2020 Reading List

I set out to read more books in 2020 than I had read in my entire life in one calendar year. Coming off of a 2019 where I read 80 books, I was hoping to possibly hit triple digits. With the pandemic wiping out sports and leaving me with a lot more free time on…

2019 Reading List

I had a few goals coming into 2019 for my personal reading. I wanted to read 50 books after reading 47 in 2018. I wanted to choose a historical subject and read as much on it as I could. I wanted to read as many books by minority authors as by white authors. I accomplished…

2018 Reading List

At the beginning of last year I had a few goals when it came to what I read. I wanted to read at least 30 books. I wanted to alternate between fiction and non-fiction. I wanted to read more minority writers than white writers, and at least as many women authors as men. Looking back…

2016 reading list

I didn’t read as much in 2016 as I did in 2015, but I’m pretty pleased with the amount I put away at any rate. My goal each year is to read at least 20 books which doesn’t seem like that much, but life gets busy, you start hiking all the time, doing the garden,…

Sherman Alexie quotes, anecdotes and one-liners

  Noted Native American author Sherman Alexie spoke in Lakewood recently as part of the Pierce County READS program. During his 90-minute speech and question and answer time, he gave plenty of soundbites sure to rile up nearly anyone. Alexie is both an irreverent and powerful speaker, using coarse language and not caring about offending people…

Sherman Alexie on books, life and editors

After waking up from brain surgery to remove a tumor recently, Sherman Alexie was in his hospital room and his Indian doctor was at his bedside. Alexie turned to him and said, “I bet this is the first time an Indian has scalped an Indian.” No one laughed. The doctor just stared at him. Alexie…