2021 Book List
2021, what a wild ride. My initial goal was to read a book a week. I didn’t quite reach that goal but I can’t describe to you the growth I experienced in 2021. Books are a key way I learn and experience stories outside of my own, and as you’ll read below, I read a lot of incredible true and fictional stories. In my personal life I was working through a new relationship that has led to me getting engaged and married in 2022 as well as living the security of a full time job to pursue a career as a photographer. I want to personal thank anyone reading this for taking the time to care about what I am learning and how I am growing through the stories I’ve read.
TLDR: Top 5 most important reads of the year
The Practice: Shipping the Work | Seth Godin + Linchpins | Seth Godin
Start With Why | Simon Sinek
Atomic Habits | James Clear
The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho
Live No Lies | John Mark Comer
1.) Attached | Amir Levine
This is a very important book for anyone in or starting a relationship. Looking at the different attachment styles and how to act in the real world, this book will make you a better partner.
Rating: 3.5/5
2.) Children of Dune | Frank Herbert
This is where the dune books really took a turn downhill. The first two Dune books blew me away and i cannot wait for them the complete that story on screen as for books 3 and on, only Denis Villeneuve can make that story interesting.
Rating: 2/5
3.) Ego is the Enemy | Ryan Holiday
When your brother says “I think you should read this book” and the title is Ego is the Enemy, you get a little offended. But after letting it sit my shelf for 3 weeks I gave it a chance and it was great. I can’t remember any major take aways but it was a really sold way to start the year in a humble mindset.
Rating: 3/5
4.) The Problem of Pain | C.S. Lewis
This was an interesting read for me. I really want to like C.S. Lewis, every time a hear a quote or someone read and excerpt, I love it. But reading an entire book is intense, with so much going on I just can’t grab a main point out of the book.
Rating: 3/5
5.) The Practice: Shipping Creative Work | Seth Godin
One of my favorites of the year. Really helped reshape how I share work and how I feel about feedback. it never explicitly talks about social media but this really gave me a new lens to posting my work on social.
Rating: 4.5/5
6.) Start With Why | Simon Sinek
The first time I read this book about 4 years ago, it truly changed my life. I really reshaped how I see myself and marketing on the whole. Reading it again was such a breath of fresh air and helped me to really recenter. If you have never read this book, I recommend doing as soon as you can
Rating: 5/5
7.) And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie
There’s a reason that this book has somewhat shaped the murder mystery genre. I was really surprised at all the twists and turns. If you enjoy the murder mystery genre, you need to read this one because your favorite author is probably inspired by it.
Rating: 4.5/5
8.) Greenlights | Matthew McConaughey
Before I get to my review, I read the first 30 pages in a slow Matthew McConaughey voice and I didn’t know if I could continue but I’m glad I did. At about page 50, I snapped out of it and man, this dude is livin’ (see what i did there?). Of all my autobiographies I read, this might be my favorite because it really had some good advice but then he talks about tripping on peyote, while skinny dipping in the Nile so who knows what is going on with this guy.
Rating: 4/5
9.) God Emperor of Dune | Frank Herbert
Another Dune book, another disappointing confusing mess. There were elements of God Emperor that I enjoyed, Duncan Idaho is my favorite character in the whole series and he gets to shine in this one and some parts of the politics I enjoyed but after killing off all my favorite characters with a time jump, I was just lost and confused for 90% of it.
Rating: 1.5/5
10.) On Writing | Stephen King
Stephen King is one of the most powerful and prolific writers of our generation. With some of the best books (and some weird duds) of the last 50 year, he has defined the horror genre. I really wanted to learn how to become a better storyteller so I decided to dig into his book. Part autobiography, part college writing class. It was a little higher level than I had hoped but I really enjoyed the autobiographical elements.
Rating: 3/5
11.) The Art of Thinking Clearly | Rolf Dobelli
As you read at the top, I missed my goal this year. I read maybe 5 books that took waaaay longer than I wanted them to. This was the first of those books. This book is jam packed with information. Like stuffed, an overwhelming amount of information. I wish I could tell you I learn something but with roughly 80 theories on decision making, I did not think clearly after putting this one down.
Rating: 1/5
12.) Atomic Habits | James Clear
Wow. What a book. This is now my go to “gift book”. All of us are constantly in a state of breaking and starting habits and this big will help you either break on for good or finally keep that habit you’ve been trying to start for years.
Rating: 5/5
13.) The Family Upstairs | Lisa Jewel
I think this book was passed around my entire family. What a wild ride. Some killer twists and turns, this was one of my favorite fiction reads of the year. I’m not going to give you any more details cause I don’t want to spoil it but this book has a lot going on from cover to cover.
Rating: 4/5
14.) Competing Spectacles | Tony Reinke
This is a great read for anyone living in our modern world and just can’t figure out how to do it in. a healthy, God honoring way. You won’t leave this book with a life changing moment but it’ll make you think about how you are living your life.
Rating: 3.5/5
15.) The Boy From the Woods | Harlan Coben
You want to talk about ultimate beach reads, anything by Harlan Coben should be at the TOP of your list. From the first page of this book, you are confused and have a lot of questions, throughout the chapters these get answered and a gripping story begins to unfold.
Rating: 4/5
16.) The Naked Brain | Richard Restak
This one is the beginning of a long list of overwhelming involved books. This is one of the few books from the year that I cannot remember any key takeaways or things I learned.
Rating: 2/5
17.) Born After Midnight | A.W. Tozer
I need of a refresh or revival? Start here. This book pushed me into questioning a lot of things and re-centering on what was important. I don’t know if I had any major takeaways but I know this book kicked off a really important internal journey.
Rating: 3.5/5
18.) Burning Down George Orwell’s House | Andrew Ervin
One of my most unexpected books of the year. Recommended by a friend, a didn’t really know what I was getting into. What I got was an emotional story about killing your heroes and coming to terms with your life.
Rating: 4/5
19.) Linchpin | Seth Godin
If you are in marketing you most likely have read or at least heard of Seth Godin. This book unlocked something in me and prepared me to take the leap into full-time freelance work. It freed me to be unique and who I am and that is what made it such a special moment for me.
Rating: 5/5
20.) Blacktop Wasteland | S.A. Crosby
This one came as a recommendation and wow, i’m glad my friend told me about this book. I really unique story from a perspective that is very different from mine. It takes the typical “one last job” trope and injects a fresh new perspective and voice.
Rating: 3.5/5
21.) Run Away | Harlan Coben
This was one of my fastest reads of the year. Harlan can create the wildest thrilling stories of any author i’ve ever read. This was my least favorite of the 3 books of his I read this year but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. As the title suggests, this is a runaway story but there is a lot more too it than that.
Rating: 3.5/5
21.) Blink | Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell is one of the most popular authors of our generation and for good reason. His books challenge you in ways other books in the same genre don’t. By the last chapter of everyone of his books I find my perspective changed or shifted. Blink is one of his most interesting topics that most people don’t even think about in their daily lives but impacts every decision we make.
Rating: 4/5
22.) The Road | Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy has such an interesting writing style, it can be hard to follow at times but it really pulls you into his stories. Many have seen the movie “The Road” so you know all about the tragedy that is this story but nonetheless it is a compelling post apocalyptic family centered story.
Rating: 3/5
23.) The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck | Mark Manson
I really enjoyed this book. I will put out the disclaimer that if you deal with anxiety, this probably isn’t the book for you. Mark Manson is BLUNT when it comes to some issues that many people cannot just “get over” for lack of a better term. But for me, this was a blunt slap in the face to getting shit down and moving on.
Rating: 4/5
24.) Side By Side | Edward Welch
Starting a new relationship in 2021 (that has led to my wedding in 2022), I really wanted to set my self up for success and to love my partner to the best of my ability. I had hoped this book would impact our relationship a little more than it has but it was a helpful foundation for us.
Rating: 3/5
25.) Win | Harlan Coben
Man, I love Harlan Coben and the characters he creates. Win might be my favorite. This story has everything you want and I don’t want to go into any detail as to spoil anything for you. Be prepared for a wild ride with an extremely flawed lead that some how you fall in love with.
Rating: 4/5
26.) The Alchemist
Most important book I read this year. Wow. Just wow. One of the most beautiful and inspiring tales I’ve ever experienced. This book is for everyone and anyone. No matter what stage in life you are in, you will learn and grow during your journey through this story and come out a different person on the other side, believing in yourself more than you ever have.
Rating: 5/5
27.) The Song of Achilles | Madeline Miller
I am a huge fan of greek mythology. I don’t know why but after taking a class in high school in which we read the Odyssey, I was hooked. All the gods and their flaws are just fascinating to me. Madeline Miller retells a lot of these stories from the perspective of a minor character. This truly allows you to feel like you are part of this epic stories and watching them from beside these insane characters.
Rating: 3.5 /5
28.) The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides
The perfect beach read. I honestly think I read this in one day. The characters hook you from the beginning with a twist you will not be ready for at the end. When you go on your next vacation take this book with you.
Rating: 4/5
29.) Heretics of Dune | Frank Herbert
Ugh, Dune. The first two books blew me away. But after that, it just got too confusing and too crazy. Besides Duncan Idaho, I don’t really like any characters in the later books and they time jump so much in between books you really only have one book to get to know an entire new cast of characters.
Rating: 2/5
30.) Yearbook | Seth Rogan
Seth Rogan is one of the funniest people around. His book continues his comedy but gets into some deep stories that help you understand who he is. Don’t go into this book expecting to know the entire history of Seth Rogan, expect more of 10-12 slightly connected stories that begin to paint the picture of just who Seth is.
Rating: 3/5
31.) Fuck It, I’ll Start Tomorrow | Action Bronson
Action Bronson is actually the world’s most interesting person. Rapper, chef, so many other things, I am fascinated by him. His autobiography is more focused than Seth Rogan’s and really shows the story of Action Bronson and what brought him to where he is today.
Rating: 3/5
32.) Billy Summers | Stephen King
I am a big fan of Stephen King and have been really enjoying his slighty more grounded stories, like Billy Summers and the outsider. Billy Summers was one of the longest books I read but one of the fastest I read. I couldn’t put this book down. What a crazy, compelling story.
Rating: 4/5
33.) The Guest List | Lucy Foley
I went to the beach a lot in 2021, so a lot of my list is full of “beach reads”. This was one of the most thrilling and wild beach reads I read. The story is told from multiple perspectives all trying to piece together what happened on the night of a wedding. Full of twist and turns, you won’t be able to predict how this one ends.
Rating: 4/5
34.) Humankind: A Hopeful History | Rutger Berman
This book is exactly as the title makes it out to seem. It’s a collection of stories that combine to tell a more hopefully history of humankind. Some of the stories are very engaging and convincing (my favorite is the story of the “real lord of the flies”). The book is very dense and maybe too detailed but entertaining and insightful.
Rating: 3/5
35.) Live No Lies | John Mark Comer
John Mark Comer is beginning to be my favorite living christian author. This was my first book I read of his and really enjoyed something about his writing style. I don’t know exactly what it is but he attacks pretty large concepts in a very approachable and realistic way.
Rating: 4/5
36.) The Gift of Being Yourself | David G. Benner
I am thankful for this book. I do not struggle with self confidence or personal doubt but this book still was such a strong positive experience. It feels just like opening a present on christmas morning but when you unwrap the box, you are the present. In life, we are often told “you are perfect the way you are” and that is 100% true but it is hard to believe sometimes. This book is devoted to proving that you truly are perfect.
Rating: 5/5
37.) The Woods | Harlan Coben
This is the first of back to back audio books as I drove to Michigan for a photo shoot. This one was definitely tough to follow but maybe that was because I was driving and listening. You can still expect all the wild twist and compelling characters that you get from a Harlan Coben book but I feel there were a few two many characters and details.
Rating: 3/5
38.) Will | Will Smith
If this book would have end 2/3 of the way through I would have given it 5 stars. Will Smith spares no detail in his life and that works extremely well when recounting his childhood through his rise to being the biggest movie start in the world. Where it loses me is when it gets to current times, instead of continuing to be raw and open about his family struggles it feels like he is trying to prove how incredible and “spiritual” he is. At one point he describes his desire to start a harim with other celebrity women and he just lost me at that point.
Rating: 3/5