Books I Read In 2014

My goal each year is to read at least 20 books. 

2014 brought a major change in my consumption of books. Since I have a ridiculously long commute, I vowed to use that time productively and not just waste it on talk radio and traffic reports. Thus, the audiobook makes up a large percentage of the books I read this year. So, when I say “read” I mean read the paper or digital version or listened to a book. I have noted which were audiobooks on the list.

Once again, now for the fifth consecutive year I reached my goal of reading 20 books in a year. In fact, I blew it away thanks to the audiobooks.

Here’s a partial list of the books I read last year with some comments.

My Brief History - The autobiography of Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author of several books. Very interesting.

Rhode Island Disasters: Tales of Tragedy by Air, Sea and Rail - So many disasters for such a small state.

A Briefer History of Time - A nice re-write of Hawking's landmark work for the masses on cosmology.

The Age of Radiance: The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era - This was a fascinating look at the discovery, understanding of and harnessing of radioactive elements. It’s a chemistry, physics and history class all rolled into a gripping story.

The Sun Also Rises - The first Hemingway novel I’ve ever read. I read some of his short stores in school but never got around to one of his novels. I’m glad I read it. I didn’t find it a life-altering read. I try to read one classic per year. This was the first of four classic works on my list this year. Mrs. Quinlan, my 9th grade english teacher, would be proud.

Irwin AllenTelevision Productions, 1964-1970: A Critical History of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants - I loved these shows as a kid. Irwin Allen made the kind of movies and TV shows that fired up my imagination. This book wasn’t really what I was looking for, which was a narrative of Allen’s life and his creative process, but it was okay.

Pride and Prejudice (Audiobook) - Saw the movie, listened to the book. Tried and gave up on the zombie version. I’ve had quite enough of Miss Jane Austen, thank you.

Kaiten: Japan's Secret Manned Suicide Submarine and the First American Ship It Sank in WWII (Audiobook) - Who knew? A very good read about a chapter of World War II that I never knew about.

Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration (Audiobook) - Buzz Aldrin was the second man to walk on the moon - just moments after Neil Armstrong. He has some very cool ideas about exploring Mars. 

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (audiobook) - I think we all read this, right? It’s a fascinating read. It will change the way you think about food. Sooooo much corn.

On the Road (Audiobook) - I started reading this book a few years ago and lost interest. Listening to it made all the difference. Jack Kerouac’s novel is a stream of consciousness - images and ideas swirling past the reader with barely enough time to comprehend the significance before being replaced by newer images and ideas. I’ve seen the manuscript/scroll. This book works so much better for me as an audiobook. I loved it. I can imagine myself listening to it again someday.

The Ghosts of Bungo Suido : a Novel (Audiobook) - A fun, action-packed naval story of World War II. 

Hidden Warbirds: The Epic Stories of Finding, Recovering, and Rebuilding WWII's Lost Aircraft - If you like abandoned things and aircraft especially, you’ll enjoy this. 

Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World (Audiobook) - Fascinating. This is chemistry where you don’t think about chemistry - like chocolate making. The joy of concrete is another great chapter. 

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Audiobook) - A classic that I was embarrassed to say I’d never read. Now, I don’t have to feel that way anymore. It holds up really well for a book written 138 years ago.

A Stir of Echos (Audiobook) - This was excellent and it was made into a movie starring Kevin Bacon. 

Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond (Audiobook) - This might be the best book I read all year. It was gripping, funny, insightful and fast-paced. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys history and the space program.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - This is the other book on my list that gets consideration for best read of the year. This is the real life story that inspired Moby Dick. Someone recommended it to me about five years ago, and I finally got ‘round to reading it. It’s great. Now, I want to visit Nantucket. The movie, directed by Ron Howard, comes out in March.