Bookshelf
A running least of (nearly) every book I’ve read since 2016.
Currently Reading
Munkey Diaries by Jane Birkin
All-Time Favorite Book
Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas
Honorable Mentions
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Love Story by Erich Segal
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Tyranny of Sex by Ludwig Lewisohn
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson
The School of Life: An Emotional Education by Alain de Botton
La Trilogie Marseillaise (Marius, Fanny, César) by Marcel Pagnol
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
Instructions for Traveling West: Poems by Joy Sullivan
Desperate Romantics: The Private Lives of the Pre-Raphaelites by Franny Moyle
2025
Favorite of the year: Desperate Romantics: The Private Lives of the Pre-Raphaelites by Franny Moyle
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Instructions for Traveling West: Poems by Joy Sullivan
Solaris by Stanisław Lem
Des Amants de Porcelaine by Georges Collectif
L’Étranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus
Become What You Are by Alan W. Watts
Wanted by Philippe Claudel
Audrey Hepburn, La Parisienne — That’s the Girl! by Marc Lemonier
Desperate Romantics: The Private Lives of the Pre-Raphaelites by Franny Moyle
L’Art de Ne Pas Dire: Chronique d’un Saccage du Langage by Clément Viktorovitch
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Italie. L’Esthétique du Miracle by Richard Heuzé
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Le Tour des Arènes by Anny Duperey
The Café With No Name by Robert Seethaler
2024
Favorite of the year: La Dernière Allumette (The Last Match) by Marie Vareille
The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell
The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being by William Davies
Too Late to Awaken: What Lies Ahead When There Is No Future by Slavoj Žižek
Clean: The New Science of Skin by James Hamblin
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Vous Ne Savez Pas De Quoi Demain Sera Fait by Victoria Lecointe
La Dernière Allumette (The Last Match) by Marie Vareille
Pologne — La Noblesse de la Terre by Jurek Kuczkiewicz
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA
Filles de la Mer (White Chrysanthemum) by Mary Lynn Bracht
Normal People by Sally Rooney
The Longest Journey by E. M. Forster
Hitler and Stalin: The Tyrants and the Second World War by Laurence Rees
American Warsaw: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Polish Chicago by Dominic A. Pacyga
Ne T’Inquiète Pas Pour Moi (Life on the Refrigerator Door) by Alice Kuipers
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski
2023
Favorite of the year: A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
The Witcher #1: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
The New Rules of Aging Well: A Simple Program for Immune Resilience, Strength, and Vitality by Frank Lipman
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkman
In Search of Mycotopia: Citizen Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the Untapped Potential of Mushrooms by Doug Beirend
You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters by Kate Murphy
Spare by Prince Harry
Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life) by Thomas Erikson
La Sarabande des Nanas Selon Niki de Saint Phalle by Catherine, Guennec
Portret Nataszy: A to długa historia by Paulina Lipiec
The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
Być jak Polak & Nie o takin życiu marzyłam: 2 Engaging Stories in Simplified Polish for Polish Language Learners by Paulina Lipiec
Healing Adaptogens: The Definitive Guide to Using Super Herbs and Mushrooms for Your Body’s Restoration, Defense, and Performance by Tero Isokauppila
Juste La Fin du Monde by Jean-Luc Lagarce
Les Aurores Montréales (Aurora Montrealis) by Monique Proulx
Les Fous de Bassan by Anne Hébert
Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
2022
Favorite of the year: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping by Robert M. Sapolsky
La Gloire de Mon Père (My Father’s Glory) by Marcel Pagnol
Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann
A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman: A Memoir by Lindy Elkins-Tanton
Le Cœur Cousu (The Threads of the Heart) By Carole Martinez
La Terre Qui Penche by Carole Martinez
Du Domaine des Murmures (The Castle of Whispers) by Carole Martinez
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Healing Mushrooms: A Practical and Culinary Guide to Using Mushrooms for Whole Body Health by Tero Isokauppila
2021
Favorite of the year: La Trilogie Marseillaise (Marius, Fanny, César) by Marcel Pagnol
Oscar Wilde: A Biography by H. Montgomery Hyde
Molly’s Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World by Molly Bloom
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
The Freelancer’s Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Have the Career of Your Dreams—On Your Terms by Sara Horowitz
Marius by Marcel Pagnol
Second Best Things: Marilyn, JFK, And a Night to Remember by James L. Swanson
Fanny by Marcel Pagnol
César by Marcel Pagnol
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Alter
2020
Favorite of the year: The Tyranny of Sex by Ludwig Lewisohn
The Tyranny of Sex by Ludwig Lewisohn
Quit Like a Millionaire: No Gimmicks, Luck, or Trust Fund Required by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung
A Christmas Party: A Seasonal Murder Mystery by Georgette Heyer
Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way to Paradise by Barry Manilow
On Drinking by Charles Bukowski
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
The G Ring: How the IUD Escaped the Nazis by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow
Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis
Beautiful on the Outside: A Memoir by Adam Rippon
The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History Behind Ordinary Objects by Emily Prokop
Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson
Unstoppable: My Life So Far by Maria Sharapova
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The Days of Wine and Roses by J.P. Miller
The School of Life: An Emotional Education by Alain de Botton
Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump, PhD
Beautiful Wild by Anna Godbersen
2019
Favorite of the year: The Crucible by Arthur Miller
L’autre qu’on adorait by Catherine Cusset
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
J.D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
When We Caught Fire by Anna Godbersen
Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Nancy Schoenberger and Sam Kashner
The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Conversations with Capote by Lawrence Grobel
The Night the Music Ended: The Station Nightclub: March 2000 – February 2003 by Marilyn Bellemore
Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years by Keith Badman
My Story by Ben Hecht and Marilyn Monroe
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli
Tuesdays With Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom
Love Story by Erich Segal
Crush by Richard Skien
Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business by Dolly Parton
2018
Favorite of the year: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Unknown; translated by Brian Stone
Propaganda by Edward Bernays
Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday
The Development of Military Night Aviation to 1919 by William Edward Fischer Jr.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos by Christian Davenport
Elon Mustk: SpaceX, Tesla, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing by Michael Dregni
L’Identité by Milan Kundera
Paris Nights: My Year at the Moulin Rouge by Cliff Simon
Journal d’un homme heureux by Philippe Delerm
Le Roman de Raspoutine by Vladimir Fedorovski
Mémoires by Farah Pahlavi
Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas
Invitation to Live by Lloyd C. Douglas
2017
Favorite of the year: Understanding the Great Philosophers by Thomas Henry
Paris Nights: My Year at the Moulin Rouge by Cliff Simon
Jeannie Out of the Bottle by Barbara Eden and Wendy Leigh
1984 by George Orwell
20 Ads That Shook the World: The Century’s Most Groundbreaking Advertising and How It Changed Us All by James B. Twitchell
Understanding the Great Philosophers by Thomas Henry
Roundabout to Moscow by John Bell Bouton
The Last Tsar: Nicholas II and the Twilight of Imperial Russia by Larissa Yermilova
The Bolshevik Revolution, 1917 – 1923 by Edward Hallett Carr
2016
Favorite of the year: Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Ingrid Bergman: My Story by Ingrid Bergman and Alan Burgess
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld
Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming