The Angry Typist

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be an avid reader like Bàba. He can always be found either hunched over his large metal desk with his fateful blue ballpoint pen writing or he had a book in his hand reading. No matter where he was, he did one or the other.

For years, I purchased countless numbers of books, and they sat on my tiny 2-story bookshelf collecting dust.

I would read a book or two here and there for school assignments but even then, I would ‘read’ the CliffsNotes versions. I simply was not a reader. I didn’t find any joy in it. Books were generally boring. I was disappointed with myself, but I just didn’t like to read.

Until one day, in my late 20s. I had completed my Army obligations and was in my first civilian professional job. As part of my initial training, I had to fly to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and had an overnight delay at the Detroit airport, so I busied myself perusing shops.

I came across a display of Harry Potter books neatly stacked into a pyramid with a large 30% off on books 1 and 2 promoting the new release of the third book, “Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” Harry Potter sounded vaguely familiar, and I had the impression that it was rather popular with many adults. So, I purchased all three books at once.

And it was the Harry Potter series which made me the avid reader I had always dreamed of being. I had discovered it wasn’t because I wasn’t a born reader, but rather, I just needed to find the right author and the right stories.

I am so very proud of all the essays, short stories, & books I’ve read and had always wanted to create a book/reading list. So I’m taking this opportunity to compile a list of everything I’ve ever read or will read.

P.S. Yes, I do indeed read a lot of YA books.

LEGEND:

• Read
• Reading
• Favorite
• Paused: Started to read but did not complete
• Have but not Read
• {*} Not yet released or purchased

LIST:

1. Blubber by Judy Blume
2. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
3. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
4. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
5. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
6. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
7. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Oddly enough I read this in High School, undergraduate, and master program)
8. Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville (Oddly enough I also read this in High School, undergraduate, and master program)
9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
10. Catcher and the Rye by J.D. Salinger
11. Macbeth by William Shakespear
12. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
14. The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
15. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
16. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
17. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
18. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
19. The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living by Amit Sood, M.D. Really interesting insights on how the brain works.
20. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis
21. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
22. Postcard from the Edge by Carrie Fisher
23. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
24. The BFG by Roald Dahl
25. Matilda by Roald Dahl
26. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
27. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
28. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
29. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
30. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
31. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
32. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
33. Harry Potter: A Magical Year — The Illustrations of Jim Kay by J.K. Rowling & Jim Kay (Illustrator)
34. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
35. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling Eventually I do plan to reread the entire British series
36. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, & Jack Thorne
37. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
38. Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
39. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
40. A Journey Through a History of Magic by J.K. Rowling
41. Hogwarts Legacy – The Official Game Guide It wasn’t all that helpful but the illustrations were gorgeous.
42. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
43. Eldest by Christopher Paolini
44. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
45. The Inheritance Christopher Paolini
46. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer One of my least favorite reads. (Master Program)
47. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
48. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
49. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
50. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
51. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro One of the strangest things I’ve had to read (Master Program). This book reminds me of one of those extreme artsy fartsy films where critics raves about but it was never intended for the masses but a select few. Although Ishiguro’s writing has been highly recognized in the literary world, unfortunately I can’t seem to digest any of his work but I’m glad I was at least introduced to another Asian author.
52. The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among the Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston Believe it or not, I read this in my Masters program and up until this point in my life (40s), I had ZERO exposure to CNF Chinese authors from any other English curriculum. Shocking & sad.
53. Stealing Buddah’s Dinner by Beth Nguyen
54. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
55. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
56. The Laugh of the Medusa by Hélène Cixous
57. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Truly a MUST READ. I had always heard the word ‘poverty’ but really didn’t have any idea on what poverty actually looked like. I could not put this book down.
58. Artemis Fowl-Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
59. Artemis Fowl-Artic Incident by Eoin Colfer
60. Artemis Fowl-Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer
61. Artemis Fowl-Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
62. Artemis Fowl-Lost Company by Eoin Colfer
63. Artemis Fowl-Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
64. Artemis Fowl-The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer
65. Artemis Fowl-Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer
66. The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (Bartimaeus Trilogy) I would say that Stroud is right up there as one of my favorite authors next to Rowling
67. The Golem’s Eye by Jonathan Stroud (Bartimaeus Trilogy)
68. Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud (Bartimaeus Trilogy)
69. Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
70. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik
71. Silently Seduced – When Parents Make Their Children Partners by Kenneth M. Adams, Ph.D. Not as insightful as I’d have hoped but it certainly validated my long time suspicion.
72. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co.)
73. The Dagger in the Desk by Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co.)
74. The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co.)
75. The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co.)
76. The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co.)
77. The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co.)
78. My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
79. Bossypants by Tina Fay
80. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
81. WARP-The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer
82. WARP-The Hangman’s Revolution by Eoin Colfer
83. WARP-The Forever Man by Eoin Colfer
84. My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Mary Hartnett Wendy W. Williams
85. A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning (Warlock Holmes Series) This series literally made me LAUGH-OUT-LOUD I can read a million of these. Wish G.S. Denning would start writing again.
86. The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles by G.S. Denning (Warlock Holmes Series)
87. My Grave Ritual by G.S. Denning (Warlock Holmes Series)
88. The Sign of the Nine by G.S. Denning (Warlock Holmes Series)
89. The Finality Problem by G.S. Denning (Warlock Holmes Series)
90. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
91. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
92. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
93. A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs
94. *The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs
95. *The Desolations of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs
96. Will by Will Smith The actor is so charismatic in person that I had very high expectation that his memoir would be equally engaging. However I just found it a little on the slow side. I may give this another go.
97. Making a Scene by Constance Wu I always try to support Asians and I have always liked Constance Wu. Sadly I did not enjoy this memoir to the point that I could not finish it.
98. Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond by Stacy T. Sims PhD (Author), Selene Yeager (Author) This book was recommended by my Tribe Coach and it was so insightful to fully understand what is going on with my hormones during perimenopause / menopause. A MUST READ FOR ALL WOMEN.
99. The Cuckoo’s Calling – A Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith If you were not aware, Robert Galbraith is a pen name for J.K. Rowling … yes THE Rowling.
100. The Silkworm – A Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
101. Career of Evil- A Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
102. Lethal White – A Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
103. Troubled Blood – A Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
104. The Ink Black Heart – A Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
105. The Running Grave – A Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
106. The Hallmarked Man – A Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
107. On Tyranny Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder (Author) & Nora Krug (Illustrator)
108. Chinatown Pretty by Andria Lo & Valerie Luu
109. Spark: How Genius Ignites, From Child Prodigies to Late Bloomers by Claudia Kalb I had previously read her work and enjoyed her writing so I had high expectations of this book. The subject matter is fascinating but the first couple of pages were not as engaging as I had hoped. Eventually I will finish this one.
110. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. Very heavy subject matter and its a lot to digest. Not sure if I will finish this one.
111. Red Memory: The Afterlives of China’s Cultural Revolution by Tania Branigan I found her writing almost ‘too’ flowery … it reminds me of one of my peer reviews during my master program where one of the critique was ‘too much imagery’ Will most likely finish this one … eventually.
112. Sipping Dom Pérignon Through A Straw by Eddie Ndopu
113. Making It So: A Memoir by Patrick Stewart Shocking level of humble beginnings.
114. We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu An eye-opener as I have never had anyone in my life speak of life in China positively.
115. Start Your Engines: My Unstoppable CrossFit Journey by Sam Briggs
116. A Physical Education by Casey Johnston
117. The First Ladies by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
118. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey – ODDEST start to a memoir I have ever read but eventually does find a pretty entertaining rhyme.
119. Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson – HIGHLY recommend read
120. The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD I was actually getting more depressed reading this so I stopped
121. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
122. The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up by Evanna Lynch
123. The Life of Chuck by Stephen King
124. These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
125. The Portable Feminist Reader Edited by Roxane Gay
126. Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
127. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta
128. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
129. The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver, M.D.
130. A Promise Land by Barack Obama
131. Becoming by Michelle Obama
132. Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish
133. Guidebook of Relative Strangers by Camille T. Duncy
134. Letters to Memory by Karen Tei Yamashita
135. Bader Ginsberg by Jane Sherron de Hart
136. First by Evan Thomas
137. Bending Genre Edited by Margot Singer & Nicole Walker I actually completely forgot I had this! LOL Glad I inventoried all my books for this post.
138. Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith
139. The Giver by Lois Lowry
140. Life in Motion by Misty Copeland
141. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
142. The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro This is the last on the list because it is going to take me over a year to read it … its a very hefty book.