Top 10 of ‘21 | Books
10. Show Your Work | Austin Kleon
Super easy read. Would highly recommend it if you are interested in getting into sharing/monetizing creative work!
9. The Monk and the Riddle | Randy Komisar
The storyline of this book is meh, (hustle-y entrepreneurs and VC stuff) but the content and the takeaways were very solid. At a high level, I feel the book advocates for following your passion over gritting and grinding for the dollar- making sure you are optimizing for “enjoying your job” to achieve both personal and professional success.
*Spoiler* there was a wonderful anecdote about a monk that I still think about today. In short, a monk hitched a ride on the main character’s motorcycle to his monastery, which was on the way to the motorcyclist’s destination. It was quite a long ride, he didn’t say a word the whole time. Although the main character was doing this as a good deed, in hopes of good karma, the monk was quite inconvenient and added much more time to reach their destination- stopping to eat and rest at alternative points to the riders. Once the monk got to his monastery…he walked in and walked right back out to the main character’s motorcycle…the “head monk” insinuated that he wanted a ride back to where the main character had picked him up…of course, this was very frustrating. However, he gave in, and on the way back- he actually noticed the beauty of everything he rode past. The sunset. The buildings. The sand. Everything that was in front of him on the way there, that he took for granted. This was one of the first books that encouraged me to value the journey > destination. Thank you to Profesor O. for the recommendation when I was struggling with the whole “what do I do with my life!?" season.
8. Tuesday’s with Morrie | Mitch Albom
Ug. A favorite. In a similar vein as the last book, the importance of relationships in life, struck a chord with me. I was, and still have, some of the “hustle” type tendencies that Mitch had early on in the book/his career. This book made me laugh, cry, and intentionally slow down to take inventory of my life. This book also put some more of my proverbial stock behind the saying, “relationships are the economy of life.” Thank you to Ev and Sel for the rec.
7. Ready Player One | Ernest Cline
Ahh yes, fiction. I really dug this book. Although I didn’t directly coincide with the author’s timeline, I still got many of the videogame and media references, and it made me feel very nostalgic. A simple story that I enjoyed getting lost in.
6. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance | Robert M. Persig
Oh Bobby P. This was one of the toughest “study” books I have ever read. The book is so dense and deep that I know I will read it many times over my lifetime and extract different meanings. During my original read-through, I remember rereading some pages 3-5 times just to try to understand what he was trying to convey.
What originally pulled me to the book was the title- “I am going to go on a cross-country motorcycle trip too!” Rather than the expected practical touring advice, I got a philosophy sandwich sprinkled with cryptic rhetoric and actionable motorcycle maintenance advice on the side. For dessert? Bits and pieces of plot that I could follow. This book has had a strange yet positive impact on me. From classical and romantic thinking to the notion of quality - the ghost of Phaedrus haunts me as I trudge through the Gumption of Life.
5. Harry Potter Series | J.K. Rowling
I hadn’t read a lick of the HP series prior to my senior year of college and I didn’t even finish the movies until last month in Austin. This series sustained the fiction half of my reading schedule throughout 2021 and rekindled a love for reading (a love that was buried deep in the ashes of middle school’s Battle of the Books and mandatory high school assignments). Thank you Jo for lending me your precious books and sharing the magic.
4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck | Mark Manson
Mark Manson. A dude that truly does not give a fuk. This was one of my first BookTalk books I read with my friend Mitchell. Although Mark can be a bit blunt and borderline insensitive, that is the primary appeal. I appreciated his honesty and “cut-through-the-bullshit” prose. I learned a lot from the book and there were so many practical takeaways for a recovering spread-too-thin-people-pleaser like me. The only issue is that it is so much easier to discuss and think about those takeaways and a lot harder to implement and take action on.
3. Man’s Search for Meaning | Viktor E. Frankl
Another book that I will continue to reread throughout my life. Purpose. The source of your will to live. What humans need at a core and fundamental level to not only survive but thrive. Victor delineates this message through visceral Holocaust stories. A book that I hope everyone will experience at least once in their life.
2. The Anthropocene Reviewed | John Green
I had so much frikin fun reading this book. It is a great read, and very easy to pick up and consume. This book made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me a lot of joy. This isn’t a recommend or not recommend list…but I highly recommend it.
1. Greenlights | Matthew McConaugey
It was very hard to pick a favorite. Heck, there were so many great books I read this year, but if we are picking the “best of the best,” Greenlights did it for me. I first listened to it on my own. Loved it. Then, I listened to it with Brennan and Matiss on the way to Colorado. Loved it. Then, it was the first book I checked out from the Public Library in Austin (The preacher of culture gave them a few extra copies). Loved it. And then finally purchased it on my own so I can skim, take notes, and keep with me to read and reread the rest of my life. I’ll be honest, I hardly knew anything about Matthew, apart from alright, alright, alright and that one WoWS scene. I first learned that he wrote a book because I stumbled upon his Tim Ferriss podcast episode and was intrigued by his voice and how he told his stories. I downloaded the audiobook, and was mesmorized by how he could spin nonfiction to feel like a fiction fantasy. It further deepened my appreciation for author’s narrarating their own stories! This memoir juiced my lemons.
Greenlight.
Honorable Mention:
The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho
I’ll be honest, my sister just read this book and it reminded me that I also read this book in 2021! Another sis and Evan rec, so it had to make the list. This was a beautiful story that hit on enjoying the journey, having patience, and being in tune with the language of the world.
If you made it here to the end, I appreciate you. Thank you as always :)
As you may have noticed, these are affiliate links! As a small fish and wanna-be-writer, if you do happen to click through and purchase any of these books- thank you x2 :)