John H Gardner
@johnhgardner.bsky.social
Lifetime goal for reading: all winning books / novels (fiction and non-fiction) for Pulitzer, National Book Award, Hugo, Nebula and Locus (SciFi & Fantasy). Gamer since Atari 2600 days.
Book 67: The System of the World, Volume 3 of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson (2005 Locus SciFi winner, along with volume 2) Finally completed a 10-month journey through Stephenson’s world-spanning, cast-of thousands epic.
November 1, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Book 67: The System of the World, Volume 3 of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson (2005 Locus SciFi winner, along with volume 2) Finally completed a 10-month journey through Stephenson’s world-spanning, cast-of thousands epic.
Book 66: Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by David J. Garrow (1987 Pulitzer for Biography) Recommended. A detailed blow-by-blow account of the history of MLK Jr and SCLC from the Birmingham bus boycott to MLK Jr’s assassination.
November 1, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Book 66: Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by David J. Garrow (1987 Pulitzer for Biography) Recommended. A detailed blow-by-blow account of the history of MLK Jr and SCLC from the Birmingham bus boycott to MLK Jr’s assassination.
Book 65: Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Dorn (1939 Pulitzer for Biography). This was finished a couple weeks ago but failed to log it. This is the second Pulitzer of two possible read on Franklin (the first by William Cabell Bruce in 1918)
October 20, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Book 65: Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Dorn (1939 Pulitzer for Biography). This was finished a couple weeks ago but failed to log it. This is the second Pulitzer of two possible read on Franklin (the first by William Cabell Bruce in 1918)
Book 64: Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe. Considered by some to be the runner-up for the 1930 Pulitzer for Fiction (to La Farge’s Laughing Boy). Wanted to read this since reading Wolfe’s biography by David Herbert Donald. This book is now in the public domain.
October 5, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Book 64: Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe. Considered by some to be the runner-up for the 1930 Pulitzer for Fiction (to La Farge’s Laughing Boy). Wanted to read this since reading Wolfe’s biography by David Herbert Donald. This book is now in the public domain.
Book 63: All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (2017 Nebula and Locus Fantasy winner, 2017 Hugo finalist). Recommended. Getting smothered at work, so it was nice to be able finish this somewhat surreal apocalyptic tale to get away from it for a bit. Another great testimonial from Chabon.
October 2, 2025 at 12:39 AM
Book 63: All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (2017 Nebula and Locus Fantasy winner, 2017 Hugo finalist). Recommended. Getting smothered at work, so it was nice to be able finish this somewhat surreal apocalyptic tale to get away from it for a bit. Another great testimonial from Chabon.
Book 62: Jade City by Fonda Lee (2017 Nebula finalist). Recommended. Looking forward to the next two installments in this trilogy.
September 21, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Book 62: Jade City by Fonda Lee (2017 Nebula finalist). Recommended. Looking forward to the next two installments in this trilogy.
Book 61: Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser (1997 Pulitzer for Fiction, 1996 National Book Award finalist). Recommended. I think I’m becoming a fan of the Bildungsroman, especially those like this, well written.
September 20, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Book 61: Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser (1997 Pulitzer for Fiction, 1996 National Book Award finalist). Recommended. I think I’m becoming a fan of the Bildungsroman, especially those like this, well written.
Book 60: No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era by Jacqueline Jones (2023 Pulitzer for History) Recommended. I wonder if UT lit up the tower for their professor emerita. They should have for this insightful microhistory.
September 14, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Book 60: No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era by Jacqueline Jones (2023 Pulitzer for History) Recommended. I wonder if UT lit up the tower for their professor emerita. They should have for this insightful microhistory.
Book 59: The Terminal Experiment by Robert J Sawyer (1996 Nebula winner, Hugo finalist). This is first novel I’ve read by this author.
September 14, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Book 59: The Terminal Experiment by Robert J Sawyer (1996 Nebula winner, Hugo finalist). This is first novel I’ve read by this author.
Book 58: Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin (2009 Locus Fantasy Award). Recommended. Reminded me of an earlier read, Wolfe’s Solider of the Mist.
September 9, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Book 58: Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin (2009 Locus Fantasy Award). Recommended. Reminded me of an earlier read, Wolfe’s Solider of the Mist.
Bi-monthly update of lifetime reading goal (as of August 31st, 2025):
August 31, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Bi-monthly update of lifetime reading goal (as of August 31st, 2025):
Book 57: The Way West by A. B. Guthrie, Jr. (1950 Pulitzer for Fiction). The Oregon Trail Pulitzer. Guthrie is also known for his screenplay of Shane, one my favorite Westerns from childhood.
August 31, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Book 57: The Way West by A. B. Guthrie, Jr. (1950 Pulitzer for Fiction). The Oregon Trail Pulitzer. Guthrie is also known for his screenplay of Shane, one my favorite Westerns from childhood.
Book 56: The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin (Locus 1972 Novel winner) Recommended. Another well-narrated book by George Guidall. One of my favorite authors, Michael Chabon, had a great promotional blurb, captured in the Alt text of the photo.
August 31, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Book 56: The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin (Locus 1972 Novel winner) Recommended. Another well-narrated book by George Guidall. One of my favorite authors, Michael Chabon, had a great promotional blurb, captured in the Alt text of the photo.
Book 55: The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of US History by Ned Blackhawk (2023 National Book Award for Nonfiction) Highly recommended. A contrast with Frederic L. Paxson’s 1925 Pulitzer for History of the American Frontier: 1763-1893, a read from last year.
August 28, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Book 55: The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of US History by Ned Blackhawk (2023 National Book Award for Nonfiction) Highly recommended. A contrast with Frederic L. Paxson’s 1925 Pulitzer for History of the American Frontier: 1763-1893, a read from last year.
While I’m glad that they notify you of expiring titles (included in membership), I wish Audible did a better job of 1) giving more sufficient notice and 2) enablement of push notifications of such expirations. I had several appear at once in the past day.
August 26, 2025 at 3:53 PM
While I’m glad that they notify you of expiring titles (included in membership), I wish Audible did a better job of 1) giving more sufficient notice and 2) enablement of push notifications of such expirations. I had several appear at once in the past day.
Actually, the book that dude is holding is pretty fun (Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces). While I did read that earlier this year the most fun was had reading Miéville’s Bas-Lag trilogy, especially Perdido Street Station.
August 21, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Actually, the book that dude is holding is pretty fun (Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces). While I did read that earlier this year the most fun was had reading Miéville’s Bas-Lag trilogy, especially Perdido Street Station.
Book 54: The Confusion by Neal Stephenson (2005 Locus SciFi winner). Stephenson goes globe trotting in the 2nd volume of the Baroque Cycle. Together with The System of the World, the 2-book set makes up the longest single year science fiction winner (Willis’s Blackout/All Clear is a distant second).
August 16, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Book 54: The Confusion by Neal Stephenson (2005 Locus SciFi winner). Stephenson goes globe trotting in the 2nd volume of the Baroque Cycle. Together with The System of the World, the 2-book set makes up the longest single year science fiction winner (Willis’s Blackout/All Clear is a distant second).
Book 53: King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (2024 Pulitzer for Biography) Recommended. This is a good overview, notably for capturing the emotional moments of Dr King’s orations. I’ll be curious to see how this compares to an earlier 1987 Pulitzer by David J Garrow.
August 10, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Book 53: King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (2024 Pulitzer for Biography) Recommended. This is a good overview, notably for capturing the emotional moments of Dr King’s orations. I’ll be curious to see how this compares to an earlier 1987 Pulitzer by David J Garrow.
Book 52: Henry James, Volume 5, The Master: 1901-1916 by Leon Edel. Recommended. I took a day off from work and finished the capstone volume of Edel’s biography, which took him 20 years to complete, finishing my own 6 month, 2000+ page journey into a literary figure I knew very little about.
August 8, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Book 52: Henry James, Volume 5, The Master: 1901-1916 by Leon Edel. Recommended. I took a day off from work and finished the capstone volume of Edel’s biography, which took him 20 years to complete, finishing my own 6 month, 2000+ page journey into a literary figure I knew very little about.
Book 51: Washington’s Crossing by David Hackett Fischer (2005 Pulitzer for History) Recommended. Superb account of the 1776-1777 New York and New Jersey campaigns, including the battles at Trenton and Princeton. Complete with extensive appendices, maps, art, footnotes and historiography.
August 3, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Book 51: Washington’s Crossing by David Hackett Fischer (2005 Pulitzer for History) Recommended. Superb account of the 1776-1777 New York and New Jersey campaigns, including the battles at Trenton and Princeton. Complete with extensive appendices, maps, art, footnotes and historiography.
Book 50: The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. Recommended. This year, I’m reading several outside of the lifetime goal but are the lead up novels to others winners in the series. Stross’s Laundry Files, Corey’s Expanse, Miéville’s Bas-Lag trilogy, Fonda’s Green Bone Saga and Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle.
August 2, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Book 50: The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. Recommended. This year, I’m reading several outside of the lifetime goal but are the lead up novels to others winners in the series. Stross’s Laundry Files, Corey’s Expanse, Miéville’s Bas-Lag trilogy, Fonda’s Green Bone Saga and Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle.
Book 49: World’s Fair by E. L. Doctorow (1986 National Book Award) Recommended. First book I’ve read by this author. Reminded me of watching The Plot Against America, with similar time and setting.
August 2, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Book 49: World’s Fair by E. L. Doctorow (1986 National Book Award) Recommended. First book I’ve read by this author. Reminded me of watching The Plot Against America, with similar time and setting.
Book 48: Abaddon’s Gate by James S A Corey (2014 Locus Science Fiction Winner). The only single novel of the Expanse universe to win one of the three awards I’m tracking to, though it did win the Hugo for best series in 2020.
August 2, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Book 48: Abaddon’s Gate by James S A Corey (2014 Locus Science Fiction Winner). The only single novel of the Expanse universe to win one of the three awards I’m tracking to, though it did win the Hugo for best series in 2020.
Book 47: The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross (2013 Locus Fantasy winner) Recommended. Finished back on Friday, with a few days to spare (before in leaves Audible membership on Tuesday).
July 27, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Book 47: The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross (2013 Locus Fantasy winner) Recommended. Finished back on Friday, with a few days to spare (before in leaves Audible membership on Tuesday).
Book 46: The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner (1995 Pulitzer General Nonfiction). Recommended. A layman’s view into the constant, observable process of evolution in the world, in our backyard and in ourselves.
July 19, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Book 46: The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner (1995 Pulitzer General Nonfiction). Recommended. A layman’s view into the constant, observable process of evolution in the world, in our backyard and in ourselves.