Tag / Tom Perrotta

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Prolific Authors – Five 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 continue today with the ten authors I’ve read two times, an increase of three from two years ago.

Serpent’s Storm – Amber Benson

Amber Benson

The former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star checks in with the five entries in her Calliope Reaper-Jones fantasy series.

Dan Brown

Brown, who became a publishing superstar with the release of The DaVinci Code in 2003, has a new Robert Langdon book due out later this year.

Diane Carey

First read in 1991, she was a stalwart of the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel line, which accounted for four of her five entries.

The Night Shift – Alex Finlay

Alex Finlay

Five books in four years, including Parents Weekend from earlier this year, have pushed Finlay up this list.

Jeff Mariotte

The former WildStorm VP and DC editor stands pat with his entries from the Buffy and Angel series of novels.

Kimberly McCreight

A New York Times bestselling author thanks to her debut novel, Reconstructing Amelia, she has been a steady presence since 2013.

Yvonne Navarro

All five of the Chicago native’s works that I’ve read revisit the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe.

We Solve Murders – Richard Osman

Richard Osman

An English television presenter, Osman turned his efforts to fiction in 2020 with The Thursday Murder Club, which I came across in 2022.

Tom Perrotta

A nice two-book jump for the American novelist and screenwriter, whose works have a tendency to wind up on screen.

William Shatner

The actor best known for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek checks in with his efforts, whatever they may have been, both with his TekWar series and on two Star Trek novels.

 

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Prolific Authors – 5 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. Since I’ve far surpassed my “normal” reading output the last three years, I thought it would be nice to once again take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through the start of 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.  We continue today with the seven authors I’ve read four times, down one since 2021.

Amber Benson

The former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star checks in with the five entries in her Calliope Reaper-Jones fantasy series.

Angels & Demons – Dan Brown

Dan Brown

Brown, who became a publishing superstar with the release of The DaVinci Code in 2003, moves up the list thanks to 2009’s The Lost Symbol.

Diane Carey

First read in 1991, she was a stalwart of the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel line, which accounted for four of her five entries.

Jeff Mariotte

The former WildStorm VP and DC editor stands pat with his entries from the Buffy and Angel series of novels.

The Willow Files Vol. 2 – Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne Navarro

All five of the Chicago native’s works that I’ve read revisit the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe.

Tom Perrotta

A nice two-book jump for the American novelist and screenwriter, whose works have a tendency to wind up on screen.

William Shatner

The actor best known for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek checks in with his efforts, whatever they may have been, both with his TekWar series and on two Star Trek novels.

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Book 14 (of 52) – Election

Election – Tom Perrotta

Jim McAllister, history teacher and faculty, advisor to the Student Government Association, has a problem.  He blames Tracy Flick, the only declared candidate, for ruining his friend’s career, a former teacher who had an inappropriate relationship with Flick the year before.  To settle the score, he convinces Paul Warren, a football star, to run against her as a way to boost his college resume.  Paul’s sister Tammy decides to run as well, jealous that Paul is now dating her former friend, and secret crush.  As his home life implodes, Mr. M, as he’s known to his students, risks it all to stop Tracy from winning, which blows up his professional life.

Adapted into a hit 1999 film starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon, Election was Tom Perrotta’s second novel.  I became reacquainted with the Tracy Flick character last fall, when Perrotta released the sequel Tracy Flick Can’t Win.  This tale unfolded much as I expected it to, from my recollections of a 25-year-old film.  I have yet to be disappointed by one of Perrotta’s works, so I’m sure I will be digging back into his back catalog soon enough.

 

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Book 38 (of 52) – Tracy Flick Can’t Win

Tracy Flick Can’t Win – Tom Perrotta

Tracy Flick, now an assistant principal in New Jersey, once again finds herself embroiled in high school politics, as she works to convince the school board that she’s the right choice to replace the retiring principal.  But while she gives her support for a new school Hall of Fame in exchange for support, she isn’t the shoo-in she thinks she should be.  Things change at the initial Hall induction ceremony, where things go sideways and she earns the position she feels she deserves.  The only question is if it was worth it?

I first became acquainted with the character of Tracy Flick in the 1999 film adaptation of Tom Perrotta’s novel Election, where a young Reese Witherspoon portrayed the overqualified student running unopposed for student body president until a male teacher plots against her.  In Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Perrotta brings the character back for another run through the wringer as an adult who, while highly successful, has never met her own expectations for her where she should be in life due to life getting in the way.  This time around, she once again sees herself losing out on something to which she feels she’s entitled to a football hero and decides to cut loose.  In the end, she gets the position she wanted, but pays a heavy price.  I would like to read Election one day and rewatch the film to see how they match up.

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Prolific Authors Wrap Up

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 August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we wrap things up with a look back at the 77 authors I’ve read more than once.

Largest Increase (since 2019)

The Knife Slipped – Erle Stanley Gardner

Erle Stanley Gardner – 5
Jeffrey Deaver – 3
Karin Slaughter – 3
Tom Perrotta – 3
Riley Sager – 2
Greer Hendricks – 2
Sarah Pekkanen – 2

Largest Increase (since 2011)

Deadly Heat – Richard Castle

Richard Castle – 13
Jeffrey Deaver – 10
Erle Stanley Gardner – 9
J.K. Rowling – 7
Mary Kubica – 6
David Mack – 6
Karin Slaughter – 6

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Prolific Authors – 3 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 August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue today with the 12 authors I’ve read thrice.

Kevin J. Anderson

I’ve read the 3 X-Files books he has written.

President Me: The America That’s In My Head – Adam Carolla

Adam Carolla

The former comedian and current right wing lugnut managed to get me to read three of his podcast regurgitations.

Bill Carter

The former media reporter for the New York Times delivered three behind the scenes looks at the television industry, including the transition from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno and from Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien and back again.

Max Allan Collins

Author of all entries of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins

The woman behind a little trilogy about a young woman who upends her entire world.

Keith R.A. DeCandido

Two Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels and a Spider-Man novel make up his works.

David Lagercrantz

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest – Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson wrote the first three entries in the story of Lisbeth Salander.  Following his death, David Lagercrantz continued the series with three entries (to date) of his own.

John R. Maxim

Last read in 2001, I would have liked to read more but it seems like he stopped writing.  Or they stopped publishing his work.

Kimberly McCreight

Her latest came out earlier this year, so she should be moving up the charts.

Tom Perotta Continue reading →

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2020: The Year In Books

As we wrap up 2020, a year where I should have been setting records due to the pandemic and stay at home orders, I managed to read only 23 books, a decrease of 5 books over last year.  Of those 23, 8 were non-fiction and, of the 15 novels, only 2 were tied to a TV show.  None of the books came out of my dwindling “to-read” drawer and 15 were e-books.  I read just over 7,800 pages, my seventh highest total of all time.

For the first time in years, a majority of the books I read this year were by authors I have read before. The 11 authors that I read for the first this year were:

  • Ken Harrelson
  • Jeff Snook
  • Liz Phair
  • Megan Abbott
  • Greer Hendricks
  • Sarah Pekkanen
  • Cameron Esposito
  • Rich Lindberg
  • Sara Schaefer
  • Alex Trebek
  • Trevor Noah

Tom Perotta, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Karin Slaughter were the only authors that I read multiple titles from during 2020.

6 of the books I read were released this year, while 5 of them were released last century, with the oldest first published in 1933.

Finally, the breakdown by month.  My vacation to Hawaii in February and being off in December certainly helped pad its totals a tad bit. Continue reading →

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Book 12 (of 52) – Little Children

Little Children – Tom Perotta

In Little Children, Tom Perrotta tells us the tale of Sarah, a young housewife who spends her days at the playground with a group of mothers she can’t stand. When she meets Todd, a handsome young stay-at-home dad, they begin an affair that threatens both of their marriages, neither of which may be worth saving.  Will they throw it all away and run away together?  Or will they stay in their broken marriages for the sake of their children?  And where does the broken former policeman and the convicted sex offender he is obsessed with fit in?

I saw the movie version of this years ago and was familiar with the basics of the plot, but any details had long since left my mind.  When I saw the book on sale on the Kindle store, I decided to give it a shot given my recent experiences with Perrotta’s work and the HBO translations.  And, I was not disappointed.  Perrotta is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors, especially in the non-genre fields.  I don’t think I have anything else of his queued up on the Kindle, so I’ll have to keep a look out.

 

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Book 4 (of 52) – Mrs. Fletcher

Mrs. Fletcher – Tom Perrotta

Mrs. Fletcher is the second Tom Perrotta novel I’ve read after watching the adaptation on HBO.   This duo coming of age story revolves around Eve Fletcher, a divorcée undergoing a mid-life crisis, and her son Brendan, a college freshman having trouble adjusting to not being the popular athlete he was in high school.  She experiences a sexual reawakening that was missing from her earlier life, while he runs afoul of sexual norms while trying to navigate college life.

I can’t say the Mrs. Fletcher was a bad novel, but I can say I would have enjoyed it much more had I either read it before watching the series or if I had waited longer after the series concluded.  The series was a pretty faithful adaptation, which led to not much in the way of surprises when going through the novel.  The one big difference was the ending, where the series ended a chapter or two prior to the end of the book, which did provide more of a closure and wasn’t as abrupt.  The other big difference, at least to me, was in the presentation of Brendan.  In the series, he came off much douchier than he does in the book, with naivete replacing what came off as outright malice on the screen.

Between this and The Leftovers, I’m interested in looking into more of Perrotta’s work.  I should probably do so before HBO gets ahold of it, to try and get a pure reading on my feelings about his work.

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2017: The Year In Books

With another year coming to an end, it is time to take a look back at the 28 books I read over the past year, 3 less than last year.  Of those 28, 7 were non-fiction and, of the 21 novels, only 4 were TV show tie-ins.  For the first time, none of the books came out of my “to-read” drawer, and a record 16 were e-books.  I read over 80,000 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:
Amy Schumer
Jessie Humphries
Gene Kim
Tod Goldberg
Matt Zoller Seitz
Philip K. Dick
Harland Sanders
Paul Levine
William J. Mann
Matthew V. Clemmons
Chris Smith
Riley Sager
Whitney Cummings
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tom Perrotta

There were 4 authors I read multiple titles from during 2016, the ghost writer for Richard Castle, Jeffery Deaver, David Mack, and Erle Stanley Gardner.

7 of the books I read were released this year, while 3 of them were released last century.

Finally, the breakdown by month.  Vacation in December certainly helped pad its totals a tad bit.

Continue reading →