I’ve been totally inspired by several friends and family members who read books each year and share their lists and a few thoughts and reflections. This year I’m joining in! (Thanks to all of you for motivating me). Full disclosure, I didn’t actually “read” any of these books this year, I listened to them on Audible. Nevertheless, in the rules I have made up, that counts as long as you finish by midnight Dec. 31 in the time zone you’re in.
Here’s my list :
- Leadershift by John C. Maxwell. What an outstanding treasure trove of wisdom, insight, and real life experiences for anyone wanting to be a leader, or even someone like me who just wants to be a better and more effective person at every aspect of life. There’s so much priceless information in this book. The thing I will most remember is the author’s observation that the true leaders that he has met and coached over his many years have one trait in common – they never focus on their own personal success, but instead put every bit of their energy and effort into making sure everyone around them succeeds.
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. What a brilliant exposition on why a person would believe in God. Deep philosophy is way out of my area of expertise, but the author’s perception and rational thinking remind me so much the great scientists and physicists who logical reasoning led us to our modern understanding of the laws of physics. This was a really good book and strengthened my faith.
- The Edge of Physics by Anil Ananthaswamy. This is a truly fascinating account of a reporter’s journey to some of the most remote astronomical observatories and cosmic particle detectors in the world. The science of what they are looking for, and the telescopes and instruments they have constructed for these purposes are beyond anything you could imagine, but just as interesting to me were his accounts of the people who build and run these remote stations. There’s a group of oil field drillers from Texas who drill thousands of mile-deep holes into pure ice in Antarctica with no previous experience to draw from. On the other side of the globe there’s a poorly supported remote detector station at Lake Baikal, Siberia where some of the world’s greatest minds in physics work tirelessly in dreary conditions, but enjoy evenings together smoking cigarettes and drinking vodka. This book offers an eye-opening look into how brilliant humans are, and how “human” humans are.
- The Feynman Lectures on Physics – Volume 1 by Richard P. Feynman. These famous books were indeed actually a series of lectures given by the Nobel prize winning physicist at Cal Tech starting in 1961. The Audible book for this is thus the original recording of the lecture itself. It’s absolutely amazing to listen to the lecture because Dr. Feynman has the strongest Queens New York accent you’ve ever heard. I’ve only heard someone with that much of an accent in a movie, like a cab driver or a dock worker in New York. It’s fascinating to listen to him. You can sense right away that he completely understands quantum mechanics the way we understand how a bicycle tire and inner tube work, yet all the while he’s explaining all of this in a New York rough and tumble accent.
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. What a great book! It’s not at all the kind of book I would have thought I’d ever read, but once I started I couldn’t stop listening to it. This book puts names and stories on abstract concepts I always found easy to be judgmental and certain about. If reading a book is about learning something new and exposing oneself to a different viewpoint, then this was the perfect book for me!
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The story of a young man who goes off into the wilderness isn’t something that would normally grab my interest, but I’ve heard so much about this story and book over the years that I always wanted to read it to see what was so interesting about this particular case. Wow! I found the whole story fascinating from beginning to end. It’s a really interesting story of a person and a family, and about our view of nature. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it!
- Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer. I read this book because Into the Wild was so good, so I decided to get another Jon Krakauer book. Wow! Did I ever learn a lot! Indeed, and why that surprised me is that I am, and I was even more than now, a news junkie, and followed the whole Iraq war events very closely. Nevertheless, I never knew any of the tragic circumstances that made up the complex story of Pat Tillman. I thought he was probably just a good guy with a very narrow and shallow view of geopolitics who meant well when he joined the military, but happened to be unlucky in his tour of duty. Was I ever wrong! He was an incredibly smart and honorable person who was sadly betrayed and used by the system.
I really did enjoy reading all these books, and am so glad I did! I’m looking forward to the books 2020 brings!