I was of two minds. I do need to do at least one "best of 2018" list like the rest of the populace, that is a given, and I will do a non-fiction books list (and a movie list if I get time in the next 2-3 hours before 2018 ends in my time zone.) But should I do a list of the best books of 2018 or the best books I read in 2018 which could have been published in the years prior?
My book buying habits are almost non-existent. Unless I really like the author and want to contribute to their welfare, I do not buy books, which means I am dependent on libraries (digital and analog) and the choices they offer - that made the decision for me. I will go with the best books I read in 2018, even if some of them could have been published 100 years ago. No, that's a stretch, I can't digest ancient scrolls. Anything more than a couple of decades old usually bores me to death. I am a child of times, an instant gratification seeking speed-reader blessed with an attention span that has not yet graduated kindergarten.
Here's my list of memorable reads from 2018, in no particular order. Some of them were published during the 2012-2018 period, I just happened to read them in 2018, so they find a place in this list.
How to change your mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence (2018) by Michael Pollan
Anything big government bans is worth some research. Michael Pollan researches on your behalf so that you don't have to order magic mushrooms on the dark web. This is also the first Pollan book I finished. Omnivore's Dilemma, here I come (again.) A great companion TV series for Pollan's book is Hamilton's Pharmacopeia - an excellent series for the curious lifelong learners.
Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections (2013) by Patrick Smith
If you travel by air or intend to, this is a first-rate insider's perspective from a blog turned book written by a commercial pilot. Something along the lines of - a thousand things a commercial airline employee would not tell you, but you should know.
Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation (2017) Edited by John Freeman
Oh the divided nation....how much longer are you going to survive? Stories from the front lines of a discordant nation as told by the bards of the hour, edited and put together by John Freeman.
Life in Code: a personal history of Technology (2017) by Ellen Ullman
As an incidental coder, my inquisitiveness about women who code led me to this book. Ellen Ullman didn't disappoint.
A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy (2016) by Sue Klebold
A force majeure. I wish Sue Klebold didn't have to suffer the tragedy she did, nor the people who died and/or suffered by the actions of her son had to undergo the devastation of their lives at Columbine, for the readers to be able to get this book. But as a mother, as a lover of words Ms.Klebold's work is quite tectonic.
The True American : Murder and Mercy in Texas (2014) by Anand Giridhardas
An interesting true story of an Asian American immigrant who became a victim of hate crime in Texas, pitting him and his transformation against a white supremacist who caused the tragedy.
Kannur : Inside India's Bloodiest Revenge Politics (2018) by Ullekh N.P
How many people get to read a book titled with the name of their birth place? It would have been disrespectful not to read it. I was lucky I got a copy the month after it came out. You think you know everything about the place you are from, I was wrong. My review here.
2018 was my initiation year into the true-crime genre.The next three are brilliant works of investigative journalism bolstered by first-rate research by the authors, these are the ones that got me hooked.
I'll be gone in the dark: One Woman's obsessive search for the Golden State Killer (2018) by Michelle McNamara
I feel so bad/sad that Ms.McNamara died before she could taste the fruits of her labor.It is a brilliantly researched, well put-together work about a serial killer who terrorized California in the seventies and eighties, who was finally caught in 2010s, thanks to DNA evidence. McNamara made her life's mission trying to track down this low life, but she died in 2016 before the killer was finally caught. The last section of the book was put together by a couple of friends of hers after she died. My review here.
Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial (2016) by Rabia Chaudry
The stigma of being a Muslim in post 9/11 America is what stands out in Adnan's story. Although the crime and the punishment occurred before before Sep 2001, the discrimination and the lapses of Baltimore PD are hard to ignore. I hope Adnan gets justice real soon. My review here.
Lost Girls : An Unsolved American Mystery (2013) by Robert Kolker
A killer yet uncaught, disposing off 'escorts' in a world where prostitution has moved into the virtual realms like Craigslist. It is structured in sections where each victim and their life is highlighted, might get too detailed and confusing to follow, still an engrossing read if you are willing to spend some time to lose your self in their hopeless stories.
My book buying habits are almost non-existent. Unless I really like the author and want to contribute to their welfare, I do not buy books, which means I am dependent on libraries (digital and analog) and the choices they offer - that made the decision for me. I will go with the best books I read in 2018, even if some of them could have been published 100 years ago. No, that's a stretch, I can't digest ancient scrolls. Anything more than a couple of decades old usually bores me to death. I am a child of times, an instant gratification seeking speed-reader blessed with an attention span that has not yet graduated kindergarten.
Here's my list of memorable reads from 2018, in no particular order. Some of them were published during the 2012-2018 period, I just happened to read them in 2018, so they find a place in this list.
How to change your mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence (2018) by Michael Pollan
Anything big government bans is worth some research. Michael Pollan researches on your behalf so that you don't have to order magic mushrooms on the dark web. This is also the first Pollan book I finished. Omnivore's Dilemma, here I come (again.) A great companion TV series for Pollan's book is Hamilton's Pharmacopeia - an excellent series for the curious lifelong learners.
Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections (2013) by Patrick Smith
If you travel by air or intend to, this is a first-rate insider's perspective from a blog turned book written by a commercial pilot. Something along the lines of - a thousand things a commercial airline employee would not tell you, but you should know.
Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation (2017) Edited by John Freeman
Oh the divided nation....how much longer are you going to survive? Stories from the front lines of a discordant nation as told by the bards of the hour, edited and put together by John Freeman.
Life in Code: a personal history of Technology (2017) by Ellen Ullman
As an incidental coder, my inquisitiveness about women who code led me to this book. Ellen Ullman didn't disappoint.
A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy (2016) by Sue Klebold
A force majeure. I wish Sue Klebold didn't have to suffer the tragedy she did, nor the people who died and/or suffered by the actions of her son had to undergo the devastation of their lives at Columbine, for the readers to be able to get this book. But as a mother, as a lover of words Ms.Klebold's work is quite tectonic.
The True American : Murder and Mercy in Texas (2014) by Anand Giridhardas
An interesting true story of an Asian American immigrant who became a victim of hate crime in Texas, pitting him and his transformation against a white supremacist who caused the tragedy.
Kannur : Inside India's Bloodiest Revenge Politics (2018) by Ullekh N.P
How many people get to read a book titled with the name of their birth place? It would have been disrespectful not to read it. I was lucky I got a copy the month after it came out. You think you know everything about the place you are from, I was wrong. My review here.
2018 was my initiation year into the true-crime genre.The next three are brilliant works of investigative journalism bolstered by first-rate research by the authors, these are the ones that got me hooked.
I'll be gone in the dark: One Woman's obsessive search for the Golden State Killer (2018) by Michelle McNamara
I feel so bad/sad that Ms.McNamara died before she could taste the fruits of her labor.It is a brilliantly researched, well put-together work about a serial killer who terrorized California in the seventies and eighties, who was finally caught in 2010s, thanks to DNA evidence. McNamara made her life's mission trying to track down this low life, but she died in 2016 before the killer was finally caught. The last section of the book was put together by a couple of friends of hers after she died. My review here.
Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial (2016) by Rabia Chaudry
The stigma of being a Muslim in post 9/11 America is what stands out in Adnan's story. Although the crime and the punishment occurred before before Sep 2001, the discrimination and the lapses of Baltimore PD are hard to ignore. I hope Adnan gets justice real soon. My review here.
Lost Girls : An Unsolved American Mystery (2013) by Robert Kolker
A killer yet uncaught, disposing off 'escorts' in a world where prostitution has moved into the virtual realms like Craigslist. It is structured in sections where each victim and their life is highlighted, might get too detailed and confusing to follow, still an engrossing read if you are willing to spend some time to lose your self in their hopeless stories.
Posts
