2019 Book Reviews
I started off 2018 with bold resolutions to rise at 5AM every single day, consume at least 20 books, and why not: regain my 6-pack abs from years ago. Fast forward to December 31, 2018, waking up to the sun around 9:30AM to find my fleeting 6-pack and a mile-high stack of half-read books on my bedside table.
I set out to make 2019 different, at least when it comes to reading. Rather than setting a hard and fast goal, I decided to build habits that supported the lifestyle of continual learning that I sought through reading. I am proud to say that this led to me completing nearly 30 books this year! Ordered by my personal ranking, I share my summarized review of each book below. If you have read, or are interested in any of these books, I’d love to discuss with you further. And, I welcome suggestions for my 2020 list.
1. Linchpin, Seth Godin
Linchpin is a front runner for my favorite consumed this year. Seth Godin homes in on what it means to show up consistently as a game-changer in your work. There are thousands of mantra worthy quotes in the book but I’ll just share one. “Artists are people with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a way of getting things done.” I mean come on, if that doesn’t make you want to go out and get after it!
2. Atomic Habits, James Clear
This one is truly a gem and comes in as my #2 read of the year. I’ve heard rumblings of Columbus native James Clear and Atomic Habits from friends who know him, but for some reason, I waited almost an entire year to pick up this book. James is capable of clearly (no pun intended) uncovering critical habit-building truths. Many people write about habits, but Clear sets his writing apart by diving into nuances of habit building and providing highly practical tools that anyone can employ to level up on the daily. This is the kind of book that can literally change your life.
3. Essentialism, Greg McKeown
The deeper I got into this book the more I learned about myself and the dissonance between the non-essential habits I’d developed early in life to the essentialist mindset our family is working to home in on. I’ve never read a work that outlines essentialism as clearly as this book. Highly recommend if you are interested in the idea of essentialism even in the slightest.
4. The Last Pirate of New York: A Ghost Ship, a Killer, and the Birth of a Gangster Nation, Rich Cohen
A historical non-fiction gritty gangster crime story with the backdrop of late pirate culture. This book checks all the boxes for me. I was captivated by the storyline and the intriguing writing that follows a sea-bound criminal on the run from murder, theft and himself.
5. Less, Rachel Aust
On the minimalist and essentialism kick, I read this one in a single sitting thanks to the interesting text layouts and imagery throughout to exemplify the concepts Rachel addresses. In the end, I took a couple of concepts and applied directly to my day to day life and pursuit of essential living. Def worth the hour or two it will take you to digest.
Take-away quote: “Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all.” — Nathan W. Morris
6. Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
My first Gladwell read did not disappoint. The writing is the perfect balance of science and art. This book unpacks the concept of the adaptive unconscious, or the mental processing that happens automatically with little to no information. Gladwell uses real life examples to demonstrate the pros and cons of this split second thinking, how we can harness it for the better and avoid pitfalls it presents as well. An excellent thinking book that packs an intellectual punch.
7. The Cider Revival: Dispatches From the Orchard, Jason Wilson
This one may seem left field for my reading list, but I have long been a cider fan so when I came across a book dedicated to unpacking the dense history and budding rebirth of the industry I had to pick it up. Wilson paints a wide-ranging tale of cider culture from the Finger Lakes to West Coast to Basque region of Europe. Throughout the book, Wilson eloquently peppers in fact-based critique of our current political leadership in relation to the hospitality and alcohol industry. Props to you, Jason Wilson.
8. The Virgin Way, Richard Branson
I mean, it’s Richard Branson, come on. This felt like a really honest self-analysis of a lot of Sr. Richard’s success. Throughout, he maintains a humble stance and preaches his ever-present approach of challenging the status quo while strategically mitigating risk. Certainly worth a read for those who are entrepreneurially minded.
9. Finish, Jon Acuff
I recently stumbled across Jon and this book came at a time when I really needed it. His voice is comedic and light but offers noteworthy and actionable insight. This book is key for anyone who is struggling to get ish done, or if you need an extra kick in the pants to stop procrastinating.
10. The Achievement Habit, Bernard Roth
Bernard Roth, a founder of Stanford’s d.School, is a true expert in design thinking. The Achievement Habit offers highly practical mental frameworks for supporting positive habits. This book is a fantastic introduction to applying design thinking to day-to-day life and offers applications for organizations as well.
11. A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control, Gregory Lopez and Massimo Pigliucci
I have loosely identified with the stoic philosophy over the past few years and decided to take a step toward better understanding its roots and fundamentals. This book did not disappoint as a broad introduction to stoicism and provided tactical ways to implement this time-tested philosophy in modern day.
12. Creative Calling, Chase Jarvis
Chase is one interesting dude. In this book, he follows his creative arc and passion finding experience to layout a guide on creativity. Most of this book is predictable and been done before, but Chase layers in stories and experiences that are worth the read.
13. Running That Doesn’t Suck: How to Love Running (Even If You Think You Hate It), Lisa Jhung
A practical guide to running written in choose-your-own-adventure style. I’ve been slowly trying to fall in love with running and this book helped to affirm some baseline knowledge to build on through practice in 2020.
14. Small is the New Big, Seth Godin
From his daily emails to completing his alternative course, “The Marketing Seminar” in 2018, I have long been a Seth Godin loyal. This collection of essays and parables was released over 10 years ago, but it is still incredibly relevant and packed with thought-provoking nuggets true to Godin’s dogma, highlighting the benefits of focusing on quality over quantity + connection over scale + empathy overall. I highly recommend picking this up when you are seeking poetic and poignant challenges to the status quo to shake up your view of your world/work.
15. Hunting Charles Manson: The Quest for Justice, Lis Wiehl
I am not a huge true crime fan, but come on, how can you resist a good Manson book? Written from the perspective of a former federal prosecutor, this book covers the entire Manson story. From origin and upbringing, to the crimes, to the prosecution and how the public opinion influenced the case. It is a great high level overview of the man and the family as well as a deep dive into pivotal moments in the timeline.
16. Own the Day, Own Your Life, Aubrey Marcus
Founder and CEO of Onnit Aubrey Marcus outlines his guide to optimizing life. While I have to admit I’ve reached maximum capacity on books written by “successful” people telling all of us how they do it, I still read them because there are often nuggets that can be applied or learned from. I took away from this book one simple daily habit that I have since implemented and thoroughly enjoy: start each morning with a glass of lemon + salt water to kickstart the system. There you have it, now you don’t have to read it yourself 🙃
17. We Are Pirates, Daniel Handler
One of the few fiction books of my year and the final book I completed in 2019. From the author also known as Lemony Snickett, this book follows a family on the fritz through one wild story full of modern day pirating, twists/turns, and family dynamics illustrated through fantastically distracted writing. The story moves fast and keeps you engaged and guessing all the way.
18. 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, Al and Laura Ries
I picked this book up in the midst of leading a major rebranding project to sure up blindspots and pillars of the branding process. As a long-standing industry staple, the information is not new, but important. Just like any profession, it is important to fully understand the “laws” in order to creatively work within them and oftentimes, strategically break them. This book lays out the rules so you can shake things up.
19. Permission Marketing, Seth Godin
The idea of permission marketing (alternative to interruption marketing) is the backbone to a lot of Seth Godin’s gospel. This book lays out the mindset and cements it through stories told in the way only Seth can. Note that this book was first published in 1999, so it certainly contains its fair share of outdated references but it is still a required read for any marketers who seek to make real impact.
20. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant
Adam Grant is a behavioral and organizational psychology wiz and I cannot get enough of his perspective. This book is no different. In Originals, Grant shares research backed approaches to sharing original ideas and getting them to spread. From corporate adoption of innovative ideas in the form of a “trojan horse” to the simple concept of how to think outside the box, Adam’s thoughts will challenge your perspective and open up new ways you approach work.
21. The Magic of Thinking Big, David Schwartz
This book is a staple in the “self help” realm, and it is honestly pretty lackluster. The core concept is, you guessed it, dream big to achieve big. This book was groundbreaking at its release but this idea that our mental approach influences our life is a widely understood, accepted and implemented concept today. Still, a great book to digest and ground yourself with.
22. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg
Another book on my deep dive into the science of habit and ritual in 2019. Duhigg presents a couple of great concepts such as keystone habits (a single action that triggers many habits/actions) and habit loops (cue, routine, reward) that help to reframe the way we approach habit building and re-building. A solid read in the realm of habits.
Take-away quote: “Once you know a habit exists, you have the responsibility to change it.” - Charles Duhigg
23. Thunderstruck, Erik Larson
Larson is behind one of my favorite books of all time, Devil in the White City, and this is the second of his pieces I have picked up. I was slightly disappointed in this piece as it was slower than I had hoped; however, it is ridiculously, historically rich. I look forward to exploring more of Larson’s works in the coming years.
24. Do Over, Jon Acuff
I dove into this book directly after getting hooked by Jon’s writing style in Finish. In Do Over, Jon presents the concept of a CSA (Career Savings Account) that allows you to be prepared for changes (unexpected and planned) that may occur in your career. There are some great tips on how to organize and understand your network and how to build a community and body of work that supports you throughout a lifelong career. I have to mention that this book came after Jon mysteriously left his “dream job” with Dave Ramsey. Coincidence? I think not…
25. The Latte Factor, David Bach
A budgeting ideology staple. Nothing new here, but something that we all need to be reminded of every once in a while. David breaks down the simplicity of saving and owner vs. consumer mentality through a story reminiscent of those horribly cheesy Hallmark holiday flicks.
26. Loonshots, Safi Bachall
Read more like a research paper on innovators and big thinkers than a presentation of new thinking. Bachall is a physicist and the writing style matches the stereotype. I did enjoy the detail in which Safi explored leaders he admires and the mathematic approach to breaking down the cultures created by these leaders for inspiring big ideas. Overall, I found the book to be redundant and dull at times but sprinkled with valuable insight for leaders who want to create space for loonshots to flourish.
27. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, Mark Manson
While I tend to agree with the main argument* (*today’s culture has taken us away from what truly matters), Manson’s approach feels like a bull in a china shop when it comes to getting his point across. His presentation comes across insensitive and lacking empathy. I am sure that this tone resonants with a more blunt audience, but it was not my choice brew.
28. Be More Pirate, Sam Conniff Allende
This book grabbed my attention with the title and topic but quickly disappointed. In my opinion, the author made questionable stretches to connect pirate culture to the modern day business/entrepreneur mindset. The core framework is built around the idea of approaching our work through the lens of pirate code of conduct. As an enthusiastic student of pirate history and culture, I think that the author made light of the fact that pirates were responsible for some horrible and unthinkable acts. Translating buccaneer bylaws to corporate core values feels like a disservice to the history and a stretch, in my opinion. I finished feeling like the goal was to take advantage of the buzz around “pirates” and “rebels” to stand out among other business books and culture consulting.
Go get ‘em,
Derek