Believe it or not, I do more than just improvise and play computer games. I had a goal of reading 25 books this year and think I’ll probably fall short. The four in this roundup get me to 16. I should definitely get to 20 though.

Without further ado.

Let’s Not Do That Again by Grant Ginder: This is my third Grant Ginder book, and I loved it. The subject matter is a little more weighty than his other ones, but it is underpinned like the first two by family drama. There is always messiness around the corner. This time it just affects American democracy. I feel like this is a product of some of the dark stuff that is happening in our world. Life is a little more serious than college professors having affairs or people hating their stepfamily. But I loved it nonetheless and can’t wait to keep delving into his work.

24 Hours in Ancient China by Yijie Zhuang: This book completes my journey through this 24-hour series. I have read similar titles that took a look at life in Rome, Greece and Egypt. I really like this format. I don’t know what other cultures they could do this with, but I would be all in if they did some more. Each chapter represents an hour in the day, and you get a good collective look at a society by the end. By placing this one in the second decade of the Common Era, it provides an opportunity to learn a lot about Chinese history. I may have liked this one the best because of that.

Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, May 1-July 4, 1776 by William Hogeland: I got this as a Christmas present. I really enjoyed taking a deep dive into a short period of American history. Basically, Samuel Adams was a devious little SOB. I loved learning some of the ins-and-outs of how things changed so quickly leading up to July 1776. The book is super heavy on footnotes, many of which just refer to what sources he used to develop his theories. Those aren’t super helpful for a non-academic reader, but he also provided context in the footnotes a lot. Sometimes as with nonfiction, I had trouble keeping track of the players, but he circled back a lot and really gave a good picture of the time.

Schooled by Ted Fox: About 2/3 of the way through, I was sick of the main character. He seemed whiny and incapable of handling his own life. Then things started to turn, and I really enjoyed the way the book wrapped up. So many people can relate to the petty bullshit of school politics. This took them a little more seriously than the ones I ever had to deal with, but I know the characters. I found myself deep into the story even if I wanted to shake some sense into Jack every once in a while. A good, fun read.