In 2019, I set a goal to read 3 books a month. I like to beat goals and so I read 42. This is the most that I can remember ever reading.
Below is the list, most of them were great. Typically these lists link to amazon as a place for purchase. Last year I switched to the public library. So no links are provided, but copy and paste into your local library search bar to quickly see what is available.
The more I read, the more I discover many people read much more than I do (even now that I am reading the most I ever have). Ever a generalist, this is another example of a time when, as I go deeper, I learn that compared to so many I have hardly scratched the surface.
Luckily, reading is not a competition.
Books vary so much in depth, complexity and length that counting the numbers doesn’t really mean anything. I still haven’t finished Seneca (1 book) and likely won’t this year, even as I pick away at it. But it is fun to set goals for myself (or nothing) so this year I hope to read the same or more.
Favourites
- “In Defence of Food” by Michael Pollen
- “The Enlightenment of an Idealist” by Samantha Power
- “The World As It Is” by Ben Rhodes
- “Astroball” by Ben Reiter
- “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight
- “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawkin
- “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie” by Alan Bradley
- “Factfulness” by Hans Rosling
- “The Power Of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact” by the Heath brothers
- “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande
- “Where’d You Go Burnadette?” by Maria Semole
- “The Mists of Avalon” by Marion Zimmer Bradley (re-read)
- All the Harry Potter (re-read)
- Tarran the Wanderer Series by Lloyd Alexander (re-read)
- “Three Body Problem” by Liu Cixin
- “Coders” by Clive Thompson
Complete List
Non fiction
- A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkin
- In Defence of Food by Michael Pollen
- Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy by David Sheff
- Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
- Astroball by Ben Reiter
- The Lean Start Up by Eric Ries
- Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E Hofman
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
- Just the Funny Parts by Nell Scovell
- The world as it is by Ben Rhodes
- Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
- Factfulness by Hans Rosling
- The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Dan and Chip Heath
- Change by Design by Tim Brown
- The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
- Coders by Clive Thompson
- The History of the World in Seven Cheap Things by Raj Patel and Jason W Moore
- The Enlightenment Of An Idealist by Samantha Power
Fiction
- Dear Mrs.Bird by AJ Pearce
- The Third Twin by Ken Folliott
- Three Years With the Rat by Jay Hosking
- Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
- Bonfire of the vanities by Tom Wolfe
- Where you go burnadette? by Maria Semole
- Above All Things by Tanis Rideout
- The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (re-read)
- Men without Women by Haruki Murakami
- Three body problem by Cixin Liu
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling
- Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander
- High King by Lloyd Alexander
- Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets by J.K Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling
- The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
- Harry Potter and the Half blood Prince by J.K Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling
- American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
- The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley /nov
- Lucinda’s Secret (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 3)
by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi - The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4)
by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi - The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 5)
by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi