I Read Over 100 Books This Year and These Were My Favorites (& The Big Board of Books - 2019, Part 2)

When 2019 started, I put a goal in my head of reading 100 books by the end of the year. Even for me, someone who reads a not insignificant amount, I genuinely approached the goal with a sense of laughter* at even the thought of it, much less the actual possibility of attainment. 

Here are my takeaways if you're considering reading one book or one hundred books:

1. Select a book based on your own personal curiosity. It doesn't matter the genre, subject matter, or reviews. Pick the best book for you.
2. Acquire a public library card.
3. To gain the most from a book, Be emotionally open to being transported to a different world and a different viewpoint.
4. Find a place to read that maximizes your ability to focus and reflect. Location matters.
5. If you're reading a significant amount, there will be trade-offs. As you increase your investment in reading, you'll need to decrease your investment somewhere else. 
6. Don't underestimate e-books! The ability to receive books immediately, read them on a lightweight e-reader, and carry multiple books simultaneously allows increased flexibility in when and where you read.
7. Your friends and colleagues are outstanding resources for books recommendations.
8. Share what you learn with others.

In the end, achieving my goal of reading 100 books in 2019 became quite simple, as the quality of outstanding literature continues to be stellar across a broad range - from Celeste Ng's amazing ability to build immersive plots and characters (Little Fires Everywhere, Everything I Never Told You), to enthralling real-world accounts of major events, including the Ebola outbreak (Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in history, and of the Outbreaks to Come) and the Chernobyl disaster (Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster), to books on the development of technology (The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America, One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to The Moon), and finally to books that delve into human performance (Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead). Here are...

The Best Books I Read in 2019:

Non-fiction

• A.I.: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order - Kai-Fu Lee - Kai-Fu Lee's book on AI! Required reading for anyone interested in the history of AI, machine learning, why China may win the future of AI, and how we need to think about what jobs will be affected the most by AI (hint: it's not about white collar or blue collar).
• Becoming - Michelle Obama - Michelle Obama's outstanding biography, includes her life growing up on the Southside of Chicago all the way to time in and after the White House. If you've spent a considerable amount of time or lived in Chicago, like I have, this book will connect with you even more.
• Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead - Jim Mattis & Bing West - I’ve seen a considerable volume of books during the last decade on different aspects of leadership based on studies or what someone espouses without actual personal testing, but I’ve seen very few, and none this straightforward, written based on hardened personal experience and continuous learning. Highly recommended.
• The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America – Margaret Pugh O’Mara - A sweeping history of Silicon Valley. Includes the influence of local culture, business, politics, and even the military.
• Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in history, and of the Outbreaks to Come – Richard Preston - A completely gripping account of the 2013-2014 Ebola epidemic. A must read. If you’re picking just a few books to read, this should absolutely be one of them.
• Educated - Tara Westover - The memoir of Tara Westover, who was born in a survivalist family in rural Idaho and eventually earns her PhD from Cambridge. This book will resonate with you and then resonate some more. Extremely powerful.
• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World and Why Things are Better Than You Think - Hans Rosling with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund - This book takes the world from black and white and helps you re-shape your vision for how we should measure the progress of the world. Clear and easy to understand.
• How to Change Your Mind: What the new Science of Psychedelics Teach Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence - Michael Pollan - Beyond phenomenal. An amazing read for anyone interested in the mind, consciousness, and our perspective on the world. I couldn't put this down.
• Madame Fourcade’s Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Lead France’s Largest Spy Network Against Hitler – Lynne Olson - The little-known true story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, who led the most crucial spy network for the Allies in Europe.
• Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and A Mother’s Will to Survive – Stephanie Land - A memoir of a single mother taking care of herself and her daughter by working as a housekeeper. A story of struggle that everyone should read as inequality continues to increase.
• Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster – Adam Higginbotham - A masterpiece review of the Chernobyl disaster that dives into not only the technical and human errors, but the political, military, and secrecy involved. This should come with a warning that you will not want to take a break once you start reading.
• The Moment of Lift - Melinda Gates - Melinda Gates' call to action for women's empowerment. Melinda leverages data and an engaging personal narrative to show us how the most important, and powerful, thing we can do to improve society is to empower women.
• One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to The Moon – Charles Fishman - The definitive book on America’s space program and subsequent landing on the moon. Excellent.
• Packing for Mars: The Curios Science of Life in the Void – Mary Roach - An absolutely enjoyable, easily approachable, and humorous take on all the fascinating and weird aspects of space travel. 
• The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women - Kate Moore - I was so glad this story was finally written. It focuses on the hundreds of women who toiled away in radium dial factories in the early 20th century, the mysterious illnesses and death that followed, and the eventual legal challenges that led to regulations and numerous safety advancements in the nuclear age.
• Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World – David J. Epstein - The author reviews his findings that generalists, not specialists, and more likely to excel to the top of their field.
• Robin - Dave Itzkoff - Robin Williams first caught my attention with his performance in Dead Poets Society. This outstanding biography goes from his childhood, to stand-up, to TV and the movies, to his bouts with addition and recovery. But, this biography's most successful aspect is in its ability to help you dive into the true psyche of Robin Williams.
• The Sun Does Shine: How I found Life and Freedom on Death Row - Anthony Ray Hinton - The author was wrongly convicted and spent nearly 30 years on Death Row until his sentence was overturned. Did you know that 1 out of every 10 individuals on Death Row is innocent?
• Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber - Mike Isaac - NYTimes writer Mike Isaac’s super excellent (pun intended) investigative report on the rise of Uber. 
• The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump – Andrew McCabe - Extremely well written memoir by former FBI director Andrew McCabe. The book reviews his career all the way until his time working under President Trump.
• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departed - Bronnie Ware - Bronnie worked for years as a caregiver to the elderly and shares the top 5 regrets they shared with her toward the end. If you're looking for perspective in life, it's a great reminder of what really is important.
• The World As It Is - Ben Rhodes - The New Yorker review summarized this book perfectly that this is the "closest view of Obama we're likely to get until he publishes his own memoir". It's also a joy to read, which is not surprising as Ben Rhodes was first a speechwriter in the White House.

Fiction

• The Cartel - Don Winslow - Book two of the Power of the Dog series. It brings the characters and plots forward from the first book, adds additional layers, and much like the first, it'll be tough not to want to finish this the day you start it.
• Dark Matter - Blake Crouch - Time travel Sci-Fi done extremely well.
• Death's End - Cixin Liu - The Everest of Sci-Fi. The final book of the Three Body Problem trilogy and a complete Sci-Fi Masterpiece.
• Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng - I picked this up because of how outstanding Little Fires Everywhere was. This was just as good. Both of Celeste’s books were among my favorites for the year.  
• A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles - This appeared to be the most popular fiction book in 2019, based on the number of recommendations I received for it and the number of people who I witnessed reading it. The story of Count Alexander Rostov throughout the 20th century. Magnificent character and plot development.
• The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah - You need to be emotionally prepared to read this. Easily, the most depressing and intense book I read in 2019. Also, one of the most powerful. I can’t recommend this book enough, but again, make sure you’re ready for it.
• Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng - Wow. Celeste Ng is beyond brilliant. Amazing character and plot development.
• The Power of the Dog - Don Winslow - The outstanding first book in the Power of the Dog series that delves into the US and Mexico Drug War. A work of fiction based on actual history, politics, and in-depth research on the logistics of the Drug War. The book presents an outstanding layering of multiple characters and narratives throughout.
• Vertical - Rex Pickett - The superb follow-up to Rex Pickett's Sideways. Even more humorous and engaging.

The Big Board of Books - 2019, Part 2:

For the last few years, I’ve published a Big Board of Books review on LinkedIn of everything I’ve been reading. In that tradition, here is the complete list of the 50+ books I read in the second half of 2019, included with a general subject area, my rating, and a quick overview. 

Hopefully, at least one book inspires and connects with you.

For a complete list of the books I read in the first part of 2019, go here:

The Big Board of Books Rating Scale:

***** = Run, don't walk, to the library immediately!

**** = Excellent

*** = Good

** = Fair

*= Bleh

Non-fiction

Biography – Crime

****Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee – Casey N. Cep – The main story’s focus is Harper Lee’s investigation to learn about a murder in Alabama, while the book also provides a biography of the reclusive Harper Lee.

Biography - Health & Fitness

***Rough Magic: Riding the World's Loneliest Horse Race - Lara Prior-Palmer – 19 year old Lara participates in the Mongol Derby…and wins. It’s a 1,000 kilometer race across Mongolia on horseback, so there’s absolutely an intriguing crowd of characters.

***The Sixth Man: A Memoir – Andre Iguodala – Autobiography of Andre Iguodala, the sixth man of the Golden State Warriors.

**Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman – Yvon Chouinard – Yvon Chouinard, climber and founder of Patagonia, shares his story and his thoughts on business.

Biography – Medical

***Living and Dying in Brick City: An E.R. Doctor Returns Home – Sampson Davis – Dr. Davis’s memoir focused on the medical and political issues confronting inner cities, with a focus on Newark, NJ.

Biography – Military

*****Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead – Jim Mattis & Bing West – I’ve seen a considerable volume of books over the last decade on different aspects of leadership based on studies or what someone espouses without actual testing, but I’ve seen very few, and none this straightforward, written based on hardened personal experience and continuous learning. Highly recommended.

***Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations – William H. McRaven – The autobiography of William H. McRaven, a Navy SEAL, who went on to oversee the capturing of Saddam Hussein and killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Biography - Political / Historical

*****The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump – Andrew McCabe – Extremely well written memoir by former FBI director Andrew McCabe. The book reviews his career all the way until his time working under President Trump.

****The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir – Samantha Power – Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, reflects on her life, from Irish immigrant to Harvard to working for President Obama.

****A Fighting Chance – Elizabeth Warren – Senator and Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren’s biography, focused on her background and work in Washington.

Biography - Other

*****Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and A Mother’s Will to Survive – Stephanie Land – A memoir of a single mother taking care of herself and her daughter by working as a housekeeper. A story of struggle that everyone should read as inequality continues to increase.

Business

*****Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World – David J. Epstein – The author reviews his findings that generalists, not specialists, and more likely to excel to the top of their field.

**Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language – Gretchen McCulloch – An exploration on the evolution of language since the birth of the Internet.

**Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials - Malcom Harris – A millennials’ investigation into why my fellow millennials are the way we are. There are salient points, but the author used the phrase “a lot” so often to describe things that I left with no idea of the actual degree of importance for each area. My summary of the book: “A lot” of variables caused “a lot” of millennials, like myself, to act “a lot” of new ways.

History

***** Madame Fourcade’s Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Lead France’s Largest Spy Network Against Hitler – Lynne Olson – The little-known true story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, who led the most crucial spy network for the Allies in Europe.

****An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 – Rick Atkinson – Book focuses on the lesser discussed, but ultimately extremely pivotal, invasion of North Africa and the first time the Allies worked together.

****The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to Present - David Treuer – Highlights both the hardships and the achievements of Native Americans in the 20th century. An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is still one of the best books overall I’ve ever read, but this is book is a welcomed in-depth look at the Native American experience.

****Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up – Tom Phillips – A quick summary of one point of history that this book reinforces…never, ever make Genghis Khan angry. Just don’t. Fun book to read.

****The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West – David G. McCullough – Focuses on the settling of the Ohio wilderness. 

****Ten Restaurants That Changed America – Paul Freedman – Do. Not. Read. While. Hungry. A must read if you’re into food, but also very interesting as well to understand the changing landscape of the American social scene.

***The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi-occupied France – Seth Meyerowitz – Book follows the 6 months of constant escape and movement after Arthur Meyerowitz is downed in Europe during WWII.

Medical

*****Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in history, and of the Outbreaks to Come – Richard Preston – A completely gripping account of the 2013-2014 Ebola epidemic. A must read. If you’re picking just a few books to read, this should absolutely be one of them.

****Nine Pints: A Journey Through the Money, Medicine, and Mysteries of Blood – Rose George – A wide-ranging book on blood that covers everything from blood donations, to leeches, to traditions and myths.

***Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind – Annaka Harris – An overview of our understanding of consciousness.

Natural disasters

****Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of the El Faro – Rachel Slade – True story and a completely engaging account of the disaster of the El Faro, a cargo ship that sank near the Bahamas in 2015 during a hurricane.

Politics

****American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race - Douglas Brinkley – The political perspective of the 1969 landing on the moon and the events leading up to it.

****Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City – Matthew Desmond – A Harvard sociologist personally moves to the inner city (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) to better understand poverty and eviction in America.

Self-Improvement

****Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed – Lori Gottlieb – Psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb’s semi-biography which focuses on the therapeutic process for both patients and herself.

***The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative – Florence Williams – Investigation into the positive power of nature (Trees! Water! Birds!) on our well-being. A worthy read.

**The Passion Paradox: A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success, and Discovering the Benefits of an Unbalanced Life – Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness – The positives and negatives of following a life of passion.

*A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose – Eckart Tolle – After 100 pages, I still had no idea what this book was talking about. Avoid.

Technology & Science

*****The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America – Margaret Pugh O’Mara – A sweeping history of Silicon Valley. Includes the influence of local culture, business, politics, and even the military.

*****Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster – Adam Higginbotham – A masterpiece review of the Chernobyl disaster that dives into not only the technical and human errors, but the political, military, and secrecy involved. This should come with a warning that you will not want to put it down.

*****One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to The Moon – Charles Fishman – The definitive book on America’s space program and subsequent landing on the moon. Excellent.

*****Packing for Mars: The Curios Science of Life in the Void – Mary Roach – An absolutely enjoyable, easily approachable, and humorous take on all the fascinating and weird aspects of space travel. 

*****Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber – Mike Isaac – NYTimes writer Mike Isaac’s super excellent (pun intended) investigative report on the rise of Uber. 

***Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World – Joseph Menn – The untold story of the oldest, most elite hacking group in the US.

Travel

****Lonely Planet: Japan – Guess where I was this year?** 

***Lonely Planet: Kyoto – Clue #2. Top tip: If you’re in Kyoto, check out the Eikando Zenrin-ji Temple.

***Lonely Planet: Tokyo – Final clue. If you’ve arrived at this point and you’re thinking to yourself that Japan would be an amazing place to visit, you’re absolutely correct. Japan is stunning.*** It’s one of those rare places, like Hawaii, where you are guaranteed to have a fabulous experience. In fact, I might just be booking another flight as I type this. Better news if you speak French: It felt like the entire country of France was in Japan based on the number of French speakers I heard. Visiting Japan made me want to learn Japanese…and French.****

Fiction

Classic

****And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie – It’s an Agatha Christie mystery, and an excellent one at that. You should read it.

****In Cold Blood – Truman Capote – Considered by many as the most famous true crime novel ever. Starts extremely strong, but then Capote goes a bit too much James Fenimore Cooper and really lengthens the latter half of the book.

Crime

****The Border – Don Winslow – Final book in the “Power of the Dog” trilogy and still the best fiction trilogy I’ve read since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

****The Force – Don Winslow – Extremely well written and highly recommended fictional account of the undercover NYC Police Department.

****The Winter of Frankie Machine – Don Winslow – I really went overboard on Don Winslow this year, but when you’re looking for a fast-paced, thriller, Winslow should be one of your first picks (Side note: If you haven’t read Ludlum, read Ludlum). Frankie Machine has the depth and emotion that was missing in Bobby Z and you’ll read it in one sitting or plane flight.

**The Death and Life of Bobby Z – Don Winslow – Story of a prison inmate who is released based on his physical appearance to a legendary California drug dealer. Fast-paced and easy reading.

Drama

*****The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah – You need to be emotionally prepared to read this. Easily the most depressing and intense book I read in 2019. Also, one of the most powerful. I can’t recommend this book enough, but again, make sure you’re ready for it.

*****A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles – This appeared to be the most popular fiction book in 2019, based on the number of recommendations I received for it and the number of people who I witnessed reading it. The story of Count Alexander Rostov throughout the 20th century. Magnificent character and plot development.

*****Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng – I picked this up because of how outstanding Little Fires Everywhere was. This was just as good. Both of Celeste’s books were among my favorites for the year.  

*****Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng – Wow. Celeste Ng is beyond brilliant – amazing character and plot development.

****The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Diaz – Part historical non-fiction, part life story of fictional character Oscar De Leon. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, but I’d place it as very good, not great.

****Kitchens of the Great Midwest – J. Ryan Stradal – The story of Eva Thorvald, who goes from abandoned child to a once-in-a-generation chef. Definitely worth picking up if you’re into food.

****Lincoln in the Bardo – George Saunders – The easiest way to describe this is to visualize Abraham Lincoln visiting an Adult-Only Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Yeah, I didn’t think it would work either. But, it does. 

Science-fiction

****The Circle - Dave Eggers – This novel chronicles one girl’s experience working for The Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company. The narrative may not be the strongest, but the ideas on privacy and democracy are profound.

**The Calculating Stars – Mary Robinette Kowal – Alternate history book that focuses on the early Space Race and sexism of the mid-20th century.

Thriller

***Out of the Dark: An Orphan X Novel – Gregg Andrew Horowitz – The next book in the Orphan X series. I didn’t find this one to have the pacing or depth of the previous novels, but still a fun read.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

*Wait, how much time did I spend reading this year?! Here's a quick estimate on how much time I spent this year reading: (104 books)*(100,000 words / book)*(1 minute / 500 words) = 20,800 minutes. That's two weeks, non-stop. Okay, deep breath. Moving on... I estimated my reading speed at 500 words per minute and estimated each book to be 100,000 words in length (the average book length and I over-index in non-fiction so the word count is likely higher).

**This is the only book I purchased in all of 2019 as I wanted a paper copy to carry around Japan. Of course, that was my original plan. I ended up outlining all the main points before my trip, developing my own itinerary, and in the end, leaving the book behind to save weight and freeing myself to be fully engaged with the environment. 

***I’ve been asked frequently what my favorite part of Japan was and my answer is the “thoughtfulness”. Every aspect of your experience in Japan, from your hotel, to a restaurant, to transportation, has been thought through with the joy and comfort of the end user in mind. My second favorite part – transportation. Japan is by far the easiest place I’ve ever traveled in my life. Need to go somewhere? There will be a train station two minutes away and that train will be arriving exactly on time. 

****My favorite story of how failing to speak French put me in a hilarious situation: I love France (Paris! The TGV! The Alps! The food! The wine! The museums!) and one day I was walking around Lyon, about 15 years ago, and a lady followed me for two blocks due to her disbelief that I did not understand French; the entire time she walked next to me was spent telling me that I did speak French (she said this in English), which was news to me. She finally gave up, either because I started walking even faster or that I was extremely stubborn in not speaking French, which again, I still didn’t know. Then again, on the same trip an Italian guy, in…Italy, tried to sell me designer apparel in Italian out of his car, while also refusing to believe I wasn’t Italian. I’m hoping this confusion helps me clear customs faster in the future. Speaking of customs confusion, the Brazilian customs team thought I was Brazilian a few years ago and put me in the local line. That was exciting, until it wasn’t. 

The End. See you in 2020 and let me know any books you recommend.