“Not All Readers Are Leaders, But All Leaders Are Readers.”
President Truman
Despite the mad rush at the end of the year, I missed my annual reading goal by two books – 50 of 52. It’s a far cry from the 70 I read in 2020, but a reflection of a healthier balance between spending time with others and spending time with my nose buried between two pages.
A few thoughts before I jump into my favorite books from the year:
- I did much of my reading in spurts: six books during a week-long trip to Maine, nine in the two weeks we spent honeymooning in Hawaii. I continued to read most nights before falling asleep, but there were long stretches where I didn’t feel like reading much, and others when I tore through a book a day. Like pretty much any other hobby, my desire to read fluctuated throughout the year.
- I read far less fiction this year than in 2020, but much of it was really good (interspersed with some entertaining garbage as well). Three books were excellent:
- Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
- Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
- Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
- I burned a lot of time wading through historical non-fiction that I wish I could have back. Interesting reads, but information better absorbed via documentary. It’s demoralizing to spend over a month on a book, no matter how good it is.
- Grant – Ron Chernow
- Ben Franklin: An American Life – Walter Isaacson
And now, for the awards…
This Year’s “Just Trust Me”
Neither Here Nor There: Travels In Europe – Bill Bryson
I knew the name, but had never read any Bill Bryson before this year. Huge mistake. His gift for humor is unrivaled, and reading about his trip through Europe – riddled throughout with references to a similar trip he took as a high schooler – is a must read.
“Romans park their cars the way I would park if I had just spilled a beaker of hydrochloric acid on my lap.”
You Can’t Unread This
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
Just Mercy is my favorite kind of book: half memoir and half sociological study. Bryan Stevenson is the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to getting people off of death row. His fight to get Walter McMillan’s guilty verdict reversed is inspiring and infuriating. There’s a whole different world and justice system that many of us are lucky never to encounter, and it’s books like these that help open our eyes to what’s going on.
“The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.”
Ten Great Books In One
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter – Meg Jay
A younger coworker recommended this book to me, and after I read it I spread the word to a handful more. The Defining Decade is a collection of many key concepts in the self-improvement journey, and reading the book at any age is a cheat code to change your outlook fast. Favorite chapters: My Life Should Look Better On Facebook, Being In Like, Calm Yourself.
“The future isn’t written in the stars. There are no guarantees. So claim your adulthood. Be intentional. Get to work. Pick your family. Do the math. Make your own certainty. Don’t be defined by what you didn’t know or didn’t do. You are deciding your life right now.”
Read This Once Per Year
Tiny Beautiful Things – Cheryl Strayed
One of the first things I posted on this website was a summary of my favorite Dear Sugar advice columns, written by Cheryl Strayed. Check out the post, and if you like what you read get the book, which is a collection of her best columns over the years. The hard-to-read truths within are worth revisiting annually.
“I know it’s a kick in the pants to hear that the problem is you, but it’s also fucking fantastic. You are, after all, the only person you can change.”
Short and Sweet
Tribe – Sebastian Junger
This 182 page book examines the struggles veterans face reintegrating into modern society, and in so doing tears that modern society apart. Junger is an awesome reporter who has spent time covering wars overseas, living with the soldiers he writes about. He knows his stuff and his short book will stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
“Humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary. It’s time for that to end.”
See the full list here and my favorites from 2020 here.