#1 LATE REHEARSAL by Dominic Hoffman
Five or six years ago, I went to see one of Hoffman’s plays in Los Angeles. I was deeply impressed by the writing, and as luck would have it, I found myself at a small dinner party later that night he was also attending, and I got to talk to him at length. Life has to be lived to develop the material richness that is the raw ingredient of created ‘stuff’. Hoffman lives in a way that is full of light, the unseen weather, the wings. I was so happy when I learned he was working on a short story collection, and I’m delighted to report that it’s as good as I hoped it would be.
2. Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death by Nick Lane
Nick Lane is the man when it comes to the chemistry of life. Science on this level, made accessible, is one of the manifold joys of the modern age. A great read of this kind answers questions, gives you enough to form new ones, answers those, and then finally leaves you in wonder. Nick is a Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London, but I bet he also knows a thing or two about getting drunk and playing pool. Three is simply too much music in his authorial glide for him to be a stuffy academic finger sniffing fancy boy school bozo.
#3 Painting As A Pastime by Winston S. Churchill
Painting As A Pastime was on my winter list, but I’m keeping it up. This small book is beautiful and oddly inspiring. Be sure to get the Unicorn Publishing Group edition. Old books like this are being reprinted without aesthetic consideration using Amazon's print-on-demand service, and a bummer copy is a bummer. Enjoy Winston rhapsodizing about the joy of art, and then kick back and see if you don’t feel a little different about everything. My wife and I recently moved to France, and this edition is one of the books I brought with me. A great number of books will follow, of course, but Painting As A Pastime is luggage important.
#4 Beautiful Star by Yukio Mishima
This 1962 science fiction book by Japanese author Yukio Mishima was recently translated, and I found a copy at an Airbnb in Thailand. Just sitting there in a bookcase with some comics. Holy moly! This has everything! UFOs, nuclear war, immaculate conception, that barely scratch the surface. There is something peaceful and decidedly alien about this book. This isn’t your mother’s science fiction.
#5 A The Last Coin by James P. Blaylock
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I must have read The Last Coin a dozen times, and for many years, I gave away a copy or two over the holidays. You feel good after reading this. I’m not a Christian, so it isn’t that. Literary treasure, pick up a copy and enjoy!
#6 The Crook Factory by Dan Simmons
Oh man! It seems like I’ve recommended this book before! I know! But you didn’t read it last time, so I’m doing it again, in the hope that you will finally listen to me. Cuba. Hot as hell. It’s WW2. Earnest Hemingway is hell bent on chasing subs in his boat, and Hoover, that creepy FBI dickhole, sends a spy to keep an eye on things! This book rocks! It’s a summer read bonanza!
#7 Zodiac- The Eco Thriller by Neal Stephenson
Snow Crash. The Cyrptonomicon. Those are the early Stephenson books you might recognize. Termination Shock, a newer work, is fantastic. But go back, if you will, to young, electric Neal. This was his second book and this is where the genius begins to show. This is a timely read as well. You’ll see…
#8 The Ministry For The Future
This fine novel has been one of my seasonal picks for nearly a year. I’m leaving it up again because it deserves to be read by everyone. The Science In The Capital Books cemented my great admiration for this visionary futurist. After you read those books, you’ll have new and valuable insights into the politics of climate change, the utility of science, the interconnected nature of ecosystems, and so much more. The Ministry For The Future is the most carefully researched, hopeful, and even beautiful work by this master of the craft.
"If I could get policymakers, and citizens, everywhere to read just one book this year, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future." —Ezra Klein
#9 Gone Bamboo by the great Anthony Bourdain
You know the late Anthony Bourdain from TV or Kitchen Confidential (a read that sadly does not stand up to time) but here is an early effort of his at a crime novel and it’s FUCKING GREAT! This guy could write. Check it out and see some of this magnificent man’s passion in a different context.
#10 The Entanglement by Alva Noë
Here is a book that every artist should read, and I don’t just mean visual artists. There’s something here for everyone who makes anything.
#11 Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Station Eleven! What a fine novel. This work has real flavor to it. Hugely human in the best way. I’m pleased to say that the HBO adaptation of this material is incredibly entertaining as well. Everything about this world, both the literary and it’s HBO offspring, is worth looking into.