A running tally of the books that I have reviewed this year, updated and reranked after each book that I finish.

★★★★★ Sparked by a viral obituary, this unlikeliest of memoirs introduces us to the crazy Corren family and their larger-than-life mother.

★★★★☆ An exposé on a fraternity-led Xanax trafficking ring, focused on Greek life and the pervasiveness of benzodiazepine use at colleges.

★★★★★ A nostalgia-inducing romp through the most impactful songs of the '90s, focusing on their meaning to the decade and to music overall.

★★★★☆ Gladwell revisits how social epidemics take off with a new set of stories to illustrate variations of concepts from The Tipping Point.

★★★★☆ An entertaining look at a few lesser-known influential people throughout U.S. history, presented in a conversational and engaging way.

★★★★☆ A memoir that exposes the role of PR firms in our news cycle and the ways they manipulate information to support their wealthy clients

★★★★☆ The account of the California School for the Deaf, Riverside, and their football team's pursuit of a championship across two seasons.

Inspired by an underwhelming list from Goodreads, this counts down a far superior list of the Top 50 books of the last 5 years (2020-2024).

★★★★☆ A thoroughly-researched and compelling account of the University of Washington rowing team's quest to win gold at the 1936 Olympics.

★★★★☆ An in-depth look at six of the wrestlers (and the rise of wrestling in the 80s) based around the Iron Sheik becoming champion in 1983.

★★★★☆ Focused not just on the recent rise of F1 but its entire 75-year history, this is an entertaining look at the evolution of the sport.

A running tally of my "Best Books of 2023", updated each time I finish a book throughout the year.

★★★★★ Both entertaining and helpful, Duckworth systematically lays out a plethora of evidence for why passion + perseverance = success.

★★★★★ When a young woman goes missing, kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, her mother makes it her life's mission to bring them to justice.

★★★★★ A thoroughly researched examination of the exploits of Stéphane Breitwieser, the most prolific art thief the world has ever known.

★★★★★ An honest autobiographical account of a showbiz life, infused with humor, self-deprecation and a joie de vivre oozing from every page.

★★★★☆ The author of Killers of the Flower Moon returns with an account of a shipwreck in the 1740s and the tale of survival that follows.

★★★★☆ A difficult (but important) read about one of the first Jews to escape from Auschwitz and alert the world to the atrocities there.

Happy New Year! It’s time once again for what has become an annual tradition, my Books of the Year list. 2022 was a busy year of reading,...