My reading goal this year was 5 books a month. I’m not sure why I chose 5. Probably because I knew I could do it but I’d have to stretch myself.
Reading 5 books a month wasn’t exactly easy, but it wasn’t the blood, sweat, and tears I thought it’d be. I only read what interested me. And I made a few tweaks to my routine so I could spend more time reading, but not feel like I was reading all the time.
Here are some things that helped me hit my goal:
1. Having reasons for reading. My reasons were my biggest ally in keeping me going.
2. Reading 2-3 books at a time. I realized that just because I wasn’t in the mood to read a book, didn’t mean I wasn’t in the mood to read any book.
3. Getting up an hour early to read.
4. Quitting books that weren’t holding my interest. (If I sensed my disinterest was because I wasn’t in the right headspace, I’d come back to it a few weeks or months later.)
5. Reading for 30 minutes to an hour before bed.
6. Varying the book length. If I was reading 2 or 3 longer books one month, I’d squeeze 2 or 3 shorter ones in the peripherals.
7. Consistently growing my personal library. As soon as I finished one book, I’d start another the same day.
I’ve found that I get the most out of reading when I go back through a book and take notes. It’s a simple process: after I read a book, I set it aside for a few weeks. Then, I’ll come back to it, read through the parts I underlined or highlighted, and if there is something that I still think, after a few weeks, is especially interesting, I’ll copy the quote/passage/idea/anecdote/insight onto a notecard.
These notecards are the building blocks of these emails. More importantly, they’re the building blocks of my understanding of the world. So even if I didn’t write, I would still go back through each book and take notes. Why? Because I can’t and wouldn’t want to remember everything I read. But if I can grab a few nuggets of wisdom from each book, if I can write down the insights, if I can keep them close to me and use them to grow as a person…well, other than hanging out with family, I can’t think of a better use of my time.
Anyway, I made a list of my favorite books I read this year. I feel like it’s cliche to say that it was tough to narrow down the list, but it’s true, so I’ll say it: it was tough to narrow down the list.
If I had to pick 9* books (I couldn’t whittle it down further than 9) that I got the most out of, it would be these:
1. How To Be a Stoic by Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca
Made up of a few chapters from 3 of my favorite books on Stoicism—Enchiridion, On the Shortness of Life, and Meditations—this book helped me come to a breakthrough during a frustrating time. Commit once and for all.
2. Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami
I didn’t realize how much I got from this book until—no surprise—I went back through it to take notes. Murakami lays out his writing career: how and why he got started, what’s worth caring about, how he gets ideas for his novels, how he writes his novels, and how he balances life and writing. I took so many notes and lessons. If you’re a writer, read this book.
3. The Daily Pressfield by Steven Pressfield
A 365, one-page-a-day guide to take you from step one of your project to, and through, the finish line. (I read it straight through though—no way was I waiting a year to get to the end.) It’s a distillation of the best advice from Pressfield’s books, podcasts, newsletters, blogs, workshops, interviews, stories, and emails. There’s new writing as well for context and clarity. I just love Steven Pressfield. His writing is straightforward, self-deprecating, kind, and encouraging. At the same time, his message is DEEP and spiritual. If you do any kind of creative work, you’ll want to read this and the rest of his books.
4. How to Think More Effectively by The School of Life & Alain de Botton
A short book that I got a lot out of. A favorite: change the word envy to admire.
5. Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
I was hesitant to read this because I wasn’t sure how transparent it would be. But then I saw that Isaacson referred to Musk as a man-child, and I dove right in. Wow…this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It made me see Musk in a new light. It’s a long book but with the pictures at the beginning of each short chapter, you’ll fly through it. Add the personal and international drama, plots, subplots, lessons, and an inside look at Elon Musk and what drives him, and you get an incredibly difficult book to put down.
6. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
I chanced upon this book in a used bookstore and wow. I’m not sure how I hadn’t heard of this book before. A gem of writing advice from the master himself.
7. Lessons From an American Stoic: How Emerson Can Change Your Life by Mark Matousek
I had a revelation of sorts while reading this. Specifically, the part on Transcendentalism. Matousek describes Transcendentalism as a spiritual rebellion against religious establishments with hierarchical, sexist natures. Its aim is a more direct relationship with God. It “teaches that spiritual intermediaries are unnecessary for maintaining a close connection with God.” Wow. I finally have a name for something I’ve long felt but could not put into words. I’m eager to learn more about Transcendentalism and very grateful to have found this book.
8. Going Infinite by Michael Lewis
This was the first Michael Lewis book I’ve read, and I’ve since bought a few more. This dude is hilarious. In Going Infinite, he tells the story of the aloof, bankrupt FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. Lewis’s descriptions of Sam are gold. For instance, when Sam was placed on house arrest, his parents bought a guard dog from Germany that could kill on command. The only people who knew the command were his parents. Sam didn’t care to know the command because he didn’t care to know much of anything outside of his businesses. That he lived in his own world would be an understatement. As Lewis writes, “It would be very Sam Bankman-Fried-like to be killed by his own guard dog.” This book made me laugh and was a pleasure to read.
9. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
It’s incredible how calm, with literal bombs dropping all around them, these people were. Their calm inspired my own; while in the thralls of this book, I distinctly remember a noticeable absence in place of the tension I normally felt in my chest at the sight of an “urgent” email. The best thing that I got from this book though was in the Sources and Acknowledgments section at the end. Larson tells us why he decided to add another book about Winston Churchill to the public collection, what he was curious about himself, and how he made this Churchill book different from all the rest.
Here are some others that I read for the first time that I especially loved:
The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks
An Emotional Education by The School of Life & Alain de Botton
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Painting As a Pastime by Winston Churchill
The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain De Botton
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man by David Von Drehle
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Feynman’s Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
An Emotional Education by The School of Life & Alain de Botton
The Pocket Epicurean by John Sellars
How to Have a Life: An Ancient Guide to Using Our Time Wisely by Seneca
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
Dead Wake by Erik Larson
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Same as Ever by Morgan Housel
*Note: the 9 best books list doesn’t include 3 of my favorite books that I reread this year: Ego is the Enemy & The Obstacle is The Way by Ryan Holiday and Meditations by Marcus Aurelius