- 11/6/2025 - Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam(Audible - Narrated by Arthur Morey: The author argues that American social capital has been declining for decades, as people participate less in civic groups, community organizations, and shared social activities. Putnam warns that this erosion of connectedness weakens democracy, community trust, and the overall health of society.
- 11/11/2025 - The Lottery or, The Adventures of James Harris by Shirley Jackson: This is a collection of Shirley Jackson’s short stories that reveal the unsettling darkness beneath ordinary American life, often showing how fear, cruelty, and conformity emerge in everyday settings. Linking many of the stories is the mysterious figure James Harris, whose quiet presence highlights the fragile line between normalcy and horror.
- 11/14/2025 - Carrie by Stephen King(Audible - Narrated by Sissy Spacek & Margaret Atwood): Carrie tells the story of a shy, bullied teenage girl with telekinetic powers who, pushed to her breaking point by relentless cruelty at school and abuse at home, begins to lose control of her abilities. When a humiliating prank at prom triggers her rage, her powers unleash a catastrophic vengeance that transforms her small town forever.
- 11/29/2025 - The Stand by Stephen King: The book follows the aftermath of a devastating superflu that wipes out most of humanity, leaving the survivors to choose between rebuilding a society based on compassion or falling under the sway of a malevolent figure named Randall Flagg. As the forces of good and evil gather, the surviving heroes must confront Flagg in a final struggle that will determine the fate of the new world.
Bowling Alone was inspired after hearing it referenced in commentary about current politics and American society. I listened to it as an audiobook, which would be better as a physical book to really get in-depth. The narrator was fine, but I lost track of how many times I heard "as referenced in the PDF in a download," which I couldn't do while driving, where I listen to most of my audiobooks.
My first recollection of Shirley Jackson was by Stephen King, who mentions her as one of his influences as a writer and storyteller. It wasn't until Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House was adapted from Shirley's book of the same name. This inspired me to read the book, and I was blown away. I've heard the short story The Lottery mentioned a lot, so when I saw this book at my local library, I picked it up. I usually use library picks to check out books, and if they're interesting enough, I'll either read or pick one up. I read this one.
Carrie was the first Stephen King book I read as a youth in the late 70s. I seem to recall that the hit movie starring Sissy Spacek (and John Travolta in a supporting role) most likely inspired me to read the book. Hitting puberty around the same time probably enhanced my interest in a high school-age girl getting bullied, and she wreaks havoc upon her classmate bullies after a prom prank with telekinetic powers. I would go on to be a fan of the book and Stephen King. I've read it a few times, but this time around, I listened to the audiobook version narrated by none other than Sissy Spacek (Carrie in the original film). Sissy Spacek also narrated the iconic book "To Kill a Mockingbird" and was amazing, so I knew it'd be great, and it was. I recommend it.
The Stand is another Stephen King reread. A book so long that I was able to listen to Carrie on audiobook while reading The Stand(not at the same time, literally). The edition I read was the early 80s with a mere 817 pages. This was what I had read 40 years ago, before the "Complete and Uncut" edition was released, with approximately 1,400 pages. This has become the de facto edition these days, and the early edition is no longer published and is only available used. I found my paperback on eBay, and to the best of my memory, it is the edition I read decades ago. I have read both versions. I've seen debate about the two, and although many do love the uncut complete version, this is worth your time, too. The longer one presents more detail and depth to existing characters. It features minor characters that only make relatively short appearances. They are both the same story, though. This is a more concise version of the story without the extra 400 pages to plow through, which may be intimidating to some when they look at the brick the longer version looks like, which could deter some from diving into it. If you love one, you'll love the other. I recommend reading both.
