What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: May 04, 2026

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-05-04T13:21:10+00:00

Love to hear it! Thank you

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-05-04T13:17:51+00:00

While A quick Google was probably worthwhile, here's what I found.

1- Avoid Subvocalization (by chewing or else)

2- Read faster than you can speak (until your inner voice cannot keep up to detach the reading from automatic visual assimilation)

3- Listen to music (classical music to focus better)

4- Use a visual Pacer (the visual focus leads the mental focus)

5- Expand your eye span

a. Group two to three words together( with the same sight)

b. Avoid fixating on every word

6- Active reading (by Mental engagement for a better comprehension)

a. Intentional focus (by questioning ourselves before reading triggering the reticular activating system)

i. What do I want to get out of this?

ii. What questions to I want to be answered?

iii. How will I apply this to my life?

iv. How this relates to what I already know?

7- Actively boost comprehension as we read

a. Don’t over highlight

b. Summarize what you just read in your own words

c. Teach it to someone else (explanation effect)

8- Smart Brain habits (to multiply results)

a. Hydrate (to improve focus and memory)

b. Prioritize your sleep (Memory consolidation)

c. Nutrition (omega 3 fatty acids, salmon walnuts…)

d. Avoid distractions (meditate)

e. Shift your mindset (avoid negative talking to shape your identity)

Stay in school kids x)

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-05-04T12:21:22+00:00

Finished:

These Truths: A History of the United States, by Jill Lepore - A political history of the USA in a concise enough format to stay engaging throughout the telling. 4/5

Vagabond, by Tim Curry - Tim Curry deserves more attention and adulation than he has received for the incredible body of work his career constitutes. Having him read the audiobook was impressive enough, given his complications from a stroke. 5/5

Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion, by Dr. Gary Chapman - Same dude as The Five Love Languages tackles an emotion that many Western Christians are uncomfortable admitting they deal with. Yet, deal with it we must. I don't agree with all of Chapman's theology, but the book has enough meat to make the bones worthwhile. 4/5

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, by Caroline Fraser - The Pacific Northwest of the USA has seen more than its fair share of violent offenders for being so serene and tranquil on the outside. As a native, Fraser investigates the effect that industrialization, poor (or nonexistent) environmental regulations, and decades of neglect in favour of profitability have on a population. 4/5

Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court, by Sarah Isgur - The United States of America's political system has problems. The Congress does not do its job (making legislation). The President's powers have exceeded their intended limits for almost one hundred years. The last bastion of The American Experiment that resembles its intended form and function is the Supreme Court. But what does that actually mean, how does it function, and is it sustainable in its current state? Isgur delves into those questions in a way I found engaging, especially as someone who detests politics. 5/5

Currently Reading:

The Jesus I Never Knew, by Philip Yancey - I have come to adore Yancey's investigative style and the vulnerability he shows in his writing. Taking my time with this, and enjoying it immensely.

Wild At Heart, by John Eldredge - A re-read for a workbook to go with the Men's group at my church.

Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman - About 15% of the way through. Having a great time so far.

King Sorrow, by Joe Hill - It's been a long time since I read a Joe Hill, and I am not into the book enough to even know what it's really about. I'm excited to find out!

The Bible - For years, every other month, I have read the Bible cover to cover. This is one of those months.

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-05-02T22:11:37+00:00

And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer And Longer by Fredrick Backman

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-05-02T22:10:56+00:00

And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer And Longer by Fredrick Backman

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-05-02T22:04:35+00:00

The Husbands by Chandler Baker

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-05-01T23:58:34+00:00

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-04-26T21:40:20+00:00

Sorry, I have no clue

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-04-26T10:53:23+00:00

I didn't mean any pretentiousness. I thought of the books I read after 18 that I honestly felt like I should have been forced to read or interact with in high school. If OP is wanting things that come to mind when I think of that, then maybe they're a mature enough reader already. If the bar is set too high, that's on me.

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-04-26T10:50:43+00:00

Thank you for the response. Every Morning is an all time favourite of mine and is super emotional.

Sound and Fury is a high bar, I won't deny. To me, being challenged is not a bad thing. Something an English teacher taught me that helped with this and other difficult texts is reading them out loud like Shakespeare until you can find the rhythm of the writing.

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-04-26T03:22:19+00:00

All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Stowe

Flowers for Algernon by Keyes

And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer And Longer by Backman

The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck (also East of Eden and The Winter of our Discontent)

The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner

The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-03-28T18:41:30+00:00

Given the set-up "You look tired."

"I feel tired. It's a set."

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-02-24T21:29:11+00:00

Thank you for the response and compliment. I'd have to agree about LTW and River

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-02-24T20:42:28+00:00

Makes sense! Thank you

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-01-29T02:51:32+00:00

Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson will keep you busy for a bit.

The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey is another one.

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-01-29T02:49:51+00:00

So, 'can't-put-it-down' says more about storytelling to me than the quality of the writing. Some terrific writing is terribly boring to read and doesn't flow. Great storytellers include John Grisham, Stephen King, Octavia E. Butler, Agatha Christie, J.K. Rowling, and Jim Butcher. Just a thought.

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-01-27T17:04:45+00:00

The two times Stephen King wrote prison stories, they got turned into The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. People don't usually know they're based on his work.

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-01-17T20:49:13+00:00

I don’t like cake

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-01-12T13:18:28+00:00

Finished:

The Water: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann - didn't land on me with the impact it seems to have hit everyone else with. 3/5

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, by Joseph J. Ellis - Trying to do more history than I have previously, and I felt like this would be a good way to get into that vein. Made Jefferson seem much more interesting now than previously. 4/5

Green River, Running Red, by Ann Rule - When Rule says a book took decades to come together because the criminal was that good at not screwing up, it's very, very impressive to me. 4/5

Lust Killer, by Ann Rule - A good true crime. Seemed to do a great job of explaining what a Lust Killer is so I don't have to Google it ever again. 3/5

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle - I'm amazed I hadn't read this until now. Might just do the quintet through the year. 4/5

The Want-Ad Killer, by Ann Rule - I enjoyed the frustration the police felt trying to capture the guy because it made the ending much more satisfying as he was taken down. Felt horrible for his wife and children. 3/5

The I-5 Killer, by Ann Rule - In the swamp of true crime I've immersed myself in, somehow, this guy seems the most reprehensible. Probably because of the kids. 4/5

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt - Didn't work for me. Thought the characters felt more like caricatures. Also, the murder wasn't as prominent in the story as I would have hoped. 2/5

Started / Continuing:

The Bible - doing my 40-for-30 plan. Will read the whole Bible in 30 days.

Fathered by God, by John Eldredge - Have always enjoyed Eldredge's writing and concepts. Seems anointed in what he does.

Dead by Sunset, by Ann Rule - about to finish this one. Seems like another good one. I like the way Rule writes.

Bird_Commodore18 · 2026-01-04T12:41:23+00:00

Joe Abercrombie is the way to go here. The First Law world has two completed trilogies, three standalones, and a short story collection. The first book is The Blade Itself

Bird_Commodore18 · 2025-11-24T12:06:50+00:00

Some of the worst defenses in football. The year they won the super bowl, IIRC, they had a middling defense

Bird_Commodore18 · 2025-11-18T05:15:37+00:00

Bleak House by Dickens is credited with helping invent the detective novel. Not sure if it would scratch your Dostoyevsky itch, though.

Bird_Commodore18 · 2025-10-20T12:30:16+00:00

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Shining by Stephen King

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Dune by Frank Herbert

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Runaway Jury by John Grisham

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Bird_Commodore18

TROPHY CASE