307 ratings | 65 reviews | avg rating:4.47

Bill’s Year In Books

Bill’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Bill’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Bill’s Bookshelves

to-read (76)
currently-reading (5)
read (329)
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classics (9)
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Bill’s Friends (97)

Dave Boling

1 book | 118 friends

Peter Rock

193 books | 271 friends

Kevin

1,559 books | 80 friends

Jonathan

87 books | 1,839 friends

Jill

2,584 books | 32 friends

Carol Saller

24 books | 48 friends

Beth Chapple

676 books | 20 friends

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Bill Thorness

Goodreads Author

Born

in Williston, North Dakota, The United States

Website

http://www.billthorness.com

Genre

Nonfiction, Memoir, Travel

Member Since

July 2012

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Bill Thorness's most recent book is All Roads Lead to Rome: Searching for the End of My Father's War a memoir where the author crosses continents and history to retrace his father’s steps on the battlefields of World War II. All Roads Lead to Rome (December 2024, University of Nebraska Press) was named an Independent Book Awards 2025 finalist.

A Seattle-based author, editor and freelance writer, Bill currently focuses on travel, lifestyle and history.

Visit Bill's website billthorness.com and read his Substack newsletter Annotations.

Memoir:
All Roads Lead to Rome: Searching for the End of My Father's War

Join his Goodreads book group related to WWII, focused on the First Special Service Force, the subject of his memoir.

Cycling:
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Bill Thorness’s books

Average rating: 4.19 · 109 ratings · 21 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Cool Season Gardener: Extend the Harvest, Plan Ahead, and Grow Vegetables Year-Round 4.19 avg rating — 32 ratings — published 2013 — 5 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
	Cycling the Pacific Coast: The Complete Guide from Canada to Mexico 4.65 avg rating — 26 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
	Biking Puget Sound: 50 Rides from Olympia to the San Juans by Bill Thorness (Goodreads Author), Bill Woods 3.67 avg rating — 21 ratings — published 2007 — 4 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
	Edible Heirlooms: Heritage Vegetables for the Maritime Garden 4.13 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2009 — 4 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
	POWER: How J.D. Power III Became the Auto Industry’s Adviser, Confessor, and Eyewitness to History by Sarah Morgans, Bill Thorness (Goodreads Author) 3.43 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2013 — 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
	Biking Puget Sound: 60 Rides from Olympia to the San Juans, 2nd Edition really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2014 — 4 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
	All Roads Lead to Rome: Searching for the End of My Father's War 4.43 avg rating — 7 ratings — 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
	POWER: How J.D. Power III Became the Auto Industry's Adviser, Confessor, and Eyewitness to History by Bill Thorness (Goodreads Author), Sarah Morgans, Bill Griffeth (Foreword) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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
	Building green: energy efficiency takes root at habitat for humanity.(Currents): An article from: E 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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
	Avoid environmental case creep into first-party property areana 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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

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Bill Thorness's Blog

Named an Indie Book Award finalist!

I'm proud to report that my book All Roads Lead to Rome: Searching for the End of My Father's War has been named an Independent Book Awards 2025 Finalist.
It's gratifying to have recognition for a project that was ten years in the making.
Thanks very much to my publisher, Potomac Books at the University of Nebraska Press, and the editors and readers who helped me craft my story.

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Published on June 25, 2025 09:30 • Tags: all-roads-lead-to-rome, independent-book-awards, memoir, thorness

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Bill is Currently Reading

Bill Thorness is currently reading

Faith in a Seed: The Dispersion of Seeds & Other Late Natural History Writings

by Henry David Thoreau

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read in September 2022

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May 25, 2026 09:33AM

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Toujours Provence

by Peter Mayle

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May 25, 2026 09:33AM

Bill Thorness is currently reading

Breaking Awake: A Reporter's Search for a New Life, and a New World, Through Drugs

by P.E. Moskowitz

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May 25, 2026 09:33AM

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Bill’s Recent Updates

Bill Thorness rated a book it was amazing Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan	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
Incredible character development in this short novel, achieved through the tiniest of actions and pitch-perfect Irish dialogue.
May 25, 2026 09:36AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness rated a book really liked it Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe	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
May 25, 2026 09:35AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Red Paint by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Red Paint by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness started reading Faith in a Seed: The Dispersion of Seeds & Other Late Natural History Writings by Henry David Thoreau	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
May 25, 2026 09:33AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Faith in a Seed by Henry David Thoreau. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Faith in a Seed by Henry David Thoreau <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness is currently reading Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle	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
May 25, 2026 09:33AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness rated a book really liked it A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness by Michael Pollan (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
May 25, 2026 09:33AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A World Appears by Michael Pollan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A World Appears by Michael Pollan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness rated a book it was amazing Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman (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
Hugely imaginative short pieces on the nature of life and death.
May 25, 2026 09:33AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sum by David Eagleman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sum by David Eagleman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness is currently reading Breaking Awake: A Reporter's Search for a New Life, and a New World, Through Drugs by P.E. Moskowitz	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
May 25, 2026 09:33AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Breaking Awake by P.E. Moskowitz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Breaking Awake by P.E. Moskowitz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness finished reading A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness by Michael Pollan (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
May 25, 2026 09:32AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A World Appears by Michael Pollan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A World Appears by Michael Pollan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness rated a book it was amazing Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman (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
Hugely imaginative short pieces on the nature of life and death.
May 25, 2026 09:30AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sum by David Eagleman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sum by David Eagleman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bill Thorness rated a book really liked it So Far Gone by Jess Walter	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
Another great read by Jess, but with a bit of an unsatisfying end. He picks over the fractured consciousness of our current era, trying to make sense of it all. As with America itself, the end of the story has yet to be written.
May 25, 2026 09:30AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of So Far Gone by Jess Walter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — So Far Gone by Jess Walter <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">