Goodreads with Garrett: Book Recommendations for Passionate Readers

With wintertime rolling around, there is no better time to snuggle up with a good book and immerse yourself in a new world. I have read quite a few books this year (I counted around 83) so I figured with my splurge reading it was time to express my favoritism towards books I read this year.

1. The Confident Writer by Constance J. Gefvert

Have you struggled with essay writing or even just writing in general? Gefvert’s handbook seeks to break this struggle with tips and tools used by successful writers. The handbook details basic and advanced grammar structure, while also detailing more specific details like sentence structure and organization. In later chapters, there is a more specific focus on different types of writing including Research Writing and Professional Writing. If you find yourself struggling with essays or simply want to expand your toolbox as a writer, I cannot recommend Gefvert’s book enough.

2. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking’s masterpiece of a book details the expansion and creation of the universe. While this topic might seem more STEM or Physics heavy, Hawking’s explanations and detailing are open to any reader of interest. The book details the origin and development of our Universe as we know it. Space, Time, Quarks, Black holes, and Gravity, are all topics Hawking discusses in great detail for any potential reader. If you have found yourself questioning the greater questions of our world, I would definitely recommend at least of skim of this book.

3. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

Have you ever wondered how we got here? Not in a metaphysical sense but how have societies developed? How have we advanced beyond nomadic agricultural societies into booming empires of industry and structure? Diamond answers these questions in his award-winning books which detail Eurasian development and societal growth. The Pulitzer Prize winner is a personal favorite book of mine. While Diamond’s writing might read more like a research essay than a novel, the detailing and structure of the book allow for a surreal and enjoyable read that will leave you with more answers than questions.

4. Whoever Fights Monsters by Robert K. Ressler and Tom Shactman

My favorite read of the year is easily this masterpiece of a crime book. Ressler details his time profiling serial murders and the tools and techniques that the FBI used to grow their knowledge of serial killers. It is one thing to watch a show like Criminal Minds or Mind Hunters and see fictionalized examples of serial murderers, it is another thing to read the pioneer of the fight against serial killers. The book details the difference between organized and disorganized offenders, including Ressler’s haunted case of the “Vampire Killer” Richard Chase. Spooky and scarily real, Ressler and Schatman’s book is an example of a great cold winter night read.