I started 2019 by setting a goal for myself to read at least fifteen books and I came in two books shy.
The books I completed this year were:
I've already written longer reviews for about a quarter of these books, so I'll keep this post as more of a general summary of my thoughts and will try to circle back around at some point to knock out some longer reviews. I'll also rate each book on a five star scale.
Making of a Manager (3/5)
This was a quick read that I picked up for the Designer Fund book club. It had some common sense management suggestions that are probably useful for managing someone in a tech organization, but that aren't especially useful outside of Silicon Valley.
Becoming (5/5)
I really loved Michelle's book both because it taught me a lot about how she approaches personal growth and really helped me understand who she was as an individual and how she arrived there. I'd love to read this again sometime.
Lincoln in the Bardo (4/5)
My Mom actually suggested I read this last Christmas and I finished most of it on a cross-country plane ride. It's a really fun fictional story about Abraham Lincoln's son crossing into the afterlife. I'd recommend listening to the audiobook because of the incredible cast the author was able to assemble to read for the books many characters.
The Coldest Winter (5/5)
I'd been meaning to read this forever because I love Halberstam and it was the last book he ever wrote before his untimely passing. It's considered one of the more definitive histories of the Korean War and I learned a lot while reading.
Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush (4/5)
I picked this up on something of a whim after the passing of George Bush earlier this year and actually found myself enjoying learning about his background and time in office a great deal. Bush entered office a year after I was born so I really only had an ancillary understanding of his policies and impact and this book helped fill in a lot of gaps.
The Beastie Boys Book (4/5)
Like Lincoln in the Bardo, I'd definitely recommend listening to the audiobook because of the talented ensemble that was assembled to narrate. I've always loved the Beastie Boys and listening to their history as they experienced it was a real treat.
Live from New York: An Oral History of Saturday Night Live (4/5)
I've always been an unabashed fan of Saturday Night Live, and this behind the scenes look at the show, its history, and its many controversies was a fun and quick read. I picked up the second revised edition which was published a few years back and couldn't recommend it enough even for passing fans of the show.
A Man On the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts (4/5)
I funnily enough listened to the audiobook for Man on the Moon while on a solo motorcycle trip up the Pacific coast. The anniversary of Apollo 11 had just happened and I took that as an opportunity to learn more about the Apollo missions in their entirety. If you're a NASA fan you'll be able to knock this out fairly quickly and the history of the lesser known moon missions was fascinating.
Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law (3.5/5)
This was another recommendation from my Mom and I liked it a great deal. I've always enjoyed Preet's podcast and I enjoyed his book even more. It was largely a series of his musings on our modern day system of criminal punishment and on his views of morality.
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (5/5)
This is possibly one of my favorite books I've ever read. It's a deep dive into the impact a single man had on shaping New York City's infrastructure from behind a curtain, and despite the density of the writing, the story itself is quite riveting. You can check out my more in-depth review to learn more, but I really love Caro's writing style.
Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead (3/5)
I love General Mattis but I was a bit bummed that his most recent book read more like a laundry list of his complaints surrounding the political leadership of our country. I'm still a fan of the man, but not necessarily a fan of his writing.
The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson Vol 1) (5/5)
I picked this up in part because my family and I visited Johnson's library while we were in Austin this year, and in part because I enjoyed reading Caro's The Power Broker so much. It's one volume of a four volume series on the life of Johnson and I've already started the second because I liked the first so much.
The Forever War (4/5)
I read this on a whim as a follow up to having read Fiasco a few years back and thought it was really well done. It was an examination of the American misadventure in Iraq, which seems somewhat poignant given the current climate and American hostilities in the country.
A selection of some of my favorite books that I read this year.
- Making of a Manager by Julie Zhou
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
- The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam
- Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham
- The Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz
- Live from New York: An Oral History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller
- A Man On the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin
- Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law by Preet Bharara
- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro
- Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead by Jim Mattis and Bing West
- The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson Vol 1) by Robert A. Caro
- The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
I've already written longer reviews for about a quarter of these books, so I'll keep this post as more of a general summary of my thoughts and will try to circle back around at some point to knock out some longer reviews. I'll also rate each book on a five star scale.
Making of a Manager (3/5)
This was a quick read that I picked up for the Designer Fund book club. It had some common sense management suggestions that are probably useful for managing someone in a tech organization, but that aren't especially useful outside of Silicon Valley.
Becoming (5/5)
I really loved Michelle's book both because it taught me a lot about how she approaches personal growth and really helped me understand who she was as an individual and how she arrived there. I'd love to read this again sometime.
Lincoln in the Bardo (4/5)
My Mom actually suggested I read this last Christmas and I finished most of it on a cross-country plane ride. It's a really fun fictional story about Abraham Lincoln's son crossing into the afterlife. I'd recommend listening to the audiobook because of the incredible cast the author was able to assemble to read for the books many characters.
The Coldest Winter (5/5)
I'd been meaning to read this forever because I love Halberstam and it was the last book he ever wrote before his untimely passing. It's considered one of the more definitive histories of the Korean War and I learned a lot while reading.
Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush (4/5)
I picked this up on something of a whim after the passing of George Bush earlier this year and actually found myself enjoying learning about his background and time in office a great deal. Bush entered office a year after I was born so I really only had an ancillary understanding of his policies and impact and this book helped fill in a lot of gaps.
The Beastie Boys Book (4/5)
Like Lincoln in the Bardo, I'd definitely recommend listening to the audiobook because of the talented ensemble that was assembled to narrate. I've always loved the Beastie Boys and listening to their history as they experienced it was a real treat.
Live from New York: An Oral History of Saturday Night Live (4/5)
I've always been an unabashed fan of Saturday Night Live, and this behind the scenes look at the show, its history, and its many controversies was a fun and quick read. I picked up the second revised edition which was published a few years back and couldn't recommend it enough even for passing fans of the show.
A Man On the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts (4/5)
I funnily enough listened to the audiobook for Man on the Moon while on a solo motorcycle trip up the Pacific coast. The anniversary of Apollo 11 had just happened and I took that as an opportunity to learn more about the Apollo missions in their entirety. If you're a NASA fan you'll be able to knock this out fairly quickly and the history of the lesser known moon missions was fascinating.
Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law (3.5/5)
This was another recommendation from my Mom and I liked it a great deal. I've always enjoyed Preet's podcast and I enjoyed his book even more. It was largely a series of his musings on our modern day system of criminal punishment and on his views of morality.
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (5/5)
This is possibly one of my favorite books I've ever read. It's a deep dive into the impact a single man had on shaping New York City's infrastructure from behind a curtain, and despite the density of the writing, the story itself is quite riveting. You can check out my more in-depth review to learn more, but I really love Caro's writing style.
Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead (3/5)
I love General Mattis but I was a bit bummed that his most recent book read more like a laundry list of his complaints surrounding the political leadership of our country. I'm still a fan of the man, but not necessarily a fan of his writing.
The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson Vol 1) (5/5)
I picked this up in part because my family and I visited Johnson's library while we were in Austin this year, and in part because I enjoyed reading Caro's The Power Broker so much. It's one volume of a four volume series on the life of Johnson and I've already started the second because I liked the first so much.
The Forever War (4/5)
I read this on a whim as a follow up to having read Fiasco a few years back and thought it was really well done. It was an examination of the American misadventure in Iraq, which seems somewhat poignant given the current climate and American hostilities in the country.