Tag / Dan Harris

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Prolific Authors – Two Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We begin today with the 40 authors I’ve read two times, one fewer than two years ago.

Laura Caldwell

I have no idea how I came across the work of this local author, but I must have enjoyed it enough to go back for seconds.  Unfortunately, she passed away in 2020, leaving behind a back catalog of fourteen novels and two non-fiction books.

Michael Chabon

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the most recent of the two works of his I’ve read.  I have another, Wonder Boys, waiting in the to read pile, so he rise up some day.

Matthew V. Clemens

The co-author, with Max Allan Collins, of the final two chapters of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Ready Player Two – Ernest Cline

Ernest Cline

The man responsible for both Ready Player One and Ready Player Two.

Bill Clinton

The former president has co-written two novels with James Patterson.

Michael Connelly

The creator of Harry Bosch makes his first appearance thanks to his Renée Ballard spin-off series.

Laura Dave

I read my second novel from her, The Night We Lost Him, earlier this year.

Felicia Day

The first author here that I’ve happened to meet in person.

Cameron Dokey

She makes the list based on two entries in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

Warren Ellis

The comic writer, currently in exile after being called out for abusing women, makes the list thanks to two prose novels.

David Fisher Continue reading →

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Prolific Authors – 2 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we start things off with the now 41 authors I’ve read twice, an increase of six over two years ago.

Max Barry

An Australian author, I’ve enjoyed the two novels of his I’ve read, Jennifer Government and Company.

Laura Caldwell

I have no idea how I came across the work of this local author, but I must have enjoyed it enough to go back for seconds.  Unfortunately, she passed away in 2020.

Michael Chabon

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the most recent of the two works of his I’ve read.  I have another, Wonder Boys, waiting in the to read pile, so he rise up some day.

Fate Of The Union – Max Allan Collins with Matthew V. Clemens

Matthew V. Clemens

The co-author, with Max Allan Collins, of the final two chapters of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Ernest Cline

The man responsible for both Ready Player One and Ready Player Two.

Bill Clinton

The former president has co-written two novels with James Patterson.

Felicia Day

The first author here that I’ve happened to meet in person.

Cameron Dokey

She makes the list based on two entries in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

Diane Duane

Living in Ireland, she is responsible for a Star Trek: The Next Generation book and a Spider-Man novel, of all things.

Warren Ellis

The comic writer, currently in exile after being called out for abusing women, makes the list thanks to two prose novels.

David Fisher Continue reading →

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Book 15 (of 52) – A Little Closer To Home

A Little Closer To Home: How I Found The Calm After The Storm – Ginger Zee

Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist for ABC, checks back in with the follow-up to her 2017 memoir.   This time around, she digs deeper into some of the other issues swirling around and mixed up in her depression: two suicide attempts, divorce, anorexia, rape, and an abortion, among other things.  She also gives insight into how, after years of avoiding her emotions and her mental health, she has used therapy to dig into her issues and, years later, finding the interconnectedness of the things that have happened in her life and how she has reacted.

A Little Closer To Home gives Zee another outlet to tell her tale of recovery and how, even today, she continues to dive into her past and look for ways to improve.  Thanks to the fine folks at Anderson’s Bookshop, I was able to participate in a Zoom call with her where she dove deeper into some of these topics and the need to normalize taking care of and seeking help for our mental health.

Ironically, four years ago, I read Ginger Zee’s first memoir back-to-back with her ABC News co-worker Dan Harris’ first book on meditation.  This year, I switched it up by fitting two books in between their respective second efforts, though Harris has recently left ABC.

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Book 12 (of 52) – Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book – Dan Harris, Jeff Warren, and Carlye Adler

Catching up on the books I read while in Hawaii on vacation.

Following up on his previous book on meditation, Dan Harris returns, along with Jeff Warren and Carlye Adler, with Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics.  In 2017, Harris and crew rented a tour bus and hit the road, embarking on a cross-country trip to tackle some of the myths and misconceptions that stop people from meditating.  This book tells the story of that trip, along with practical meditation instructions to tie into the reasons people give for not meditating.

Meditation was something I had been interested in dating back to 2017.  I had done it off and on, more off than on to be honest, until last year, where I tried to stick with it every day.  That has carried into this year, at least so far.  Has it improved my life?  I think so, at least a little bit.  Has it transformed my life?  I’m not quite ready to go that far just yet.

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2018: The Year In Books

Another year has come to an end and it is time to take a look back at the 22 books I read over the past year, 6 less than last year.  Of those 22, 7 were non-fiction and, of the 15 novels, only 1 was a TV show tie-in.  Only one of the books came out of my dwindling “to-read” drawer, and 12 were e-books.  I read over 7,000 pages, my lowest total since at least 2013.

Once again, a majority of the books I read this year were by authors I’ve never read before. The 15 authors that I read for the first this year were:
Mamrie Hart
Dan Harris
Ginger Zee
Krysten Ritter
Karin Slaughter
Michelle West
Paul Ruditis
Michelle McNamara
David Ross
Don Yaeger
Araminta Hall
Amber Tamblyn
Laura Lippman
Lauren Graham
Drew Magary

There was not a single author that I read multiple titles from during 2018.

6 of the books I read were released this year, while 1 of them was released last century, exactly 60 years ago

Finally, the breakdown by month.  My vacation in September certainly helped pad its totals a tad bit.

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Book 2 (of 52) – 10% Happier

10% Happier: How I Tamed The Voice In My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, And Found Self-Help That Actually Works – Dan Harris

Last fall, Dan Harris gave a talk at work that I tried to attend, but missed out on due to space issues.  Val managed to get in seemed intrigued by what he had to say, so, when his first book found itself on sale the week of her birthday, I bought us both a copy.  Harris, one of the stars of the news division at ABC, had documented his path to meditation and how he learned to integrate the precepts into his life.

My first taste of meditation came last year, courtesy of Val.  She recommended an app to help with my sleeping problems.  I used it on occasion, but certainly didn’t become a devote.  Having now read Harris’ book, I’m intrigued enough to give it another shot.

The book brought me in from the get go, where Harris says he originally wanted to call it “My Inner Voice is an Asshole.”  Val had said something very similar to me a few years ago when I told her about the insecurities that kept creeping up inside me regarding our relationship.  Harris tells of his long journey, from skeptic to interested student to proselytizer.  If 10% happier is achievable, it is a journey worth taking.