with him as Fedarko struggled through the Canyon. I also appreciated how seamlessly he included the voices of the people who cherish the Canyon.
Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads — John Julius Norwich
Norwich was a character out of a Graham Greene novel. An aristocrat who served in England’s foreign service. He became intrigued by the places that he visited and served, one of which was Sicily.
Norwich crafted this lucid, elegant history of Sicily as told through its successive conquerors—Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, Spanish—revealing the island as a crossroads rather than a periphery. Norwich’s gift lies in synthesizing complexity without flattening it, making Sicily’s fractured identity feel coherent and inevitable.
Though not scholarly in its intent, this is one of the best and most readable general histories of Sicily
Murder in Constantinople — A.E. Goldin
This was a Christmas gift from my daughter, Laura, last year. It was probably a “concept” gift because she is a Byzantinist and we have spent the last ten years immersed in the Eastern Roman Empire—and we both love a good mystery, This is the start of a new series by Goldin.
In this case, he sets his mystery in 19th century Constantinople, using murder as an entry point into imperial politics, religious tension, and urban life. It merits consideration as a straight procedural novel but for me, a part of the attraction is the carefully imagined Byzantine world of the late Ottoman Empire. It gets generally very positive reviews from readers who aren’t Byzantinists.
Dirtbag Billionaire — David Gelles
This book was a gift from my daughters this Christmas. Like many people from Southern California who have been involved in the outdoors, I was very familiar with many aspects of the stories of Patagonia and Chouinard. I expected this book to be a hagiography but it did a great job of portraying the complexity of Chouinard as well as his family and friends.
Like so may important founders (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates come to mind) their strengths and their flaws come from the same place. Gelles talks about the mistakes that Patagonia made, the near disasters and the former friends and employees who were left bruised. One of the most interesting contradictions was that for a company that was respected for treating its employees well the founding family never seemed to respect or trust their team.
Another interesting theme was the decades long battle between running a successful business and changing the world. Ultimately, they figured out how to use the business as a catalyst for change.
The Peacock and the Sparrow — I.S. Berry
The first of two obscure choices. This espionage novel is written by a former foreign service officer. It is set in Bahrain during the Arab Spring, blending spy fiction with political realism and emotional ambiguity. The novel considers loyalty, surveillance, and the personal cost of geopolitical gamesmanship. Beyond bringing the geopolitical issues to life, the author does a great job dramatizing the seductions, lies and betrayals at the heart of intelligence. It is hard to figure who the good guys are versus the bad guys much less who is winning and losing. It’s the antithesis of a TV show like Reacher where it’s obvious who you are expected to root for.
The Museum Detective — Maha Khan Phillips
A mystery rooted in the global art world, where stolen artifacts, institutional politics, and personal history intersect. The novel uses the museum setting to explore questions of ownership, restitution, and cultural memory. I was attracted to this novel because it was set it in Pakistan with a female protagonist. I wanted a perspective on a country that is very alien to me. Also a good look at the black market for antiquities.
Imperium — Robert Harris
Robert Harris is a former journalist who has written several bestsellers including the books upon which the movies Conclave and Munich were based. However I am most fond of his books about Rome in the late republican period. This is first installment of Harris’s Cicero trilogy, narrated by Cicero’s secretary Tiro, tracing the rise of the Roman Republic’s greatest orator. The novel transforms Roman politics into a gripping study of ambition, rhetoric, and power.
The Fate of the Generals — Jonathan Horn
This is a tough read because it is ultimately the story of how McArthur betrayed Jonathan Wainright, one of the most competent and loyal generals in the history of the US Army. McArthur was the ultimate self-promoter—narcissistic to the point of delusion. As the Phillipines fell to the Japanese, he left Wainwright to fight the last stand. He then criticized him for surrendering. Wainright fought until the last reasonable moment and then lead his men through captivity,
This is a tough examination of leadership, accountability, and the moral weight of command. Horn emphasizes failure and consequence as much as victory.
The Impossible Fortune — Richard Osman
This is a pleasant alternative to the tough read about McArthur and Wainright. It’s a classic British cozy mystery about a group of septuagenarian friends in a posh retirement community. Osman counterbalances the mystery with sharp social observation, intricate plotting with humor and warmth. This series is about friendship and family in later life as much as puzzle-solving. It is well-crafted
The List — Steve Berry
This is the perfect book to listen to on a long car ride. This summer we were driving from Bend to Sun Valley, Idaho. Eight hours each way. This story about Malthusian employee relations was perfect. I have long loved Berry’s action/adventure books many built around his character, Cotton Malone. This is a standalone entry and a very good one mixing contemporary conspiracy with historical secrets, in Berry’s trademark style.
Secret Life of The American Musical — Jack Viertel
I have long been a fan of musicals. I sing show tunes in the shower, in the car, and walking down the street. I once heard a brilliant segment on NPR about how Broadway shows are built, although I could never find it again. This book is the next best thing. It traces the history of the “golden age” of musicals but stops short of Miss Saigon, Cats, and Lion King. There is clearly science along with art in building a hit show.
Bruculinu America — Vincent Schiavelli
This book was a gift from our friend, Melanie Grisanti , after our shared trip to Sicily this summer. It’s an older book from 1998, written by Vincent Schiavelli, an easily recognizable character actor. It tells the story of growing up in Brooklyn in the time between the arrival on the “the boat” and the evacuation to the suburbs. In order to reinforce the importance of food in Sicilian culture, Schiavelli includes 70 recipes. My mother’s family is from Southern Italy. Not too far geographically but, as the Sicilians will gladly tell you, another country. I speak Italian fairly well but the Sicilian dialect used in the book might as well have been Russian It’s also interesting when Schiavelli contrasts the Sicilians (many of whom were born in the US) with “Americans”.
Next up:
The next two books on my list are The Undiscovered Country by Hutton about how the west was shaped— a gift from Martin Nissenholtz and A Pilgrimage to Eternity by one of my favorite authors, Tim Egan. I recommended two of his books last year. This one is about a pilgrimage on the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome.