I kept a book log in 2019 and will strive to do the same in 2020.
- The Guardians – a John Grisham novel about freeing innocent men and women from prison for crimes they did not commit.
- Pre-print of a physician written auto-biography – patient cases, poems and self-reflection.
- Confessions of a Curious Bookseller: A Novel – the story of a bookstore owner seeking meaning told through emails, Tweets, blogs posts and an occasional journal entry.
- Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First-Century Parenthood by Drew Magary – I have read two parenting books. This one and a book by Alan Thicke. This one is better.
- Every Last Secret – high-end, abusive relationships and personal scandal.
- Station 11: a Novel – a pandemic flu story, mostly told 20 years after the apocalyptic death of 99% of humanity.
- The Testaments: A novel – the sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale. Written 35 years after the first book.
- Killing Season: A Paramedic’s Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Opioid Epidemic – I had the honor of reading the uncorrected page proofs of Peter Canning’s new book. It is excellent. Pre-order now or set a calendar reminder to purchase on April 6, 2021.
- In a Dark, Dark Wood – murder mystery at a Hen (bachelorette) party.
- The Cipher (Nina Guerrera Book 1) – retired FBI agent turned author writes about an FBI agent tracking down a serial killer. With an EMS twist.
- Trust No One (Devlin and Falco book 1) – buddy cop, double homicide mystery.
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) – an 18-year-old manifests the character traits and flaws that will make him President Snow.
- Super-Charge Your Stress Management in the Age of COVID-19 – a practical guide to stress management from Mike Taigman, EMS expert, resilience and quality guide and former paramedic.
- Into the Fire – Book 5 in the Orphan X series.
- Interference – this is a novel that asks if Schrodinger’s cat is alive or dead.
- The End of October: A Novel – an eerily predictive novel about a global pandemic that was written just before COVID-19.
- The Handmaid’s Tale – dystopia future America (this book was published in 1986, but Hulu series, which I haven’t watched, launched this book into our modern consciousness)
- Whiteout: A Thriller – indeed a crime thriller set in rural North Dakota.
- The Cartel – a powerful, violent and disturbing follow-up to The Power of the Dog.
- Nobody’s Heroe’s – fictional cop stories from real-life cop Lt. Dan Marcou. Lt. Dan is a regular and long-time Police1 contributor and gave me a signed copy of this book. Thanks Lt. Dan.
- The Power of the Dog – Don Winslow’s first book about the futile war on drugs.
- The Institute – a Stephen King thriller about good kids and bad adults
- The Last Star – final book in the 5th Wave trilogy
- The End of Killing – non-fiction futurism, predicting and speculating that technology can significantly reduce deaths from war and crime violence. By Rick Smith, CEO of Axon (maker of the TASER)
- Infinite Sea – 2nd book in the 5th Wave trilogy
- The 5th Wave – continuing my tour of post-apocalyptic young adult fiction. The first book in a three-book series.
- After the Flood – post-climate change, apocalyptic fiction.
- Your Perfect Year: a Novel – perhaps COVID-19 makes escapist fiction a little easier to read.
- In an Instant – fast-moving recovery for a family nearly destroyed by a tragic and deadly motor vehicle collision.
- The Chain – crime inspired by the awful chain letters of the 1980s.
- The Impossible First – Colin O’brady crossed Antarctica alone in a grueling test of mental and physical endurance.
- Thief River Falls – a suspenseful, psychological “who done it” in far northern Minnesota.
- The Nickel Boys: A Novel – year to date this is my favorite book. It’s an outstanding look at a segregated juvenile detention center just before the Civil Rights Act.
- Out of the Dark – the fourth book in the Orphan X series. More rip-roaring action in the style of Jack Reacher, Jack Bauer, Jason Bourne and James Bond.
- Hellbent – the third book in the page-turning Orphan X series. Fun, quick reads of totally implausible secret agent tech, tactics and combat.
- It’s the Manager – a collection of Gallup organization essays into the importance of the manager for business success.