Many hardbound books background, selective focus
For anyone who follows online chatter and social media channels, you know there are topics that often rise to the surface. The following books were the ones that tended to appear most in my feed with links, discussions, and opinions. I read many of the trending books and picked the ones that were the most insightful and interesting for the year, my top picks in a crowded field.
1. Mystery: A Seduction, A Strategy, A Solution
If there’s one thing that impressed me most about this book about discovering mystery in our lives, it’s the eye-opening details. The author must have spent many long hours learning about baseball rules and conspiracy theories, turning it all into a compelling narrative.
2. Where the Light Fell: A Memoir
A memoir is sometimes a mere explanation of chronological events. Not so with Where the Light Fell, at once a deconstruction of fundamentalist faith but also an incredible yarn with twists and turns. The author also reveals in the end that faith eventually took root in his own life.
3. Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy
There is true mastery at work with this history book about George Washington's travels during his presidency. Nathaniel Philbrick weaves in his own story traveling with his wife on the same route and to the same towns. It’s richly entertaining and informative.
4. Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace
I’ve written several times this year about how misinformation is rampant on social media. This book explains why we believe lies in the first place. The author includes some intricate explanations, including one that made my jaw drop about how we perceive reality.
5. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
If there’s one book you should read about marketing a new product, building an amazing company, or starting a new career it’s Think Again. The book is about rethinking what works and which strategies make sense, with examples that make you think twice.
6. Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service
There’s something amazing about any book that can recount the history of an organization that is secretive and a bit obscure. This book about the forming of the Secret Service has rich details from multiple eras, including a wrap-up chapter about the Trump years.
7. Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive
I have an affinity for any books about working with purpose (especially since I’m about to release a book with a similar bent). Jordan Raynor nailed it this time with a book about viewing work with purpose through a faith-based lense.
8. Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation
Robots are here to stay, and we might as well get used to them. That’s my takeaway from this profound book about how automation and algorithms will help us thrive, even if we won’t always understand our silicon-based brethren.
9. Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer
I enjoyed the book Extra Life so much I actually read it a second time, trying to figure out how it was constructed and why it was so insightful. Author Steven Johnson has a gift for turning the mundane (say, fertilizer or penicillin) and explaining how it changed society for good.
10. The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present
Few books captured my imagination like this compendium by Paul McCartney. He gracefully and artfully recounts how his most beloved songs came about. One surprise to me was just how much he cherished the time he had with John Lennon, often his co-writer, and misses him so much.
