Pop Culture
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2024 in Book Reviews
I read 75 books in 2024 and wrote half of my sixth novel, which is tentatively titled Four Hearts. While I originally planned to set a goal of 100 books, I changed my goal to 75 books early in the year due to unforeseen circumstances. Here are my top reads for the year. Top 10 best reads for 2024 (traditionally published) These are in order, starting with my favorite read of the year. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr This Used to Be Us by Renée Carlino This Impossible Brightness by Jessica Bryant Klagmann Spirit Crossing (Cork O’Connor, #20) by William Kent Krueger Camino Ghosts (Camino Island,…
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2023 in book reviews
I read 102 books in 2023 and published my 5th novel, When Does Life Begin?, on September 23. Here are my top 10 best reads in traditionally published novels. Top 10 best reads for 2023 (traditional) These are in order starting from favorite read of the year. Shutter by Ramona Emerson. I got to meet Ramona and have her autograph a copy of the novel during a reading at Arkansas Tech University. The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee. I met Tosca when she and I participated in a Brenda Novak…
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My 30 Favorite Male Singer-Songwriters
I recently wrote about my favorite female singer-songwriters, so now I’m writing about the male ones. My initial list was long, and it was extremely difficult to narrow it down to my top 30. That’s why you’ll see a lengthy list of honorable mentions. I’m not saying any of the artists are better or worse; I’m just basing the list on my favorites and the songs that have meant the most to me. A key difference in a lot of the male singer-songwriters is that more of them are lead singers of a band than the songwriters I admire who are female. It’s just how it is, I suppose. Now,…
