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.
This is a great book alongside Jonathan Eig’s recent biography on King. The latter gives significant credit to Garrow in his acknowledgments. Another good accompanying book is Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff’s The Race Beat.
November 1, 2025 at 1:01 PM
This is a great book alongside Jonathan Eig’s recent biography on King. The latter gives significant credit to Garrow in his acknowledgments. Another good accompanying book is Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff’s The Race Beat.
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.
I believe he’s currently the oldest living Pulitzer Prize recipient (across fiction or nonfiction) at the ripe age of 97.
November 1, 2025 at 12:06 PM
I believe he’s currently the oldest living Pulitzer Prize recipient (across fiction or nonfiction) at the ripe age of 97.
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)
Correction: I no longer believe this is the case (Daniel Howe and M.A. Howe are related). Seeing the latter’s son mentioned in Arthur Schlesinger Jr.’s book on RFK (Mark DeWolfe). Further searching found no familial connection between Mark and Daniel and thus not Mark Antony and Daniel.
October 19, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Correction: I no longer believe this is the case (Daniel Howe and M.A. Howe are related). Seeing the latter’s son mentioned in Arthur Schlesinger Jr.’s book on RFK (Mark DeWolfe). Further searching found no familial connection between Mark and Daniel and thus not Mark Antony and Daniel.
Just can’t beat guys with hatchets standing by to stop a nuclear meltdown in the middle of Chicago.
October 10, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Just can’t beat guys with hatchets standing by to stop a nuclear meltdown in the middle of Chicago.
Can’t disagree with this example - always liked the story of Vanderbilt funding and planning a foreign invasion force under Sylvanus Spencer (great name) to take down Walker. My candidate: The Chicago Pile experiment, brilliantly told by Richard Rhodes in his The Making of the Atomic Bomb.
October 10, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Can’t disagree with this example - always liked the story of Vanderbilt funding and planning a foreign invasion force under Sylvanus Spencer (great name) to take down Walker. My candidate: The Chicago Pile experiment, brilliantly told by Richard Rhodes in his The Making of the Atomic Bomb.
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.
Acknowledging that correspondence (personal& business)has changed over time, but I’ve never seen an example approaching this level of detail. The closest I can think of is the end of Grant’s Memoirs and his - almost poignant - descriptions of late stage throat cancer. This…was not poignant.
September 15, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Acknowledging that correspondence (personal& business)has changed over time, but I’ve never seen an example approaching this level of detail. The closest I can think of is the end of Grant’s Memoirs and his - almost poignant - descriptions of late stage throat cancer. This…was not poignant.
Yep! You and Professor Oshinsky was what I was thinking of when I made the comment. I thought that was pretty cool when I heard that they did that.
September 14, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Yep! You and Professor Oshinsky was what I was thinking of when I made the comment. I thought that was pretty cool when I heard that they did that.
I think I’m classifying this work correctly as a microhistory as it seems to have the characteristics of one, but I’m open to being corrected.
September 14, 2025 at 4:11 PM
I think I’m classifying this work correctly as a microhistory as it seems to have the characteristics of one, but I’m open to being corrected.
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.
I believe you’re correct on the latter point. It was also my 15 msec of fame: was in the stands when they filmed the finale of Rudy during the halftime of the ‘92 Boston College game.
September 13, 2025 at 4:03 PM
I believe you’re correct on the latter point. It was also my 15 msec of fame: was in the stands when they filmed the finale of Rudy during the halftime of the ‘92 Boston College game.
ngl, that certainly helps. When we went empty nesting a couple years ago, time magically appeared. I suppose the next big bump will come when I eventually retire. Maybe I would break 100 then, for the full year though. Also, same here on the audio which helps with the long commute (and exercise).
September 12, 2025 at 5:35 PM
ngl, that certainly helps. When we went empty nesting a couple years ago, time magically appeared. I suppose the next big bump will come when I eventually retire. Maybe I would break 100 then, for the full year though. Also, same here on the audio which helps with the long commute (and exercise).
Agreed on the 182 books. That’s a staggering amount. Admittedly, I do take time to play video games and watch a couple TV shows, but even if I cut that out, I’d still be off by an order of magnitude.
September 12, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Agreed on the 182 books. That’s a staggering amount. Admittedly, I do take time to play video games and watch a couple TV shows, but even if I cut that out, I’d still be off by an order of magnitude.
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.
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.
Was also a Hugo and Nebula finalist in 1972 as well.
August 31, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Was also a Hugo and Nebula finalist in 1972 as well.