276 ratings | 53 reviews | avg rating:4.21

Michael’s Year In Books

Michael’s 2025 Year in Books

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1,229 books | 53 friends

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872 books | 88 friends

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412 books | 6 friends

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Michael Downs

Goodreads Author

Born

Hartford, CT, The United States

Website

http://www.michael-downs.net

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction

Member Since

January 2012

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Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Michael Downs is the author of three books, including the novel, THE STRANGE AND TRUE TALE OF HORACE WELLS, SURGEON DENTIST (Acre Books, May 2018).

His first book, HOUSE OF GOOD HOPE: A PROMISE FOR A BROKEN CITY, won the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize. THE GREATEST SHOW (LSU Press, 2012), his second book, is a story collection inspired by the famous Hartford Circus Fire of 1944.

With Jim Hock, he wrote HOLLYWOOD'S TEAM: GRIT, GLAMOUR and the 1950s LOS ANGELES RAMS (Rare Bird Books, 2016).

He served as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Kraków, Poland in 2021-22. His other awards include literary fiction fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Maryland State Arts Council, and he has published ...more

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Combine Editions
Michael Downs’s books

Average rating: 4.13 · 104 ratings · 25 reviews · 4 distinct works

	The Greatest Show: Stories 3.98 avg rating — 64 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Strange and True Tale of Horace Wells, Surgeon Dentist 4.56 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hollywood's Team: Grit, Glamour, and the 1950s Los Angeles Rams by Jim Hock, Michael Downs (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 24 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	House of Good Hope: A Promise for a Broken City (River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize) 4.07 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2007 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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Michael is Currently Reading

Michael Downs is currently reading

Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free

by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 10, 2025 06:57AM

Michael Downs is currently reading

Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

by Rainer Maria Rilke

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Dec 29, 2022 06:16AM

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The Turn of the Screw

by Henry James

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Nov 17, 2020 06:23PM

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Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael Downs liked Debbie’s status update Debbie finished reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)
Dec 22, 2025 06:09AM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Downs rated a book it was amazing The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 20, 2025 04:00AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Downs is currently reading Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 10, 2025 06:57AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Claire McCardell by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Claire McCardell by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Downs rated a book liked it Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest (American Music Series) by Hanif Abdurraqib	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 10, 2025 06:57AM · like
Michael Downs rated a book it was amazing The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 28, 2025 05:15AM · like
Michael Downs voted for Baldwin: A Love Story as Readers' Favorite History & Biography in the Final Round of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. Cast Your Vote
Nov 26, 2025 07:27AM · like
Michael Downs is currently reading The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 09, 2025 04:42AM · like
Michael Downs rated a book really liked it Half in Love: Stories by Maile Meloy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 09, 2025 04:42AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Half in Love by Maile Meloy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Half in Love by Maile Meloy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Downs rated a book really liked it People Like Us by Jason Mott (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 30, 2025 06:45AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of People Like Us by Jason Mott. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — People Like Us by Jason Mott <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Downs rated a book it was amazing An Island Out of Time: A Memoir of Smith Island in the Chesapeake by Tom Horton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 18, 2025 05:50AM · like