A Big Ol' Bucket of Useful : The Books List, Part Nine

20 Books I Would Recommend Reading, 5 Books I Wouldn't, and 50 from my Reading List

As we start to come out of winter, days are getting longer and warmer. Your results may vary, but whether you're reading curled up under a blanket or sitting in the park, it's always time for another Books List post!

My likes/loves: These are books that entertained me, moved me, taught me things, made me think, inspired me, and that I would heartily recommend. They are not ranked – they are merely in the order in which I read them.

I have written reviews for several of these, for which I will include links within the list, if you are interested in getting more of an in-depth (but spoiler-free) look at the books and my impression of them.

The Last Days of Dogtown – Anita Diamant
3^rd Degree – James Patterson and Andrew Gross
Step on a Crack – James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Rape: A Love Story – Joyce Carol Oates
Uncollected Stories – Kate Chopin
You've Been Warned – James Patterson and Howard Roughan
Death Comes for the Archbishop – Willa Cather
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living – Trish Riley
The Worst Thing I've Done – Ursula Hegi
The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene
A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson
Duma Key – Stephen King

Here's my review of Duma Key: https://bucketofuseful.blogspot.com/2022/02/review-of-duma-key-by-stephen-king.html
The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova

Here's my review of The Historian: https://bucketofuseful.blogspot.com/2022/02/review-of-historian-by-elizabeth-kostova.html
Dali – Paul Moorhouse
Prodigal Summer – Barbara Kingsolver

Here's my review of Prodigal Summer: https://bucketofuseful.blogspot.com/2022/02/review-of-prodigal-summer-by-barbara.html
Dexter in the Dark – Jeff Lindsay

Here's my review of Dexter in the Dark: https://bucketofuseful.blogspot.com/2022/01/review-of-dexter-in-dark-by-jeff-lindsay.html
Almost Green: How I Saved 1/6^th of a Biliionth of the Planet – James Glave

Here's my review of Almost Green: https://bucketofuseful.blogspot.com/2016/04/review-of-almost-green-how-i-saved-16th.html
Unless – Carol Shields

Here's my review of Unless: https://bucketofuseful.blogspot.com/2022/02/review-of-unless-novel-by-carol-shields.html
Seven Wild Sisters – Charles de Lint
Promises to Keep – Charles de Lint

My meh/yuck list: Did not find these appealing for any number of reasons – some were boring; some had an interesting subject but did not do it justice; some were flat-out terrible. All simply left me cold in some way. Although I am likely to read multiple books by authors I like (you will see a lot of Dean Koontz, Jonathan Kellerman, Margaret Atwood, Charles de Lint and Toni Morrison), I do not excuse those authors when they write a book I didn't like, so they might just show up here, as well.

A Night in Acadie – Kate Chopin
A Lost Lady – Willa Cather
The Awakening – Kate Chopin
The Professor's House – Willa Cather
Lord Jim – Joseph Conrad

My Reading List: these are books I haven't read yet, so I don't have a reaction for you. However, I could semi-recommend them, based on the reasons they made it onto my list:

They were on one of those “100 Greatest Books” lists;
They are other books written by authors I really enjoy; or
I read a review, and it sounded like something I'd like.

#1 can be a bit hit-or-miss; #2 is almost (but not always) foolproof for me (but maybe not for you), and #3 usually works out pretty well, as it's a combination of the first two. As always, your results may vary, but consider them suggestions. These may tend to come in chunks of stuff by author (apologies).