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#2024ReadingBrackets I read a lot of really good NONFICTION this year. The tagged book was my pick for December. However, after the dust settled in this category I had to give the nod to “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space” by Adam Higginbotham. Higginbotham managed to keep me on the edge of my seat – even though I knew how the story ended. That‘s a master journalist right there.

#2024ReadingBrackets are complete! My top selection for December was “North Woods“ -- it's magnificent! This would have been my top choice – if it had not been forced up against “Stoner” by John Williams. That book captured my heart in July and never let go. My FICTION pick for 2024 is “Stoner” – with the strong recommendation to also read “North Woods.”

6 NONFICTION books completed in November—setting up a few interesting matches. The tagged book was my pick. And my enjoyment of it pushed it ahead of its competitor from September. However, I‘m still thinking about the wild card memoir—so I gave it the nod to move on. But in the end, my love of a well-written narrative nonfiction propels “Challenger” into the finals. What a fun year this has shaped up to be!

#2024ReadingBrackets

To my complete surprise, the tagged book is my pick of the 6 FICTION books I finished in November. I wouldn‘t have guessed that based on the first 150 pages or so. But it grew on me. (And to be honest, the other 5 choices were simply ok.)

#2024ReadingBrackets

Finished 6 NONFICTION books in October. The tagged book was my favorite. I love biographies, especially when they are about fascinating people I didn‘t know anything about.

#2024ReadingBrackets

The tagged book was my pick of the 5 FICTION books I completed in October. It was a fun tongue-in-cheek read, but did not hold a candle to September‘s pick: “The Trees” by Percival Everett. Which set up a very difficult decision for the quarterfinals. In the end, my heart is still with “Stoner,” which moves on.

#2024ReadingBrackets

Just one NONFICTION book completed in September—but it likely would have been the winner anyway. This is the kind of narrative nonfiction that really grabs me.
#2024ReadingBrackets

Updated #2024ReadingBrackets:
Completed 8 books in September, 7 of which were FICTION. The clear winner, however, was “The Trees” by Percival Everett. It‘s the third book by Everett I‘ve read this year, and it‘s my favorite. The man is a genius.

For August's #2024ReadingBrackets NONFICTION I chose the tagged book by Timothy Egan. It‘s a grisly yet engrossing account of the Ku Klux Klan‘s rise to power in Indiana in the 1920s. The parallels to today are also scary and sobering. It was a fascinating read that also took down its challenger and moves to a semifinal slot. Honorable mention for a wild-card slot was “Beyond the High Blue Air” by Lu Spinney, a poignant, heartbreaking memoir.

Updated #2024ReadingBrackets:
August was a productive month, with 13 books completed – thanks in large part to an enforced period of time on the couch after my knee surgery as well as several events that involved hours of travel to get there. Eight of the books were FICTION. Of those, I gave the nod to “God of the Woods” by Liz Moore as the top pick. Great read, but it's no match for “Stoner“ -- which moves on into the semifinals.