1. Jackpot  (How the Super Rich Really Live and How Their Wealth Harms Us All) - Michael Mechanic

The title should really tell you everything there is to know - the book starts by giving us a peek at the lifestyles of the super rich, how they came into their fortune, the implications of their wealth on their lives. Makes a half hearted attempt at showing how wealth brings about new problems to their owners, and concludes with some hackneyed observations about social inequality, the need to diversify charitable donations and how we need to start making a change for the greater good to reduce economic disparity. The first part was interesting - in much the same way I like to see reality TV shows on the lifestyle channel. But after that it was just page after page of repetitive, or pretty banal observations. It's not new or surprising that the rich have been driving the political decisions, that they do what they can to keep others oppressed or that the top 1% are always coming up with new ways to cheat the country of taxes. But also, I guess, what else could one write about when covering this topic. I read the book because it's on the book club list and also - a book about unlimited wealth seems like an auspicious start to a new year. Here's to the grind and my American Dream!!

2. Family Money - Chad Zunker

A thriller about a techie  - Alex, whose father in law gets kidnapped on a holiday in Mexico. While there isn't really any suspense, drama or clever writing, this is nevertheless a decent read - in a read during a flight sort of way. It's pretty fast paced, doesn't bore you with too many unnecessary details and reads more or less like a Lifetime movie - only with a male lead. The things I liked about the book were the protagonist wasn't shown as invincible (though he gets his fair share of luck), the tools he uses for his research and investigation seem more or less like what any normal individual would use and the author seemed to take special care to not leave any loose ends or leave any plot point unexplained. Overall, while I won't be seeking out more by Chad Zunker, I wouldn't mind if I happened upon his works.

3. But You Scared Me The Most - John Manderino

A collection of short stories - mostly quirky and laced with dark humor and not horror fiction as I anticipated. All the stories were good in their own way and some of them do stay with you for a while. I was actually impressed enough to look up more from the author, but he doesn't seem too prolific. The whole book can easily be finished in a couple of days and none of the stories are dull. 

4. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams - Stephen King

Another collection of short stories - each has its own style and there isn't a particular genre that's being targeted here. The only common theme is an underlying sense of dread and unease, that keeps you glued to the pages and on edge. My personal favorites were the science fiction story about Kindle, Bad Little Kid and Obits. King being a masterful storyteller manages to pack a lot of impact despite the length of the story and there is no sense of incompleteness that often follows this format. The book is a bit lengthy and it put me behind the pace on my reading goals for the year, but still very glad I picked this up.

5. A Gentleman In Moscow - Amor Towles

Set in Moscow during the Stalin era, this novel gives us an account of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov - a charming, knowledgeable young man, who is serving out a house arrest in the servant's quarters of a luxurious hotel called the Metropol. Determined not to let his circumstances master him, the Count tries his best to keep his wit and humour about him and make the best of his situation. What I loved the most about the novel are the clever one liners - whether it be musings about life, about the settings or about one of the hotel's many interesting staff. It's a highly though provoking book which transports us to a different time and place. Not just in terms of setting, but also in terms of the writing style, the use of language, or the conversational style of fiction - which doesn't necessarily revolve around a single element, but rather a combination of circumstances, people, their thoughts and how they respond to the world around them. The novel can take some getting used to - but once you get into it, you will fall in love with it. Even though it's a lengthy read, I found myself a bit sad as I neared the end of the novel. I will definitely try to get a copy of this for my personal collection.

6. Unnatural History - Jonathan Kellerman

What a terrible book to follow an Amor Towles' classic. This was a book club suggestion and I really wish they would not suggest such drivel. Utter waste of time, unnecessary characters, unnecessary background on bull shit, hackneyed dialogue, not a piece of creativity or cleverness in anything. It was like mediocre CSI Miami episode brought to death as a novel. 

7. Inner Engineering : A Yogi's Guide To Joy - Sadhguru

A spiritual guide to finding meaning and purpose by an Indian Yogi - Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. The first parts of the book describe his experiences which lead him down the path of spirituality and the second part of the book gives his views on how your Body, Mind and Energy can be engineered from within to liberate itself of boundaries and broaden our experiences. As expected 80% of the book is absract ideas and thoughts that don't seem grounded in any sort of science or reality or practicality. Parts of the book are definitely useful - mostly from the second half - where he talks about Yoga, Diet, Morality etc. However such useful parts are few and far between and mostly lost between the more abstract ideas. I am not very disappointed as it was along the lines of what I expected and it was simple enough to read that I didn't feel like I wasted a lot of time.

8. Buried In The Sky - Peter Zukerman and Amanda Padoan

As the byline goes - this book tells the extraordinary story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day. A bunch of mountaineering groups from various countries line up to summit the planet's hardest mountain to climb - K2. The initial parts of the book go over the background of the Sherpas involved in guiding these groups and the latter part of the book covers the trek itself and the misfortune that befell many of the climbers. Overall 11 of the 30 climbers perished in K2's notoriously unforgiving terrain and the book gives a captivating account of what happened on the day of the summit. I absolutely LOVED the book. I wasn't expecting to since I am not even remotely interested in mountaineering and in fact thought it was a stupid idea, but I guess that's the power of good fiction that it challenges your deepest convictions and opens your mind to different perspectives. At the end of the book, not only did I get a faint sense of why people attempt these challenges, but also albeit very briefly, made me consider the possibility of pushing myself a bit harder on atleast a small level - say a Mission Peak or a Mt. Hamilton. To summarize, this is an exceptional book and tells us the story of some incredible people.

9. Freezing Order - Bill Browder

A true account of money laundering, murdering and surviving Putin's wrath as a whistleblower. Browder writes about his efforts to seek justice for his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was murdered by Putin's associates and falsely accused of siphoning millions from the Russian government. Browder and a small group of his associates fight bravely and manage to pass the Magnitsky act in the US Congress that leads to freezing of assets belonging to Russian agents that comes as a small win in Browder's campaign. He also writes about the reason Putin goes to such great lengths to cover up the crime and kill anyone related in the passing of the act, and who in the Russian, European and US sides supported the truth and who sided with Putin. Another riveting read on the heels of Buried In The Sky and I managed to breeze through the book in 2 sessions over the weekend. Highly recommended for anyone interested in knowing the reason behind Russian interference in the US elections and the extent to which their government will go to hide the truth.

10. No Drama Discipline - Daniel Siegel, Tina Bryson

A child care special, that goes into how to deal with children in a calm and productive manner. The authors make a lot of very valid points - discipline should involve teaching first, you should base any teaching on a foundation of a close and trustworthy relationship, any teaching thereafter should occur when the situation is calm. All very good points that I would have told myself when I am calm and away from children who are screaming your ears off. My sense though is that most parents start with such foundations, then devolve into harsher methods and then try to realize if there's a secret to getting kids to behave better by reading such books - only to be told to go back to step 1. I really wonder who are these wonderful children who are screaming and shouting 1 moment just to stare contritely at their parent and form a deep, tear jerking bond the moment the parent tries to ask about their feelings. From my understanding, kids will be kids and tantrums and bad behavior are a part of who they are. Parents can try and improve their patience and wait till they hopefully gain more sense before trying to mould them into semi decent human beings. Or in other words, pray that they grow out of it.

11. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel written by Mark Twain and published in 1884. The book is narrated from the perspective of Huck Finn, a young boy from a poor family in the American South, who runs away from his abusive father and in embarks on a journey down the Mississippi River with an escaped slave named Jim. The novel is a commentary on the social and cultural issues of the time, including slavery, racism and the hypocrisy of civilized society. Twain's use of colloquial language and regional dialects makes the book hard to read at times, but also gives it a unique and authentic voice. The adventures of Huck, Jim and later Tom are all written in a humorous but poignant manner and are as entertaining as they are though provoking. Despite a lot of controversy surrounding its use of racial slurs, it's easy to see why the novel remains a beloved and influential work of American literature. Must read for any serious fan of English literature.

12. Good To Great - Jim Collins

I picked this up after I heard it referenced in one of the Cybersecurity leaders podcast, and thought it would be an interesting and insightful read. Partially it was. One thing it took me too long to realize was that the edition I was reading was from 2000 - so pre dot com boom and bust, I don't know if that is why I couldn't relate to a lot of what was written on the book or whether the rules have actually changed a lot since this was written. Anyway, Collins presents a set of case studies on companies that took the leap from being good to great in terms of market cap, sustained success, returns in the stock market etc and looks into what made these companies successful. He contrasts them with companies that failed or were good, but never really took off. Some of the examples initially struck me as odd - like Circuit City for instance, and of course it made sense later. Overall, nothing surprising or ground breaking is presented here. In fact, some of the theories seem highly dubious given the nature of the successful companies these days - like Meta or Google and how they violate each and every theory given in this book. Anyway, it was worth a read - if only to reduce my cynicism about US capitalism and how it wasn't always as bad as we expect it to be. In fact there are a lot of examples of leaders in this book who seemed to go out of their way to have done the right thing for their employees and customers alike.

13. On Animals - Susan Orlean

A mixed read - a collection of essays about animals, wild and domesticated. Highly hit or miss essays, some of the chapters resonated with me and some just fell flat. Not something I would go back to in any case. The chapters on the Orca, Lion whisperer and Tiger compound were interesting and the stuff on the Chicken coop, Oxen etc I could barely read without dozing off. Susan Orlean probably missed a good chance to make people care about whatever drove her to write this one - or perhaps she just wrote it for a quick buck. 

14. The Haunting Of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

This is a classic from the horror genre and has spawned many screen adaptations. I have seen a few of these, but none of those come close to the novel. Jackson's writing is both clever and chilling when it needs to be. The story follows 4 characters or rather 5 (if you include the House itself) who stay in Hill House as part of a study of the house's paranormal phenomena. The mansion has a troubled and tragic past which seems to linger on, long after the original occupants have passed on or left and the protagonists experience a lot of strange events during their stay there. Jackson sets the tone perfectly, first with the description of Eleanor's journey to the house, then with the description of the house itself and builds up the tension gradually to keep the reader engrossed to the very last page. The chemistry between the 4 characters is also very interesting, especially Theo and Eleanor. All in all, a wonderful novel which will be a flag bearer for the haunted house genre for a long time. This is a must read for any fans of horror fiction.

15. Talking To Strangers - Malcolm Gladwell

The first thing to tell about this book is that, this isn't the garden variety how to get better at conversations in a party sort of book. You could of course use some of the principles outlined here to improve how you communicate, but this is intended to be more thought provoking and takes a deeper look at why we sometimes don't see people for who they really are because of flawed techniques when it comes to communication. As always Gladwell presents his hypothesis through various examples - like a case of a Cuban spy who went undetected by the CIA for a really long time, Amanda Knox who was vilified by the media or how Sandusky managed to remain free despite suspicions around his actions. I found the book to be really light - because unlike his past works, what we can get of substance regarding communication itself is very bare bones. He talks about default assumptions, biases, lack of complete understanding of a context etc which aren't really something ground breaking and most of the book is devoted to unnecessarily detailed descriptions of the subjects or circumstances around his examples, which doesn't really add to anything on the topic of communication. However, this seems to be his writing style. He takes an interesting premise, writes some basic truths on that premise that everyone already knows and tells very interesting anecdotes around that. Don't pick up this book thinking it will make you a hit in parties.

16. Rules of Civility - Amor Towles

This is Towles' debut novel, set in New York City in the late 1930s. The chief protagonist is the young, sophisticated, sharp-witted Katey Kontent who finds herself navigating New York's privileged circles of glamor, aristocracy and romance. Katey much like Count Rostov in 'A Gentleman in Moscow', is an example of someone who masters their circumstances to fulfill her ambitions. The portrayal of Katey's life, her relationships and her work are fascinating and as a character she is very inspiring for her intelligence, courage and determination. The other main character is the setting itself - New York City. The novel provides a vivid and immersive portrayal of the time period, capturing the essence of the Manhattan lifestyle and really transports you to a bygone era of jazz, the Great Depression and of course the impending world war. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Towles' writing is the key here - the intelligent conversations, the subtle humor and strong characters - all are reminders of how interesting life could be in the company of the right people. 

17. All The Devils Are Here - Louise Penny

The 16th book in the Armand Gamache series - takes us to Paris, France where Armand and his family are having a little reunion while also meeting his godfather Stephen Horowitz. Stephen a successful and shrewd businessman gets into a hit and run which looks like an attempt on his life and Armand starts to dig into the motives behind the attack and starts to uncover a conspiracy that goes to the highest levels in French business and political circles. The story isn't very evenly paced, after a decent start, it starts to slow down a lot and the ending is very formulaic with fake blood, bullets and predictable happy reunions all over. The writing wasn't very engaging and also the characters fell flat. The plot itself wasn't very solid and while she manages to tie everything up, it wasn't very satisfactory or interesting.

18. The Lincoln Highway - Amor Towles

Towles' third book set in 1954, takes us on a journey with 4 boys - Emmett, his brother Billy, and Emmett's friends from a juvenile detention home Duchess and Woolly. Emmett and his Brother have just lost their father and are looking for a fresh start by moving to California, while Duchess and Wooly want to head to New York and collect Wooly's inheritance from his ancestral home. Duchess and Wooly end up taking Emmett's car and head to New York, while Emmett is left to track them down, collect his car and some money that was hidden in the car. The rest of the book is about their adventures on this journey interspersed with insights into their past that helps us understand each character much better and explains their behavior and motives which makes the novel more complete. As always, Towles' prose is masterful and the story despite being fairly long is very engaging. There are parts that are funny, thought provoking and moving, and like his other works, the book focuses on relationships, conversations and the characters coming of age journey to build up on rather than a single plot element. If I wasn't already a Towles fan, this firmly makes me one and I cannot wait for what he comes up with next. His way of storytelling, the beautiful language and his insight into people's characters and their motives always makes me feel refreshed and I always come away with a sense of having learned more about myself and the world around me.

19. The Plot Against America - Philip Roth

Historical Fiction set during the 2nd World War, takes us through a slightly different but plausible scenario where the US presidency near the beginning of the war is won by a Nazi sympathizer. The rest of the novel is about how this impacts the broader public perception and government policies, and also told from the perspective of one working class Jewish family in New Jersey. It takes us through the subtle anti semitism prevalent in society to much more overt actions that could be judged as being meant to divide up Jewish neighborhoods and take away their identity. The novel is told in first person from the view point of Philip, the youngest member of the Roth household and along with the changes happening in the country, also takes us through the personal challenges and growth of a young adult through this period in history. It was quite informative and interesting, and manages to keep the reader engaged throughout.

20. The Last Life Boat - Hazel Gaynor

Another historical fiction, also set during the 2nd World War. The Last Life Boat loosely based on a true life event tells the story of 2 women Alice and Lily and how they grapple with the challenges of survival and their responsibilities when England comes under attack. Alice, a silent, bookish, introvert wants to do her bit to escape her safe life and help her country volunteers to escort child evacuees heading across the Atlantic and Lily is a widow who is raising 2 children and wants to send them to safety. The ship carrying Alice and the child evacuees is hit by a German U-Boat and some of the passengers manage to escape through a life boat.  The rest of the novel is about how Alice maintains her fortitude while trying to keep the children under her care safe and in good spirits, while Lily tries to find answers as to how this was allowed to happen and see if there's any way she can help find her children. The narrative (3rd person) alternates between Alice and Lily and maintains a lively pace despite the despondent settings. The emotions are not over done but really manage to convey the tumult these families were going through during the way and really drives home the point that in a way, the damage extends far beyond the battlefield.

21. Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A quirky Japanese novel which explores concepts like relationships, regret and communication through the lens of time travel. The setting is a quaint little cafe in Tokyo where customers have the opportunity to travel to a point in time of their choosing as long as they follow a certain set of rules regarding how much time they can spend there, when they can travel, whom they can meet etc. The novel is split into various stories that explore various relationships like lovers, husband-wife, siblings and mother-daughter. The stories are all very touching and the narrative while simple, is very strong but at the same time calming. The book really feels perfect for a coffee house reading and resonated emotionally with me. 

22. Lone Women - Victor Lavalle

Modern horror fiction - from the author of the hugely popular book, "The Changeling". Lone Women follows a black homesteader - Adelaide Henry as she tries to get a new beginning following some events in her home town in California. We learn more of her past as the story progresses, but the initial parts of the novel are focused on Adelaide and her mysterious trunk that is the only luggage she is carrying as she makes her way to Montana to start a new life. Slowly we learn about the secrets Adelaide is trying to hide, the various people she encounters in her new home and how she finds strength in the company of other women to encounter the burdens of past and present. The novel explores themes of race, friendships, community in the back drop of the supernatural. The frigid, desolate setting of Montana adds to the feeling of horror, but the relatively short chapters and the constant changes of viewpoints and multitude of characters waters it down a little bit. 

23. Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

Classical African literature which offers us a glimpse into pre colonial Nigeria, the complexities and values of African society. The novel is a commentary on the values and traditions of that era,  told through the life of a powerful and ambitious local leader called Okonkwo. It starts with the portrayal of Okonkwo as a strong, hard working man who despises any show of weakness and we gradually see how he struggles with the burden of his own definiton of masculinity. It then goes into the beginning of colonialism masquerading as the spread of Christianity, its division of African families and its impact on society and Okonkwo himself. It's a highly powerful and thought provoking novel that is considered one of the seminal works of African literature and it's easy to see why. At around 200 odd pages, it's a relatively easy read and can be a good introduction to this genre which I myself hope to explore a lot more.

24. A Pale View of Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro

This is a haunting, pensive and subtle novel about memory and cultural identity. It reminded me at times of Patrick Modiano, in the sense that the narration often switches between the past and the present and you have to pay as much attention to what is not said to understand the novel completely or in such cases, atleast close to what the author intended. I say this, because like every beautiful piece of art, A Pale View of Hills, opens itself up to many interpretations and is written loosely enough to let the reader fill in the blanks as they choose to. The story is told from the perspective of Etsuko, and is a recollection of her past interspersed with the present, in a conversation with her younger daughter Niki. As we shuttle between the past and present, we start to see that Etsuko is a highly unreliable narrator and we are left to make sense of what is real and what is imaginary as we grapple with characters who may or may not exist, the looming shadow of the war and its impact on society and people's attempts to leave their past behind and move on. One is left with more questions than answers at the end, but I had the satisfaction of having read a masterful work of literature full of beautiful contradictions. I am very excited to read more of Kazuo Ishiguro.

25. Horse - Geraldine Brooks

A novel about horses, racing, their owners, keepers, art, art history and museums, spanning across 3 centuries, told against the backdrop of race relations and how some things are still the same despite a lot of progress. There are 3 sub plots within the novel, and they belong to three different eras. One is the story of Jarrett and titular hero Lexington as a young foal who develops into an unbeatable racehorse and then a stud who sires some of the finest racehorses in the country that takes place around the civil war era. Another is the story of Theo and Jess a modern day couple trying to piece together the history of Lexington from some artwork that has been passed down along the years. And the third minor story is that of Martha Jackson, a gallery owner fascinated by the painting of Lexington. Race relations are a prominent aspect of all three plots and the contemplative, melancholic tone of the book brings forward the inequities within society in a poignant fashion. It's a powerful novel that is also entertaining. I'm excited to read March by the same author which is also in the list for this year's book club readings.

26. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

Second of my Kazuo Ishiguro list, this is very similar in tone and maybe theme, and follows Stevens, a butler who takes immense pride in his profession. Most of the book is about his memories of times working for an English aristocrat and how he serves him with dignity, discretion and diligence. The novel contains sub themes of regret, romance, social change. It is a very deeply moving tale in many parts, as we look at how Stevens sacrifices many aspects of his personal life out of the romanticized view of his profession. But also we have to question if Stevens feels his life was fulfilled by serving his master and hence facilitating greater good in society so those sacrifices are not in vain. It's a beautiful novel, that in a very relaxed setting nevertheless manages to ask us some very deep questions about ourselves. 

27. Live in Five Senses - Gretchen Rubin

A non fiction, self improvement piece by a rich, privileged and what it seems like, a highly insulated individual. Rubin states that self-knowledge and mindful action are the keys to a purposeful, happy life. No arguments there. But the way she describes her journey to attaining mindfulness and her definition of it, seems banal, out of touch and entitled. Buying random things, going for multiple classes, events, fancy dinners. Her description of this journey is more likely to arouse resentment than introspection from her readers. There are some good points in there - like when she mentions that mindfulness can lead to a more discerning individual who cares for his fellow citizens. If she had touched up more on that instead of going on and on about her personal likes and dislikes, the book might have been more interesting and useful.

28. Klara And The Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel uses Artificial Intelligence and Gene Editing as a backdrop to explore themes of love, loneliness, hope, selflessness, environmentalism, social inequity and many other aspects that I may have missed. This simultaneously may be the novel's strength and weakness in that, as always there is so much that is left to the reader's imagination that it feels really fulfilling to read and re-read the novel to grasp its full depth and at the same time, there's this feeling that there is just a lot going on with many of those sub plots feeling a bit incomplete. The story is set sometime in the future where children undergo gene editing to provide them with desired characteristics and tutoring is done remotely that has caused a lot of loneliness in their lives. AFs (Artificial Friends) are society's solution to this loneliness and Klara - the narrator - is a particularly observant AF who gets picked by Josie - a sickly teenager who has suffered some side effects to her gene editing process. The rest of the story is about how Klara fits into Josie's life and her attempts at being a good caretaker while constantly trying to better understand the world around her. The story being narrated from the perspective of the AF is really interesting and while the tone much like his other works are a bit melancholy, the writing and the emotions are as beautiful and powerful as ever and the book never got dull or slow. Overall, very glad that I picked this up and I can't wait to read the rest of Ishiguro's works.

29. Rommel: Leadership Lessons from the Desert Fox - Charles Messenger

History is a fascinating topic and the two world wars are full of interesting anecdotes that one can learn a lot from. Rommel - Germany's much beloved and also one of the most debated war heroes is an especially interesting character who had a very important role to play in both the world wars. This book gives us an in-depth look into his career first as a lieutenant, captain and finally as commander of German forces in Europe and North Africa. Most of the book is about the movement of forces under him, the logistics of the situation and the consequences of decisions taken by him and those above. I personally found that having a map beside me, made it easier to follow most of the action. The actual leadership lessons or strategic lessons as a war general aren't significant and the book summarizes them in pretty much 2 pages at the end of the book. Someone who already knows about Rommel from casual web browsing, may not find anything new about him that isn't covered elsewhere or gain any special insight into what made him different from others in the war or what drove his war strategy. The specifics of the battle aren't as interesting as the rationale behind certain tactical maneuvers which weren't really covered.

30. The Commanders: The Leadership journeys of Patton, Montgomery and Rommel - Lloyd Clark

Second of the leadership books that uses world war 2 as a setting, and I'm glad I read this after the Rommel book by Charles Messenger. This book covers three of most talked about generals from world war 2, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel, and it goes in great detail about their journey to the army, their experiences in the first world war and how it shaped their futures, their activities between the 2 wars, their heroics during the second world war and finally for Montgomery and Patton, their experience after the war. While this also has a lot of war anecdotes, it also gives a lot of insight into the three leaders state of mind, their personality, their flaws and their strengths. You can definitely see the parallels into what made them successful and also how they managed to mask their weaknesses in their own way. A really insightful book that contains a lot of wisdom that can be relevant to anyone who wants to be a leader or just wants to stand out and make their mark. I especially liked how the book was structured with each chapter touching on the lives of all three men, that allows us to compare and contrast each of them at various stages of their lives and also gives coherence to the flow of the book. Must read for fans of world war 2 history.

31. I Will Find You - Harlan Coben

My second Harlan Coben book and just like the first one, this was predictable, badly thought out and poorly written. This was perhaps even worse in that the plot makes 0 sense, the characters are annoying and the attempt at humor was cringe worthy. The protagonist is written in typical Coben style - doesn't put a foot wrong, charming, athletic - virtually flawless, is in prison of course on false charges of murdering his own son and 2 pages in, you can figure out how this is going to play out. I still braved through it for my book club and to be fair, it was a very easy read. The language is high school level at best and you can speed read through most parts without missing anything of significance. 

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Personal Note: Today is December 17th and to hit my goal of 52 books a year, I have to read 21 books in the next 13 days which of course is impossible, but to keep myself motivated and give myself a chance to hit the goal, I'm going to take a short cut and read a 15 volume manga series called "Knights of Sidonia" - which should take me maybe a day or two. That should still leave me with a tall order for hitting the goal, but a much more manageable one. Oh well, this wasn't a great year, so I'm going to be a bit kind to myself because no one/nothing else has been.

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Update from December 28th:

So I finished Knights of Sidonia yesterday - it took me 10 days. I wasn't as disciplined with my reading and my night riding combined with television meant that I didn't make the progress I would've liked. Also, as expected, because of the nature of the picture books and the fact that it's a 15 book volume, I can't really give a proper review for each volume, so instead here's a summary of the volumes, with my overall impression in the beginning.

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32. Core Exposed - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 1) - Tsutomu Nihei

So the reason why I picked a Manga series for my reading target this year may be clear by now, pretty much a short cut (or a cheat). Why did I pick this particular Manga - the only reason being this was the only series in the library that had all the volumes present. I have watched some anime in the past, but have never read Manga, so in that way, this series exposed me to a new genre of literature. I haven't read graphic novels in a long time, so it took some time to get used to the nuances, in terms of focusing on the images as much as the dialogues to get the context. The series itself was alright. It's a science fiction series set far in the future, when mankind is forced to flee Earth after it has been destroyed by a race of aliens called "Gauna". Sidonia is a spaceship onboard which some humans have managed to escape and they have developed their own society and an army to defend themselves from Gaunas. Their primary weapon is something called Garde which are piloted by specially trained members of society. The story follows the adventures of one such pilot - Nagate Tanikaze.

In Core Exposed - Nihei introduces the world and its primary characters to us. We know immediately that we are in for an action packed, space adventure feature large mechanized weapons, a lot of explosions and of course all the other traits particular to Japanese anime. The introduction is pretty strong, and I can say that I was intrigued immediately to learn more about the primary character, and Sidonia itself.

33. Gravity Alert - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 2) - Tsutomu Nihei

In volume 2, we start to see how Nagate proves himself as a pilot against new threats, how he starts to form relations within Sidonia and shows himself as a bit of a maverick. We continue to see how the character of Nagate is evolving as a pilot and we are introduced to more attributes of the Gauna as well as Sidonia's defense against them. We start to see hints at a romantic angle and this volume in general does well to keep the reader engaged and immerse them deeper into the world of Sidonia.

34. Ouch Ouch - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 3) - Tsutomu Nihei

We start to see the battles intensify as Gauna strategies evolve confusing the pilots of Sidonia. A love triangle is introduced involving Nagate to keep the off battle parts interesting. The art work really starts to shine and the mysteries surrounding the world deepen. Nagate's character is further established as a start pilot who is on the ascendancy. The volume also brings to the fore, the captain of Sidonia who provides a steady hand amidst all the chaos surrounding the ship.

35. C-C-C-C-C-- -  Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 4) - Tsutomu Nihei

This volume is a lot lighter on the bio - mecha warfare and instead introduces us to political turmoil within the world and also continues to build the relation around Nagate and Shinatose. It also introduces us to the powerful Kunato family who have their own agenda in the middle of humanity's fight for survival. I personally welcomed the chance to read a lot of dialogue as I was starting to tune out the warfare images in the previous volumes.

36. 5.01% - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 5) - Tsutomu Nihei

After a brief reprieve, the pilots of Sidonia are back in action, and the battles get more tense. Factions continue to clash within Sidonia and we also learn more about the past of Nagate, giving us more insight into his unique abilities. We also see how Midorikawa shines in her role as Assistant Commander of the ship. The chapter while more action oriented still manages to convey enough dialogue to keep me intrigued and I get to see some more emotional depth to the various lead characters.

37. Egg Cell - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 6) - Tsutomu Nihei

We see how the odds are stacked against the crew of Sidonia despite their valiant efforts. We see more of Kunato industries and their questionable actions to ensure survival and of course Nagate in the thick of action, both on and off the battlefield. The art work is stunning, the action is intriguing and I'm firmly entrenched in the world of Sidonia.

38. Did That Hurt - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 7) - Tsutomu Nihei

Volume 7 introduces us to a new character - Tsumugi, a Gauna Human hybrid developed in Sidnoia, who may well turn out to be the game changer in their battle for survival. We learn about her character and also see the beginning of Nagate's friendship with Tsumugi. The introduction of Tsumugi livened up the narrative and brings about some interesting dynamics both on and off the battlefield. Sets up a very interesting 2nd half for the series.

39. She Moved - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 8) - Tsutomu Nihei

We get another reprieve from bio mecha action as the narrative shifts to the relationship dynamics between Nagate, Shinatose and Tsumugi. We see the main characters outside the battlefield and how a new living arrangement is being setup which will form the root of the non battlefield action going forward. 

40. A Spare - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 9) - Tsutomu Nihei

And we head back into some heavy action with Tsumugi taking over a powerful nemesis called the Hawk Moth and after that we continue to see the romantic angle involving Nagate and a whole host of characters of different types, female, hybrid and  of course the middle gendered Shinatose.

41. Their Nest - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 10) - Tsutomu Nihei

The volume introduces a possible new destination for humanity and we can sense that the remainder of the volumes will be about humanity's attempt to settle there while defeating the gauna. The romantic angles continue with their attempt to provide comedic breaks in the action.

42. A Series 15 - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 11) - Tsutomu Nihei

We see another new character Teruru, an android who joins Nagate's household. We see some tension between them due to their viewpoints and from the point of a storyline, we can see that humanity is exploring Lem as a possible destination for their future and getting ready for the final showdowns with Gaunas.

43. A P-Pilot - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 12) - Tsutomu Nihei

A warship is launched towards their new destination and the crew of beautiful women have to deal with a peeping tom, which causes some initial confusion, followed by of course the vindication of Nagate who was mistaken to be the intruder. The battlefield action slows down a bit in this volume, but we start to see more of the interpersonal stuff here. We also see a popularity contest which seems extremely out of place given the nature of the novel and the setting.

44. 15 Meters - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 13) - Tsutomu Nihei

We get back on track as the series nears its conclusion. The action is back in a big way and the relationship between Nagate and Tsurugi seems to be going to the next level.

45. Rain... - Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 14) - Tsutomu Nihei

Ochiai - a mad scientist comes back into the picture to complicate Sidonia's fight for survival, the romantic stakes get more complicated even at this stage.

46. N-No!! No!! No!! -  Knights of Sidonia  (Volume 15) - Tsutomu Nihei

The final instalment in the series, wraps it all up with a good combination of action, suspense, romance and feel good farewells. Overall, I would say, it has all the cliches of a Japanese anime, and as far as sci-fi goes, I thought it was acceptable. The main takeaways for me were the imagination of the author, the creativity in coming up with new worlds, new weapons, the science behind them and reimagining of future societies. The series itself is of course quite predictable in every way from the battles to the interpersonal relationships, however the novel still manages to put it all together in a charming, if confusing manner. 

All in all, I'm happy I gave this a go. Manga is certainly a genre that I want to explore, just for the sheer artistry and absurdity of it all.

47. High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

Maybe the final serious work of literature that I read this year. High Fidelity is a novel told from the perspective of Rob Fleming - a 35 year old, record store owner in London, but it could be about any middle aged man anywhere in the world. The book takes us through Rob's mid life crisis, which results from a series of meaningless relationships, a failing career and general feeling of loneliness. As a reader you get a very witty, unabashedly honest and highly relatable (in some cases) look into the psyche of the average modern day man and as expected most of his thoughts are about women. While Rob comes across as highly unlikeable at times, I think those instances are also an invitation for the reader to do some introspection. The book in the usual Hornby fashion also contains a lot of references, influences from his own life, and this time, they stem from his taste in music. Most of the musical references were completely lost on me, however that didn't impede my enjoyment of the book. Not sure if I would recommend this book to everyone, because you need a certain maturity and be of a certain age to appreciate the humor and the lessons from it.

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Personal Note:

December 29th. Sort of 2 days to go before the 2024 comes around and I'm in a very similar places as towards the end of last year, having to make up a lot of ground to hit my reading goals. So I headed to the library, paid my considerable late fees and picked up 5 books with the chief criteria being they should be easy to finish. I think I got some good books in the mix there, hopefully, but I realize completely that this is a childish attempt at hitting my goals, and may be meaningless for most people. From my point of view, I would like to maintain this flow, cadence of hitting some minor goals in my life, so that I continue to stay motivated.

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Personal Note:

30 minutes to the New Year! And once again, hitting my goal (by hook or crook) just in the nick of time. Thanks to some frenetic reading for the last 6 hours or so. I had to go out in the morning, which pushed things to the last minute once again. Anyway, here are the reviews.

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48. In Odd We Trust - Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas was a name I had seen in TV before and I had paid no attention to it, and if the graphic novel I read is anything to go by, then just as well that I didn't! The story was extremely below average. Not a trace of suspense, intrigue or thrill and bland, run of the mill dialogues. Even the art work wasn't anything to appreciate. I used to think Dean Koontz was a decent name in thrillers, but I guess he's the same or maybe even worse than Harlan Coben. Anyway, the story is about Odd Thomas - a young man whose is a cross of Joel Osmont from 6th Sense and that hero from Psych (the TV series). A young boy is murdered in his tiny town, and Odd helps bring the perpetrator to justice. I could explain the whole story in 2 lines, actually - let me save you the trouble ---- the perpetrator literally gives himself up by idling around the scene of crime and then not making any attempt to escape. Yep. I don't know how Odd's abilities come into the picture at all. 

49. The Night Train - Martin Amis

I have read a little of Martin Amis before and was surprised by this book as it's markedly different in tone to his previous works. The book is written in the style of a crime thriller but offers more of an deeper look into people, their nature, what it means to be fulfilled etc. The story opens with the protagonist Mike Hoolihan (actually a female), police investigator called in about an apparent suicide of someone known to her - Jennifer Rockwell. Jennifer's father who happens to be Mike's past boss, is suspicious of Jennifer's death and implores her to investigate the case. In investigation Mike finds out more about Jennifer's last days and the story is largely about the clues she pursues and her conclusions about the case. There is an underlying theme of happiness, meaning and satisfaction, interspersed with run of the mill investigative scenes. The book's ending will leave a lot to be desired but that may be by design. Overall, not a bad book, but definitely not one of his better works.

50. Permafrost - Eva Baltasar

A novel translated from Catalan - and the 2nd book that deals with the topic of Suicide, and this time in much more detail. I had no idea while picking up these books and not sure if 2023 is trying to tell me something. Anyway, the book follows an unnamed narrator's adoloscence to her middle age. It talks mostly about her frustrations with her family's embrace, her failure to find meaning in her education or her work and her relationships. The book is quite tastefully written, and while not for everyone, definitely shows the author's ability to cover hard topics with grace. 

51. You Were Never Really Here - Jonathan Ames

The most random book in the list, and not sure if the book is even complete or is there a second part to it. The story reads like a rejected script for the Taken movies. The protagonist is your typical ex marine, FBI agent who takes on bad guys single handedly and bull dozes his way through criminal enterprises while delivering vigilante justice. The story is about Joe who breaks up a sex trafficking ring and rescues a victim, only to lose her again. The story is highly predictable and ends setting up a second part which I will not read.

52. Youth - J.M. Coetzee

A semi autobiographical work by J M Coetzee, talks about his adolescence where he struggles to find his identity as an artist. John goes from place to place, and flounders from relationship to relationship to find some spark to ignite his creativity as he believes himself to be an artist who is being wrongly shoe horned into a traditional 9 - 5 job. The book mostly talks about his early life in South Africa, followed by his move to London, his work at IBM and subsequent attempts to find footing as an artist. It also contains numerous references to his artistic influences which mostly went right over me. Parts of the book were highly relatable, especially when he is living by himself while working as a programmer and finding social life to be extremely dull. But of course the similarity ends there, as he finds himself in the company of women quite often for someone who is complaining about not having any friendships. Or maybe, I'm just being shallow - because after all he says - being friendly is not the same as friendships!

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There we go - 52 books (1 book per week) quota hit for 2023. I'm hoping to make a more honest and consistent effort next year!