The reviews here range through time, as likely to cover a nonfiction work released last week as a fiction work produced in 1904. That said, there were some books which earned special attention this year, and a few others which I feel deserve another visit.
First was Everything Trump Touches Dies by Rick Wilson. Beth reviewed this one, and it should have inspired people to purchase the book. If it didn’t, you still have a chance to remedy that situation. It’s as good as she claimed it is.
Another was Fear by Bob Woodward. This isn’t a speculative book, nor a tell-all with questionable motive and dubious sourcing. It’s the book many people were hoping it would be, and it was worth the purchase price and more besides.
I’d like to give one final shout to Harlan Ellison. The man was a firebrand regarding everything that earned his attention, and that included politics. His ostracizing from the Democrat-leaning wing of publishing (a very large wing) should be a lesson to all who think they’re a beloved member in good standing of a party… the party is all that matters, not its members. Luckily he left behind a massive body of excellent work.
The year also provided a good reason to revisit Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His musings from his prison cell are thought-provoking, and his dedication to morality amidst Nazi Germany remind us that ordinary people can do heroic things.
From the lighter side, Parliament of Whores by P.J. O’Rourke came up this year. Another Peej will likely find its way into the reviews this year, but this is among the best explanations of bloated government as anyone is likely to see.
Among the many fiction works reviewed, I’d like to give a nod to The Compleat Boucher by Anthony Boucher. It’s not truly complete… it lacks his mystery work and includes only his science fiction, fantasy and horror pieces… but it is an engrossing short story collection by a man who was often masterful, and who was very influential in the development of genre fiction in the United States.
