2021 Book Report


2021 was by far the year that I finished* more books than ever before in a year. I am self-imposing that asterisk on 'finished' rather than using the word 'read' in that sentence. In 2021 I finished 75 books (not counting children's books). However 2021 was the year of the audiobook for me. I may have listened to one or two audiobooks in the past, but this past year I cut a lot of the podcasts out that I had been listening to, and turned to audiobooks. I enjoy the audiobook format, but as someone who previously really only liked reading physical books, something about it doesn't seem like reading. Probably because it's not reading, it's listening. 

I suppose I could go back and tally how many books I read versus listened to, but I might not remember on some of them. In any event, I really enjoyed finishing a crapload of books last year. Incorporating audiobooks really helped me pad my stats. In October, I started a new job in Philly. For my commute, I drive to the train station (24-35 minutes depending on traffic) and then take a 20-minute train ride to my building. This gives me usually an extra 90 minutes a day to put into books, if I want to. Sometimes my preference goes to listening to Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo or the Rights to Ricky Sanchez pods instead, but for the most part, I spend my commute reading. That's a lot of kid-free hours that I dedicated to books. Combine that with listening to books at 1.5 speed, I managed to get a lot of books done. 

I love getting recommendations from other people on books to read, so I thought I could use this blog to post recaps of my own reading. I track my books pretty religiously here on Goodreads, which is great tool for any reader who isn't using it. I put my complete list of books that I finished below, but also wanted to share some of my favorites of the year.

Here are very quick looks at some of my most enjoyable ones from this past year, not ranked but in the order I read them:

Greenlights, by Matthew McConaughey
After listening to some interviews with him and seeing him in some memorable roles in movies, I always thought of him as being pretty out there. This book 100% confirmed that, and more. He told some wild stories that almost seem unbelievable, but seem to fit his mold. I also enjoyed reading his account of going from being a RomCom actor to someone who wanted to be taken more seriously. I did read the physical copy of this book before really starting to get into audiobooks, and now kind of wish I had listened to him tell these stories in his own voice. Highly recommend. 

Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah
I guess this is a good time to mention that in addition to 2021 being the 'Year of the Audiobook' for me, it also could be considered 'Year of the Memoir'. I read and listened to a lot of people tell their own stories, and this was a fascinating one. I did not know much about Trevor Noah other than him being the Daily Show guy, and this was a great account of his upbringing, dealing with racism in a unique way from a very young age, and hearing about his relationship with his mother throughout his life. 

Beartown, by Fredrik Bachman
This was recommended to me a few years ago, and I should have read it sooner. It was the first book I read by Bachman, though I quickly plowed through a few more after reading this. It was a very moving novel, focused on sports in a small town as well as response to sexual assault, wrapped up through the lens of sport. That is an area that is of a lot of interest to me in real life, and this novel seemed an accurate reflection of some different responses that we see play out in the world. Not quite a heartwarmer, but worth reading. 

Extreme Ownership, by Jocko Willink
Along with memoirs and novels, I tried to incorporate a good amount of leadership/self-help books into my reading. I admittedly enjoyed this much more than I expected. The co-authors (Willink and Leif Babin) are Navy Seals, and weave that into the telling of this leadership book. However it is not just 100% gung-ho military kick ass and take names. They absolutely tell stories about their military experience, but also connect it to non-military stories, and the premise of the title is that as leaders, we need to take 'extreme ownership' over the things that happen in our lives, look inward, and not place blame elsewhere. As this last year brought me a lot of reflection, and at times a lot of bitterness, this was a book that I needed to read. 

The Boy, The Mole, the Fox and the Horse
This book was so enjoyable and sweet, and I need to re-read it again soon. A very easy-read that probably takes an hour, if that. I'm not a big fan of re-reading books (unless it's Little Blue Truck, Pout Pout Fish or Llama Llama, which I have read to Jack roughly 3000 times in 2.5 years), but I'll make an exception for this one. 

The Martian, Andy Weir
I'm not a big sci-fi guy, and I think I was mislead by this title. I have never seen the movie, and *spoiler alert* was surprised that this was not about aliens. This is another one that I enjoyed more than I expected to. It's a book about an astronaut who really has to figure out how to survive stranded in space. I don't think that is too much of a spoiler. Pleasant surprise about this one, it was much more humorous than I thought it would be. For some books, I figure if they have been on the New York Times best-seller list for a while, or there was a movie made out of it, there has to be something good going on there. 

Untamed, by Glennon Doyle
Speaking of reading books because they're on the NYT list, that's exactly why I read this one. I didn't know much about this book, did not know who Glennon Doyle is, but it had been on the list for like a year, so I checked it out. It's actually STILL on there, 87 weeks running. This was really, really good. Glennon Doyle tells her story of really finding herself, living her life fully, going through a divorce and finding new love, and setting good examples for her children while starting a blended family. I'm glad I didn't just think 'this book isn't for dudes' because that would have been a dumb reason not to read it. 

I Came as a Shadow, by John Thompson
This really is a must-read for any hoops fan. It's the autobiography of the legendary former Georgetown basketball coach. It was a great book for a few reasons. First, it was fascinating to hear his own backstory. Second, I loved the stories about Ewing, Mourning and Iverson. Some great stuff in there. But it also was a great book because I learned a lot about John Thompson the man, and his advocacy for racial equity and how much he stood up for himself and others. It gave me a greater respect for him and his legacy. 

Trejo, by Danny Trejo
I'm not sure why I decided to check this one out. I can't say I am the biggest fan of Danny Trejo as an actor. Not that I dislike him, but also wouldn't ever think to list him as someone whose acting I enjoy. I was definitely intrigued to hear his backstory though, and this did not disappoint. Holy crap, does this dude have some stories to tell. He talks about life as a criminal, time in prison, recovery from addiction, and his journey to becoming an actor. 

Storyteller, by Dave Grohl
For my money, Dave Grohl is one of the most likable musicians out there. I like his music, enjoy his interviews, appreciate that he has a good sense of humor, and seems insanely dedicated to his craft and his fans. So when I heard this was coming out, I knew I would 'read' it (I listened to the audiobook). Like a lot of the memoirs I finished this year, the origin story was fun to hear. This had very enjoyable stories about his start as a musician, the formation of Nirvana, rebounding with Foo Fighters, and was refreshing to hear someone who is so famous, also be so in awe of others in his own industry. Great book. 

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I promise I did not give every book I read 5 out of 5 stars. On Goodreads, you can give a rating of 5 stars and I am pretty generous with giving out 4's, throw in some 5's, and usually default to 3's for books I didn't love. Occasionally something will get a 2 from me. But typically if I am really not enjoying something, I'll just stop reading it. Maybe that makes me a quitter, but there are so many things out there that I want to read, that I'm not going to waste my time finishing something I'm not enjoying. To wrap things up here, let's give out some haphazard awards. 

Author of the year- Fredrik Bachman
I enjoyed the first book of his so much that I read 4 more. And they don't all have the same style. Beartown, Man Called Ove and Anxious People were all wonderful books, with different tones. 
Honorable Mention- Harlan Coben. If I did a 2020 book report, he would have been author of the year. Before the pandemic started, I had never read anything by Coben, and now have finished probably 10-15 of his novels. Bonus points because most of them are based in NJ. 

Memoir of the year (not yet mentioned)- Acid for the Children, by Flea
If you like Red Hot Chili Peppers, read this book. 

Audiobook of the year- Will, by Will Smith
Picking another one not yet mentioned. It was fun listening to this because Will Smith is very animated, and I am of the age that I lived through his rise to fame. Good storytelling, music thrown in underneath some of it, and overall enjoyable. 

Nerdy book of the year- Under the Black Hat, by Jim Ross
I was a fan of WWF/WWE growing up. I haven't watched since graduating high school, but the timeline of this book lines up with when I was a fan. I'm definitely a nerd for this (or maybe just a typical middle-aged man) but I had a fun time listening to good ole JR tell some stories about Stone Cold, Vince McMahon, Undertaker, and other wrestling personalities from my youth. 

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Alright, that's enough for this book report. Maybe I will do this monthly with my 2022 books. My goal for the year is to finish at least one more than the previous year, and I am off to a good start. If you have any good recommendations for me, send them my way. Below is the total list of my readings for 2021. Happy reading friends!

Slainte,
Gary

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2021 Finished Books, in reverse order of when I read them

  • Our Time is Now, Stacey Abrams
  • The Therapist, BA Paris
  • Uncommon, Tony Dungy
  • The Uniform of Leadership, Jason Romano
  • The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
  • Profiles in Courage, JFK
  • Jesus & John Wayne, Kristin Kobes Du Mez
  • The New One Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard
  • 10% Happier, Dan Harris
  • You're a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass), Mike McHargue
  • Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki
  • The Stranger in the Lifeboat, Mitch Albom
  • The Debt Trap, Josh Mitchell
  • Will, Will Smith
  • Notes on Grief, Chimanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Later, Stephen King
  • Peril, Bob Woodward
  • The Storyteller, Dave Grohl
  • The Wife Between Us, Greer Hendricks
  • Breathe, Rickson Gracie
  • Shitshow, Charlie LeDuff
  • Anxious People, Fredrik Bachman
  • Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised, Carmelo Anthony
  • The Dudes Abide, Alex Belth
  • Trejo, Danny Trejo
  • This Will All Be Over Soon, Cecily Strong
  • Think Again, Adam Grant
  • A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman
  • Caffeine, Michael Pollan
  • I Came as a Shadow, John Thompson
  • Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Lori Gottlieb
  • All the Colors Came Out, Kate Fagan
  • Not a Happy Family, Shari Lapena
  • Beastie Boys Book
  • Untamed, Glennon Doyle
  • The Tragedy of Rudy Giuliani, Michael Wolff
  • Difficult Men, Brett Martin
  • Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
  • The Coming Storm, Michael Lewis
  • Killing the Mob, Bill O'Reilly
  • The Martian, Andy Weir
  • Acid for the Children, Flea
  • The President's Daughter, Bill Clinton
  • Unscripted, Ernie Johnson
  • Under the Black Hat, Jim Ross
  • Take Back the House, Karen Latimer
  • Gone for Good, Harlan Coben
  • Playing to Win, Michael Lewis
  • The Dichotomy of Leadership, Jocko Willink
  • The Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell
  • A Promised Land, Barack Obama
  • Animal Farm, George Orwell
  • Yearbook, Seth Rogen
  • The Other Wes Moore, Wes Moore
  • On Juneteenth, Annette Gordon-Reed
  • Long Bright River, Liz Moore
  • So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo
  • Sooley, John Grisham
  • Can't Hurt Me, David Goggins
  • Us Against You, Fredrik Backman
  • The Boy, The Mole, The Fox & The Horse, Charlie Mackesy
  • And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer & Linger, Fredrik Bachman
  • Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, Emmanuel Acho
  • Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back, Jessica Luther
  • Win, Harlan Coben
  • Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink
  • Beartown, Fredrik Backman
  • You Can't Lose Them All, Cousin Sal
  • Inside the NBA Bubble, Jared Dudley
  • Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
  • Grit, Angela Duckworth
  • Promise Me, Dad, Joe Biden
  • Greenlights, Matthew McConaughey
  • The Last Days of John Lennon, James Patterson
  • Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown, John Lithgow

Comments

editorcuddy said…
Pretty impressive, Mr. Baker!
10:32 PM
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