Recap of my reading for the 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge. I read 50 Books this year, hitting my target exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I look back at what I’ve read this past year I’m struck (once again) by how the collection is all over the place. I’ve got a handful of classics, a slew of biographies, a few business\/management titles, and what might only be described as self-help. There’s much less fiction than usual\u2013but there are a few. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s only one book that I’d strongly discourage anyone from reading, ‘Decluttering’. It’s a bad knockoff of the famous Marie Kondo book on the same theme. Read the original<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present<\/a> by David Treuer<\/a> Nigger<\/a> by Dick Gregory<\/a> Principles For Dealing With the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail<\/a> by Ray Dalio<\/a> Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents<\/a> by Isabel Wilkerson<\/a> Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader\u2019s Guide to the Real World<\/a> by Marcus Buckingham<\/a> & Ashley Goodall<\/a> Doom Guy: Life in First Person<\/a> by John Romero<\/a> The Complete Maus<\/a> by Art Spiegelman<\/a> Recursion<\/a> by Blake Crouch<\/a> Liar’s Poker<\/a> by Michael Lewis<\/a> Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism<\/a> by Amanda Montell<\/a> The Souls of Black Folk<\/a> by W.E.B. Du Bois<\/a> Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life<\/a> by Marshall B. Rosenberg<\/a> The Maxx, Vol. 1<\/a> by Sam Kieth<\/a> & William Messner-Loebs<\/a> Treasure Island<\/a> by Robert Louis Stevenson<\/a> Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman<\/a> by Yvon Chouinard<\/a> Hip Hop Family Tree, Vol. 1: 1970s-1981<\/a> by Ed Piskor<\/a> Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman<\/a> by James Gleick<\/a> The Psychology of Money<\/a> by Morgan Housel<\/a> Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America<\/a> by Julia Lee<\/a> Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food<\/a> by Chris van Tulleken<\/a> Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc.<\/a> by Jeff Tweedy<\/a> Man\u2019s Search for Meaning<\/a> by Viktor E. Frankl<\/a> The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail\u2014But Some Don’t<\/a> by Nate Silver<\/a> The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels<\/a> by Michael D. Watkins<\/a> Basketball is Jazz: Stories and Lessons From a Basketball Lifer<\/a> by David B. Thorpe<\/a> Happy-Go-Lucky<\/a> by David Sedaris<\/a> The Economists’ Hour: False Prophets, Free Markets, and the Fracture of Society<\/a> by Binyamin Appelbaum<\/a> Project Hail Mary<\/a> by Andy Weir<\/a> Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win<\/a> by Jocko Willink<\/a> & Leif Babin<\/a> Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow<\/a> by Gabrielle Zevin<\/a> The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure<\/a> by Jonathan Haidt<\/a> & Greg Lukianoff<\/a> Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution.<\/a> by Bren\u00e9 Brown<\/a> Eat, Pray, Love<\/a> by Elizabeth Gilbert<\/a> Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters<\/a> by Richard P. Rumelt<\/a> Lucky Me: A Memoir of Changing the Odds<\/a> by Rich Paul<\/a> The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man<\/a> by John Perkins<\/a> A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020<\/a> by David Sedaris<\/a> Everything I Never Told You<\/a> by Celeste Ng<\/a> The Year of Magical Thinking<\/a> by Joan Didion<\/a> The Baron in the Trees<\/a> by Italo Calvino<\/a> How to Design Fonts<\/a> by Blaze Type<\/a> I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer<\/a> by Michelle McNamara<\/a> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m aiming for 50 again this year. Wish me luck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recap of my reading for the 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge. I read 50 Books this year, hitting my target exactly. After three years of failing to hit my goal, I finally got back on track. As I look back at what I’ve read this past year I’m struck (once again) by how the collection is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[22],"tags":[43,46,44],"class_list":["post-4715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal","tag-books","tag-goodreads","tag-reading"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2023-Reading-Challenge.jpg?fit=2400%2C1766&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4715"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4786,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4715\/revisions\/4786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The books I really loved this past year
(in the order I read them)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
This is one of the books I should have read years ago. I don’t know what I was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’d heard of Dick Gregory but didn’t know much about his story or work. Underrated is the easy shorthand, but he’s more than that\u2013without him, there’s no Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, or Dave Chapelle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opinions on this book are very divided, but I enjoyed the approach and analytical breakdown of our messy world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was one of those Oprah books. It also happened to win dozens of other literary prizes and it’s very deserving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn’t expect a business book could be so human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did not expect a video game developer biography to be this great. Yes, I had certain expectations and this surpassed them all by a great distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s embarrassing that I hadn’t read this already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I never heard of this book, picked it up by way of Libby at random and it was really damn good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m a fan of Mr. Lewis, but I never read the book that made him famous. I get it, although I already kind of knew it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nI’m glad I read these
(in the order I read them)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
This book should probably be mandatory reading these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is another book that feels long overdue for my list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This book gets mentioned a lot in certain circles. It’s a little woo-woo, but there’s a point of view on language, communication, and relationships that are worthwhile and thought-provoking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read this when it came out and loved it then\u2013I enjoyed it again, 20+ years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn’t read many (OK, any) of the books I was supposed to read in high school. I don’t remember if this was assigned or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think what you will about people that wear Patagonia. This book isn’t about them. It’s about how being focused on what you are making and why can lead to something bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This book has been on my list forever. I’m really glad I finally made the time\u2013now I have to read the three other volumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James Gleick’s ‘Chaos’ was one of the first books I read that got me interested in reading again. Richard Feynman is a character that I could read about on and on. This combination is great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This book gets referred to on so many financial podcasts and Mr. Housel makes the interview rounds consistently because of this book. It’s really good, but I was hoping for more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m not sure how to describe this book, so I’ll borrow from the publisher, “A passionate, no-holds-barred memoir about the Asian American experience in a nation defined by racial stratification.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our whole food system is jacked\u2013this probably isn’t news. What was new to me was some of the science is evolving on how we understand how we process it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m not a huge Tweedy fan but I enjoyed the backstory that led him to the place where he is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s a long list of smart people and podcasters who name this book as their favorite. It’s an important book and valuable, but you’ll need to be in the right frame of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nate Silver made his name predicting elections and it’s cool to read someone in their element (in his case, data).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few months after I started my new job someone recommended this book. The timing could have been better, but the concepts, frameworks for breaking down the complexity of a new job, and tools in this book are invaluable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The title alone is great. I’ve been a long-time subscriber to True Hoop (where Mr. Thorpe works) and finally got around to reading his book. It’s not for everyone (if you aren’t a hardcore basketball lover, this may not land for you) but I really enjoyed the bite-sized stories, insights, and coaching concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sedaris isn’t for everyone. I enjoy the edge, the cynical, honest, and always clear way he breaks down his own life. This one starts before the pandemic and takes you along the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why would anyone of a sane mind read a history of economists? That’s a fair question. But, the financial world has changed dramatically since the 60s, and it impacts us in ways that it didn’t before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘The Martian’ made people aware of Mr. Weir. This book is way more fun and sci-fi fantasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As someone who manages people, I try and take in all points of view on the subject. This book comes up a lot but I kind of ignored it for some reason. I shouldn’t have. It’s a well-organized concept with great ideas and no-nonsense style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This book won all kinds of praise in 2022. If you like video games and love (yes, love) then this book is for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This book examines three great untruths: your feelings are always right; you should avoid pain and discomfort; and you should look for faults in others and not yourselves. This book states these as the guiding laws of the day and their destructive influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You’ve seen the TED talk and you’ve heard the key quote, “People are doing the best they can.” There are lots of good reasons that everyone read this in 2015. I didn’t, but glad I finally caught up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe I should call this whole list, “Books everyone else read already.” I didn’t watch the movie either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read this one with a reading group at work. This is usually a recipe for disaster. The book proved different with solid insight and concrete steps for action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The book is actually from this year\u2013whoa. This book was promoted heavily and I’ll usually avoid books like that. But, I’m a basketball nerd, and Mr. Paul’s influence there is undeniable. Almost all of the story here takes place before Rich meets LeBron James, which actually makes it worth reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If twenty percent of this book is true then the world is way more messed up than I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wish I had the discipline to write every day. The diaries of David Sedaris are an amazing record, especially if you enjoy his humor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn’t know anything about this book. I stumbled onto it through the Libby app. It details race, family, and self-discovery equally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don’t know when I first heard the title of this book. It’s one of those titles that entered the mainstream and stayed. I was surprised it was about grief, and managing life amid chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read the more famous Calvino book (Invisible Cities) in college and enjoyed it. I also have a fascination with tree houses so the title drew me in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This book is free. Go get it and make a font.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone knows about this book and its tragic story. The crimes and the author’s backstory are unreal. Don’t be distracted by the noise\u2013the book is amazing on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n